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January 2006 - part one Diary Belgium Hello my people! I know it’s been a while since our last talk but, I’m back with a few new tales for you. As you know, BH and The Noisemakers are taking a little break and this gives me a moment to work with other artists. Well, I am writing this little note from Antwerp, Belgium. I am here doing 9 shows with The Pointer Sisters and a young Belgium singer Natalia. A very talented singer I must add. This girl is crazy popular here on the level of Britney Spears. I am playing for both groups. But our story really begins with trying to just get to Belgium :-) What would a diary entry be without a plane story? Let’s turn the time machine back a few days. I am booked to do two shows with The Pointers on the 30th and 31st of December. We are suppose to leave for Belgium on the 1st. The two shows go off without a problem. The 1st of January is here and it is time to go. The five of us are traveling to Belgium; it is here that I find out that we are on different flights. I immediately get a little feeling of dread. I am on a flight alone, which is not a problem normally. I am flying to a different country and I have no clue what or who is waiting at the end of the flight.:-( But, I suck it up and tell myself man up! We get to the airport and I check into my flight. Now keep in mind that I am flying from Houston, Texas into Washington Dulles airport and from Dulles to Belgium. Now here is where the trouble starts. Washington Dulles is the dumbest airport I have ever been to. The main terminal and the gate where the planes are docked don’t connect. You have to catch these crazy shuttles and then maybe a bus to get to the different terminals. And if you are flying in on a small plane it’s even worse. Well, my first flight was a small plane. But, I’m cool because I have almost 2 hours between my first flight and my second. We taxi out to the runway and prepare to take off, I am in sleep mode already when I hear an announcement about us returning to the gate. There is some small (small means big;-)) problem with the computer. I glance at my watch. I have lots of time. Tick, tick, tick…….. We return to the gate and wait for someone to come over and push the reset button on the computer. Tick, tick, tick, tick. I still have an hour and a half to get to my next flight. They keep starting and re-starting the computer but it won’t catch. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…… Now I am getting a little concerned. My next flight is leaving at 7:35 PM and I need to be on it. Tick, tick, tick, tick. Finally the damn thing is working. But, I don’t got (I know this is wrong;-}) much time to get to Dulles and catch my flight. I am really getting angry. And what makes it worse is that not one flight attendant has a clue to where we are landing, or what gates our connecting flights are leaving from. I can already see running thru the airport in my future. Tick, tick, tick. When we finally land in Washington, it is 6:50 PM. My flight is leaving in 45 minutes and we are not yet at the gate. TICK, TICK, TICK. Hurry up, I keep thinking. I finally get off the first flight at 7:05 PM. TICK, TICK, TICK, TICK, I still have to catch this stupid but/shuttle thing-ie.:-{ Damn, Damn, Damn. I have my bass on my back and I am pulling a computer bag the size of a small Volkswagen. The bus pulls up at 7:15, I have 20 minutes to get to this flight. We drive across the tarmac, between planes and under terminals. TICK, TICK, TICK. We finally get my terminal. I jet from the bus as if I were a running back on a football team. Up a flight a stairs like Superman. TICK, TICK, TICK. I am tying to make this flight and time is not my friend. My flight is at gate 7. The bus stopped at gate 20:-{ (this is BS). At about gate 10, I hear over the airport speaker, “Will Jervonny Collier please report to gate 7 for immediate departure”, What the hell are they thinking. (why won’t somebody call somebody, when flights are late?) At gate 9 I see a guitar player friend of mine from L.A. and he is trying to say hello. I run past yelling, “Sorry! I gotta catch this flight”. Sorry Freddie Fox. (You are great player):-} TICK, TICK, TICK. I finally get to gate 7, the boarding agent ask me if I were me:-} Yes! I say breathless. Huff, huff, huff. May I have your boarding pass? Sure I reply. I search one pocket and then the other. What the hell? I lost my boarding pass running to this damn plane:-{ It is 7:33 Yikes!!!!! Just let me have your passport. Okay! And with that, the agent hands me a boarding pass and I run down the jet way. I get to the plane door and it is closing (why won’t somebody call somebody?) I duck under the door and run to my seat:-{ There is someone in my seat. I am sweating like a 50 cent whore on half off night. I am ready to throw this old lady to the floor and take my seat (I think I would have won this fight, I had a reach advantage;-} (it’s a joke) A flight attendant takes me to an open seat and I am finally aboard this damn flight. I must have looked a mess, because she handed me a box of tissues to dry myself off with. This is only the start:-} Can you believe there is more? This stuff only happens to me. Seven hours later and I am in Belgium. Yes! I made it. No problem getting thru customs. Now, I am in search of baggage claim and my contact for pick up. I’ve found baggage claim and I am at the right spot to pick up my luggage. (the worst of the trip is now over;-}). Well hold your water my little bucka-roos;- I wait and wait and wait. But my bags never show. And now must go to the luggage desk and explain that I have two bags missing and I’ve lost my bag tickets along with my boarding pass (and you thought this would get better!) I only hope they speak English. After 30 minutes, they finally get it. But, there is only one flight per day from Washington to Belgium and this means , no bags until tomorrow. But that’s okay. I can deal with that for one day;-) I am now in search of my contact for a ride to the hotel. I leave the bag area, and start walking thru the airport trying to find someone with a sign with my name on it. TICK, tick, tick. :-} (this is not getting better yet). I am walking around lost and confused. I have no way of getting in touch with anyone, and I would not know who to call even if I had a phone. After about 15 minutes I am approached by a shady dude speaking French. Something tells me that this is not good. So, I puff out my chest and in my strongest voice, “I don’t understand you bro” I then turn and walk away. (but I keep my eye on my friend and his friends). I am now ready to get on a plane and forget this whole thing. I find a seat and try to think about my situation :-( After 5 or ten minutes more, I am approached by a man asking if I am me? I want to hug this man. Why! Yes! I say. After introductions were made we are off to the hotel, which is about an hour from the airport. My check in goes without a hitch. I am safe and secure in my room ;-) Ahhh! But there is more. I must get ready for the first rehearsal in two hours. I am tired and hungry. Belgium is nine hours ahead of California. And I don’t have any of my creature comforts. At the first rehearsal, I meet the other members of the band.(by the way, they are a great group of musicians). The energy here is great. We will rehearse for 4 days, before the first show. We are expected to memorize about 30 to 35 songs. I know The PS show and few cover songs that Natalia will sing. For the next week I will listen to nothing but the music for this show. This is the only way I know of, to put songs to memory in such a short period of time. The next day we are going to have a early rehearsal. As we are leaving the hotel, one of my bags are delivered. But, it is not the bag with my clothes. I am now going to be without anything for another day. (United! Damn) So, off to the rehearsal. We rehearse from 10:00 AM until 10:00 PM, I don’t mind the work. The time change is starting to catch up with me and I am starting to slam Red Bull energy drinks. After rehearsal I drag myself back to the hotel. I cannot eat the food. For some reason it does not stick with me (I will not give you the nasty details). So, lets recap my trip so far. I have to run thru the airport like OJ, I am stranded for a while in a strange place, my bags are lost , and I cannot eat :-{ Great trip so far. Before leaving the US. I checked on getting a phone that would work in Belgium, and this way I can stay in touch with my family and friends. After making a few calls. I choose T-MobileL The person that I spoke with on the phone was very helpful and seemed to know what she was talking about. So, I made a choice. I would buy a call as you go phone, and 1000 minutes. (this is more than enough for my trip). I will save a lot of money on hotel phone charges. I am happy with myself. Before leaving the US, I double check that all is well with the phone,. I make sure that there is nothing else that I need to do. Well! Like everything else in this trip. My salesperson missed a few very important details. Such as, you must have the phone for a minimum 90 days before T-Mobile will open it to European access :-{ This means that I cannot use this damn phone in Belgium. I am ready to smash it to pieces. Well, it is day four of my trip and I still don’t got no bags :-{ My pants know the show better than me. My socks are waiting for me when I get up in the morning. My shirt gets the shower ready and I won’t even tell you what my underwear is doing :-) I go to the Super Market to buy toiletries. I am charged 45 US dollars for a tooth brush, shaving cream, soap. My choices are limited. Be fuzzy and smelly or, clean and penniless. I choose the latter.:-) My bag finally arrives on the 5th day. I am so glad that I almost kiss the delivery dude :-) Not!!!!!!!!!!!! We are now ready for our first show. We are doing nine sold out shows at The Sports Palace. There will 12,500 screaming fans. The stage is huge. With a 100 to 200 hundred foot projection screen behind the band. There is a cat walk that runs from the main stage out 25 to 30 yards into the audience where it is connected to a smaller stage, we will have fire exploding and dropping from above. This is rock and roll baby! I have been summoned to a little dinner meeting before the first show, and ask to run around the stage. Yes! Kiddies :-) I am about to live my first real rock and roll moment. Look out world. The king is back. I did not watch all those Woodstock movies for nothing :-) I am Elvis, Mick, Jimi. Move over Zepplin, Who and The Beatles. There’s a new Sheriff in town, and his name is Reggie. Wait! That’s a different thing :-) Any-how. I am asked to go out and do what ever it is I want to do. This is going to be fun. Stay tuned, I only hope there is video :-) Peace and good eating to you all. JV
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