I learned something about the Huck Jam today. It can be storming outside, thunder showers and all - and the show will go on! In other words, we set up under the safety and shelter of the amphitheater's "shed". It actually looked very cool, and for the first time we didn't have to deal with wind (the only thing that the wind does to me is blow my tie all over my face, but for the athletes who are doing tricks well over 20 feet in the air, wind is definitely a factor). Another thing I learned is that Tony Hawk REALLY pays attention to the audience. More on that later.
The audience in Boston was by far the best we've had on the tour so far. I had a great time with them during my opening set, they seemed to really appreciate the musical aspect of the show. There were quite a few people who saw me with the Blue Man Group, so it was nice to see some familiar faces!
So the moto-x dudes got the afternoon off. I think everyone understood since only bad things can happen if you launch 60 feet doing tail whips in the rain. It's a good thing we aired on the side of caution, but that meant we had to make the show even longer. More skate, more bmx, and more music!!! To me, this is what the Jam is all about. Performing the awesome routines which no one else in the world is doing, and then throwin down the sickest individual runs possible. Elliot Sloan, the newcomer to the tour, found his groove in Boston. He'd been attempting a 540 tailgrab on several shows but couldn't quite land it. We were all pulling for him and if he was going to make it happen, this was the show where he needed to most. As you can probably guess since I'm writing about it, he totally nailed it. On his last show as a 19 year old, no less. Wait, 19?!?!? I was barely figuring out what I kinda wanted to do with my life when I was 19, and this guy's on the biggest skate tour in the world. It's no easy task, as Jason Ellis reminds him every show "you know if you crash into Tony Hawk on the ramp you'll be fired from skateboarding."
Back to that amazing audience that Boston was. Tony makes the call as far as how the show goes from day to day, but this one was different. The crowd was so loud and supportive, he went for a trick that he hasn't even attempted since his "loop of death" slam as seen on MTV's "Scarred" episode. I'm not going to say what it was, it felt like it was a gift from him to Boston. Now, to do that at a show says a whole lot about the role a crowd plays in a show; it was a very special moment for the tour, and we're only a week in! He and Ellis also added an extra segment to the show which I personally call "what people do for a Tony Hawk Signature Sidekick" (you can see that and more in my upcoming video blog). As far as the individual runs, they just didn't stop! John Parker and Dennis McCoy really let loose, landing combos they haven't done on the tour yet; it might have had something to do with the fact that BMX legend Joe Johnson was in the audience. Joe Johnson is the inventor of the tailwhip air, in fact in '89 he was doing double tailwhips when no one else could do a single. I'm constantly surrounded by incredible talent on this tour!