Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Cleveland



Me and Mr. Huxtable at the Ohio Airport

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated this sucker yet. I didn't get many pictures from yesterday's show at the House of Blues, but there will definitely be video and pictures from the road soon.

We landed in cleveland a few mornings ago, I'd never been to Ohio before, I had no idea how insanely humid it is out here. We rode from the airport out to the venue so we could do a little tech rehearsal and get some final things tuned and ready before our show the next day. Rehearsing under the lights is definitely a shock to the system, I could barely see my hands in front of my face sometimes.

We got there the next afternoon, got to meet the guys from Kill Hannah and Bad City (awesome guys, both bands) and rehearse a bit before we opened the doors to the sound check party, which went great. It's a nice way to warm up, and we really enjoyed getting the chance to play the new songs for people. We hung out a bit in the dressing rooms watching the world cup game until Bad City went on. To anyone who hasn't heard or seen this band play, do yourself a favor and check them out now. They were by far one of the tightest, truly rock n' roll bands I've ever had the privilege of seeing. After an awesome electro-rock set by Kill Hannah, we took the stage. It was really overwhelming initially, the amount of people in the room, my adrenaline went through the roof. I feel like we went out and played a pretty good set, I was having one of the best times I've ever had. A huge thanks to everyone who came out.

Things are going really well so far, we arrived Grand Rapids this morning. See everybody tomorrow night at the Orbit Room!

-Mike

19 comments:

  1. Hey Mike,

    Can't wait to see you and SP perform in Baltimore. Me and my girlfriend are traveling from NY to see it since she will be out of town for the NY show.

    I have a big favor to ask...I want to propose to my girlfriend on stage at the Baltimore show and I will try to get to the Soundcheck by waiting on line. Any chance you can consult the band on trying to make this happen? It would be an her absolute fantasy!

    Many thanks in advance!

    See you in Baltimore!

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  2. Was the Thumbs Up guy there?

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  3. It must be an amazing experience! I wish I could catch a show! The band just sounds stellar, and your drumming is blowing my mind!

    Have fun, and much love from Seattle!

    Sam

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  4. Mike,
    Keep bringing the rock! The new incarnation of the band sounds fantastic. The new ones are nice. Stellar job on Freak. And the old ones sound better live than they have in a long time. Your sense of tempo is great and your fills are tasteful.

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  5. Despite the fact that the HoB in Cleveland was about 90 degrees and we were packed in there like sardines, I think your drumming was jaw-dropping. You are a machine ! Glad you enjoyed performing for us, and I hope yu enjoy being party of rock history.

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  6. Mike you must be having a blast on the road!!
    thanks for the update, looking forward to hearing more from you!

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  7. Cleveland was amazing!!!! Everyone was spectacular!!Mike you were pretty impressive, keep it up! Thanks! Can't wait to see ya in Knoxville!

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  8. I saw you all perform in Cleveland the other night and it was the best concert I have ever been to. The Smashing Pumpkins have been my favorite band for many years and even though I have seen them once before, this performance was even better. You did a great job drumming and it is so cool that you are the exact same age as me and have such talent. Which song is your favorite to play?

    Keep having fun!

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  9. Thanks for the update Mike and the great show. Maybe next time you guys come through we'll have cooler weather.

    Have a great show tonight!

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  10. Man, I wish you guys were coming to the House Of Blues in Houston, but I guess I can only wish, haha. And as another young-ish drummer, your story is pretty inspiring. Keep rocking.

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  11. I can't imagine what your first public tour show felt like. Good job you're getting some practice in before the festivals.

    Good luck with the tour and hopefully see you in England soon. Remember to nag Billy, Europe is nice this time of year (any time of year).

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  12. cool! i love the net...how cool is it to hear news from the musicians you like themselves instead of reading them in a magazine? very cool! thank you mike!

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  13. If you think Ohio is humid, wait till you get to Charleston, SC. I'm originally from there and its a beautiful city that I hope you'll get to explore. The whole band sounded great at the Viper Room show. I hope the whole tour goes well and I'll see y'all play when you come back to LA for the Sunset Strip festival!

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  14. Awesome! Thanks for the update. See you tomorrow night in Columbus!

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  15. Dad says don't forget his tee shirts. :)

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  16. God had a very special plan for you and what more that is in store is truly amazing. You will hear this again and again bro, the job you are doing filling the need Billy had on drums for this band is truly special. Last night at Orbit Room, a place that when I was your age I played for the first time (1992 opening for Henry Rollins Band & Tori Amos) after just having seen the Pumpkins perform GISH at Kalamazoo State Theater in Nov. 1991! My first show ever and then within 6 months I was playing on that Orbit Room stage. I just graduated and never wanted to leave the stage again. The road from there was hard as hell to keep dedicated in spite of the world tearing at you to go different directions. 4 years later I hooked up with Hendrix's engineer and then next thing I knew I was in Jimi's brothers band (Leon Hendrix Band) working along with Jimi's old band mates etc.

    Last night was incredibly special because I saw myself in you only your trip is you arent opening for big bands. YOU ARE IN THE BIG BAND. I remember playing that stage years ago and looking up at the balcony people thinking I love doing this so much. I had no idea that I would be standing up there watching the Pumpkins and returning with the woman I married.

    Thank you for a night I will never forget, you were a very special part of it.

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  17. Can you guys come to Scotland please?

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  18. Any chance you can consult the band on trying to make this happen labatterie
    It would be an her absolute fantasy!

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