As
we continued our tours, I arranged a European co-headline tour with a
band called Paradise Lost. They had a new album out, like the Seps and
together we would make a great bill.
It
was winter in Europe, at the time, and we were cruising on 3 buses with
a catering company snug in the crew bus...Cat and Mouse Catering. Two
English girls with amazing culinary skills and warm hearts to match.
Eating healthy and comfort food at the same time!
We
were playing in Berlin to a sold out crowd. The tour was very
successful and camaraderie was thick. Our bus left about 1:00am for the
next city, pulling out before the crew and Paradise Lost's buses.
Cruising not far from the venue, Andreas, baby Zyon
and I were in the top lounge at the front of the double-decker. The
street was dark and deserted in front of us. All of a sudden, a tiny
car pulled around us, stopped abruptly in front of us, causing the
driver to hit the brakes. We watched speechless as the car's driver and
passenger jumped from the car, put a small blue light on top of their
car and ran to our bus. The door opened and a man wearing plain clothes
jumped in the front door and ran upstairs pointing a gun at us! The
only words that came out of his mouth was "a baby?' The other man
entered the rear door and had a gun to Iggor's head. Our first thought
was "we are getting hijacked by terrorists!"
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| Daysheet |
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| Mouse and Cat |
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| Eddie Roche |
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| Silvio Gomez |
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| Bill our bus driver |
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| Iggor |
The 2 men forced the guys off the bus, and arranged
them in a line, with their hands high on the outside of the bus. They
let Zyon and me stay inside because it was too cold out. The shakedown
began... I peaked out the window and saw the owner of the bus company,
Steve Witter, lined up with the band. How was I going to get through
this? Surely he would never lease me a bus again!!
Team after team arrived and we realized we were in a drug sting operation, which made no sense. The officers tore each inch of the bus apart. Then came the German Shepard's, then more police and more dogs. Over and over, meticulously turning over and destroying all personal bags, bunks, food storage area, bathroom, you name it; they searched it!
After 3 hours, the Commander entered the bus. Long wool coat, officer's hat, black gloved hands...he walked from the downstairs to the upstairs and out the back, turning his skull every which way as he walked, making sure no stone was unturned. Then....they all got in their vehicles and drove off without a peep!!
Feeling very violated and with the bus engine dead from the power used up in the search, we huddled in shock, trying to figure out what just happened! The driver made contact with the crew bus through a cb radio and found out the police had also raided the crew bus and Paradise Lost's bus at the same time as ours! They both got nabbed in the bus parking lot of the venue!
Their officer was nice enough to explain what was going on, and to apologize for the unnecessary search. Earlier in the day, our crew bus driver said he had to fly home because his wife was suddenly taken ill. He left and the new driver arrived with the owner of the buses. Imagine our surprise when the police said the driver reported us to the Berlin Drug Team for being cocaine dealers from Brazil!! He told the police Sepultura were disguised as a band in order to carry out some very shady business enterprise! We were all shocked to say the least.
Class dismissed...
Team after team arrived and we realized we were in a drug sting operation, which made no sense. The officers tore each inch of the bus apart. Then came the German Shepard's, then more police and more dogs. Over and over, meticulously turning over and destroying all personal bags, bunks, food storage area, bathroom, you name it; they searched it!
After 3 hours, the Commander entered the bus. Long wool coat, officer's hat, black gloved hands...he walked from the downstairs to the upstairs and out the back, turning his skull every which way as he walked, making sure no stone was unturned. Then....they all got in their vehicles and drove off without a peep!!
Feeling very violated and with the bus engine dead from the power used up in the search, we huddled in shock, trying to figure out what just happened! The driver made contact with the crew bus through a cb radio and found out the police had also raided the crew bus and Paradise Lost's bus at the same time as ours! They both got nabbed in the bus parking lot of the venue!
Their officer was nice enough to explain what was going on, and to apologize for the unnecessary search. Earlier in the day, our crew bus driver said he had to fly home because his wife was suddenly taken ill. He left and the new driver arrived with the owner of the buses. Imagine our surprise when the police said the driver reported us to the Berlin Drug Team for being cocaine dealers from Brazil!! He told the police Sepultura were disguised as a band in order to carry out some very shady business enterprise! We were all shocked to say the least.
The
tour got back underway and the driver was never heard from again! I
never got a chance to interrogate him or give him a kick in the pants!!
The moral of the story? Keep your guard up around strangers...you
never know who the psycho is!!
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| Sepultura with fans |
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| Andreas, Rapadura and Goody |
Class dismissed...
