Hola from Mexico! David Sanchez from Havok here. I’ll be keeping you up to date on our two-week Mexican tour, sharing stories from the road, complete with photos.
Since I recently broke my left wrist while hiking in Colorado, we are joined on this tour by our friend Todd Stern – from Hammer Fight – on rhythm guitar.
Day 1) Directly after the last show of the Crowbar tour in Houston, we packed into the van and drove overnight to El Paso to meet with the organizer of the Mexican tour. After an all-night drive – completed by our Swedish merch man, Patrik – we met with the organizer and headed over the border to Juarez for the first show.
The first show in Juarez was electric! The crowd went crazy all night and adrenaline ran high the entire time. Immediately following the last note, tons of people got up on the stage to take photos with any band member in sight. I can’t imagine a more perfect way to be welcomed to the country.
Day 2) When we woke up we had a four-hour drive through the Mexican desert to Chihuahua. After arriving and loading our gear into the venue, we went to a traditional Mexican bar/restaurant. We feasted on delicious tacos, Mexican pizza, and a potato and cheese dish. Later, when we arrived at the venue, it was time for us to set up and prepare to take the stage.
The second we walked into the main room of the venue, people started screaming so loud you would’ve thought Iron Maiden just walked in or something. It’s a crazy feeling to be received like this when you walk into a room. People cheered, whistled, and chanted as we set up our gear for the set. As soon as we started playing, the crowd went berserk and the energy level hardly decreased all night. After the set, we hung out by the merch table to sign things and take photos. Show #2 killed, and if the rest of these shows are anything like the first two, we’re going to have a fantastic time every night of this run!
Day 3) This was an off day where we just relaxed, and I taught Todd how to play “Chasing the Edge.”
Day 4) Another day off in Chihuahua. Todd and I ventured out with locals to a Mezcal bar where they served tequila and a dish called “chapulines,” also known as roasted grasshoppers. We snacked on the insects along with tortillas, guacamole, and salsa. The main ingredient inside the bug tacos was mildly crunchy and very salty. The thing that cracked me up was that there were no crumbs… Just legs and antennae that fell out of the tortillas. What an experience!
