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Brent Smedley Road Rage Reports

MAY.08.2008

Hello again my friends and Welcome to the first edition of the 2008 Road Rage reports.

As most of you are aware some big changes have been made since the last report in 2007. We have welcomed back singer Matt Barlow into the band. It’s great having Matt back and hearing his voice again. We have also added Freddie Vidales on Bass Guitar. He is an incredible Bass player and a great guy. I think he will fit into the band splendidly.

The new single is due for release starting June 13. It consists of a new song "I Walk Alone", a crushing heavy grooving jam as well as redone versions of "A Charge to Keep", "The Clouding", and "Setian Massacre” - all with Matt on vocals. The rehearsals for the upcoming festivals have gone well and we are all very excited to be playing for the fans once again.

The first gig of the 2008 season was just outside of Chicago at a place called "The Pearl Room". The promoters here were very helpful and considerate. The dressing room furnishings were like something out of an Austin Powers movie, complete with pink chairs and pink and purple ruffled curtains adorning the walls.

After soundcheck, there was a meet and greet session with a group of fans and sponsors. Some fans traveled from as far as Seattle, New York, Michigan, and other distant places.

There is a great deal of excitement and anticipation for the 2008 tour. This is the first time Iced Earth has played in the U.S. in over 3 years. Many fans were grateful for the chance to meet the band, have their CDs signed, and have photos taken with us. One fan in particular (Rafael) brought us all gifts. Rafael is a member of The U.S. Coast Guard. He gave Jon a certified USCG watch, Matt a replica of a Coast Guard Cutter, a shirt and cap set as well as a bottle of Vodka for me, Troy a bottle of Vodka and a mug, and a coffee mug for Freddie. It was a very nice gesture and greatly appreciated.

So, onto the show! The crowd was absolutely amazing! We were told it was the biggest attendance ever for a concert here. The band played extremely well and the audience seemed to eat up every note. It was a great return gig for Matt and an awesome first gig for Freddie. Several times the crowd broke into chants of "Welcome Matt". Everyone seems to be very pleased with the return of Matt on vocals.

After the initial set we returned to the stage for an encore and ended the show with our trademark closer, the song "Iced Earth". When the show was over we hung out in the club until closing time, seeing many
old friends. One in particular we were all happy to see was Scott Davidson, the owner of Rebel Radio, a good friend who has helped us out very much in the past.

I was also pleased to meet a representative for Trick Percussion who showed me their amazing Bass Drum pedals. After the club shut down a couple of us attended a huge after party thrown in a nearby hotel in our honor. It is great to be playing back in the states and Chicago was an excellent choice for our return!

So stay tuned for more updates as we check in with you from Canada and Germany next weekend.

WE ARE BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!!!

METAL LIVES - BRENT

November 30, 2007

Welcome to the 11th and final installment of the Road Rage report. The Worldwide Wicked Tour, Chapter 2: The U.K. with Heaven and Hell and Lamb of God.

The U.K. The tour has finally come to an end. First, I would like thank Heaven and Hell once again for giving us this opportunity and honor to open for them. Many thanks to all the guys in Lamb of God as well, who we have become good friends with. I would also like to thank all of my fellow band members; Jon, Tim, Troy, and Dennis who I have been most honored to play with every night. I think we have grown super tight as a band and as friends and brothers in Metal. We gave our very best every night and I think drawn many new fans to the cause and satisfied many old ones as well.

Thanks again to a killer crew who have made our jobs much easier and gratifying (for a list of the crew check out tour diary #7). It was quite a pleasure to bring our music back to Europe and also to spread our Metal in the U.K. Hopefully we will see you all again this summer at the festivals. So now about the last two shows...

The next to the last show was in Plymouth at a place called Pavilions. Plymouth is a major port town located on the water and is the launching point of the Mayflower. On this day we had a photographer from Metal Hammer come to the show and take pictures of us. We used three locations for the photos; outside the venue (with storm clouds in the back, inside the venue among the cases and gear, and in the back of the bus (which gave us cause to clean it up). The crowd here was simply amazing, as good if not better than Wembley. We gave them a great show, the band was super tight and our energy and intensity was at the highest level. Jon found a Napoleonic era pistol in town and purchased it for his collection

Sometimes at the end of the tour people can get touritis...which is a condition where you begin to get a little loopy, crazy, silly or whatever. Tim began to show signs of this, especially after taking his sleeping pill, when he picked up the remote with his ass...yes, his ass. I was in for a personal treat this night as Chris Adler from Lamb of God allowed me to sit right behind him during the Lamb of God set. He is truly an amazing talent and a super nice guy. The last show of the tour was in Bournemouth at The International Centre. Another really good crowd and of course another awesome performance by the band. It is always great to end on a high point. So our U.K. run has been a great one. I believe we have introduced many new fans to the music of Iced Earth and satisfied many long time fans who had been waiting to see us play for a long time. And of course the European tour was awesome as well, it is always great to see our European brothers and sisters. This concludes the Road Rage reports for now, but stay tuned to the website for future tour dates, exciting updates, and future news. Look for us on tour probably around March and for more Road Rage Reports then. It has been my pleasure to bring you all the news from the road. One correction for Road Rage Report #6... The bus driver’s girlfriends name was misspelled. It is Jutte not Ute. We wish Guido and Jutte much happiness and success in their lives together.

METAL LIVES – BRENT

November 18, 2007

Welcome to the 10th installment of the Road Rage report. The Worldwide Wicked Tour, Chapter 2: The U.K. with Heaven and Hell and Lamb of God.

We begin this segment in Birmingham. This is quite an important city for Heavy Metal, as it is the birthplace of both Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. We were fortunate this night to have them both in the venue. Sabbath onstage as Heaven and Hell and Priest were represented by a visit from Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing who came to watch the show. We were most honored to have them hang out back stage in our dressing room.

This was the biggest venue on the tour. The crowd was massive and we gave them a great show. I received a bit of good news tonight. The Artist/Relations guy for DW-Europe came to the show and told me that they have accepted me for an endorsement. I am thrilled as DW was definitely my first choice for drums. Overture of the Wicked and Framing Armageddon are both recorded on Drum Workshop drums. Vinnie Appice is also a DW endorsee...great to be in company with him. I was surprised to see bootleggers outside after the show selling counterfeit tour shirts. I didn’t expect to see that kind of thing in the U.K.

The next night we played in Cardiff, Wales at The International Arena. There were spacious dressing rooms and nice accommodations at this venue. The crowd was very responsive and we gave them a stellar performance. I am sure that many new recruits were brought into to the Iced Earth fold and there were definitely many old fans in the audience as well, as represented by the amount of our shirts in the crowd. There was even a chant of Iced Earth as we entered the stage. It was a bit different to hear that at the beginning rather than the end of the show.

There was a special event this night...Iced Earth versus Lamb of God in a couple of games of Family Feud, yes Family Feud. Not the normal after show activity, but it was good fun...complete with a host and even filmed for their upcoming DVD. The results of the game were a bit unclear, but I believe unfortunately they got the best of us.

The following night we played in Nottingham, England at The Nottingham Ice Arena. Nottingham is famous for being the hometown of Robin Hood. Many of the shows on this part of the tour have been ice rinks. They are very spacious, but often very cold. Tonight was a very good show – the band performed extremely well and convinced many new people that they need Iced Earth in their lives and CD collections. I was most honored to have Chris Adler from Lamb of God checking out the show.

There was a bowling alley located next to the venue...there was talk of an Iced Earth versus Lamb of God bowling challenge after the show, but there wasn’t enough time before we had to hit the bus. So two more shows left on the tour...one more update to come so stay tuned my friends.

METAL LIVES – BRENT

November 17, 2007

Welcome to the 9th installment of the Road Rage report. The Worldwide Wicked Tour, Chapter 2: The U.K. with Heaven and Hell and Lamb of God.

Today is an off day in Northwich, England. We stayed at a quaint little inn/pub aptly named The Slow and Easy. The owner of the pub is a good friend of our Soundman, Chris. We picked a good night to be here as it was jam night in the pub. Chris B., Troy, Dennis, Simon, and Dominik all got onstage to tear it up a bit with the locals. Many of Chris B.’s friends came out and it was a pleasure to meet his mother and father as well – very nice people, and a very nice pub. If you are ever in Northwich, England, check out The Slow and Easy on Manchester Road.

The next day we traveled to Manchester to play at the M.E.N., which stand for The Manchester Evening News. Another massive venue, as I believed they all would be for the remainder of the tour. Soundman Chris’s father was in attendance at this gig. The venue is located right down the street from a Hard Rock Cafe which some of the guys were able to visit after the gig. The nightlife was alive and well in this area. There was also another Rock club in the area, which supposedly stayed open until 7 a.m. and had 5 rooms with live bands. None of us were able to venture out to this place, maybe next time. The show was a good one for us, once again increasing the number of Iced Earth fans in the U.K. Biff Byford from Saxon was in attendance and of course backstage on this night.

The following day we played in London at the historic and quite famous Wembley Arena. It was quite an honor and a privilege to play this place that so many of the greats have played. Jon’s Wife and daughter were able to attend this night. Pretty cool first concert for his daughter to see at the age of 2. The band played exceptionally well this night, playing a flawless show with enormous energy, intensity, and emotion. I would have to say this was the best show of this part of the tour, both performance wise and also crowd wise. It was probably the biggest crowd so far and definitely the most enthusiastic. As we left the stage the crowd was calling for more...There were some other extra special guests in attendance this night – Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden. What a great night to have our best show yet!

The very next day we played in Brighton at the Brighton Centre. An interesting venue located inside a conference center. This is located a mere block from the Sea, The English Channel to be exact. I was able to take a walk on the boardwalk and the seashore and sample the sites and take many pictures. The Brighton Pier is a small amusement park in its own right; complete with several arcades, a carousel, bumper cars, a haunted house, and many, many more amusement park style rides. There were also several Tarot card/fortune tellers up and down the boardwalk. For blocks and blocks there were all sorts of shops. Seems like it would be a nice play to take a vacation.

So onto the show...This night we were plagued with technical difficulties. I broke a bottom snare head (which is an extremely rare occurrence); we had problems with the wireless transmitters, and several other things. Some nights these things happen, it is amazing how much can go wrong in a half-hour. But much to the band and crews credit we persevered and gave it our best. I think all in all it was still a great show and moved us ever forward in our goal of gaining new fans and exposing new people to the music of Iced Earth.

The next show is in Birmingham. This is the hometown of Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, so this should prove to be another great show. I wanted to take this opportunity to say that it is my personal privilege and honor to share the stage with the other drummers on this tour. Vinnie Appice is an old schoolmaster and Chris Adler is an absolutely amazing drummer who is on the cutting edge of the new breed of virtuosos. Alas, the tour is drawing to a close with 5 shows left to go. But stay tuned there are still more updates to come before we are done...

METAL LIVES – BRENT

November 8, 2007

Welcome to the 8th installment of the Road Rage report. The Worldwide Wicked Tour has entered Chapter 2: The U.K. with Heaven and Hell and Lamb of God.

The first show of this leg of the tour began in Newcastle, England at a place simply called the Arena. We were treated with much respect and consideration by both bands and all the crew. We were even fortunate enough to get a sound check on this day (probably the only one we will get on this leg of the tour). The dressing room was rather spacious, although it was up several flights of stairs and a considerable distance from the stage. The Arena is quite a massive venue. So on to the show – the sound was massive and booming. The crowd was awesome and I believe that this night many new Iced Earth fans were made. The band was in top form and adjusted well to our change of position within the show (from headlining before to opening the show now) and also to the change in the set list.

I must say that the security here was excellent and extremely courteous. The next show was in Glasgow, Scotland at a place called The SECC (I believe that stands for The Scotland Entertainment Conference Center). This place was so massive it made the Arena in Newcastle look small. It was located inside of a shopping center. Outside was a very peculiar structure shaped like an Armadillo. This night we had a small crisis before we went on; the monitor desk completely crashed about 20 minutes before we were set to go on stage. This would have meant that we would have gone on stage not being able to hear anything. But much to Simon’s credit (our monitor man) he had it fixed by the time we hit the stage. I believe he was working on it up to the moment we began.

The Glasgow crowd was particularly intense and once again many new Iced Earth fans were brought into the fold. The people in Scotland have a very strong accent and even though they speak English, it is often very hard to understand what they are saying. I found myself asking them to repeat what they were saying numerous times. We were very fortunate to have Chris Mermod (our original light man) return on this day for the duration of the tour.

The third show was in Sheffield, England at another place, again, simply called the Arena. Another massive venue, as I believe they all will be throughout the remainder of the tour. Another great show, with an awesome crowd. The band was in top form once again. Once again many new recruits were brought into the Iced Earth fan family. The response from the fans in the UK has been absolutely phenomenal – Blessed Are You!!! We are most honored to be a part of this show, playing with Heaven and Hell and Lamb of God, with the chance every night to showcase our music to new fans, Metal Heads, and Music Lovers. Eight shows to go...so stay tuned for more exciting news from the road...

METAL LIVES – BRENT

November 7, 2007

So my friends, welcome to a special seventh edition of the Road Rage reports: A Shout out to a killer crew, and memorable moments from the road. Here we will take a moment to acknowledge the most awesome of crews that we were blessed to work with on our now complete headlining leg of the European tour, and also some memorable moments from the road...

So first the crew: We will start at the top with Dave Price - tour manager (he does an excellent job of taking care of us), Chris Buckley - Sound for front of house (the best sound man we have ever had the pleasure to work with) , Simon Effemey - stage manager/monitors (a genius on the monitors) these two together (Chris and Simon) make an unbeatable team, Chris Mermod - Lighting engineer (a totally awesome light man who is never short on words or stories), Shawn Erbland - Guitar tech (very intelligent fellow), Greg Winn - Guitar tech (nice chap who always seems to be in a good mood), and last but not least Dominik Schrieber - Drum tech (I am always confident and at ease with him on the case). Also the bus drivers Guido and Ute who make a great team and take good care of us, always get us to the shows on time, and who clean the bus daily and make our home away from home as comfortable as possible.

We cannot forget about the crew who have already departed: Stony - Merchandise (an absolute professional), Udo - Physical Therapist (The man with the magic fingers), and Paul - Lighting Engineer during Chris’s brief absence (very good light man with many good ideas). Kudos to the crew one and all!

So now for a few memorable moments from our European headlining tour...The first one that comes to mind was the show in Stockholm at the venue called Tyrol. Simon found what looked like one of Liberace’s old outfits backstage and sported it for the show...some one should have taken pictures. The next one that comes to mind was a night at a truck stop where Jeff Waters from Annihilator and his guitar tech Jakob Paubel were frolicking through the night in their brightly-colored underwear. The last one that comes to mind is the last show of the headlining portion of the tour where many antics were played, but most memorable was Chris Buckley’s giant flying Viking impersonation during the Turisas set. Also we can’t forget about the many late night karaoke sessions in the bus, hosted by Chris Buckley on guitar and vocals with help from Simon on vocals as well. These are but a few of the memorable moments from the road, stay tuned for more...

METAL LIVES - BRENT

November 6, 2007

Hello again friends and fellow Metal Heads. Welcome to the 6th Road Rage report from The Worldwide Wicked Tour, Chapter 1: Europe.

After the Scandanavian gigs we traveled back to Hamburg, Germany to play The Markthalle. This venue holds a very special and historic signifigance for the band as it was the very first placefor Iced Earth to play in Europe. The band has played there on every tour with the shows always being amazing.This night was no different…the showwas absolutely amazing. The band was in top form and the crowd was intense andenthusiastic for every note. There were some record company people and some old friends in attendance as well.All opinions were that the show was totally awesome. The Markthalle is located in a neat area of town, just ashort walk from a massive indoor/outdoortrain station which I was able to visit.

The next gig was the last show in Germany in the town of Stuttgart. The venuewe played is called The Longhorn, a very peculiar place. The walls are adorned with massive paintings in the styleof Michelangelo meets Heavy Metal. There is also a small internet cafe area upstairs in the backstage which was most appreciatted by myself and many other members of our touring party. This day held special signifigance for Iced Earth and our crew. Today (October30, 2007) the bus driver Guido proposed to his girlfriend Ute (who is on tour as well and in training to be a busdriver herself) after soundcheck. He came on stage and asked her to be his wife over the microphone and in front of all of us and Ute’s mother and friend. She came to the stage and gladly accepted a rose and Guido’s hand and of course said YES. Afterwards a champagne toast was shared to celebrate this momentous occasion. We were most honored to be a part of this.

So onto the gig…the crowd was massive and very intothe show and the band played very wellonce again. Larry Grohman, the creator of the Larry amp, was also inattendance. He brought Jon a newly modified guitar head, as they are working on a Jon Schaffer signature model which willbe available in the near future. The next day we traveled to Paris, France to play a show at The Elysee Montmarte. Happy Halloween! This issomewhat of a pain in the ass gig for the crew as it is a “drop and go” gig,which means when we arrive after the equipment is unloaded (as fast as possible) the bus must leave and not return until we are ready to depart. The traffic in Paris is horrible and that is the reason for this situation. This was a rather large venue and we were blessed/cursed with some of the smallest dressing rooms on the tour complete with a broken toilet and a shower which leaked through the wall (a first for the tour).

We did a photo shootright before we hit the stage. The crowdhere was absolutely phenomenal. This venue was in a very vibrant part of town with all kinds of shops and storeslining the roads.The next show was in Tilburg, Holland at a place simply called 013. This was an extremely nice venue with spacious dressing rooms, great catering, and even a free foosball table in the backstage area. This was definitely one of the best crowds on the tour so far. It was a massive hall and was packed to the back and on all the balconies. This show was another great one for the band.

I must say that the people in Hollandare some of the nicest in Europe. We were able to visit with some of them after the show and were thankful for their hospitality. There were some nice statues and a gothic cathedral within walking distance of the club, I was very grateful for the chance to get some pictures of these things as well of some great shots of the crowd. The show was another absolutely amazing onewith the crowd simply eating up every note and begging for more.

The next night we played the final show of the headlining portion of the tourin Antwerp, Belgium. It was another packed house, a great way to finish this portion of the tour. The band played exceptionally well. The crowd was amazing also. I dedicated my performance to my father (Jack Richard Smedley)who passed away on this day November 2 in the year 1975. It was like I could feel his presence watching over me during the show - several times I felt chills running down my spine. It was sad to part ways with the opening bands – Turisas and Annihalator and their crews as well. We had a couple of departures as well; Udo the physical therapist, stony the Merchandise guy, and Paul the light man. Best of luck to all of them.

So now it is off to the U.K. for 11 shows in support of Heaven and Hell andalso with Lamb of God.Stay tuned for exciting news and updates from the road…the tour should proveto have a monumental finish.I am happy to say that Jon’s ribs have pretty much healed and the bronchitishe has been battling with seems tobe on the mend as well.

METAL LIVES – Brent

October 30, 2007

Hello again friends and fellow Metal Heads. Welcome to the 5th Road Rage report from The Worldwide Wicked Tour, Chapter 1: Europe.

We have come to the Scandanavian section of the tour and we begin in Malmo, Sweden. This was the first time for Iced Earth to play in Malmo. We played a place called Kulturbolaget, it looked to be a fairly old club by the look of the memorabilia on the walls and throughout the dressing room, which was located upstairs. We had a small mishap with the backdrop (it fell down) but Drum Tech Dominik was there to save me from being covered. The crowd was lively and the show was great…at one point during the set(Declaration Day) the crowd waved around a large American flag…that is always great to see outside the U.S.

The next day we traveled to Oslo, Norway to play a place called Rockefeller. This was an amazing venue with a massive stage, an awesome light show and a very high ceiling. This was the band’s first time to play in Norway – it is always a great feeling to spread the Metal to new lands. Then we traveled back to Sweden to play in Gothenburg at a place called Tradgarn. The band played here on the Horror Show tour about five years ago. The show was amazing and one of my personal bests. Some old friends came to the show; Roger (the director of the 10,000 Strong video, among others), and some members from Evergrey were present as well.

Today marked the departure of our light guy (Chris Mermod)…he also plays Bass for Samaeland. They have a few gigs coming up, but he will return on the second UK gig. Best of luck Chris! So we welcome new light guy Paul during Chris’s absence.

We then had an off day in Stockholm, Sweden, with a gig the next day at a place called Tyrol. I am happy to report that my sickness is all but gone, unfortunately some of the other guys seem to have taken ill. It is kind of hard not to pass things around when we all travel on the same bus. The next day we played the gig in Stockholm. Tyrol is located in a very scenic part of town, which is right on the water and also right beside a carnival area. Some of the locals said that it is very active in the summer time. I was able to get some nice pictures of some magnificent statues and architecture. There were fans at the gig from the moment we arrived, which was very early in the day, until the moment we left, which was of course very late. One group in particular appeared to be a mother and her sons and another a pair of brothers, with this show being the younger brothers very first concert...you’ve got to love that. The venue was rather peculiar as well, with scenes of the countryside painted on all the walls, including behind the stage. We were told that they just started having Metal shows here and it is easy to believe.

The following day we played in Copenhagen, Denmark. We played a place called Pumphuset. It has very small stage with even smaller dressing rooms. There was another one-handed shower here (oh the glamour of it all). The crowd here was amazing. It was a packed house and the heat onstage was intense…you could feel the flow of molten Metal (I think I lost five pounds this night). It was an awesome show, with the crowd still screaming for more even after a three-song encore. With this show we are officially half way through the tour. We have five more headlining shows in Europe and then we head to the U.K. for 11 shows in support of Heaven and Hell.

We finally got back our original bus, remember it broke down early in tour. Once the trailer was fixed (yes that broke down too, actually several times) we began to travel to Hamburg, Germany for a show at the Markthalle.

Stay tuned for more excitement and news from the road!

METAL LIVES – Brent

October 21, 2007

Hello again friends and fellow Metal Heads. Welcome to the 4th Road Rage report from The Worldwide Wicked Tour, Chapter 1: Europe.

We left from Graz and headed to Vienna, Austria. Here we played a place called Planet Music, a very familiar place...Iced Earth has been playing here since the very first European tour. Planet Music has many peculiar features such as a very low exit from the stage (rumor has it that some past members found out about this the hard way), tape to hold the shower head on (have you ever tried taking a one handed shower?), and on the cool side there is a Marshall Cafe within the club where everything is Marshall. The club is scheduled to be moved in December...so the story goes.

The show was great. Good crowd, great set. The next day we traveled to BRNO in the Czech Republic, we were awakened in the middle of the night for a passport check at the border. This was the first time Iced Earth has played in the Czech republic. It is always interesting and exciting to travel to new countries. The club was called Fleda, it is obviously a very old club, one of the smallest stages on the tour...even held together in some spots by tape (yes there is that tape again). The crowd was amazing, such passion and excitement for their Metal. To see new fans in new lands is always inspiring and gives us the strength to perform our music for the world.

The next day we traveled to Berlin, Germany a city steeped in history. We played a place called the Columbia club. It was the first time for the band to play this club, we have played many places in Berlin before...most of them are stories in and among themselves, but stories for another time. Back to the current tour...The catering (food) here was probably the best on tour so far, Kudos to the cook (sorry I didn’t get his name). The show was very good here as well, a couple of minor set backs…the lighting system was some what dysfunctional (Swiss Chris made the best of it) and it was quite cold on stage as well until the Metal began to flow and heat the place. Some of the fellas went to an after party which was held at Club Halford, which is run by a Rob Halford look alike, where they played some old Iced Earth videos and every one was said to have had a good time. With this show we are now 1/3 of the way through Chapter 1 (Europe) of the Worldwide Wicked tour.

That brings us to today, which is a travel day. We drove for roughly 8.5 hours and took a one hour ferry ride to get to Sweden. I was happy to have slept through the ferry ride as I get seasick. So now we are in Malmo, which is at the very bottom of Sweden. Stay tuned for the next update from the road. We are in Scandanavia for a week, so it should prove exciting, but hopefully not too frigid as I am suffering from a severe cold…but as they say the show must go on.

METAL LIVES – Brent

October 19, 2007

Hello again friends and fellow Metal Heads. Welcome to the 3rd Road Rage report from The Worldwide Wicked Tour, Chapter 1: Europe.

We begin this section with a show in Pratteln, Switzerland at the Z7. The shows here are always spectacular. The crowd was one of the best so far. We had a bit of unexpected pyrotechnics as a floor light exploded on stage, blowing a fuse and leaving us in the dark. Our ace lighting engineer, Swiss Chris, had the problem corrected within a matter of seconds. This was my personal best show of the tour to-date, perhaps in part due to my personal history with this place. This was the first venue I played in Europe and the place I have played most frequently over here. The Metal seems to ooze from the very walls of the building.

The next show was in Graz, Austria at a very nice venue called the Orpheum. It is quite a nice theater complete with balcony seating and ushers in ties. At the entrance stands a huge ten-foot guitar neck, and the walls are lined with several famous people who have played there. A few of us were happy to find a washing machine and dryer to do some much-needed laundry (Thanks to Chris the sound engineer for fixing the dryer!).

There was also an Internet cafe/ call center around the corner where some of us were able to call home for a ridiculously cheap rate (1 hour for 1&1/2 Euros). The crowd in Graz was spectacular as well, they were whipped into a frenzy by shows end, seeming to be left wanting more.

Now we are en route to Vienna, Austria…a short drive (four hours) compared to most on the tour so far.
The band and crew seem to be clicking on all cylinders as the tour kicks into high-gear.

There have been some injuries on the tour thus far, most notably Jon Schaffer injuring a few ribs which has limited his ability to move around on stage, but as they say, the show must go on…even through the pain. Many thanks to physical therapist Udo for working his magic on all of us and helping the tour to proceed.
Stay tuned for further updates and exciting news as The Worldwide Wicked Tour Chapter 1 continues…

METAL LIVES – Brent

October 15, 2007

Hello again friends and fellow Metal Heads. Welcome to the 2nd Road Rage report from The Worldwide Wicked Tour, Chapter 1: Europe.

Well we made it to the gig in Zaragoza, Spain, better late than never...broken
down bus and all. Kudos to an awesome crew. It was a festival gig in Zaragoza, biggest crowd yet. The show was awesome even due to a rushed set-up and an extremely late start time. I think we played from 1-2:45 in the morning.

After the show the festival grounds turned into the biggest after party I have ever seen. The Spanish sure know how to throw a party. The next day we played Barcelonia, Spain at the Razzmatazz. This was the first
gig we where able to use our full backdrop (it is immense). The shows in Spain are always awesome...it seems the peole are hot blooded and have
such a passion for their Metal. It is great to be back on tour taking it to the
masses.

Now we have an off day in Beaune, France which is quite a scenic town with some very old looking buildings and some very old looking architecture, lots of castle walls and stuff of that sort. Got some good pictures today.

Tomorrow we play the Z7 in Switzerland, which is the first place I ever played
in Europe (Summer Metal Meetings in 1996) and the place I have played the most over here as well. Stay tuned for exciting news and updates as the tour continues...

METAL LIVES – Brent

October 11, 2007

Hello friends and fellow Metal Heads. This is the first of many tour diary
entries to come.

It is so great to be back on tour and to see all of our European brothers and
sisters...it has been too long. We began with rehearsals in Essen, Germany at the Captured Live back line headquarters. This is a top notch practice facility with an amzing inventory of musical instruments and equipment.

The rehearsals were long and intense in order to crank up the metal machine.
The first show of the tour was Monday October 8th at the Live Music Hall in
Cologne, Germany. Very nice venue, we have played here many times before. As usual the crowd was great, it is always a great show in Cologne. Although
the temperature on stage was extremely hot.

The second show was in Munich, Germany at a place called Backstage Werk. It was my first time to play this venue.

My new cymbals arrived today, I am very excited about this...Many thanks to
Sabian. The show was great as well.

For the third show we traveled to Milan, Italy to play a place called Alcatraz.
This was a very big venue. The crowd here was simply amazing, with many fans singing every word of every song. There were several dozen fans
who waited outside for hours to get autographs and pictures with the
band...such dedication and passion for metal music is what gives us strength an energy to bring it to the masses. After this show the bus broke down, many thanks to opening band Turisas for saving the day by letting us pile on their bus,
that was a cozy ride to say the least. Good thing we had a day off(in France) to sort out the bus trouble.

Now we are en route to the 4th show of the tour, which is a fesival in
Zaragoza, Spain. It is a fairly long drive from Italy to Spain, but it is through some very scenic country with lots of mountains and hill top villages.

This concludes the first tour diary entry, check back to see how the show in
Zaragoza, Spain went and to keep up dated on the events and excitement of the Something Wicked Part 1 tour.

METAL LIVES – Brent

 

Additional tour news:

• Photos from rehearsals in Essen 1 2 3 4 (Thanks to Larry Amplification)
• Photos from Cologne, Germany gig (October 8)
• Photos from Milan, Italy gig (October 10)
• Photos from the Barcelona, Spain gig (October 13)