Honestly Tour 2013 - Stuttgart

Stuttgart, like München & Hamburg before it, was one of those towns we had never gotten to spend any real time in during our previous tours. It was always in-and-out: just enough time to ride into town, blow it up with a rock show, and then head out to the next one.

This year, however, we had a whole day off here. But, first...

The club, the LKA-Longhorn, is a really fun one to play. The setup is a little different, with the dressing rooms above the venue floor, enabling you to watch both the crowd amassing in front of the stage as well as the opening act from somewhere other than the side of the stage. Part of the backstage area is covered with tour posters from a bunch of bands that have previously played there, and there are a few doozies for those of us who grew up listening to rock music. All of this just amps up the excitement before you take the stage, which is great when you're already several shows deep in a tour and need a little shot in the arm.

Add to all of this the fact the our monitor engineer's name at this gig was, wait for it - Toto - and you have all the necessary ingredients for a really memorable show.

But, the really killer part about performing in Stuttgart is the crowd. They really bring the energy and let us feel it on the stage. (So much so that a few people always manage to faint during the show.) This town has certainly become one of my favorite places to play. The venue is great. The crew is great. The crowd is great. You can't ask for much more.

I've got some fun memories from our time in Stuttgart. A McD's ice cream run with some new friends after the show, the bodybuilding expo at the venue the next day that (for some inexplicable reason) we weren't invited to compete in, and time off spent around the beautiful Shlossplatz & Schillerplatz. We even got to partake in the chaos of one of Europe's own popular chain restaurants, Vapiano. (Nothing like free gummy bears while you wait and wait and wait... and wait... and wait... for your meal.)

But, the city has certainly carved its own Stuttgart-shaped niche in my memory. It goes without saying that I'm looking forward to the next time we meet (even though I just said it).

Taking in the Schillerplatz...

...and the Schlossplatz.