1.22.11 - Kansas City

Houston Video!

Just got back to the hotel from Kansas City, Missouri tonight. I dumped all my things in my room, then headed up to the Ritz Carlton Rich-Boy Lounge to join some people for drinks. This hotel is just crawling with richy-rich rich folk, and they just seem like an entirely different breed. There's a bar on the main level next to the lobby, and it seems like it's constantly overflowing with fur coats. I'll never understand. Anyway, Ozzy's assistant tried ordering a beer for me, but I asked for a glass of milk instead. That got a good laugh, but I stand by my milk, and it was delicious. Beer's not my thing anyways. It just seems like a thing to have, rather than to enjoy. I dunno...

Most of the conversation delved in stories from tours past. I heard all sorts of things from tours with ACDC and mishaps with previous members of Ozzy's band. These guys have way more history in the business than I thought. It was actually super entertaining to listen to, and it made me question even more how I landed in the same circle with them. I'm a pretty lucky guy to be sipping milk and hanging with rock star tour veterans.

My lunch today from the Ritz Carlton Rich-Boy Lounge. I think I could eat about twenty cups of those pesto noodles (bottom left).

Apparently, there were members of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting the show tonight, but when I went outside to investigate, all I saw were a few dudes handing out Christian flyers. Seemed pretty harmless, but when I asked them about who they were and who they represented, they didn't want to talk. They were actually very curt. Well, I didn't want to waste my time. I headed back in.

Met more friendly folks tonight in the VIP room, and Kansas City seemed more eager than other towns to say a few things for the camera. It's so nice to feed off their excitement for what they're about to witness, it makes conversation so fun and laid back. Plus, each one of those guests paid $1,000 for those tickets, so I always run into some interesting, sometimes strange fans.

Great show, as always, and the band is even getting used to me being on stage. Sometimes, they'll even play off the camera a little for me just to get a laugh or help my shot a bit. Plus, I went and searched a few songs on YouTube the other day to see if I could see myself on stage. Yup! There's my awkward little crouch behind Gus G (lead guitar). Neat!

 This is usually what I see every time I get on the plane to a gig. Underneath these sandwiches, you can see portions of a menu for the meal that's being served on our one-hour flight. Madness.

I also took the liberty to steal from the band's dressing room tonight, which I haven't mustered up the nerve to do yet. They have a big list of items that appear at every show, and very little of the food/drink is eaten/drank. By the night's end, I saw a bunch of untouched things, one of which was an unusually large mound of turkey (yeah, just turkey on a plate), and proceeded to take a small box of Frosted Cheerios and a carton of Coconut water. I guess it's nature's Gatorade, so it's got all the hydration benefits without the jarring chemicals and sugar, plus it's very "in." Cool!

I bet this stuff is like $5.00 normally. Not tonight!

People keep talking of Vegas, and all the shenanigans in which they're going to dip themselves. Sadly, I'm only 20. Next time..