Wednesday, 23 January 2008
January 21st & 22nd - so we thought Flagstaff was bad......!
We manage to get a hot shower in the morning and after 2 hours the bus finally started and we're on the road again to Alberquerque... or so we thought.
After a couple of hours Skeet notices that the bus is not maintaining air pressure. For those who don't know about these things (like myself), a tour bus uses air pressure for a number of things - including the brakes, and our tour bus is currently in pretty critical condition and we need to get it fixed ASAP. Justin gets on the phone and starts trying to find somewhere on route where we can get it checked. After a couple of attempts we find a bus repair shop in a small town called Gallup, New Mexico. We drive on for an hour or so until we reach the place. It is worth noting at this point that the bus is a very stressful place to be, but the amazing rock formations are fascinating. We have just driven through what is know as the Navajo Nation - the largest Native Amercian settling. Everywhere you look along the roads are people selling indian trinkets and rugs etc. It is awe-inspiring landscape...... but for now, lets get back to the BIG problem of the tour bus.
The truck repair place is pretty baron. They come and diagnose the bus - and it aint good. They need to do some work that can't be started until tomorrow and will take until at least midday to sort out. So we are stranded. We can get some power to the bus though so that's cool - but it isn't going to be enough to keep us that warm. There is ice everywhere and it is gonna drop to around minus 10 tonight. There's nothing we can do about it though - so we prepare.
We head out to find food. We go to Wendys and get burgers etc. That aint the best food for me cause I still haven't been to the toilet and it's starting to feel bad. I am unable to speak at all and my throat is swollen. I left my washbag and towel in Flagstaff so all I have is some shitty throat capsules from the local store (which sells nothing!). I also manage to get some fresh honey and lemon and run some water through a coffee machine to get hot water to take it with. It helps soothe but I'm not sure it's gonna help too much as we are dealing with extreme temperatures.
Back at the bus it's cold. We are all sat in the front part of the bus where we have a small living area. It's cramped but it genuinely feels like a military bootcamp survival challenge. Justin gets back from the local UPS place and says he's found a guy that is gonna stop by later with 'supplies'.
I have no idea what time it is, but we are trying to find people up ahead or in the local area to come help us with supplies. It doesn't work. We do however get hold of a Papa Johns Pizza and they are gonna come by - they won't pick beer up for us on the way though. Never mind, we have a bottle of Jim Beam and a Grey Goose.
The guy that Justin had spoken to comes by and knocks on the bus. His name is Charlie and he has a big stash of weed - but no beer. Weed makes a lot of people happy though. Dan, the non smoker has already had a tough time with the cigarette smoke - now he is feeling really bad, so he goes to bed. The pizza guy turns up and it's like a scene from a film as the smoke shoots out of the bus door. Funny stuff. Charlie loves the whole scene. We all sign a poster for him and he then goes back home and brings us back a DVD player!!! Not sure what his wife is gonna say when she realises it's gone - but for now we don't care - Charlie is a legend.
Funniest part of the night is Kevin asking me to pass him the Jim Beam. The bottle is almost empty. He has quietly been pouring it into his Starbucks cup and drinking it through the straw without anyone knowing. What a legend. He is funny.
We gradually all get to bed.
January 23rd
Nothing really to report. We have to hang around all day whilst the bus is fixed, but it get's done so that is great. We roll out at around 1:30 pm. We drive all day and all night. There isn't much to tell you from my perspective cause I slept for around 15 hours. When I wake up we are at an RV park in Amarillo - another state, another time zone, same desert and cold!
It's now January 24th and I am sat in the bus in Amarillo. It's still freezing but we've had hot showers and done some laundry. We've cleaned the bus and we are all taking loads of vitamin supps to stay healthy(ish). We are gonna set off in about 10 minutes for the next stop. 6 hours driving to Ft.Worth. Once we get there things should be better. Both us and TM's have fans and street teamers there who will help us with supplies and maybe shelter. Lets get rolling.
Marty:Riot
After a couple of hours Skeet notices that the bus is not maintaining air pressure. For those who don't know about these things (like myself), a tour bus uses air pressure for a number of things - including the brakes, and our tour bus is currently in pretty critical condition and we need to get it fixed ASAP. Justin gets on the phone and starts trying to find somewhere on route where we can get it checked. After a couple of attempts we find a bus repair shop in a small town called Gallup, New Mexico. We drive on for an hour or so until we reach the place. It is worth noting at this point that the bus is a very stressful place to be, but the amazing rock formations are fascinating. We have just driven through what is know as the Navajo Nation - the largest Native Amercian settling. Everywhere you look along the roads are people selling indian trinkets and rugs etc. It is awe-inspiring landscape...... but for now, lets get back to the BIG problem of the tour bus.
The truck repair place is pretty baron. They come and diagnose the bus - and it aint good. They need to do some work that can't be started until tomorrow and will take until at least midday to sort out. So we are stranded. We can get some power to the bus though so that's cool - but it isn't going to be enough to keep us that warm. There is ice everywhere and it is gonna drop to around minus 10 tonight. There's nothing we can do about it though - so we prepare.
We head out to find food. We go to Wendys and get burgers etc. That aint the best food for me cause I still haven't been to the toilet and it's starting to feel bad. I am unable to speak at all and my throat is swollen. I left my washbag and towel in Flagstaff so all I have is some shitty throat capsules from the local store (which sells nothing!). I also manage to get some fresh honey and lemon and run some water through a coffee machine to get hot water to take it with. It helps soothe but I'm not sure it's gonna help too much as we are dealing with extreme temperatures.
Back at the bus it's cold. We are all sat in the front part of the bus where we have a small living area. It's cramped but it genuinely feels like a military bootcamp survival challenge. Justin gets back from the local UPS place and says he's found a guy that is gonna stop by later with 'supplies'.
I have no idea what time it is, but we are trying to find people up ahead or in the local area to come help us with supplies. It doesn't work. We do however get hold of a Papa Johns Pizza and they are gonna come by - they won't pick beer up for us on the way though. Never mind, we have a bottle of Jim Beam and a Grey Goose.
The guy that Justin had spoken to comes by and knocks on the bus. His name is Charlie and he has a big stash of weed - but no beer. Weed makes a lot of people happy though. Dan, the non smoker has already had a tough time with the cigarette smoke - now he is feeling really bad, so he goes to bed. The pizza guy turns up and it's like a scene from a film as the smoke shoots out of the bus door. Funny stuff. Charlie loves the whole scene. We all sign a poster for him and he then goes back home and brings us back a DVD player!!! Not sure what his wife is gonna say when she realises it's gone - but for now we don't care - Charlie is a legend.
Funniest part of the night is Kevin asking me to pass him the Jim Beam. The bottle is almost empty. He has quietly been pouring it into his Starbucks cup and drinking it through the straw without anyone knowing. What a legend. He is funny.
We gradually all get to bed.
January 23rd
Nothing really to report. We have to hang around all day whilst the bus is fixed, but it get's done so that is great. We roll out at around 1:30 pm. We drive all day and all night. There isn't much to tell you from my perspective cause I slept for around 15 hours. When I wake up we are at an RV park in Amarillo - another state, another time zone, same desert and cold!
It's now January 24th and I am sat in the bus in Amarillo. It's still freezing but we've had hot showers and done some laundry. We've cleaned the bus and we are all taking loads of vitamin supps to stay healthy(ish). We are gonna set off in about 10 minutes for the next stop. 6 hours driving to Ft.Worth. Once we get there things should be better. Both us and TM's have fans and street teamers there who will help us with supplies and maybe shelter. Lets get rolling.
Marty:Riot
Monday, 21 January 2008
January 20th 2008 - the long road to Flagstaff!
So after making a sharp exit from the Cheyenne Saloon we head for the bunks (those of us that are a drunken mess anyway) just as Skeet is starting the long drive to Flagstaff Arizona. For anyone that cares to look at a map of the USA - the drive from Vegas to Flagstaff may not look that far - but on our bus with a top speed of about 55mph and NO SPEEDO it is a loooooong journey.
When I rise from my bunk after about 3.5 hours sleep it is damn cold and I am hungry, hungover and in need of about 24 hours more sleep - but to miss the journey would be such a waste. Playing the gigs is the ultimate high of a tour, if it wasn't then why be in a band? BUT sitting up front on a silver eagle coach watching endless desert roll by and giving each other the looks that say "how f**kin great is this?" brings a smile to my face about every 20 minutes. I'm trying to take loads of photos so I can share it with people when we get back, but this feeling is something that you just can't describe, it is something the 5 of us in the band will talk about for years to come. This is what we all have been waiting for our whole lives - and it is 100 times better than we thought it would be.
We stop at a couple of truck stops. Just these things alone could have a whole blog. We are in the middle of the desert - what you'd describe as 'hick country' with big hairy truckers in lumberjack shirts and big mean looking boots. These guys have probably been in their trucks for days, sex starved, hungrier than us and with some pent up aggression to release and the look on their faces when 10 guys in tight jeans and aviator shades waltz into the shop is a little unnerving for us all - are they gonna kill us or rape us? We try our best not to hang around too long to find out. The bus is in need of work though. We ask a few questions, get a rough diagnosis, but no work can be done so we need to push on.
One funny moment at one of these truck stops is when Johnny walks up behind a group of truckers who are discussing the beating they gave a petty thief earlier that day. Something comes into Johnny's head that inspires him to shout "whoa guys, it's a Sunday - the day of peace love and God, what's up?" - we leave swiftly after.
I can't even remember what really happened next - more road, more desert and more smiles. We can't really see an end in sight, we don't know what we're gonna do when we get to where we are going - but one thing you learn quickly on tour is that you are a gang - and this gang is gonna survive regardless of circumstance - we're only 4 days into the tour so here's hoping anyway.
Rob & Billy are over an hour ahead of us and have arrived in Flagstaff. They have found an RV site/Campsite and it has wireless internet access, hot showers and maybe some power for the bus. We are also now about 2 ft deep in snow all around us and in a different time zone - it's crazy.
We arrive and we get some power to the bus. We hook up with Rob and Billy and all jump in the 12 seater minibus and head off to Walmart to pick up some supplies, then to an 'authentic Irish bar' that the TM guys have been to before. There's an American Football game going on - and it's a playoff semi-final. People go mental when their teams are doing something good - we have no f**king idea what is going on. We all order big plates of food and basically leave half of it cause we are so tired and strung out ;-)
Back to the bus and I manage to get some internet stuff done on the blog at Dan and Bills hut. When I get back to the bus I realise I could've done the whole thing anyway - I just didn't have the wireless switch on - oh well you live and learn. Back on the bus Ash, Dan & Freddie are absolutely passed out in the bunks. All of the TM guys are working - sending out press packs for both bands to all of the promoters and local radio stations in the Texas cities we are playing. I've said it once and I'll say it again - these guys have a work ethic that is amazing. There is a reason that these guys can get 1.1million plays on their myspace page, a reason why they can go on endless tours, a reason that they can send a myspace bulletin asking for donations to help get the bus fixed (resulting in a couple of HUNDRED dollars being transferred into their account from fans within a couple of hours) - it's because they want it! They work through the night to make things happen and it is inspirational.
It at least inspires Scott and I to spend the next 2 hours writing on the blog and getting photos on to the page - which is a long process. It's already proving worthwhile. We have made more fans and contacts in the past few days that in the past few months in England - but we're gonna work our asses off when we get back to change that. This tour is the new motivational pill we all needed. Time for bed. Tomorrow we need to try and get to Albuquerque - which is an 8 hour drive at best. More desert, more snow, more junk food - and I can't wait. At this point although you may not want to know this, I have not had a number two for 24 hours. I need to. BADLY. When you get the chance to use a toilet you have to take it - and if you don't then you could be the first to do a 'bus bomb'. Imagine you have nowhere to go to the toilet, you aren't allowed to use the toilet on the bus to do so, and it is a life or death. What do you do? You get a carrier bag, you put it in the toilet with the handles over the edge - and you do what you have to do. Then what do you do? You tie the bag and drop that bomb on the desert road. I don't want to be the first to necessitate the bus bomb. I am praying.
I have also completely lost my voice. It is getting worse, so I am thankful that there is no gig for a few days. I need to recover. Excessive drinking and smoking might not be the answer... who knows?
Marty:Riot
When I rise from my bunk after about 3.5 hours sleep it is damn cold and I am hungry, hungover and in need of about 24 hours more sleep - but to miss the journey would be such a waste. Playing the gigs is the ultimate high of a tour, if it wasn't then why be in a band? BUT sitting up front on a silver eagle coach watching endless desert roll by and giving each other the looks that say "how f**kin great is this?" brings a smile to my face about every 20 minutes. I'm trying to take loads of photos so I can share it with people when we get back, but this feeling is something that you just can't describe, it is something the 5 of us in the band will talk about for years to come. This is what we all have been waiting for our whole lives - and it is 100 times better than we thought it would be.
We stop at a couple of truck stops. Just these things alone could have a whole blog. We are in the middle of the desert - what you'd describe as 'hick country' with big hairy truckers in lumberjack shirts and big mean looking boots. These guys have probably been in their trucks for days, sex starved, hungrier than us and with some pent up aggression to release and the look on their faces when 10 guys in tight jeans and aviator shades waltz into the shop is a little unnerving for us all - are they gonna kill us or rape us? We try our best not to hang around too long to find out. The bus is in need of work though. We ask a few questions, get a rough diagnosis, but no work can be done so we need to push on.
One funny moment at one of these truck stops is when Johnny walks up behind a group of truckers who are discussing the beating they gave a petty thief earlier that day. Something comes into Johnny's head that inspires him to shout "whoa guys, it's a Sunday - the day of peace love and God, what's up?" - we leave swiftly after.
I can't even remember what really happened next - more road, more desert and more smiles. We can't really see an end in sight, we don't know what we're gonna do when we get to where we are going - but one thing you learn quickly on tour is that you are a gang - and this gang is gonna survive regardless of circumstance - we're only 4 days into the tour so here's hoping anyway.
Rob & Billy are over an hour ahead of us and have arrived in Flagstaff. They have found an RV site/Campsite and it has wireless internet access, hot showers and maybe some power for the bus. We are also now about 2 ft deep in snow all around us and in a different time zone - it's crazy.
We arrive and we get some power to the bus. We hook up with Rob and Billy and all jump in the 12 seater minibus and head off to Walmart to pick up some supplies, then to an 'authentic Irish bar' that the TM guys have been to before. There's an American Football game going on - and it's a playoff semi-final. People go mental when their teams are doing something good - we have no f**king idea what is going on. We all order big plates of food and basically leave half of it cause we are so tired and strung out ;-)
Back to the bus and I manage to get some internet stuff done on the blog at Dan and Bills hut. When I get back to the bus I realise I could've done the whole thing anyway - I just didn't have the wireless switch on - oh well you live and learn. Back on the bus Ash, Dan & Freddie are absolutely passed out in the bunks. All of the TM guys are working - sending out press packs for both bands to all of the promoters and local radio stations in the Texas cities we are playing. I've said it once and I'll say it again - these guys have a work ethic that is amazing. There is a reason that these guys can get 1.1million plays on their myspace page, a reason why they can go on endless tours, a reason that they can send a myspace bulletin asking for donations to help get the bus fixed (resulting in a couple of HUNDRED dollars being transferred into their account from fans within a couple of hours) - it's because they want it! They work through the night to make things happen and it is inspirational.
It at least inspires Scott and I to spend the next 2 hours writing on the blog and getting photos on to the page - which is a long process. It's already proving worthwhile. We have made more fans and contacts in the past few days that in the past few months in England - but we're gonna work our asses off when we get back to change that. This tour is the new motivational pill we all needed. Time for bed. Tomorrow we need to try and get to Albuquerque - which is an 8 hour drive at best. More desert, more snow, more junk food - and I can't wait. At this point although you may not want to know this, I have not had a number two for 24 hours. I need to. BADLY. When you get the chance to use a toilet you have to take it - and if you don't then you could be the first to do a 'bus bomb'. Imagine you have nowhere to go to the toilet, you aren't allowed to use the toilet on the bus to do so, and it is a life or death. What do you do? You get a carrier bag, you put it in the toilet with the handles over the edge - and you do what you have to do. Then what do you do? You tie the bag and drop that bomb on the desert road. I don't want to be the first to necessitate the bus bomb. I am praying.
I have also completely lost my voice. It is getting worse, so I am thankful that there is no gig for a few days. I need to recover. Excessive drinking and smoking might not be the answer... who knows?
Marty:Riot
Las Vegas 19th January
Lets be honest, going to bed at 7am drunk beyond belief is never gonna be a good thing. When you're sleeping in a small bunk, the hangover feels worse. Dan grabbed me and Ash at 10:30am and told me to hurry up, chuck some clothes on and get over to the motel where Billy & Rob were staying to use the shower. They were less than impressed to see us come through the door expecting to use the shower they had paid for. We let them get some more sleep and go to grab some food.
After a brief moment of angry tension between myself and Rob we manage to get Freddie and Scott out of there bunks so we can go and grab food and drink and take in the sights of the Las Vegas strip. We head into the MGM grand and walk through the casino then cross the bridge to the New York New York to get food. Everything in Vegas is impressive - you just can't describe the size and grandeur of everything..... it is ridiculous.
Time flies by and we are heading back to the bus - and we have a gig! Riley has come through and managed to book us onto a bill with three other bands at a place called the Cheyenne Saloon. Our stage time is set at 12am - although we are told that may get later. One thing in the US that is so different is that gigs run very late. By 12am we'd normally be tucked up in bed. Out here on the road it makes no difference, we've already lost all sense of date or time. It truly is bizarre.
Not even sure what we do next, but we roll up to the venue later that night - by which time we have lost all power to the generator on the bus so we don't have heat, and we don't have light. F**k it, lts just go and check it out.
The venue looks great. Nice big stage and good lighting. A large crowd of metal heads..... so this could be a tough crowd. So we have a few beers and it becomes apparent that stage time is going to be much later than first expected. Tattooed Millionaires play the best I have seen them so far this tour. Johnny reacts well to a tough crowd. It's maybe even inspirational - cause we are now pumped for the gig.
We take the stage at 2am and play by far the best I think Riot:Noise have ever played. I fall flat on my ass on the second song, Ash is jumping up and down from the drum riser and Scott and Freddie are taking it turns to have the front of the stage on their side. We are the best band in the world tonight (in my opinion).
The sets were kept short by us and TM's cause it's late and we are tired and the crowd isn't huge. However, when a guy from the bar comes up to the stage and offers us $50 to play 3 more songs - we aint gonna say no. We have two songs that we would put in the usual set, but we also have a song we prepared just for an occasion like this. Ash starts the opening riff to Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols and it dawns on me that I can't remember the second verse - but who cares, that's punk rock for you. As we hit the chorus Johnny jumps on stage to sing along, and it's perfect - it is just what the song called for. The set finishes and we walk to the bar dripping in sweat and have a beer with the guy who paid us to play the last three songs. He said he'd just walked in and heard some great rock music and was gutted we were about to finish. Its an awesome feeling.
I'm not gonna write too much about the next 5 hours, so I'll let someone else take care of that. All I will say is that walking out of a small Texan saloon that has no windows or natural light at 8am after unlimited free drinks (thanks Amy) into the blazing morning sunshine is not a pleasant experience. I felt like I was about to melt into the floor - much to the amusement of the onlooking Dan. Tomorrow we roll out to..... god knows where. For now, it's thanks Vegas.
Marty:Riot
Just to put my spin on things, I think Marty might have got things wrong....walking straight out of a saloon that has no windows or natural light at 8am after unlimited free drinks into the blazing morning sunshine straight onto a tour bus with the engine running to leave straight for the next venue is the best thing in the world! Nothing compares..it was an awesome night.
Everything was good, TM rocked the place and we followed them up with our best performance of the tour so far, Johnny Jetson joined us on stage for Pretty Vacant and almost set my hair on fire putting a cigarette in my mouth while I was playing, good times..
We stayed and partied all night, I wont say to much cus what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas but we managed to teach Kevin (TM's bass player) some essential English phrases for him to perfect his accent with, these included 'Fuck of you manc C**t and Oi!? you w****r! He was pretty good by the end of the night and we have definately found a drinking buddy for the tour..
All in all Vegas is an awesome, awesome place and is truly the city of sin, I for one am happy to report I made the most of my time there..bring on the next show..
Scotty:Riot
After a brief moment of angry tension between myself and Rob we manage to get Freddie and Scott out of there bunks so we can go and grab food and drink and take in the sights of the Las Vegas strip. We head into the MGM grand and walk through the casino then cross the bridge to the New York New York to get food. Everything in Vegas is impressive - you just can't describe the size and grandeur of everything..... it is ridiculous.
Time flies by and we are heading back to the bus - and we have a gig! Riley has come through and managed to book us onto a bill with three other bands at a place called the Cheyenne Saloon. Our stage time is set at 12am - although we are told that may get later. One thing in the US that is so different is that gigs run very late. By 12am we'd normally be tucked up in bed. Out here on the road it makes no difference, we've already lost all sense of date or time. It truly is bizarre.
Not even sure what we do next, but we roll up to the venue later that night - by which time we have lost all power to the generator on the bus so we don't have heat, and we don't have light. F**k it, lts just go and check it out.
The venue looks great. Nice big stage and good lighting. A large crowd of metal heads..... so this could be a tough crowd. So we have a few beers and it becomes apparent that stage time is going to be much later than first expected. Tattooed Millionaires play the best I have seen them so far this tour. Johnny reacts well to a tough crowd. It's maybe even inspirational - cause we are now pumped for the gig.
We take the stage at 2am and play by far the best I think Riot:Noise have ever played. I fall flat on my ass on the second song, Ash is jumping up and down from the drum riser and Scott and Freddie are taking it turns to have the front of the stage on their side. We are the best band in the world tonight (in my opinion).
The sets were kept short by us and TM's cause it's late and we are tired and the crowd isn't huge. However, when a guy from the bar comes up to the stage and offers us $50 to play 3 more songs - we aint gonna say no. We have two songs that we would put in the usual set, but we also have a song we prepared just for an occasion like this. Ash starts the opening riff to Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols and it dawns on me that I can't remember the second verse - but who cares, that's punk rock for you. As we hit the chorus Johnny jumps on stage to sing along, and it's perfect - it is just what the song called for. The set finishes and we walk to the bar dripping in sweat and have a beer with the guy who paid us to play the last three songs. He said he'd just walked in and heard some great rock music and was gutted we were about to finish. Its an awesome feeling.
I'm not gonna write too much about the next 5 hours, so I'll let someone else take care of that. All I will say is that walking out of a small Texan saloon that has no windows or natural light at 8am after unlimited free drinks (thanks Amy) into the blazing morning sunshine is not a pleasant experience. I felt like I was about to melt into the floor - much to the amusement of the onlooking Dan. Tomorrow we roll out to..... god knows where. For now, it's thanks Vegas.
Marty:Riot
Just to put my spin on things, I think Marty might have got things wrong....walking straight out of a saloon that has no windows or natural light at 8am after unlimited free drinks into the blazing morning sunshine straight onto a tour bus with the engine running to leave straight for the next venue is the best thing in the world! Nothing compares..it was an awesome night.
Everything was good, TM rocked the place and we followed them up with our best performance of the tour so far, Johnny Jetson joined us on stage for Pretty Vacant and almost set my hair on fire putting a cigarette in my mouth while I was playing, good times..
We stayed and partied all night, I wont say to much cus what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas but we managed to teach Kevin (TM's bass player) some essential English phrases for him to perfect his accent with, these included 'Fuck of you manc C**t and Oi!? you w****r! He was pretty good by the end of the night and we have definately found a drinking buddy for the tour..
All in all Vegas is an awesome, awesome place and is truly the city of sin, I for one am happy to report I made the most of my time there..bring on the next show..
Scotty:Riot
Las Vegas Rox Club After Party (Covet Promotions)
So we've already had a great night and played a blinder of a gig, and then the party really starts.....
1:15am and Sarah & Sean from Covet lead us to our limos that are waiting to take us to the party. We jump in and head to the Planet Hollywood Hotel/Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. We pull up outside and are met by security who quickly usher us to the newest and hottest club in Vegas - Prive. We jump the queue of waiting 'beautiful people' and the velvet rope lifts as we are escorted up the club and over to our VIP table. We take a moment to gawp at the scantily clad ladies dancing on the platforms next to our table, before our host brings over some glasses, ice and VODKA! It's about to get messy - and Scotts smile is now the biggest I have seen it all tour. The glasses are filled with straight vodka..... and we are talkin about FULL glasses.
Within a matter of minutes Scott and I are pretty much rolling around the place. My clothes are soaking wet from the huge amounts of alcohol Scott has spilled over me and if he was anyone else I would've kicked his ass - but we're in Vegas, we're VIP's, and we are trying to relish the moment.
I take a glance to the left and I see Mr Ashley Riot having a laugh and a joke with Floyd Mayweather! What the hell!?! This is completely mental. At the same time, the ladies are starting to swarm around the table - who doesn't wanna party with rockstars, especially when they stick out like a sore thumb in an exclusive club for the glitterati of Las Vegas?
I manage to get close to a scuffle with some college jocks - until I point out the group of 12 drunk rockers over at our table. Problem solved.
Meanwhile, Scott is busy downing excessive free shots that the hostesses insist on bringing round every 20 minutes. Well it would be rude not to wouldn't it Scott? Freddie is throwing shapes on the dance floor like it's 1975 and Dan is calmly surveying the situation with Billy making sure we stay out of trouble....
After what only seems like an hour, Sarah is gathering us up to go get in our limos to take us back to the bus. She would have had the help of her colleague Sean if he wasn't so drunk he could hardly stand. They like to party.
We are busy getting our bearings in the casino and then realise the inevitable has happened..... Scott is missing. Now, if you haven't ever been to Vegas it will be hard to appreciate what an impossible task it is to find a drunken fool in a casino the size of a small village (being from Warminster Scott thought he could navigate his way around with no problem. Oh dear.). It is not easy. We are all happy to leave him to his own devices and possible demise and head back to the limos. Sarah wont leave. Ever the professional, she goes off in search of Scott, aided by half of the hotels VIP security. 10 minutes later a horrible mess of a man stumbles out of the door and into our limo. He is an embarassment to himself. I love it.
We get back to the bus at around 5:30am - and guess what? People STILL want to party some more. The Jim Beam is opened and consumed until gradually, one by one, everyone falls victim to the wrath of alcoholism and passes out (not before myself, Dan, Rob and Bill get a McDonalds breakfast!).
It was a heavy night. It was an excessive night. It was a night of VIP. Another night of doing what we have always wanted to do - play like all stars, party like rock stars, f**k like pornstars.
Tomorrow is an unknown. We're trying to get a gig, so we may be in Vegas for another night. Just imagine what tales of debauchery we'll have for you if that happens.....
Marty:Riot
1:15am and Sarah & Sean from Covet lead us to our limos that are waiting to take us to the party. We jump in and head to the Planet Hollywood Hotel/Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. We pull up outside and are met by security who quickly usher us to the newest and hottest club in Vegas - Prive. We jump the queue of waiting 'beautiful people' and the velvet rope lifts as we are escorted up the club and over to our VIP table. We take a moment to gawp at the scantily clad ladies dancing on the platforms next to our table, before our host brings over some glasses, ice and VODKA! It's about to get messy - and Scotts smile is now the biggest I have seen it all tour. The glasses are filled with straight vodka..... and we are talkin about FULL glasses.
Within a matter of minutes Scott and I are pretty much rolling around the place. My clothes are soaking wet from the huge amounts of alcohol Scott has spilled over me and if he was anyone else I would've kicked his ass - but we're in Vegas, we're VIP's, and we are trying to relish the moment.
I take a glance to the left and I see Mr Ashley Riot having a laugh and a joke with Floyd Mayweather! What the hell!?! This is completely mental. At the same time, the ladies are starting to swarm around the table - who doesn't wanna party with rockstars, especially when they stick out like a sore thumb in an exclusive club for the glitterati of Las Vegas?
I manage to get close to a scuffle with some college jocks - until I point out the group of 12 drunk rockers over at our table. Problem solved.
Meanwhile, Scott is busy downing excessive free shots that the hostesses insist on bringing round every 20 minutes. Well it would be rude not to wouldn't it Scott? Freddie is throwing shapes on the dance floor like it's 1975 and Dan is calmly surveying the situation with Billy making sure we stay out of trouble....
After what only seems like an hour, Sarah is gathering us up to go get in our limos to take us back to the bus. She would have had the help of her colleague Sean if he wasn't so drunk he could hardly stand. They like to party.
We are busy getting our bearings in the casino and then realise the inevitable has happened..... Scott is missing. Now, if you haven't ever been to Vegas it will be hard to appreciate what an impossible task it is to find a drunken fool in a casino the size of a small village (being from Warminster Scott thought he could navigate his way around with no problem. Oh dear.). It is not easy. We are all happy to leave him to his own devices and possible demise and head back to the limos. Sarah wont leave. Ever the professional, she goes off in search of Scott, aided by half of the hotels VIP security. 10 minutes later a horrible mess of a man stumbles out of the door and into our limo. He is an embarassment to himself. I love it.
We get back to the bus at around 5:30am - and guess what? People STILL want to party some more. The Jim Beam is opened and consumed until gradually, one by one, everyone falls victim to the wrath of alcoholism and passes out (not before myself, Dan, Rob and Bill get a McDonalds breakfast!).
It was a heavy night. It was an excessive night. It was a night of VIP. Another night of doing what we have always wanted to do - play like all stars, party like rock stars, f**k like pornstars.
Tomorrow is an unknown. We're trying to get a gig, so we may be in Vegas for another night. Just imagine what tales of debauchery we'll have for you if that happens.....
Marty:Riot
Sunday, 20 January 2008
LAS VEGAS PICS 18th & 19th January
These pics are from the dressing room on Jan 18th, the VIP after party, and Jan 19th daytime.
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