Giving Back, chapter 1
It was a typical Friday night. My band would go play at the bars around the Toronto area. It was a hot summer night and our set would be at about 10:00 P.M. My band was one of the only punk bands coming from Toronto and one of the youngest too. I was only 18. The bass player from our band would drive us to the bars and venues where we played well at least most of the time.
Finally it was time for us to get ready to do our set. We pulled the drum set on the stage and rolled the amps on the stage. We got our guitars ready. Today I would be playing 3 guitars. I would start the gig off with a Gibson Les Paul. My other two guitars that I would be playing that night were a Fender Stratocaster made in 1992 and a Gibson SG. We showed the band the set list. We would be playing When I Come Around, Brain Stew, Time of Your Life, Crazy Train, Iron Man, I Wanna Be Sedated and I Fought The Law. We stepped on the stage. You could hear the whistling and the screaming from a mile away. I could tell from the look on my band mates faces that they were nervous just like me.
The guitar player cut through the yelling and screaming by starting off the intro to When I Come Around. I stepped up to the mic. My heart leapt. Standing to the right of me was Billie Joe Armstrong! I looked away and started singing the song. I looked towards my right again and there he was ordering a drink. I was hoping he would be there after the show and before I knew it I was talking to him.
"You were good," he said to me. He had a look on his face like he was about to ask me something big. "How would you and your band like to open up for Green Day this tour coming up in the summer?" he asked me. My eyes were popping out of my head. My band mates looked like they were petrified and they were unable to talk.
"Of course!" I replied to him. So we talked more to Billie Joe and then on Monday morning we took a flight to California with Billie to meet the rest of Green Day.
Tre had to the funniest character I have met in my life. Mike was funny but quieter than Billie and Tre. Billie then let us bunk at his place for the two weeks before the shows started and before we knew it we were off. We had a whole tour bus to ourselves. The only bad thing about that was we only saw Billie, Mike and Tre at rehearsals and at dinner if we went out. The first show was in Miami. We had finally finished our set and got to sit back and watch the legends come out to play their show. Green Day had put up a wicked show and I could tell this was going to be a hell of a tour. The next night we were on the road and Billie had invited us to dinner. That night Billie asked us if we could take a night off for another band to play. Right as we were leaving the restaurant Billie asked us to play When I Come Around with them.
It was the easiest night in the whole tour we didn't have any rehearsals or anything! When I Come Around would be Green Day's 7th song that night and we would be getting to play it with them! Green Day had just finished Basket Case their 6th song of the night! We were on the side of the stage waiting for Billie to call us over.
"You know I wanted the Deadbeats to join us for 'When I Come Around' and here they are!"
People were chanting "DEADBEATS" in the crowd as we walked on the stage more nervous than any other night. We were playing with Green Day. It's not everyday your 18 playing with Green Day! The feeling was great and I felt that this was the best day of my life. It was all over the fans were chanting "DEADBEATS" still and we had to walk off the stage and it sucked.
Overall the tour was great and it was over before we knew it and we heading home to Toronto. To me playing with Green Day was nothing since I had done it all tour long. To me staying at home all day was boring and I wanted to go on another tour but my band was too tired and to be honest I was too. The tour was so fun and I wanted to have an experience where we were the centre of attention. I was thinking of doing the tour with just us but I gave up on it because the band was being lazy and music wasn't the thing in their heads right now. I was kind of mad at them but I was being considerate. Music wasn't the only thing in my life either. I had a girlfriend and the other stuff that is in life. Over that week I forgot about the tour and all that stuff and was back to being at home. That week I had received a long distance call. I checked the caller id and it was Adeline Records calling me I picked up the phone.
"Hey it's me Billie I want you to come down to California to record an album." I couldn't believe it I was offered for a record deal! I didn't think my band would be in on it but they were and again we off to California. Billie let us stay at his place for the month that we would be there for and because we were there so long I got to know Billie's family more. Billie had his wife Adrienne who was always nice and generous and his two kids Joey and Jakob were always nice to me. It was all over and I had one day left with Billie and his family when Billie told me I won't be flying home to Toronto.
"You have to start your tour and you'll start in Europe. Do you guys have any ideas where you want to start and end your tour?"
"We'll start in Italy and we'll end in our hometown and book us for 3 dates."
"Ok but if it doesn't work out don't blame me."
"Don't worry I won't."
Next morning Billie drove us to the airport and we took a plane to Italy. We had played 4 shows their 1 in Rome another in Milan 1 in Turin and the last in Venice. We were nearing the end of the tour and we were in Montreal. I was in my hotel room watching the news when the news reporter congratulated the deadbeats because they have sold 1 million copies of their album. I quickly reached for my cell phone to call my band mates! We had sold 1 million records and it was our first one! Most bands never sell 1 million copies of their debut album and we did it. I remember selling out the three shows Billie said he wasn't sure on. To tell you the truth I wasn't keen on it either but I wanted to give back to my home town. There was only one person I had to "give back" to and that was Billie. I knew that he collected old Les Paul Juniors so I searched eBay and I found a 1956 Les Paul Junior. It was expensive and was at $9,566 with 20 seconds left. I put a bid in for $9,600 and I won it. I saw Billie two months later and I gave him the guitar. He was surprised that I got him it and he didn't expect me to "give back" but if he never gave in the first place I wouldn't have sold 1 million copies.
Finally it was time for us to get ready to do our set. We pulled the drum set on the stage and rolled the amps on the stage. We got our guitars ready. Today I would be playing 3 guitars. I would start the gig off with a Gibson Les Paul. My other two guitars that I would be playing that night were a Fender Stratocaster made in 1992 and a Gibson SG. We showed the band the set list. We would be playing When I Come Around, Brain Stew, Time of Your Life, Crazy Train, Iron Man, I Wanna Be Sedated and I Fought The Law. We stepped on the stage. You could hear the whistling and the screaming from a mile away. I could tell from the look on my band mates faces that they were nervous just like me.
The guitar player cut through the yelling and screaming by starting off the intro to When I Come Around. I stepped up to the mic. My heart leapt. Standing to the right of me was Billie Joe Armstrong! I looked away and started singing the song. I looked towards my right again and there he was ordering a drink. I was hoping he would be there after the show and before I knew it I was talking to him.
"You were good," he said to me. He had a look on his face like he was about to ask me something big. "How would you and your band like to open up for Green Day this tour coming up in the summer?" he asked me. My eyes were popping out of my head. My band mates looked like they were petrified and they were unable to talk.
"Of course!" I replied to him. So we talked more to Billie Joe and then on Monday morning we took a flight to California with Billie to meet the rest of Green Day.
Tre had to the funniest character I have met in my life. Mike was funny but quieter than Billie and Tre. Billie then let us bunk at his place for the two weeks before the shows started and before we knew it we were off. We had a whole tour bus to ourselves. The only bad thing about that was we only saw Billie, Mike and Tre at rehearsals and at dinner if we went out. The first show was in Miami. We had finally finished our set and got to sit back and watch the legends come out to play their show. Green Day had put up a wicked show and I could tell this was going to be a hell of a tour. The next night we were on the road and Billie had invited us to dinner. That night Billie asked us if we could take a night off for another band to play. Right as we were leaving the restaurant Billie asked us to play When I Come Around with them.
It was the easiest night in the whole tour we didn't have any rehearsals or anything! When I Come Around would be Green Day's 7th song that night and we would be getting to play it with them! Green Day had just finished Basket Case their 6th song of the night! We were on the side of the stage waiting for Billie to call us over.
"You know I wanted the Deadbeats to join us for 'When I Come Around' and here they are!"
People were chanting "DEADBEATS" in the crowd as we walked on the stage more nervous than any other night. We were playing with Green Day. It's not everyday your 18 playing with Green Day! The feeling was great and I felt that this was the best day of my life. It was all over the fans were chanting "DEADBEATS" still and we had to walk off the stage and it sucked.
Overall the tour was great and it was over before we knew it and we heading home to Toronto. To me playing with Green Day was nothing since I had done it all tour long. To me staying at home all day was boring and I wanted to go on another tour but my band was too tired and to be honest I was too. The tour was so fun and I wanted to have an experience where we were the centre of attention. I was thinking of doing the tour with just us but I gave up on it because the band was being lazy and music wasn't the thing in their heads right now. I was kind of mad at them but I was being considerate. Music wasn't the only thing in my life either. I had a girlfriend and the other stuff that is in life. Over that week I forgot about the tour and all that stuff and was back to being at home. That week I had received a long distance call. I checked the caller id and it was Adeline Records calling me I picked up the phone.
"Hey it's me Billie I want you to come down to California to record an album." I couldn't believe it I was offered for a record deal! I didn't think my band would be in on it but they were and again we off to California. Billie let us stay at his place for the month that we would be there for and because we were there so long I got to know Billie's family more. Billie had his wife Adrienne who was always nice and generous and his two kids Joey and Jakob were always nice to me. It was all over and I had one day left with Billie and his family when Billie told me I won't be flying home to Toronto.
"You have to start your tour and you'll start in Europe. Do you guys have any ideas where you want to start and end your tour?"
"We'll start in Italy and we'll end in our hometown and book us for 3 dates."
"Ok but if it doesn't work out don't blame me."
"Don't worry I won't."
Next morning Billie drove us to the airport and we took a plane to Italy. We had played 4 shows their 1 in Rome another in Milan 1 in Turin and the last in Venice. We were nearing the end of the tour and we were in Montreal. I was in my hotel room watching the news when the news reporter congratulated the deadbeats because they have sold 1 million copies of their album. I quickly reached for my cell phone to call my band mates! We had sold 1 million records and it was our first one! Most bands never sell 1 million copies of their debut album and we did it. I remember selling out the three shows Billie said he wasn't sure on. To tell you the truth I wasn't keen on it either but I wanted to give back to my home town. There was only one person I had to "give back" to and that was Billie. I knew that he collected old Les Paul Juniors so I searched eBay and I found a 1956 Les Paul Junior. It was expensive and was at $9,566 with 20 seconds left. I put a bid in for $9,600 and I won it. I saw Billie two months later and I gave him the guitar. He was surprised that I got him it and he didn't expect me to "give back" but if he never gave in the first place I wouldn't have sold 1 million copies.
