Unarmed Response Unit!!

So with 2 days off in Fairfax( or should that be Far-From Anything-Fax, more on that later) beckoning, how would you spend it?
Well first up was a trip to the hospital for an updated x-ray on my injured arm. After 6 hours in various waiting rooms feeling like i was in the worst episode of Scrubs ever, i was informed by the medical genius' on staff that my arm was broken(Check the x-ray). No shit Sherlock, i think i remember telling you that when i walked in here a quarter of a day ago. Apparently i am healing well, slowly but well. The doctor was baffled that i am not in agonizing pain and screaming for painkillers and a full cast. I told him i was too busy for a cast and anyway" chicks dig scars". I was told that i would heal quicker if i had it a full cast but i will heal anyway. I would rather have full movement in the meantime, so now i'm sporting this rather nifty cast/brace routine.

The glasses come as standard, its the law!!

So on my 2 mile walk back from the hospital to the "Hotel" (Taxis dont exist in this area obviously) i managed to see a Pharmacy, an irish bar, a Dennys and a 24 hours Diner. Everything else was either corporate or residential.
I did see this sign too outside Fairfax court house about a guy called John Mosby who was a ranger in the American Civil war in the 1860s, This plaque commemerates the night he led his into the heavily guarded Court House and without a shot captured the Union leader as well as his captains and infantry. While im sure this was quite an achievement, i did have to snigger like a schoolboy at his method. "To weaken the armies invading Virginia by harrassing their rear"
I guess sexual harassment isnt a new thing at all eh!!

Oh and apparently there is a Hooters Bar & Grill near the hotel too. What a bustling metropolis eh!!
Still, at least the pool is good!!


So after a night spent watching My Name Is Earl online, it was off to Washington DC today for a bit of a touristy session. It was bizarre walking around as it just felt i was walking around the exterior sets of 24 or a John Grisham movie.
I did like theyre taste in post boxes though.
Anyway i took in such sites as...
The Lincoln Memorial


The Washington Monument


Congress


The White House

This was as close as you could get as Bush was the on lawn doing press, check out the 2 sharp shooters on the roof.
I did find it strange that all around congress and the White House there was air vents such as these which went into the ground and apparently went nowhere.

Makes you wonder about the infrastructure that exists under all the lush parkland around the presidential home and how many war rooms and people who make some the most life changing decisions are directly under your feet while your snapping away with your camera.
I also went to have a look at the Vietnam Wall, which is a memorial to those who died in the Vietnam War.

You are met at the gate by this statue depicting the different people fighting side by side.

The memorial itself isnt much to look at, it is a long wall of polished black marble. Its only when you walk up close to it that see its full effect.

Everyone of those names is someone who was sent to war for theyre country and didnt come home. At the moment there is almost 70,000 names on the wall and im sure that is only the tip of the iceberg of what really happened.
In a strange way, i actually like the fact that all the former presidents get huge pompous overblown memorials while the real hero's get a very simple one.
Speaking of simple, check out a road sign i saw outside the main entrance of the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia on the way back to the hotel.

Yeah, i laughed too!!

Into The Heartland...

So following a day off eating good BBQ food at Fat Matts Rib Shack its onwards we push into the deep south of Americas heartland with a show at Atlantas Fox theatre which is one of the nicest looking theatres i`ve ever been to. Although its bizarre that the doors beside where our bus was parked is still called the "segregation door" by some of the older staff, obviously it is not in use anymore but its scary that that sort of racial segregation went on only 40 years ago, thats within our parents lifetime for most of us.
Today was also the day that our new friends from Japan join us. A few of you may remember a while during our trip to Tokyo i went to see the Silver Beats Japanese Beatles tribute band. Well after a few string pulling sessions the band have been invited out to open for The Killers at a week of East Coast shows. Check "Japanese John" played by Eric, who is the only member of the band to speak much if any english.

They went down an absolute storm and are a very nice bunch of guys.

Bizarrely the celeb count was quite high at this show as i found out when i walked into our bands dressing room and without looking around i went straight for the cooler boxes in search of showtime vitamin water. Without missing a beat or looking up i asked whoever it was to move theyre feet off the cooler and upon not finding what i needed looked up and saw Elton John loooking back at me. Seems like a nice guy. Lance Armstrong was also in attendance.

Next day it was off to the "Home" of American music - Nashville.
We were playing at the Ryman Auditorium which was the original home of the "Grand 'Ole Oprey" which the definitive show to play from the 50`s onwards. This building has seen performances from everyone from Elvis and The Beatles through Johnny Cash to R.E.M. and Coldplay. Unfortunately it isnt very big so we couldnt take very much of our show in but thats not the reason to play at this particular spot. We did manage to set a record for the most trucks of equipment to show up with, our 6 beating R.E.M. out by one.

Before this show i did notice this guy waering a sign outside the show...
Very strange for a man wearing a sign saying " I Need Tickets" , he seemed to have quite a few in his hands....Dont think even the stupidest people would believe he wasnt a scalper, but thats what he tried to tell the cops.

After another great set by The Silver Beats which included Elvis` "Thats Alright Mama" since we were in Nashville and a rather story that Japanese John got to see his father for the first time in 20 years as he now lives in Nashville.
Our guys took the stage with a stripped down production for a great gig in the probably most intimate venue of the tour.

2 days off coming up in Fairfax beckon so ill leave you with these words of wisdom and just you remember...


And....

And Theyre Off...

So, here we go re-capping on weeks 1 & 2 of the tour. After a couple of days at rehearsals with Guns N Roses playing away in the next room (I have to admit it did give me a weird feeling seeing those cases in the hallway of what is now a shell of a formerly great band) It was off to Santa Barbera for the first show day. It was a very bizarre load in into what basically amounts to a basketball court but what can ya do when your local stage hands are a bunch of students who show up wearing flip flops to unload 6 trucks of equipment before having to dissapear every 45 mins because they have to go to class. We had the entire girls volleyball team pushing set carts at one point. Wasnt much fun at all really.
After another show at San Franciscos Bill Graham Auditorium it was on to the big LA show at the Staples Center which is the home of the LA Lakers basketball team.

It was one of the best shows ive ever been a part of in LA, which is normally one of the worst audiences around, they certainly seemed up for it tonight, all 16,000 of them.

After that it was off to San Diego and a day of many Anchorman quotes "Go F*@k Yourself, San Diego".

Another day, another show as we rolled through Phoenix, Arizona and managed to catch up with some old friends from Kanye West tours.

After a nice 15 drive to Austin, Texas and some good barbecue food for dinner it was on wards to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the X-Fest Radio festival which also featured Howling Bells, Jet, AFI and Papa Roach. I snapped this pic of Jacoby Shaddix from Papa Roach onstage, i think its pretty good. For someonoe i had imagined as being very moody and unapproachable, he is one of the nicest people you could meet.

Onwards to Frisco, Texas just outside of Dallas for the next radio show at the Pizza Hut Park, home of FC Dallas Soccer team.


For the size of the bill it was a an exceptionally badly run festival. Also on the bill were My Chemical Romance, AFI, Jet, Papa Roach, Bowling For Soup, Placebo, Howling Bells.
As well as sets from my good friends the Kaiser Chiefs complete with Ricky being his usual crazy climbing self,


As well as a great set from the always fantastic Muse, who had to halt theyre set midway through to allow the front barrier to be fixed after it had broken. Not too sure about Doms spiderman outfit though.


So after another long drive from Dallas to Tampa (19 hours), here i am in the production office on show day at the Tampa Sun Dome Arena after a day off watching Movies (Blades Of Glory - Its good but I still want to slap Jon Heder every time i see his dopey looking face....but hey i hear he says the same about me right?? ) and going to see Tampa Devil Rays beat the Baltimore Orieles 6-4 at Baseball.

Cal..i..for...ni..Eh!!

Hello from Los Angeles, just landed in the States and got a few strange looks from immigration people because im out of my sling but i am looking slightly Darth Vader-esque these days i think


Time to start up the tour again for the US leg. Off to production rehearsals here in Burbank tomorrow, check out a picture i snapped on the phone while i was out for a walk looking for a convienience store

God Damn it....

Oh yeah, thats the result of a seemingly harmless fall from a skateboard ramp, one trip to the ER room later and im now in a sling with a fractured radial bone in my elbow

It has however given me time to find stuff to watch online.
Such as.........


And not sure if i posted this before but have a look anyway
KENYA VIDEO

Bizarre but hilarious, as is this!!!
CSI Spoof

And if you get the chance go and see the 300 at a cinema near you. I saw it on the IMAX screen and was a bit disturbed at seeing Gerard Butlers ass 16 feet tall (If you`ve seen it you know what im talking about) but the rest of the movie is fantastic

Check This Out!!

If you get a chance then swing by this mySpace page for the band SOLARCADE
www.myspace.com/solarcade
Theyre a great new band from LA and well worth checking out. If you are lucky enough to be going to The Killers show in Staples Centre on April 9th or San Diego the next day then you get to check em out for yourself

Belated St Patricks Day!!!

After quite a while of not seeing any Family Guy due to being away all the time, i got home to see this episode which was shown just in time for St. Patricks Day. Still amazes me how they can pick a race or nation and manage to get every possible offensive joke about them into a single episode.



In all fairness if you are offended by this then you need to get a life!!

All that TV paid off....

Dont let anyone tell you that watching TV is a waste of time and that you should get out more and learn something....Theyre wrong!! After my years apent watching McGuyver and 24, I found it very useful a couple of days ago. Imagine my horror when i got out of the shower (Easy ladies!!) to find that my unlocked bathroom door wouldnt open and the handle just kept turning in my hand. So after a little while trying a few various ideas that didnt work and the realisation that i would probably be stuck there for days due to the Do Not Disturb sign on my door and not being one of those people who take theyre phones into the bathroom. I decided to take matters into my own hands and used the bin to smash the handle off the door and see if i could have a go at the lock from the inside. After about 45 mins with only a set of nailclippers as a tool, i managed to get the door open and seek freedom!!! Ever wondered what a door lock looks like inside?? Ye need wonder no more!!
Imagine if you can though the look of disbelief on the face of the hotel manager when i showed up at reception with the crumpled remains of a bin and pieces of a door lock to tell them i had broken it and wouldnt be paying for it.

The next 2 days were off wandering around Paris doing the usual touristy stuff like the Eiffel Tower


And the Louvre Museum

Which houses some of the most valuable pieces of art in the world, such as the Mona Lisa.


After 2 days of good food and drink it was off to Lille for the final show before driving overnight to London where i was dropped off at Heathrow airport to fly home. So thats Europe over with for a while, all attention shifts to North America in 2 weeks time, so until then i bid you Adieu and Bonsoir!!

Another Euro Adventure

So Cardiff turned out to be a great show again right up until the end of the show when we had to evacuate the building due to a suspicious package left at the sound desk prompted a bomb threat and the venue was cleared out for almost an hour before the bomb squad arrived to take it away.

After a delayed load out it was time to head off to Dover to take the Euro Tunnel train to Calais and the drive through France and Belgium to get to Amsterdam. A day off in Amsterdam for most people means sitting in "coffee" shops sampling the local wares and a trip to the red light district for the customary bit of "window shopping". Its quite funny how people think that its all hidden away and secretive but this picture was taken down the street from our hotel.
After that it was a show at the famed Heineken Music Hall which has seen bands such as Coldplay, U2 and R.E.M play here at one point or another.


Another day off in Amsterdam followed before heading overnight to Koln, Germany for what would prove to be landmark gigs for the band as they've had a strange relationshipwith mainland Europe but Sams Town seems to have struck a chord here and the venues are now getting upgraded to almost the same size as the UK and US shows. The day offf was spent wandering around the city and seeing the sights as well the rather odd people doing performance art in the the Leidesplan square in the centre of town such as this guy...

...whose sole purpose seemed to be wandering around and annoying people.
Also stumbled across a rather oversized game of chess.


So off to Koln and then onwards to Berlin for a show at the Berlin Arena...

...And a quick trip to what left of The Wall...


Also i thought i'd show one of my favourite pictures i've taken. This is from the roof of the the Reichstag building in Berlin.

So off to Frankfurt and then onto Paris for a couple days off.

Back In The Air

After the fun of the Hometown shows came the relative boredom of the NME awards. TV shows are never much fun for me as Union rules prevent me from operating lights for the band so i stand and offer my opinion to the TV guy, who most of the time will ignore you!! After finishing load out at 1.30am it was back up at 6am to go to Dublin airport to fly to London for a performance at the annual NME awards which were held for the last time at the famous Hammersmith Palais (The Clash song White Man in Hammersmith Palais is about the bands early days here)
Check out the bands performance of theyre cover of Joy Divisions "ShadowPlay" which has been recorded for the soundtrack to the Anton Corbijn directed movie "Control" which is a biopic about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis who died in 1980.

Amongst the people in attendance were Damon Albarn, Noel Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys, Pete Doherty & Kate Moss (who were apparently ejected after being found in the back alley behind the venue getting up to no good after being repeatedly prevented from trying to go to the bathrooms together). Performances on the night also came from Jarvis Cocker, The View, Kasabian and Primal Scream who also performed with Mick Jones from the Clash. The Killers won a gong for Best Video for the Tim Burton directed "Bones".
After braving the aftershow party which was held at our hotel it was off to Brighton for a much needed day off.
The show at the Brighton Centre personally ranks as the worst show i've had in years due to technical failures left, right and centre, thankfully the following night in Nottingham was much better.

If any of you remember the last time i was in Nottingham i found some fancy dress?? Well, yeas i did it again, this headpiece was just sitting around the backstage area so i thought i'd try do load out in it. I think it quite suits me..


So as the UK tour draws to a close you find us at the Cardiff International Arena in Wales before heading to Amsterdam tomorrow for the start of the European run.

Always a good crowd here right back to when we played the Cardiff uni right through to the Millenium Stadium show with U2.

Trivia fact - The Big Sleep Hotel in Cardiff has a very unique and special business partner in Hollywood superstar John Malkovich - How Bizarre eh!!

Home at Last.....

...well for a few hours anyway. Got back to Dublin for a couple of days for 2 shows at the RDS Arena. Due to the cancellation of last Novembers show at the Point Theatre this was the first time for Sams Town to hit Dublin and needless to say it was pretty well recieved even if the RDS isnt exactly the best venue in the world.

I even managed to get a mention on stage when Brandon noted that the band liked to think they took a little piece of Ireland with them everywhere they went because i was from Dublin.

Also, I did an interview for a website recently and here it is.....
www.avolites.org.uk/avonews/press/2007/killers.htm

Bizarre eh!!