Fans can step outside and drink a beer, smoke a cigarette and not have some security bullethead after them. I have only rarely seen a security rough someone up at a show in the UK or Europe. Sure in the ‘80’s when some countries were successfully winning their freedom, the security would be barbaric police officers, but that mindset has been replaced by intelligence. Bouncers and pit security headbang and keep the fans safe. They get it.
Being a seeker of history and it’s locations, the ancient continent can’t be beat! The early shows of this past tour were on the Baltic and one site was where a king was slain in a battle! Soulfly played at the base of the hill the Lion of Belfort rests upon. Created by the sculptor who crafted the Statue of Liberty made it even cooler! In Bristol the pub that hosted the first discussion of abolishing slavery was next door. Cathedrals, ferries across the Baltic, Anne Frank’s home, statues and mimes are there to feast your eyes on. Art appears in many forms...
And running into other Metal Badasses is a certainty! I saw Peligro in Belgrade, Attila in Budapest, Brujeria in Austria, Rage in Slovenia, Neurosis in Denmark, Jon of Conan at Boomtown....to name a few!
Our bus was blazing Soulfly logos and our drivers couldn’t speak English! Our main driver and the double driver were Serbian. They were some serious beasts! One day the radiator cap popped off drenching Batko with boiling water. He took it like a champ and kept driving, holding soda cans on his chest. When he saw a paramedic a week later he was told to get skin grafts for his second degree burn. Pretty sure I saw him laugh... @batkostrong!!
Life on the road is like life in a house. Birthdays are celebrated, dinners are shared, people live life. It’s fun to explore different foods, different customs.
And what about POLand Rocks? Over half a million people, all as one! Yes, Metal is alive and well...it’s a lifestyle not a genre!
Class dismissed.....
