Dave Rat - Roadies in the Midst

The end of US tour leg # 3 has us saying goodbye's to The Mars Volta. Going to miss them as they are part of the extended Peppers family. The interaction between the bands and the people that are with them really helped set the euphoric tone of this tour. When everyone is on the same page, backstage tends to be open and free, if there is competition, friction or a band attracts crazy drunk guests, then backstage becomes more of a lock down. When I was touring with Rage Against the Machine and Wu Tang Clan was the opening band, it got way out of hand and backstage was full of fights and cops and other adventures that kept things on edge. With Mars Volta it is all good and can't wait to see them next time!

So lets meet a few more roadies to say bye bye to:

I met the next Mars roadie on Black Flag tour in 1985 when he was a local stage hand at the 1st ave in Minneapolis. Then he comes through LA with The Replacements a few years later and works on the Rat PA at the Variety Arts center. Since then he is now known as the guy the mixes Brittany Spears. Here seen for the first time I ever have seen him in a white shirt, please meet The Mars Volta FOH sound engineer, Monte Lee Wilkes:

I was also fortunate to, for the first time meet his daughter and wife, very cool. I am pretty sure his wife said she worked for a local radio station.

And a few farewell shots of Mars:

The show ended with a grand finally jam with Marcel and and Omar on stage with the Peppers that made for an amazing, fun and a perfect ending to a wonderful segment adventure. The rest of the Mars crew is not forgotten but their recognitions will wait.

A blog while back I mentioned the well known fact that Roadies love Swag so I hauled out the booty we both acquired and also did not lose on the way. Roadies love booty and we do our best to hold onto it but it tends to stray. Here is the booty check at tour leg end:

Notice the little orange confetti gun that I now shoot over Scott during the song Snow in memory of the blizzard. The wine gums were a huge hit and a bag went to each bus. Creativity highlight goes to the bouquet of wires, roadies love wires! We had a radio control rat which provided much amusement before it ran away, but we still have the controller. There is a pink bag of cookies, we drank the wine, wore the sunglasses, stuffed the shirts somewhere, used the flashlight fish that is still swimming in the drawer somewhere, the hookah resides at my house in it's wonderful time reversal existence and any candy has been long since eaten. Oh, and the cooler of food, I am still working on. Finally, what you do not see is the magical pile of happiness that has been bulldozer dumped on all of us out here by our new friends that have been joining me and the road crew on this twisted and unraveling adventure.

Fret you all not about this ending, we are far from done and if all goes as planned we are not even at the half way point. I love the thought that I have no idea how this winding road will turn and I do know that there is a damn good chance that a big pile of roadies traveling Earth will surely find plenty of fun and trouble.

**** Ebay update ****

I have seen the shirts, seen the ad and I know without a doubt it will be something none will expect. Updates coming soon and we have some shopping to do!

**** End Ebay Update ****

With wet eyes and fond memories please say good bye one more time today to something quite dear as Scott the Lampi's cousin Eric has adopted our pet carpet named Fred.

It is so wonderful to see them bonding. Eric, I promise to come visit. Fred likes beer so be careful, he is a messy drunk.

The heart crushed over too many goodbye's,

Dave Rat