Ahh.. Rainy RIO

Rio was covered in clouds from the moment we got there. It stayed that way until the moment we departed for the airport. Oh well. Timothy, Christie and I went to the Jesus statue. He was shrouded in fog, mist and clouds so all we could see were his feet. I can at least say I went there. The beachside hotel (one of 2 in town) had a great view of the beach below, but with no one on it- it was private and locked. he internet connection was unusable and they charged $20 UNTIL THEY CUT IT OF AT 11PM. And pictures? All gone. My camera was stolen off the stage at the gig!!! Can you f*'n believe that? I always leave it on the drum riser in front of my amps. We head off stage Left and I always circle back behind the drums to get my camera/sunglasses/drink/whatever may still be on the riser. Well in that 10 seconds or so time there were local stagehands everywhere around the riser but no camera. They looked blankly at me, than probably laughed as I walked away. Bummer. It's not so much the camera as it is the pics... Going out to Brazilian bbq with Judas Priest. Hangin with KK Downing and Doug for local beers and music. Pics of my unaccessable beach and christs foggy feet. Oh well. And the gig was in the basement of a mall. Awesome trip to RIO.

Traveling by plane/van/etc., we trade 23 boring/exhausting hours of questionable food for ONE hour of playing music. And we don't play everyday.

Sounds like I'm complaning when in fact, I'm highly thankful to be here doing what I love. It's just the unexpected specifics that have surprised me. I don't feel like a rock star today. Off to the next gig... (I'm writing from Sao Paulo)
This one will rock! Outdoor festival. 25,000 people. In the end, I love my job :-)
-U

Happy Edit: We did however, have a wonderful evening with our guides, who brought us (some WS, some Judas) to the BEST SEAFOOD BUFFET I'D EVER HAD! Right near Copacabana accross from the beach. I think I ate 3 kinds of lobster! Later it was quite amusing to go to a traditional brazilian club, and see how out of place us 'rockers' were. The locals were dancing so beautifully while KK Downing and I watched in awe and drank beer.