Freebording and Rap Battles

I was sitting on the bus outside of our venue in Reno, Nevada when I started to write this, waiting to get dressed and ready for the night’s show. I am now on my way to Phoenix, Arizona on a long 14 hour trip. We have had an awesome couple of days recently and I’ll have to back track to cover all of it.

We left Sony Studios on Tuesday evening for our first stop in Oakland, California. After a rush to pack all of our bags we got the chance to check out the tour buses we would be travelling and living on over the next six weeks. Filled with leather couches, 12 bunks, 2 flat screens, a sink and kitchen area, bathroom, separate back lounge and stocked coolers, it seems like we may be a little comfortable. We have 9 guys with their stuff on one bus, 3 guys riding with Grasso the magician, Taylor Matthews, Prince Poppycock, and Michael Grimm, and Danny has joined Studio One’s bus. Though our stuff is on these buses we are welcome to get on the other buses for the trips to hang out with the group.

The trip to Oakland was fairly short and we checked into our hotel room during the early morning hours. We have gotten used to the routine of working out in the morning with practice starting about mid-day. Caleb, a few of the backup dancers and myself went for a run in the morning and caught breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay, including Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The night before the show Caleb and I got the chance to go freebording with some of the San Francisco locals including Mike Hoppe. The runs were absolutely nuts, but we got the chance to ride Lombard street and from the top of Russian Hill. The runs were much better than the east coast, and riding through city streets at 1am was also thrilling. Luckily neither of us got hurt and were ready for the next day’s show.

The practice on a new stage was much different than we had been used to but the transition to the Paramount Theater was quick. At a capacity of about 3000 people we were excited to perform for our largest live audience yet. The show went smoothly and as planned. We had been trying out a few new lighting techniques and think this show helped determine our plan for the rest of the tour. We had been having issues with the stage being lit up too well and used tube blacklights to minimize this, as well as eyeblack to help us cover more light areas.

There was a short 4 hour drive from our show in Oakland to our new hotel in Reno. We checked in again during the early hours of the morning but got to sleep in with a much later call time. A few of us lifted in the morning and then went for some breakfast and exploring before checking out of the hotel. Some of us got the chance to do the large swing in the amusement park on the grounds, giving us amazing views of the city. The show itself was exciting and much smoother. This crowd was closer to 4000 and seemed a little more energetic and it was a great time performing.

Our group celebrated when we got back on the bus as we will be having a 3 day break in Phoenix with plenty of practice, brainstorming, and hopefully some time outdoors. The trip was about 12 hours overall but plenty of fun with the crew of guys we have. Rap battles lasted into the early morning hours and then rivalries over the Redskins and Eagles game continued today. I’ll be updating the blog once we get there to keep everyone in the loop. Thanks for reading.