This past trip is still setting in...not quite sure what all happened, but I'll try to get as much here as possible!
First of all, thank you to everyone who made it happen... I had a life-changing experience on this tour.
We visited 3 countries and 4 cities. First was Beijing, China... our first time on the Mainland!! We'd been trying to get over there for at least a year, and it finally happened, after sending our setlist and all the lyrics, they OK'd it and sent our visas! yayah!!! We played a club called Star Live, which was about 1,000 seat place with a great sound system and a pretty cool new-age feel. The show was awesome, especially because we hadn't played a live show in a while, so it became a new thing again. Just another side of performing i didn't know about. We got so comfortable on our last tour, and felt even stronger together. After going into the studio after that tour, I lost touch with live performance a bit, but as soon as the first note dropped in Beijing, I was back. So Cool to have people there who knew the songs. It was a really spontaneous show. Crowd was awesome, and called for an encore. We came back out to play our cover of Nick Lowe's "So It Goes," Jenny, and Headlight disco. Jenny brought the house down, and Headlight Disco is always a great show closer. I managed to mangle myself after attempting to jump off Joey's Kick Drum at the end of Headlight disco. I lost my footing and fell straight backwards on my butt. It Hurt. I layed there for a while. then got up and ran to the front of the stage like everything was fine, but i was in a bit of pain! Woke up with a headache the next couple days. Awesome. Beijing!!! who would expect anything less.
Next was Cambodia, to where we were supposed to connect flights through Thailand, but because of the political unrest surrounding the airport in Bangkok, we re-routed our flights through Seoul, South Korea and made it to Cambodia just fine. The rest of the shows on the tour were free concerts put on by MTV for a campaign called EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) which is a movement to stop modern day slavery, a large worldwide issue that is overwhelming in Asia. I'll explain our involvement (other than performing) in another blog...
I wasn't sure what to expect from Cambodia, but within 2 hours of being there, just walking around I knew it was different than any place I'd been before. There was a deep rooted poverty that we hadn't ever seen. The people would not have understood the money and salaries westerners make. It would not register, just like their salaries did not register to me. Made me realize how well I have it. Still hasn't really set in though. Our reason for being there was cool to the locals though. Most people in Siem Reap had never seen live music before, and we were booked to perform for them in-front of their most sacred monument, the temple at Angkor Wat. At first I was even a bit skeptical of performing there, because I didn't know how the people would take it. Meaning I thought it might be TOO sacred, but after talking with the locals, and being at the location seeing how interested people were, It quickly became OK... and a huge honor.
This show was also cool for us because we prepared the songs in a fashion we'd never done before. Kind of a broken down acoustic set. I played Acoustic the whole time. Joe played a clean Tele, Ben played Piano, Joel played brush kit, and Ethan played bass. The arrangements were all different, and more chill. Perfect for the location. Pretty cool to think we were the first EVER Rock n Roll band to perform there. Also hasn't set in yet. I think it will.
Next we were supposed to fly to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, but we made a game-time decision and decided to rent a van and drive. It was about an 8 hour drive seeing the countryside and the sunset, which they called "magic hour." We quickly found out why. It was the most beautiful sunset I'd seen. Lots more color, and it was over a large field of wheats and palms. breathtaking to say the least. We took the biggest road in Cambodia to get there, which would compare to any suburban backroad, only much faster driving, and no rules. There were more close calls than anyone would have liked. Along the way we could see homes on each side of the "highway," which were mostly hand built shacks on stilts with no AC or Heating or Electric. No rooms either. Just an open space where everyone would sleep and for them to get out of the sun. pretty interesting, and very satisfying i'm sure, knowing they built that with their own hands. You could tell there was a great appreciation for every possession.
This show in Phnom Penh would be the biggest of the tour. It was booked in the Olympic Stadium downtown, and was huge. The stage was set up in front of the main stands and by nightfall, it was packed. Around 15 thousand people attended that show. We closed with a Rock N Roll performance they'd never seen. Most people at this concert had never even seen live music before either. I find these moments to blow my mind every time. It's different and new every single one. the crowd reacts differently, so it's fresh for us. This was a great show, and there were some special guests in the audience. Our friends from Somaly Mam Orphanage, which i'll explain more in-depth later, but they were some of the strongest women I've ever met. We dedicated Ethan's song "Don't Let Me Go" to them at this show. The lyrics fit perfectly for their lives. Amazing how music can do that. I believe that's what defines a great pop song. Something that, lyrically, people can take and relate to their lives and situations.
The last show on the tour was in Bangkok, Thailand, which we had to avoid earlier in the trip, but it was advised to us that the situation had been resolved and was completely safe. We decided to go. The airport had only been open for a few days when we flew in. It was deserted. Everything went surprisingly smooth despite the previous riots. It was clear to us that everything was not over when we arrived at our hotel. It was located RIGHT next door to the National Stadium of Thailand which was the location for political rallies for the Prime Minister who had previously been exiled. He was the sole reason for the riots at the airport, and now we were right next door to his supporters. We couldn't wear certain colors outside, as we might be attacked or something of the sort. Didn't feel that safe at first, but it was alright after a day or two. We had the great team of EXIT folks with us as well. They were amazing people from all over the world, and have all given their lives to stopping Human Trafficking. It was amazing hanging out with them. They helped us ALOT.
The show was awesome... was located in the Park Corridor of the largest mall in Southeast Asia, Siam Center. There were a few other bands performing, one of which was also at the MTV Asia Awards and we hung out with them there. They're a Thai hip-hop group called Thaitanium. Pretty cool dudes. We closed this one as well, but it was hard to end, because not only was it the last show on the tour...we really started to feel comfortable on-stage for this show so it was a little sad it was the last one. Makes me really want to tour again. Can't wait for that. I do know that we're planning some shows in the Northeastern US to get our new songs together. Probably some small venues with an intimate feel. Possibly even multiple shows at each venue. We'll see about that!
Well that's all for now. I'll be writing another blog soon to explain the rest. Thank you for reading!
Kyle
-taken from kyle patrick's facebook..
he wrote this!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLeN7reYgHE
