Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam - Houston!

Now that I've got a couple shows under my belt, I felt great for the Houston show. It's a good thing too, because MTV was filming. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say what it was for exactly, but I can certainly tell you it wasn't "Date My Parents" or "Pimp My Ride". Ever since I signed on to Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam, my email box has been mildly flooded with questions about the show and about Tony. I would like to address a couple of them here, while I've got your attention. "What are you doing on this tour? You don't skate!" I'm on for the entire tour. For the first time in Huck Jam history, there's going to be an opening act - me! They've also got me in playing while the athletes do their thing, since music is something I know a few things about. "Does Tony Hawk really use a Sidekick?" Yes, Tony does use a Sidekick. He actually taught me a few tricks with it, he knows it inside and out. I'm working overtime on the Boom Boom Huck Jam, so after my opening set I'm rocking all the music and all the videos that introduce the acts. Yes, acts. These guys don't just get up there and do their best tricks one after another. Tony Hawk has hand picked a top notch group for this demanding show. They're on the ramp with different combinations of skaters and bmx at the same time, sometimes crossing in mid-air within inches of each other. My favorite is the "triple stack", which is exactly what it sounds like - three guys crossing the same vertical plane in mid-air. It's a work of art. But they also have time to get loose and show off with some individual runs. It's during this part of the show where you really get a taste of everyone's unique styles and approaches. It's basically a free for all with some of the best skaters and bmx riders in the world. And when the moto guys start their jumps, just about everyone in the building's jaw is dropped. I'll have to take some photos of them since their landing is about 20 feet from me. The energy of the show was great, I really feel like everyone is getting into a groove. What they're doing out there is beyond what most people would consider a sport, it's an artform. It still amazes me how accurate they are when they're doing routines. Sergie Ventura was telling me that they'll talk to each other in mid-air. I can barely talk while I'm scratching. Sergie is a seasoned veteran on the Huck Jam tour, he's been on since day one. He's known for going big, he once held the highest air record. I asked him what his secret is, and he answered simply "I feed off the crowd's energy". I believe it, as I've seen him reach incredible heights when the crowd is really showing love. I'll have to ask him later about his adventures on the Madonna tour. Something that I found cool about this tour is that Tony does take the time to do "meet and greets" before each show. It's great to see how excited these kids are to meet him and tell him how much they love him. And he does this less than 2 hours before show time, when most performers would rather sit in their dressing room and watch tv. Kudos to the Birdman for taking the time to sit down for some positive interaction. I don't know what qualifies someone to get to the meet and greets, but I'm gonna find out. Another guy on the tour who is putting in some extra work is Jason Ellis. Not only is he skating in the show, he's wired for sound and HOSTING the Huck Jam. Just imagine one of the funniest guys you'll ever meet skating a ramp and never missing a beat. He had me rolling during rehearsals and he's just as good during the show in front of thousands of people. He's also a mixed martial arts dude and has a radio show on Sirius 28 Faction. Ellis is one guy who can have you in stitches in more ways than one....that was a horrible pun, I know. But seriously he takes care of business, in fact he's probably doing his show remotely as I'm typing this. During the show he kept mentioning that he didn't have a Sidekick, so Tony challenged him to hit a 540˚ for one. He landed it, and Ellis is now the proud owner of a Tony Hawk Edition Sidekick LX. More on Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam later, I need to get some sleep!