Dustin Rabin came along with us last summer and took some amazing photos of Rock Am Ring & Rock Im Park - check them out on DUSTINRABIN.COM. Don’t forget to “LIKE” his Facebook page too!
Looking at these reminded me of the good times we had last summer and I can’t wait for festival season to start again! Which ones are you going to?
- Jessica
Just under an hour before BT takes the stage, thanks for selling out another show Paris! 2nd last show of the tour, let’s make it a great one!
We had a great day off yesterday, sight-seeing and enjoying all the lovely things France has to offer.
Here’s the Eiffel Tour!
And here’s a shot from the show 2 days ago in Eindhoven - the rest are on Facebook!
- Jessica
Hello! We had a lovely day off yesterday, mostly spent wandering around Strasbourg and then we all went out for a nice dinner with the whole band and crew to celebrate our guitar tech, Greg - he’s getting married soon after we get home.
Here is one of my favourite shots from Utrecht, it was a great sold-out show with no barricade, which is fun for everyone but sure makes it harder to take photos! The rest are on Facebook.
Just finished soundcheck here in Strasbourg, see you tonight
- Jessica
Hello friends! Doors are just about to open here in Bochum, a sold out show so you know it’s going to be good!
Here is one of my favourite photos from Furth last night, you can just see Ben jumping out of the frame. As always, the rest are on FACEBOOK.
For those at Groezrock, did you hear Ben announce that they will be coming back to Antwerp @ Trix on June 23? You can get tickets HERE.
It’s been great being back with our tour family and seeing some familiar faces in the crowd - thanks as always for being such nice people!
- Jessica
Brady is probably our littlest Show Correspondent, but he’s a big fan! Here is his report (with a little help from Mom & Dad!)
- Jessica
______________________________________________________
Name: Brady
Age: 5
Occupation: Full Time Junior Kindergarten Student
Hobbies: Colouring, LEGO, lacrosse and LOVING Billy Talent!
In 2007 my girlfriend (now wife) Erika and I went to a Billy Talent show in Toronto. While standing in the general admission pit we looked to our left and there on his father’s shoulders was a boy, probably 7 or 8 years old, singing his heart out to every song the band threw at him! Erika looked at me and said “That’s going to be you and our kid someday.” Fast-forward 5 years and there we were standing in the pit at Edgefest 2012 in Downsview Park, my 4-year-old son singing on my shoulders and my wife standing by our side with a giant smile on her face. That was Brady’s first Billy Talent show, but his passion for the band started years earlier. Since the age of one and a half he refused to listen to anything but the Billy Talent III album whenever we would go anywhere in the car and for the last couple years he’s been determined to “get close” to them and meet them “in real life”. So this was obviously a monumental day.
We found out Brady was being invited to be a correspondent the morning of the show and honestly didn’t know how to react. Brady is a pretty shy kid so we tried to ease him into what was about to happen. We asked him what he would do if he got to meet the band to which he replied “I’ll tell them I have their record and hug them.” I can tell you it didn’t quite go down like that. We arrived at the venue just after doors opened and headed straight to the merch stand, obviously no shirts in a kids 4T so Brady settled on a pin set and bracelet. We then grabbed a snack and headed to our seats, side stage just 4 rows from where Ian would soon stand. We watched the crowd slowly roll into the arena and just before Indian Handcrafts took the stage we told Brady we were taking him somewhere special and went to meet Jessica. By the time he got his meet and greet wristband he had it all figured out, and seemed a little overwhelmed by what he realized was about to happen. While we waited in the hallway we were singing along with Hollerado, who sounded fantastic. Jessica was awesome and let us go in to meet the guys at the end of the M&G session. For my wife and I it went by in a blur but Brady seemed to really soak it all in. High fives were given, pictures were taken and signatures were collected. Brady had met his heroes!
Heading back to our seats Brady was on a high! He was running, jumping and skipping with a huge smile on his face. We caught the very end of Hollerado’s set and shortly after Sum 41 hit the stage. They played a hit heavy set which was interrupted by technical difficulties (Derek went side stage several times). We caught Brady tapping his feet and nodding along a few times. At the end of their set Brady said he liked them “a little bit, but not as good as Billy Talent.” A quick washroom break and an extremely long wait for a drink (Brady’s only complaint all night) and we were back in our seats ready for Billy Talent!
If there’s one thing a band could learn from Billy Talent it’s how to open a show. The quiet opening of Lonely Road leading into Viking Death March and the explosive stage reveal is pretty epic. The show played out like a greatest hits set with a couple tracks off Dead Silence thrown in. Every time Ben would come to Ian’s side of the stage Brady would wave frantically trying to get his attention and then he felt the need, half way through the show, to pull my ear to his mouth and say “Ian is a more gooder guitar player than you!” I really can’t argue with that.
As the set drew to a close so did Brady’s eyes. During the break before the encore Brady sat down to rest his eyes and was out for the rest of the night. He missed a great encore, including my favorite part of any Billy Talent show, Ian’s solo during Devil On My Shoulder and ended with what has become the traditional Red Flag closer.
The night was something Brady will never forget and he’s made a point of telling everyone he knows that he met Billy Talent, but didn’t hug them because he was “a little bit nervous. But next time I will, because I won’t be nervous!” A big thanks to Jessica, Ben, Ian, Jon, Aaron and all the crew who treated us so well and made this an amazing experience. Keep an eye out because Brady will be back for his hugs!!!
They are up on Facebook! Check them out HERE.
Also, make sure you tune in the to the Strombo show tonight, Ian and Cone from Sum 41 will be chatting about their new project through Make Music Matter. Submit your “Song for Change” and the winner will get to record their song with Ian and Cone! All the info is on the MY SONG FOR CHANGE website.
Hello! We are back home for a few much-needed days of rest and relaxation (ok, and a lot of work) before we head out again on tour in Europe! Check the TOUR DATES page on the website for all BT’s upcoming shows.
The Juno Awards were a lot of fun, shame Billy Talent didn’t win any awards but we got to see some friends pick up statues and had a great time performing with Serena Ryder! Photos to come soon!
The guys just announced that they will be doing an in-store signing at Saturn in Furth, Germany on April 30th. It starts at 4pm and I recommend getting there early!
Thanks again Canada for a great tour and Juno Awards and Europe - we will see you soon!
- Jessica
We are setting up in Quebec City - former home of the Nordiques! It’s going to be a great show tonight and our ball hockey is getting fast & furious!
I wanted to post a few of Dustin Rabin’s photos - check out the rest on Facebook!
- Jessica
Hello friends! We are just starting to get set up in London, after a few days off it was hard to get up so early today!
Just wanted to let you know that Billy Talent will be returning to the UK for Vans Warped Tour UK in November! Tickets go on sale tonight at 6pm, so check the Vans Warped Tour UK website for more info and to buy!
- Jessica
Winnipeg brought us two of the most eventful days on tour! On the day off, we had a curling tournament, thanks very much to the Rossmere Golf & Country Club for having us!
We had a 3-way tie for 1st place, so everyone won and got to take home a trophy and some fun prizes!
Then, on the show day, we got to tour the Winnipeg Jets locker room, which was very exciting for me as my favourite player is Kyle Wellwood! It was super fun to play ball hockey in an NHL arena, as well as have a little glimpse as to how things work behind-the-scenes for these hard-working professional athletes!
And then there was the show - what a great crowd!
As always, there are a bunch of fun photos up on Facebook, check ‘em out!
Up next, London and then a hometown show in Toronto!
- Jessica
