Continued from part 1: https://intherearviewmirror77777.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/my-year-in-rock-2014-retrospect/

This is a screenshot from my Outlook e-mail. That’s where I organize all my trips. Every single event has its own file. That way I can keep track of things more easily, and also remember where I’ve been. I couldn’t fit everything in this shot but you get the idea…

So – moving on. MAY was a busy-busy month. That’s when the Gus G/Marty Friedman Guitar Universe tour kicked off. It started in Tampere, Finland on May 1st. I remember it well, because I took the train from Malmo to Stockholm the day before and was flying from Stockholm to Tampere on the day of the show.

When I woke up at my airport hotel that morning, it was snow all over the place! In MAY…!?
I remember walking around in the freezing cold city of Tampere, where I wouldn’t get access to my hotel room until late in the afternoon, and it was some sort of stupid automatic hotel without a front desk or PEOPLE to talk to, so…
I decided to just screw it, lose the money for the room I wasn’t going to use, and got myself a room at the Scandic hotel right next to the train station in Tampere instead. That was the best choice I could have made. WHAT a room! I loved it! Still remember it as one of my best stays this year.

It was good to see everyone when I was picked up by Andy, the tour manager, just as the sound check was about to finish. Gus and his crew, and band – it’s always great to see familiar faces no matter where you go in the world. :)

One thing that became pretty apparent already at that first gig, and that was that the “guitar geek” crowd wasn’t exactly the type of crowd that would blow the roof off a place. Some fans more than others perhaps, but it wasn’t a party animal type of crowd, for sure. Nevertheless, they WORSHIP their guitar heroes, they just show it in a different way. :)

The first round of this tour for me looked like this: Malmo – Stockholm – Tampere – Helsinki – Stockholm – Malmo (as supposed to be Gothenburg as well but that show was postponed and will take place in March this year instead).

Took a few days off the Gus/Marty tour but went to Copenhagen to see Reckless Love because I had seen them at the same festival as Gus/Marty (Stockholm Rocks) and though they were a great live band. They didn’t disappoint me in Copenhagen either, cool party band!

A few days after that I headed off to Germany for a new round of Gus and Marty shows. I started in Munich, travelled by plane and train, some great places, some less great places, but what I love about those trips are people I meet and places I see. Not the tourist thing but just everday things, everyday people. I don’t necessarily need to do tourist things, I can soak up the vibe of a place just by walking down the street – any street. Even just walking into the nearest grocery store. Doesn’t require more than that to experience a city the way I see it.

Met up with my friend Suuded again in Hannover for the show at Musikzentrum (which appears in the “Blame It On Me“-video, by the way :) ):

I came back home only to do a bit of laundry, work and maybe sleep a little. Then I was off on the next flight to London. This time it was at somebody else’s expense, namely Sony Music’s.
Judas Priest had invited a select few to listen to the new album, Redeemer of souls, at the Sony Music offices in London. I also got to meet Rob Halford again, always a pleasure. The album was great, the meeting with Rob was great. It was just a very memorable experience, the whole thing. :)

The Halford-blog can be found here: https://intherearviewmirror77777.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/hello-again-metal-god/

 

 

The next day I just moved from one part of London to another, to see Gus G and Marty Friedman at the O2 again. If I remember it correctly it was the last show of the tour. At least it was for me.
Marty recorded his video there and it was a great day and evening. Herman Li from Dragonforce joined the guys on stage that night.

 

As always, I hate it when a tour ends. While you’re in the middle of it, it’s always fun, exciting and always a new destination to look forward to (for a travel junkie like me). When it’s over, you go home and then you have to start all over again trying to find another interesting tour, festival or gig to attend…. I’m not much for sitting at home watching reality-TV. I’d rather live my own “reality TV”. :)

Anyway, the last Gus/Marty show on my schedule was May 21st. I had about two weeks to catch my breath before the next event was to take place: SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL. My second home, the yearly tradition that I can’t imagine a summer without. THIS year was memorable in many ways – not only for the gigs but also for the people I met and got to know, that have made some pretty significant marks in my life ever since!

All about that in part 3…….. Stick around.