Sunday 10th April: Bisons and Sardines
Got on the 4.30pm flight from Melbourne to Frankfurt via Singapore. The plane wasn't full which allowed us to spread out a bit down the back. Dave was very happy as his last plane trip involved sitting next to a "bison woman with bad b.o".
Got off in Singapore for the connecting flight and met up with the other guitarist Ngariki who had got his plane from Sydney. We hadn't met before and we didn't really get a chance to chat much as we only had a few minutes before we boarded the plane again. Back on the plane and we were like Sardines on this flight much to Dave's resentment. He didn't get his aisle seat and complained a fair bit. He also wanted the temperature inside the plane changed which I found very amusing. I was just happy to be on the way to Germany!

Monday 11th April: Kings Of The Hill
The plane landed in Frankfurt about 6am local time. I found my guitars still in one piece thankfully. Dave's manager Rainer Hansel was there to pick us up and Ngariki and myself had some German beer at the airport bar. It was a two hour trip to where we were staying for the next five days while we rehersed - a great little town called 'Adorf'. Went straight to our hotel, got some breakfast and then decided what to do for the day. Dave decided to go to bed while Ngariki and I thought it best to try and last out the day and get into some sort of routine. We put our bags in our rooms (we all had separate rooms which was nice), then we went for a walk around the town and came to a mini supermarket where we decided we would buy some alcohol and celebrate our arrival. After debating for a while on what to buy we decided on ‘Doppelkorn'. Quite cheap and as it turned out reasonably nasty.
Adorf is not what you would call a tourist town. Its way off the track any tourist would take im sure. No one here speaks much English – and we speak just about zero German so we were screwedt. Got back to our hotel and after having a shower and getting settled, we played some guitar, smoked some cigarettes, and got drunk on Ngariki's balcony. From the balcony we were looking up a large hill. We decided to climb the hill in our drunken glory and look over the town which was to be home for the next 5 days. We came back along the streets and got some rather strange looks from the locals. As we were walking, Rainer comes by and instructs us to get in the van and he takes us to the studio which is only 5 minutes away. We were too drunk to argue. It was a little hard to take in all the surroundings as we were pretty wasted. Met some cool people and got stuck into some more beer. Dave turned up eventually and we had dinner which was awesome. Rainer is a towering, chain-smoking, hard rock dude. A little intimidating if nothing else.
It must have been about 8-9 pm and both me and Ngariki couldn't hang on any longer and both fell asleep on the studio couch. We were returned to the hotel not long after and crashed. Not before I had turned my TV on though to find girl after girl getting their gear off. Here was my introduction to 'Sexy Sport Clips'.

Tuesday 12th April: Band 2 – Management 0
Woke up about 9 feeling pretty good considering the antics of yesterday. Went down for breakfast and met up with the two other guys in the band - Wayne and Dave (to be known as Dave2). They had arrived at the hotel in the early hours of the morning. They are both from England and their main gig is touring with Robin Gibb (Bee Gees). The band was now complete and it's the first rehearsal day. Got to the studio about midday and set up a Marshall amp for myself. We found out that the two English guys had not received a copy of Dave's CD 'Sinner' which meant that they had not learnt any of the songs so the day consisted of those guys spending 1/2 hour to an hour learning a song and then we would rehearse it together. Good planning there from Daves management NOT! Got through about 6 songs which was a bloody good effort from Wayne and Dave2! After dinner we watched a Soccer game at the studio - I would have much preferred to be in bed at that stage, but when in Rome... Dave was pretty tired too and starting to get shitty. Today was a cigarette free day for myself. Pretty good considering I was bored for most of the day!

Wednesday 13th April: Rabbit antics
Breakfast at 9 again then went for a walk to try and buy a phonecard to call back to Australia but there were none to be found. Not all together surprising as Adorf is a very small non-tourist village. Wayne and Dave2 were at the hotel with Rainers van ready to go to the studio for day 2 of rehearsal. They had made the breakfast deadline by 3 minutes! Breakfast I have learnt is a MUST. The days are long and a good meal is essential.
Massive rehearsal day. All the songs are pretty much down but there is still debate on what ac/dc songs to do. Dave doesn't want to do any but management thinks its a good idea to have some ready. We had 'Can I Sit Next To You Girl' and the ac/dc version of 'Baby Please Dont Go'. Now we are talking 'Whole Lotta Rosie'. While Wayne and Dave2 were learning some songs, Dave told me and Ngariki a few stories from back in the day. Some pretty out there things he used to do in his band 'Rabbit' which I will not print here. Got to bed about 11pm. Very glad to get some rest.....

Thursday 14th April: Tired
Woke from a terrible sleep. That kind of dictated my day as I was pretty grumpy. Rehearsal sounded really good though. The four of us are really getting it together. Even Rainer was banging his head very slightly and i have figured out that this is a very good sign. We recorded a few live tracks in the studio and had a listen. Sounded great! After the long rehearsal and dinner I took myself and my crabby attitude to bed. Rather uneventful day.

Friday 15th April: England d Australia. Our shame.
Last rehearsal day. Walked to the studio after breakfast - about 45 minutes through the wonderful countryside. Got our shit together in the studio all ready for the gigs to start tomorrow. Another long rehersal. Had dinner about 7pm and went back to the hotel. Me and Ngariki parted ways with Dave (who has been straight to bed every night) and went to the bar. There was a very cool vibe there. Quite a few locals around and plenty of beer on tap - Herforder, Frankenheimer, Westheimer... Dave2 and Wayne met up with us and so the party started. Shots of schnapps, more beer and a pack of Lucky Strike. We spied a game of table soccer in the corner and it was all on. Australia vs. England! Unfortunately England won 3-1. Just about the whole town would have heard us. We were getting quite drunk, loud and obnoxious but no one really seemed to mind.
We all retired back to Ngariki's room pretty wasted at this stage. The amount of shit we talked was unbelievable. Considering we really didn't know each other (except Dave2 and Wayne were good mates) we were getting on like a house on fire which meant that this tour was going to be a lot of fun. Those English boys are bloody funny! Our band name was born on this night D.E.T.H (don't envy the horse) - that's another story in itself.

Saturday 16th April: It’s time to rock baby
The first gig day! Got up for Breakfast feeling pretty good considering all the beer I'd consumed. We ended up leaving late from Adorf to travel to Holland - about 12.30 instead of 11am. I snoozed off to a CD of 'Filter' halfway through the trip and woke up just over the border. We arrived at the venue (the Lantaarn) at about 5pm. It was a 700 capacity club. The stage was quite small after the main band 'Molly Hatchet' had put all their gear on there. Our drums had to be in front of the riser which was a major pain in the ass. Ngariki and I decided to go walkabout for an hour and check out the surroundings. We roamed the streets of Hellendoorn and soaked it all in. We got some more strange looks from the locals. Found a huge church that was open so we had a look inside. The priest or whoever he was, was very accommodating to us. The place was amazing to say the least. I'd never seen a building like it.
Got back to the venue at about 7.30 and had dinner. There was a long table put out for the two bands and crew and the dinner was all catered - pasta, chicken, some weird stuff, salads, and plenty of Heineken beer. We had to wait then until 10pm before it was time to get this show on the road.
Dave was still a bit jetlagged and whining a bit but he perked up sufficiently. We hit the stage to an almost full house and threw ourselves intoit. It was going very well. We made a few screw-ups here and there but nothing major - to be expected on the first night of the tour. The frontline consisted of Ngariki on Daves right and Wayne and myself on Daves left. Halfway through the set it dawned on me that I was playing my first international gig and I was pretty fucking happy about it! We did a two song encore which was very cool! After the show, we went back into the dressing room while Molly Hatchet played their set and drank some well earned beer. Halfway through their set, we ventured out past the crowd to the bar to check it all out. Within 30 seconds we were spotted by the ladies and it was all on from there. We hadn't really prepared for the attention but hey... we weren't complaining.
The tiredness started taking its toll and the sociable aspect was getting to be too much. We stumbled out the venue to the van ready for a 4-5 hour drive to the next destination of debauchery. Didn't get much chance to talk with the Hatchet guys but plenty of time for that.They sounded good – American southern rock. I woke to find us pulled up at a very nice hotel - single rooms each. Had a shower, turned on sexy sport clips and slept like a log. Great start to the tour…

Sunday 17th April: Phonecards, Weed, and Rike
Nice hotel to stay in. Clean, cable TV, big bathroom. Feeling a little worse for wear after all the excitement of the first show but I perked up quite well after breakfast and was very much looking forward to tonights show (and the day off on Monday!). Spent the waking hours in the city of Hamburg. The van ride took a few hours to get there and we arrived at the venue about 3.30pm. The crew were setting up the stage and I was getting pretty bored just hanging around. The venue, Fabrik, looked really cool. Looked like you could stage boxing matches there. The stage was centered and to the back and there were 2 levels of viewing areas above. U2, Miles Davis, Killing Joke had played there – the posters were still up on the walls. I took a walk around town and looked for a place that sold the international phonecards I was after and by george I found it! Called home to Melbourne even though it was 12.30am there. Did a little more exploring and debated with myself whether to buy a pack of smokes as I was out. I gave in of course.
Back to the venue for soundcheck. After soundcheck me, Ngarike, Dave and Wayne headed out on the town again for a while – a good size crowd was building up out the front of the venue. We were only out for about half an hour and when we got back we had catered dinner again which was bloody good. Even the vegetarian dish was great. I ate a fair bit because I am generally a bit of a pig and on the road you wonder what your next meal is going to be like. Met our tour manager (Morty’s) sister backstage – Frederike or Rike for short. She was a bit of a bombshell. Our merchandise girl, Anita, who was also very cute was also hanging out but we all had not had much chance to chat.
The show was a very good one. Still a few little hiccups but great nonetheless. I get to play the main riff in ‘rock n roll or bust’ so I make the most of it! Ngariki handles the lead guitar work. He is an awesome player. Dave2 counted in ‘Can I Sit Next To You Girl’ different to what we had been practicing and I missed my cue which was fucking noticeable as I start the song but oh well. Wayne is a monster on stage – he really cuts loose banging his head like there is no tomorrow. The songs sound so much better and meaner live than on the cd. When we get off stage all of us are just drenched in sweat but that’s rock n roll I guess…
Us guys (minus Dave who likes to hang in the backstage area for a while), plus Rike went out front to watch the Hatchets. Dave2 had his sights set on Rike and those two disappeared for a while. The Hatchets put on a damn good show. I didn’t know any of their songs but Im liking quite a few of them. When they were done Dave was out from backstage and we signed a few CD’s etc and hung out with the crowd. Pissed guys talking shit (in bad English) gets annoying but you’ve got to be friendly. The girls are mostly cool though – well der!! What self respecting rock star (Im calling myself one now) doesn’t like that attention? When the crowd dispersed, the Hatchet guys were getting their shit packed and their guitar tech Carlos (known as Guitarlos) and a couple of the guys invited me and Ngariki onto the tour bus to check it out. Smoked some fine weed and got wasted. Dave’s manager Rainer doesn’t like us hanging out with them for obvious reasons so we had to be sneaky about it and try act straight when we were back in the venue. Not an easy task. I failed pretty miserably but give me a break – I’m out on the road having a good time. Dave2 and Wayne were pissed they weren’t on the tour bus with us. Time to go and we had a few cars going to the next hotel. In my car there was Dave in the front and me, Rike, and Dave2 in the back. Rike knows how to play up to her strengths lets say. Back at the hotel, we gathered in Waynes room and smoked some more weed which knackered me right out… Waynes room became the official after party. Once Rainer and Dave had gone to bed we all gathered there. We also said goodbye to Hristo 'Son Of Bitch'.

Monday 18th April: Moving bathrooms
Our hotel was in the middle of pretty much nowhere which sucked because this was our day off. Boring day! Apart from sitting around doing fuck all, I watched 2 dvds at Rainers house which wasn’t far from the hotel – ‘Shaun Of The Dead’ and ‘Exorcist: Beginning’. In my boredom I tried to rip what was remaining of one of my fingernails off (I dropped a large weight on it just before I left Melbourne) and it really bloody hurt. We went to a local Greek restaurant for dinner. The food was damn good and there was lots of it! Rike was at dinner with us and suggested after dinner we go to her sister Victoria’s house which wasn’t far away. As I said Rike was very attractive and her sister was equally as attractive! She had a big German boyfriend named ‘Tork’. He was a really cool guy who loved his pot so again when in Rome… Dave2 has so far not been renowned for his ability to control himself on pot or booze and tonight was no exception. He knocked an ashtray all over these nice peoples floor as he went to stand which we found very amusing but tried not to laugh. I could barely get out of the chair to stand up... Lucky he was friends with these people as he had met them on various tours before. The bathroom seemed to move because of these protruding circles on the wall. Maybe it was the drugs. We all agreed though. We were all on drugs though. I was trying to play a German playstation game they had but was failing miserably much to eveyones amusement so I gave up on that pretty quickly. Rike drove us back to our hotel and we all went separate ways to our rooms…well most of us did.

Tuesday 19th April: The beer warrior
It was a long drive in the van (5-6 hours) to Erfurt and unfortunately we ran out of time to check in at our hotel before we had to be at the venue which was a real pain in the ass. The stage we were to play was huge! I knew this was going to be a fun gig. We sound-checked, then ate, then had a few beers and it was show-time. Our best show yet – we all really pulled together and rocked like no band before us had ever done.. That I know of anyway… Dave was really rocking after finally coming to terms with his jetlag. After our show, the Hatchets did theirs and we hung out backstage and drank more beer.
When it was all over we got our shit together and headed out to the van. Wayne was a bit slow at getting his shit together and we all turned around to see him running from the venue and trying to keep out of Rainers sight while carrying a box full of beer. He stumbled, hit the ground along with the box of beer and gave up his stealth mission much to our amusement. Only one or two beers smashed though and Wayne came out unscathed.
We spent the rest of the night in Waynes hotel room of course and drank the remaining beers and talked a lot of shit. Anita started giving massages to us and man it was good! What an awesome girl! In our drunken shit talk we had decided on three album names that D.E.T.H would release – ‘Instant DETH’, ‘Don’t Be A Goat’, and ‘Eagle Or Tortoise’. Why? Who the hell knows.

Wednesday 20th April: Capital sausage
The Capital Theatre show in Mannheim. It was a 4-5 hour journey in the van and man was I tired. I was in need of a good sleep. Got to the venue about 4.30pm and what an awesome place it was. Great stage and balcony seating. After loading my shit in I went for a walk and found pretty much fuck all. There was a McDonalds next door to the Capital but I didn’t venture inside. Catering was worth waiting for. Had a nice big meal again.
We played an awesome show and the crowd went nuts for it – we’d found this was becoming a trend! These germans really dig their Hard Rock! The only downfall was the men to women ratio. Sausage Fest 05’. After the Hatchets did their thing, we all hung out for a while backstage and also checked out different areas of the venue. We then retreated to the hotel. I pretty much crashed and went straight to sleep. I felt really detached and out of it for most of the day. The constant travel, drinking, etc. was taking a bit of a toll.

Thursday 21st April: The Abyss
Up at 11am as usual and had a quick breakfast and jumped in the van. We arrived in Bochum early afternoon and the venue looked awesome. They even hold a metal/goth/industrial nightclub there called ‘Abyss’ which was kicking off after our show! Nothing much to report for the afternoon as I was really getting to the stage where I had no idea where the hell I was and so I just hung out around the venue and cleaned my guitars etc. Showtime came after what seemed an eternity and we played a great show – not the best so far but still a high standard! We were really pushing the Hatchet guys to out-perform us and they were really stepping it up too which made for a great all round show.
I spent most of the night in the merchandise stand with Anita and signed some stuff in between drinking heavily backstage with my crew and Sean from Hatchet. We had gone through quite a bit of ‘desperado’ beer and Sean was almost pouring straight Jack down our throats. The club started up about 11pm and there was a smattering of dudes with high hair and very hot German goth girls. Well I’d imagine they weren’t all hot but all the alcohol made it seem that way I suppose. I could have stayed there all night – the average age level of patrons was more akin to mine as opposed to the older age group coming to the shows. Made a nice change to be in that environment. Sean took Dave2 and myself out to the bus for a smoke and gave us some extra to take back to our hotel – we kept the party rolling in Waynes room for a while but I got pretty knackered out and turned in before I was really going to regret it.

Friday 22nd April: Is Bonn Is Good
We didn’t have to leave the hotel until 12pm today! Monster sleep in! It only took a few hours to get to Bonn and I was really in the mood to check out the surroundings. Bonn is a really nice city – streets lined with cafes and shops. I had to keep a check on the directions I was going as the streets seemed to blend into each other and shoot off in all directions. I managed to walk a fair distance and get a good look around. I finally found a pack of Pall Malls again. I didn’t end up smoking a lot today though as I could feel I was coming down with something. Ngariki was smoking a lot more and I put that down to a certain merch aspect of the tour.
The venue was set out perfectly. A nice beer-garden to which stairs ran off to the backstage area and the indoor stage area was a bit smaller than what we had been used to. The venue was packed out and it got quite hot while we were doing our show. The crowd went nuts for it and in turn we went a little crazy ourselves. We played our best show of the tour so far. Even our stage show is becoming a bit moreorganized which adds a nice touch I think. Wayne was just going bezerk thrashing about like a madman.
After our show we headed straight up to the band room drenched in sweat and ready for a nice cold beer! I headed out back downstairs after a few beers and got mobbed by people wanting autographs and that kind of thing which was pretty cool. I’m not a big autograph fan myself and I really don’t think my own is worth much but give the people what they want hey! It’s a nice feeling to be appreciated anyway. There was some really hot girls at this show too which I always appreciate. Some dudes sitting out in the beer garden invited me over for a smoke so I grabbed Ngariki and we headed over and chatted for a while and smoked their weed. They were a bit strange for my liking – said they were in some band I cant remember the name of. They were trying to teach us some dirty German phrases which is fun for 2 minutes but then it gets old real quick so I went back upstairs not long after. Dave Evans was busily signing autographs for his fans who were out in abundance. He was really getting into it and giving the fans plenty of time. I think Dave really hit his straps at tonights show and became a man on a mission. It was a pretty draining evening and the hotel was a welcome sight.

Saturday 23rd April: To encore or not to encore
Well today I felt like shit. Some sort of cold/flu thing was taking me over. Not surprising since I’d really been living it up for the past week. Got up about 9.30am for breakfast and we left for Berlin just after 10am. It was a long drive of about 6 or seven hours. I slept in the van but couldn’t get really comfortable. When we arrived at the venue I changed my guitar strings. It was amazing I hadn’t broke one yet. We had a nice meal and we played a good show. The sound was great – we had a big stage and the monitor mix was nice too. I could hear everything. It makes it a lot easier when im doing the backing vocals that’s for sure. A few mistakes here and there but nothing too dramatic. It was our first show without an encore as Dave said he wasn’t feeling it from the audience which was bullshit we thought. Sure they weren’t as loud as some other crowds we had played to but Dave is the man and what he says goes. He wouldn’t be persuaded to go back on. Rainer cracked the shits big time and was even threatening to call off the tour. I’m sure the van trip will be a frosty one tomorrow! Dave sold lots of cd’s though which was good so at least he had that over Rainer.
It was Richie (keyboards) from Molly Hatchets birthday. He is a very cool down to earth guy and the band had a nice onstage celebration for him. We watched quite a lot of the Hatchets show from the back of the room and there were quite a few autograph hunters and guys wanting to chat who we all gave our time too. I didn’t last too last long after the show as the cold thing had made be a little cranky and I needed some time away. Backstage Sean and Carlos had us in stitches as usual with their joke telling and Sean also had his customary bottle of Jack that was being passed around. He left us with another for the night as well which was great. We packed our gear and headed for the hotel – we were staying at a Mercure which is quite fancy. Very nice!

Sunday 24th April: The potential incident
I got up and turned on the TV to watch MTV. I was really digging some of these German bands. There was one song I really liked called ‘Liebe Ist’ by Nena (who im pretty sure sang ‘99 Luft Balloons’ in the 80’s). It has now become my theme song for the tour even though I have no idea what it’s about. I just like it. Sweet FA goes on in this city ‘Braunschweigon’ on Sundays. We arrived at the venue which seemed to be almost in an industrial area. There were car yards and a few factories and some shops and then some houses around. It was quite bizarre actually. I went for a walk down the main street which was very long and open after I had put my gear inside the venue. But as nothing was going on I just walked and walked and then walked back. I suppose a walk was nice though. I really enjoy the hour or two I have alone just to keep my head in check. When I got back I headed to the band room which had been set up in the café at the rear of the venue. It was nice and spacious. I couldn’t help myself and bought another pack of smokes – Wests this time. They’re not too bad. Ngariki, Wayne, Dave2, Anita and myself were just laying around outside in the carpark when Rike drove in. So we all just hung out and chatted in the sunshine for a good while which was nice.
Showtime came and we set a blistering pace for the night. So blistering that Dave missed out on ‘Go Down Fighting’ from the set-list. He accidentally overlooked it and introduced the song after. I was pissed because that’s my favorite song to play. It would have been about three quarters through the set and Dave was really giving his all and I had taken a step back from the front to let him do his thing when out the corner of my eye I saw a pot glass came hurtling through the air in his direction. Dave didn’t see it and thank Christ he moved just as it was about to hit him and it hit me on the chest. I thought it to be quite amusing but if it had hit Dave he would’ve probably got off stage and hit this dude. You don’t mess with Dave in rockstar mode. We played a real kick-ass show and did an encore much to our delight again. Ngariki took initiative and stepped up to the mic to get the crowd wanting more.
After the show we pretty much just drank more beer and I had a good chat with Richie and talked a lot of music stuff. Dave2 had disappeared and so had Rike. We were all a bit scattered around after the show just doing our thing. Back to another Mercure Hotel for the night and another party in Waynes room – Yeah baby.

Monday 25th April: The Burger King
It was a rest day and a day to pretty much do nothing at all. I went down for breakfast and got on the internet for a while in the hotel lobby and all the guys (Dave Evans Band and Molly Hatchet) had congregated in the lobby as well. We sat around just chatting and lounging around. By lunchtime I had got pretty hungry and to my delight there was a Burger King across the road in the train station. Shawn from the Hatchets and I ventured across and grabbed some lunch. In a very serious tone, Shawn told the girl at the register he wanted to see the Burger King to complain about his small slushy. It was highly amusing for us but not for this poor girl. Shawn let her know he was joking and all was well.
Got back to the hotel and I packed my stuff and we headed to the van to go to Augsburg. Along the way we stopped at a roadside diner kind of place and I ate more Burger King. I felt quite guilty about that so while I was waiting for the others to finish their meals I went for a run in the carpark. Man I was out of shape!! It was supposed to be a ‘smoke-free’ day but that got tossed out the window when Dave2 lit one up anyway. In a 8 seater van with the windows up you may as well just go with the flow and keep on smoking…
We got to Augsburg and checked into our rooms. Compared to the previous hotels we had stayed in this one was shit. No toilet or shower in the room – had to use a communal. Listen to me now... A few nights in the Mercure and I think im all fancy. If there is a bed and a TV im pretty happy. We also got paid tonight for half the tour! I went back downstairs and only Rainer, Dave2 and Wayne were up so I sat down and the four of us chatted and drank beer for half the night! Ngariki and Anita were staying at another hotel down the road because there wasn’t enough room for us all. There was also a busload of USA teenage girls staying at the hotel and why everyone thought that I would be excited about that I’m not sure. Anyways, I wasn’t about to chase any underage skirt… hopefully.

Tuesday 26th April: Rejection
It was a rather uneventful day until the time came to drive to the venue and get organized for tonights show. The venue looked pretty good and we had separate band rooms. The Hatchets were next to the stage and we were upstairs in a little room – but we had beer so all was ok. We spent most of the time in the Hatchets room anyway. We ate in there and drank lots of their beer. I was onto my third and grabbed it from the fridge and took it over to the merch stand to have a chat with Anita who was looking suitably bored. She informed me I was drinking non-alcoholic Becks beer. Fuck, I cant read German. I got rid of it and went back for the real thing.
Showtime came and we put on another great performance – maybe not as great as some others but we played well. The Hatchets came on and did their thing and we watched some of their show from the upstairs balcony. We also drank lots more beer. From our upstairs room we could see the local whore house and we decided we would go and check it out – We were very curious to see what it looked like. I will say straight up that I’m not into paying for sex so I wasn’t about to start. All four of us – Me, Ngariki, Dave2 and Wayne were in the same boat pretty much. Wayne knocked on the door and a woman came out who couldn’t speak any English – she pretty much took one look at us and decided we weren’t fit enough to enter the premises. WHAT? Holy shit. We got denied entry to the whores. Very,very funny. I spent the rest of the night hanging out at the merch booth. Wayne met this guy who had about 200 patches sown onto his jacket – one was Sabbit – who Wayne used to play in. This guy was pretty excited to find out. There are some real metal ‘tragics’ over here I can tell you.
While we were clearing our stuff away a girl approached me and asked if we wanted to go and hang out at ‘RockFabrik’ which sounded pretty cool – none of the other guys were into it which sucked but I suppose to be honest I was knackered as well so I politely declined and went to the hotel and got some sleep! I was a little worried about getting zero sleep and maybe not making it back to the hotel considering my navigation skills are terrible. I should have gone though…

Wednesday 27th April: Rocking in Nurnburg!
We got up, had breakfast and drove to Nurnburg. When we hit the city there was lots of shops and people everywhere. I couldn’t find a phonecard as usual. I would have liked to walk around a bit but we had to get to the venue. We drove through the city then drove a bit further until there was fuck all but the industrial area. Man I was bored out of my tits all afternoon. I ate a lot of M & M’s that were in this massive bowl. Ngariki and I cleaned our guitars and re-strung them in the outdoor beer garden and then we did our sound-check. I fell asleep on the couch in the middle of Molly Hatchets sound-check and they are bloody loud so I don’t know how that happened.
We had some small rooms behind the stage to hang out in and the venue pretty much got packed out. Its was the best gig of the tour so far! We absolutely kicked ass. Dave was in fine form too. For a guy who was a bit older than us on a grueling tour he was holding up very well. We then got quite drunk and hung out backstage. Before we left the venue there were big baskets of chocolates in the band room and I took them ALL! Time to go and to my delight we were staying at another Mercure hotel. Awesome. Of course Waynes room was the designated party room… Wayne would flash his key with the room number and after a shower in our own rooms we would go to his room and keep on drinking and smoking.

Thursday 28th April: Come on Leipzig
The next gig was to be in Halle which was in East Germany. We were told that the East doesn’t rock as hard as the rest of Germany. It was a long drive to the venue and East Germany sure was different to what we had been used to. Not wanting to be rude but it was dirtier. I remember seeing a sign for Leipzig which I’d heard of from Mayhems live album. We got to the venue and put our stuff inside and we had to do a photo shoot. It was actually a bit of fun and we got some great shots. We then had an awesome bar-meal. Man it was good to sit at a bar and eat. The food was sensational and there was a lot of it. Through the tour the other guys had been taking it easy when it came to dinner trying not to get too full before the show. I didn’t care, I was eating like a horse. Dave would put aside a meal for after the show – after numerous nights of not getting any because he wouldn’t eat before the show and would not bother to plate up thinking there we be leftovers. He got a lot smarter as the tour went on!
After an hour of getting ready and having a few drinks we stepped out to a half filled room. Ticket sales for this gig were obviously lacking. We didn’t care and decided to rock out even harder. There were about 8 steps from the stage down to floor level and halfway through the set Ngariki, Wayne and I went down and played for the appreciative crowd! We didn’t tell Dave we were going to do this and he was right into it. Loving it even. It was good we had the freedom to try some things as Dave’s confidence in his band was very high. The show went well and the Hatchets did a great job too. We all hung out backstage for a while and then Ngariki and I made our way over to the Merch booth to see how Anita was going. A few more beers backstage and it was time to pack up and head on out to the hotel.

Friday 29th April: Shawn + Dave Evans Band + Jager
Affalter Aue. This place was different to any of the other previous cities. Maybe it was just where the venue was located but it was quite country like and quite pretty. The venue was pretty big – it even reminded me a bit like a large school hall. We had arrived at the venue mid afternoon as as usual there was pretty much fuck all else around so we just hung out and chatted between ourselves. Ngariki and I were having a great chat for a half hour or so not really about anything in particular but just as a couple of mates drinking a beer and having a laugh. We were all getting to be really good friends. Phil from Molly Hatchet was also becoming a great mate to all of us. He is a real genuine friendly dude from the south. He wanted to give us all a shirt of his to keep which was a really nice gesture. The Hatchets had a big room at the back of the venue and that’s where we had dinner. We had a smaller room beside the stage.
Showtime came and we put on another huge one getting mighty sweaty and rocking very hard! It was bloody hot inside the venue as it was packed! The encores tonight were huge and it was going to be hard for the Hatchets to top our show! We got off stage and decided to take a few photos of how we looked after a show. Sweaty, exhausted, but still pumped! After changing into my jeans (as I would usually wear a black pear of pvc pants that got ridiculously hot onstage) I headed out for some beer and chat to Anita in the merch booth while the Hatchets did their show. Don’t know if I mentioned already but holy shit, Molly Hatchet are a loud band! Bobby has his guitar amp on 11 I am sure. After their show we signed lots of stuff and chatted with many a drunk German. The room got cleared out quite quickly and we headed into the Hatchets band room for some more beer. I was already getting pretty drunk but then things turned nasty! Shawn from the Hatchets kept buying rounds of Jager bombs and after about 6 and another beer or two we were all hopelessly trashed! Dave and Rainer were just looking on from afar but had resigned themselves to the fact that this is how we partied and they should just let it be. Its not like we had missed a show or couldn’t stand up etc.
We then went to our hotel and once again congregated in Waynes room. We were really drunk and decided it was a great idea to raid each of our bar fridges and gather up as much alcohol as possible and drink it ALL! We would of course have to pay for this in the morning in more ways than one but what the hell. We were having a good time. There was Ngariki, Dave2, Wayne, Anita and I smoking and drinking and dancing around like complete tossers in the hotel room. I don’t even remember going back to bed.

Saturday 30th April: The sights of Karlsruhe
Woke up felling like id been hit by a truck and wandered downstairs to meet the others and pay our bar fridge tabs – not all that expensive which was a nice surprise. We all looked pretty fucked up which was funny. Had some quick breakfast and we got in the van and headed to Karlsruhe. As it quite often happened we didn’t have time to check into the hotel first and had to go straight to the venue which was huge! It was called Festhalle Durlach. We had some rooms upstairs behind the stage with big mirrors and showers and filled with beer. Had another substantial meal after sound-check and got ready for the show. Shit really hit the fan in the Hatchet camp. Im not sure of exact details but it seemed that Richie had hit on Bobby’s girlfriend who had come over to Germany for the last few days of the tour. Bobby was almost refusing to play and Richie was going to be fired and Rainer was getting stressed smoking 3 cigarettes in 2 minutes instead if 1 every two minutes. The tension was high. We knew to keep out of it though and just concentrate on the job at hand. I know I keep saying it but we put on a massive show. We had a big stage and a drum riser that I could leap off (although this was becoming hazardous to my health). Dave actually forgot a couple of lines in ‘Out In The Cold’ but just made up something on the spot and no-one would have noticed. Maybe he was getting mentally tired. Not surprising considering that the tour was pretty hard on him. After the Hatchets did their thing, we signed a lot of cd’s and things out in the merch booth and saw quite a few people who had been coming to many of the shows! Some of these people had been following the tour all through Germany?! We really didn’t drink too much today – probably too seedy after the previous night. Time came to go to the hotel we were very thankful.
We all had separate rooms again in a really nice hotel. I got my stuff inside and turned on the TV and went and had a bath. Man it felt good. I got out and then crawled into bed to get ready for one more show in Switzerland. There was no gathering in Waynes room tonight. I was almost asleep when my room phone rang and it was Wayne. He knew that I was pretty much always up for a good time and he had decided that bed wasn’t his best option so we went out on the town. We walked for what seemed like about an hour and saw some great landmarks and nightlife. The red light district wasn’t far away and so we decided we should at least check it out. A street had been set up with hotels housing the cities finest. You walk up many flights of stairs and on each level there is maybe 5-6 rooms you can look in and decide whether that’s your girl for a good time. 30 euro or 50 euro for the better looking ones. I went back down to the street and waited for Wayne to finish checking it all out and we headed back to the hotel. It was a mighty long walk but we chatted about anything and everything which made the time pass quickly. It was great to really get to know Wayne and a fitting little adventure for us to go on. God only knows what time it was when we got back.

Sunday 1st May: One last hurrah
The final show. We arrived in Switzerland mid afternoon. It wasn’t too long of a drive as were playing at a venue called Z7 which was just over the border. It was a great venue and I was very impressed with the fridge in the upstairs band room. Bands like Carpathian Forest, Dimmu Borgir and Kreator had played here! The stage was huge – the whole venue was huge! We had both drum kits set up on the riser. It was a beautiful day so I restrung my guitar outside until it was time for us to soundcheck. After both bands had soundchecked a plan was devised for a massive two band extravaganza during the Hatchets set. Two drummers, four guitarists, two bass players, one keyboardist, and two vocalists. The Hatchet guys seemed to have patched things up sufficiently to go on with the show. We then went upstairs for the last meal together and we ate like kings. Dave had an interview to do for one of the local rock magazines so while he was doing that we just sat around drinking beer and reflected on the past month. It was such a shame it was all going to be over so soon.
Showtime came and we made sure it was a balls to the wall performance. I leapt from the riser with so much force that I nearly lost balance and went over the front of the stage. Luckily I didn’t. Ngariki was playing like the baddest mother and the rhythm section of Dave2 and Wayne were just outstanding. It was almost as if we had forgotten the reason why we were there – Dave Evans. We were damn lucky to be invited by Dave to be his band but in turn I think he was damn lucky to have us. Dave is a true rockstar and did a brilliant job on this tour. We all did.
The Hatchets came on and halfway through the set they invited us up for the monster jam. It was like nothing else. I couldn’t help myself and strode to the front of the stage and did some soloing – shit I hadn’t for the whole tour – Im not that great a guitarist anyway but I can hold my own. We took turns at solos other crazy shit and Dave and Phil sang their asses off. Ngariki and Bobby were going berserk on their guitars. We all just got totally lost in the moment I’m sure. The crowd was going wild too – the room was electric.
The Hatchets finished their set and we signed stuff for the fans and drank lots of beer. We had all gathered backstage and it was time to part ways. Being in such close quarters, sharing a brilliant experience, really made it an emotional farewell. Ngariki, Dave2 and Wayne rode on the Hatchets bus back to Frankfurt while Rainer, Dave, Anita and I went back to a hotel for the night before going to Frankfurt in the morning. Anita and I stayed up for many hours drinking beer and smoking the last of our cigarettes wishing it wasn’t all over. But alas morning came and we had to get to the airport to fly home. Ngariki had been at the airport since about 2 or 3 in the morning and looked like hell but said he had a blast on the tour bus. I’m sure that he did!
What an amazing experience. To the Dave Evans Band (Ngariki, Wayne, Dave2), thanks for being such great mates throughout the tour. Though we all live on opposite sides of the world and traveled together for only a month, we’re friends for a lifetime. Thanks to: The Hatchet guys and crew – Phil, Bobby, Ritchie, Shawn, Tim, Jimbo, and Carlos. Thanks to: Anita, Rike, Morty and Rainer and everyone else involved! Special thanks to Dave Evans!! We showed Europe some real Aussie Rock n Roll.

Fan and Dave2 - Bonn