The audience in HOTlanta was treated to our most action packed show yet! Tony Hawk brought out some more moto guys to spice things up. Drake Mcelroy (inventor of the "dead body") and Greg Garrison have joined us, so along with Graham Gustin that makes three moto-x dudes. Prior to the Huck Jam, I've seen these guys on tv, which is cool and all but witnessing this live is surreal. It probably helps that I'm about 20 feet from their launch. So anyway, the lineup is pretty full and I hear Tom Stober is going to be joining us next week.
Tony Hawk has got to be one of the most determined people on the face of the planet. During the individual runs, he tried hitting a couple 720's but it seemed like the wind just didn't want it to happen. When most athletes would call it a day, he stayed on the ramp AFTER the show had officially ended and skated until he landed the 720. And not only did he nail it, he did it flying over Jesse Fritsch! It was the best encore I've seen in a long time, at any show.
Speaking of Jesse Fritsch, he's a man of many skills. He plays guitar in the band "Sayvinyl", and in an industry where everyone's sponsored by someone, I believe he's one of the few skaters sponsored by Fender Guitar. I managed to snatch a copy of their record and I after a few listens, I'm going to predict that I'll be listening to "The New Pope" for the rest of the tour. Trust me, it's good. I don't know where he finds the time to do what he does; I just found out he's also doing a tour blog for ShredOrDie.com. Man, I thought I was busy. We geeked out with our Sidekicks for a minute too, and I'm really starting to see what all the hype is all about.
Back the the show. One of the things that an audience should be aware of is the fact that the louder they are, the better the show will be. Atlanta was a perfect example. Early on the crowd was okay, but once Tony Hawk's signature Sidekicks were given out it was pretty much mayhem. For the rest of the show, they showed so much love and it definitely helped the athletes try things they haven't on the tour so far. As you would guess, once one guy tries something new, they all go for the gusto. And we're only 5 shows in, I can't wait to see what these guys have next week!