{"id":2671,"date":"2016-09-28T19:29:07","date_gmt":"2016-09-29T02:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/articles\/?p=2671"},"modified":"2016-09-29T09:33:33","modified_gmt":"2016-09-29T16:33:33","slug":"tour-blog-in-the-lair-of-the-huntress-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/metalassault.com\/articles\/2016\/09\/28\/tour-blog-in-the-lair-of-the-huntress-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour Blog: In The Lair Of The Huntress – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"screen-shot-2016-09-28-at-7-58-40-pm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Continued from Part 1<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Day 9 (9\/17): Yuengling Territory<\/strong><\/p>\n

After two big shows in Columbus and Baltimore, next on the itinerary was a headline gig in Spartanburg, South Carolina, at the ironically appropriate\u00a0Ground Zero. Members of Huntress have stated that they probably wouldn\u2019t do a full-on headline tour any time soon because it gets old and tiring playing the same bars and clubs over and over again, and on that level you really aren\u2019t a \u2018headline act\u2019, you\u2019re just playing last at a bar which is often more detrimental than beneficial. I strongly concur, as in my opinion there isn\u2019t much of a point or purpose in headlining just for the sake of doing so. Having said that, a headline gig along the route on a big tour like this is a different story altogether, and folks in and around Spartanburg SC were certainly stoked on the band\u2019s appearance at Ground Zero. Many people even said they had driven a few hours to attend this show. With five local openers, it was a long evening, but worth the effort in the end. More than anything, I was just happy to be chugging $3 Yuenglings. It’s always the little things. Then came a day off in rainy, humid Atlanta, and I tried my hand at playing ‘Magic: The Gathering’ with nerdmaster Eric. Time well spent.<\/p>\n

Day 11 (9\/19): Dirty South<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Matt<\/a>
Matt Heafy in the midst of a Jiu-Jitsu session<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia was the next stop, and the show was in the biggest of the three rooms, a.k.a. \u2018Heaven\u2019. While I was setting up the merch display, I observed Trivium frontman Matt Heafy\u2019s Jiu-Jitsu session, which is part of his daily routine before every soundcheck. He even has a personal trainer, who doubles as a roadie. It\u2019s interesting and out-of-the-box, not something you witness often on tour. On the whole, the Trivium band and crew members are incredibly nice to all of us in Huntress, and always talk to us whenever we run into them. Matt wears a Sabaton shirt on stage every night and makes sure to mention and talk up Sabaton and Huntress during the set. This is also one of the major differences between Trivium and Sabaton, because Sabaton don\u2019t make anywhere near as much of an effort to even mention the other two bands. Considering that Jill wasn\u2019t feeling 100 per cent, it was a successful night for Huntress, and Atlanta peeps came out in huge numbers to attend the show. Atlanta being indoor cigarette smoker friendly (an aspect of this part of the country I\u2019m not fond of), the Huntress lighters sold fast and my lungs clogged up with secondhand cigarette smoke.<\/p>\n

Day 12 (9\/20): Little Rock, Big Show<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The big room in Little Rock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Little Rock, Arkansas isn’t a town many bands visit on a regular basis, so there was a lot of excitement and radio promotion behind the event at Metroplex Live. The venue turned out to be far too big for the show, but in places like this, there aren’t many venues choices and it’s probably better doing the show at a place too big than one too small. Once again it was mainly a Sabaton crowd and people started leaving as soon as their set was done. Noticing this trend over the first few shows on this tour, we have also moved the (free) Huntress meet-n-greet to after Sabaton’s set instead of after the show every night. Besides the shirts, hoodies and music, I’m also selling Jill’s hand-made jewelry at the merch table, and have been putting Jill to work so she keeps making new items in the bus on the drives between shows because it’s been selling really well. It certainly adds a unique touch to the merch display and draws people’s attention.<\/p>\n

\"Jill's<\/a>
Jill’s Jewelry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Day 14 (9\/22): High Spirits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Little Rock to Denver was a very long drive, but we had a day off to cover it. We stopped in Muskogee, Oklahoma for breakfast, had some thrift store fun, and went to a public laundry, living the tour life to the max. A week into traveling in the BandWagon, we had all gotten used to the new ways of life. Fridge, microwave,\u00a0storage shelves, shower, toilet and DirecTV on board is a massive luxury, and is infinitely better than touring in a van. If you’re living your life on the road, you may as well live it in style, and if you can afford it, this is the way to do it. That being said, sometimes the bus goes over bumpy roads, hits curbs, makes sharp turns and brakes suddenly, causing havoc as things fly all over the place and contents of the fridge get\u00a0jumbled, the fridge door often flinging open because of the turbulence. At times it’s nothing short of a slap-stick comedy. There are pluses and minuses, so basically you should be jealous but not too much.<\/p>\n

Arriving in Denver at noon on the 22nd, the first order of business, of course, was finding a marijuana store, and sure enough, there was one only a mile away from the venue. Colorado weed is my favorite weed in the entire country, and stoned load-in was certainly fun. Denver had been hit-and-miss in my past experiences, but this gig at the Summit Music Hall was undoubtedly the best of the tour so far in every sense. The show ended as usual at around 11 PM but the Huntress after-party lasted till 1:30 AM, and the arcade bar across the street was the place to be.<\/p>\n

\"Thrift<\/a>
Thrift store fun in middle America<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Day 15 (9\/23): In-N-Out<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve come through Albuquerque, New Mexico on just about every tour I\u2019ve done, but this visit was like no other. Knowing that we had a 12-hour drive to San Bernardino and had to reach there by 10 AM the next morning as Huntress\u2019 set time at Ozzfest was 12:30 PM, we had to leave the show at Sunshine Theater in Albuquerque at 9 PM, and I had to pack up the merch straight after the set. Trivium and Sabaton were going to play Knottiest on Sunday and had a gig in Tempe AZ on Saturday, so they were on normal schedule, unlike us. It was a bit unfortunate to not be able to stay for the whole show, not only from the merch sales point of view and the fact that Huntress played to a completely new audience and won them over, but also because this was a completely different crowd in comparison to any of the shows on this tour so far, certainly a very pro-Trivium audience, a complete turnaround from the predominantly Sabaton-loving crowds that have attended these shows. The line for the Trivium merch was absolutely insane and never-ending, and from the moment the doors opened at 6:30 till I left the venue, their merch dude did not stop selling even for a second. For a change, Sabaton were having to make an extra effort to get the audience on their side, while this would turn out to be the best crowd Trivium have had on this tour, by far. For us, it was all about the 9 PM bus call, and right on schedule, we departed Albuquerque towards the next destination, in anticipation of our biggest show of the tour.<\/p>\n

\"Pro<\/a>
Pro tip: This is how you drink at the merch table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Day 16 (9\/24): Dust ‘Em All<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even with such a long drive and only about 13 hours to do it in, we arrived on time at the San Manuel Amphitheater and parked in the backstage area of the festival ground, right behind Festival Stage 1 on which Huntress were slated to perform at 12:30. The authorities of Ozzfest were originally not going to allow bands to sell their own merch at the festival, but changed their policy at the last minute, which worked out perfectly for us as I was able to handle merch duties all day long and stayed busy throughout. My tent happened to be next to Goatwhore which was definitely the best-case scenario, and it was great exchanging small talk with Ben and Trans Am. Despite the policy change, all bands still had the option of letting the festival staff sell their merch, but it\u2019s without doubt far better for any band to have their own members or crew do it instead. The San Manuel festival ground was nothing less than a dust bowl, and combining that with the cacophony of the monster trucks prancing about in the background, it wasn\u2019t exactly a pleasant day out in the desert, but a hugely profitable one, and seeing many familiar faces plus knowing all along that I was carrying out an important function for the betterment of the band I was working for kept me going, and I never took a break, not even for food or water. A lot of people were expressing their sympathies and almost felt bad for me when I told them I\u2019d be doing merch here all day and wouldn\u2019t get to see any of the side-stage bands, but in all honesty I had zero interest in attending this and wouldn\u2019t have done so if I wasn\u2019t working for Huntress, so I was perfectly fine in my merch tent.<\/p>\n

\"Huntress<\/a>
Huntress conquering Ozzfest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The festival gates opened at 11 AM, and there was already a large number of people at that early stage of the morning. I couldn\u2019t see the stage Huntress played on from where I was, but from pictures it looked like they played in front of a packed house, and the success of their performance was reflected in the merch sales as well as the endless line for the meet-n-greet, which started at 3 PM and didn\u2019t stop till 4:30. The most entertaining aspect of my time in the tent was the fact that I made a killing on the Huntress lighters. As it turned out, the festival security had confiscated everyone\u2019s lighters at the gates, and our lighters sold like hot cakes. The festival ground was closed at 5 PM, as were all the tents, and after packing up and loading the merch back in our trailer, I freshened up and washed all the layers of dust off. It was quite the luxury to be able to retreat to the bus for a shower, change of clothing, food and beverages. By the time I recovered, only three bands were still to play on the main stage, and I was interested in two of them, Megadeth and Black Sabbath. I headed out into the jungle of metalheads and used my all-access pass to get into the general admission floor area. Megadeth\u2019s set was predictable but flawless, after which I returned to the bus for a nap during Disturbed\u2019s set, and then went back in to get up to the front row for Black Sabbath. It was my first (and possibly last) time seeing the Ozzy-fronted Black Sabbath, and was nothing short of a religious experience. Once my work for the day was done, for me it was all about seeing Sabbath, and I didn\u2019t bother getting into any of the backstage parties, as I\u2019m certainly not the kind to care about that type of stuff. Ozzfest 2016 is in the books, and I\u2019ll remember it as my first ever large-scale merch gig and for the truly splendid, life-changing set by the godfathers of heavy metal.<\/p>\n

Day 19 (9\/27): D&D Party<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a day off in the LA area and a long drive, we arrived in Salt Lake City for a gig at the Complex. No matter what band I\u2019ve come through with, I\u2019ve honestly never had a positive experience in SLC in terms of the turnout and success of the show itself, even though it\u2019s always good to see friends. Thankfully, this was an exception to the trend, as the room was completely packed and more importantly, Huntress got a great response. After the set, Eric left the venue for a game of Dungeons & Dragons with local friends and took Blake and Luis with him, so it was just Jill doing the meet-n-greet but had quite the crowd flocking to meet her. The band\u2019s performance keeps getting better as this tour is progressing, and ticket holders of the upcoming shows that aren\u2019t familiar with Huntress are in for a pleasant surprise. A whole month of the tour still remains, and now we\u2019re on the longest drive of the tour so far, a 900+ mile trek to Omaha, Nebraska. Stay tuned for many more stories from the lair of the Huntress!<\/p>\n

\"20160928_201832\"<\/a>
Jill keeping the dirty boys clean<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dates Completed:<\/strong>
\n09\/09\/2016 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theater ^
\n09\/10\/2016 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Dive Bar ^
\n09\/11\/2016 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater ^
\n09\/13\/2016 – Springfield, MO @ Front Of House Lounge ^
\n09\/14\/2016 – St. Louis, MO @ Fubar ^
\n09\/15\/2016 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall $
\n09\/16\/2016 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage $
\n09\/17\/2016 – Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero ^
\n09\/19\/2016 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade $
\n09\/20\/2016 – Little Rock, AR @ Metroplex Live $
\n09\/22\/2016 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall $
\n09\/23\/2016 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater $
\n09\/24\/2016 – San Bernardino, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater (Ozzfest) #
\n09\/27\/2016 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex $<\/p>\n

Remaining Tour Dates:<\/strong>
\n09\/29\/2016 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium $
\n09\/30\/2016 – Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights $
\n10\/01\/2016 – Braidwood, IL @ Top Fuel Saloon ^
\n10\/04\/2016 – Peoria, IL @ Limelight Eventplex $
\n10\/06\/2016 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live $
\n10\/07\/2016 – Houston, TX @ Scout Bar $
\n10\/08\/2016 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain\u2019s Ballroom $
\n10\/10\/2016 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE $
\n10\/11\/2016 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza $
\n10\/12\/2016 – Clifton, NJ @ Dingbats ^
\n10\/14\/2016 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium & DCU Center (Rock & Shock Festival) %
\n10\/15\/2016 – Binghamton, NY @ Magic City Music Hall $
\n10\/17\/2016 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm $
\n10\/18\/2016 – Tampa, FL @ State Theater $
\n10\/19\/2016 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution Live $
\n10\/20\/2016 – Greenacres, FL @ Piper\u2019s Sports Bar ^
\n10\/21\/2016 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues $
\n10\/24\/2016 – Crest Hill, IL @ Bada Brew ^
\n10\/27\/2016 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live ^<\/p>\n

^ = Huntress headlining dates
\n$ = Trivium, Sabaton & Huntress
\n% = Trivium + Huntress festival appearance
\n# = Huntress festival appearance<\/p>\n

\"By<\/a>
By popular demand, a picture of my cozy bunk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Andrew Bansal (Continued from Part 1) Day 9 (9\/17): Yuengling Territory After two big shows in Columbus and Baltimore, next on the itinerary was a headline gig in Spartanburg, South Carolina, at the ironically appropriate\u00a0Ground Zero. Members of Huntress have stated that they probably wouldn\u2019t do a full-on headline tour any time soon because … <\/p>\n

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