THURSDAY, JUNE 22ND, 2023 – NASHVILLE TO GUAM – AUTUMN KINGS:

Leaving today with rock group Autumn Kings for performances in Guam, Japan, Okinawa and South Korea. I have never toured with this group but they have been awesome to work with planning this tour.  We’ll be celebrating the 4th of July at many of the bases we visit.  It has been more than a decade since I’ve brought entertainment here.  We thought the show might be cancelled because of the recent typhoon since the bases were hit harder than the commercial areas. But the base said they needed the “morale boost” and we plan to do just that!

Had to be at the airport at 5 am this morning for the very long flight to Guam via Denver and Tokyo! The band flies out of Detroit and we connect in Denver. About the only way to get into Guam is on United which I rarely fly any more. There is a reason for that…..

Flight was on time out of Nashville but my power outlet wasn’t working. I finally whined enough that the flight attendant figured out how to reset it!!!  This is the first flight I have ever taken where the aircraft does not have any video monitors or overhead screens.  Passengers are expected to bring their own devices to watch any entertainment!  And this is a 2 1/2 hour flight.

It was freezing on the flight. Had to get my jacket and socks out of the overhead!  We landed on time and as we were getting off, the man across from me said, “Judy?”   It was T. K. Kimbrell—Toby Keith’s manager!!!  Haven’t seen him in years.  And we sat right across from each other the entire flight without realizing it.

I had a 3 hour layover in Denver so I went into the United Lounge to work and wait for the guys to arrive.  They actually landed early.  Had a few minutes to chat with them at the gate and they are just as nice in person.  We boarded the flight late and then departed late because there was a “mechanical issue” with the air conditioning.  I think we still have enough time to make our connection in Tokyo though.

I think United has the tiniest seats of any airline I fly.  At least there wasn’t a lot of turbulence and everything “worked”.  We had several hours layover in Tokyo and that’s when I realized the first thing I had forgotten.  I keep little baggies of foreign currency so that every time I go to the same country, I don’t have to change money.  Totally forgot my Japanese Yen and Korean Won.  I did change a small amount at the Currency Exchange at Narita Airport.

Our flight from Narita to Guam departed on time.  One of the airport staff tried to tell Jake that the soft guitar cases would not fit in the overhead.  We talked him into letting us “try” and of course, they fit just fine!  Seats were really small again but at least I sat next to a really nice man.  That three hour flight felt like a 10 hour flight – maybe because there was no Wi-Fi!  The food was frightening.  Choices of chicken breast or Hair Tail Fish!  Hello?  I got the chicken but it was so terrible, I couldn’t eat any of it.

The flight attendant informed us that we were supposed to fill out a Customs Form prior to departure and receive a QR Code.  We filled out a ton of paperwork prior to our departure but nothing for Guam Customs.  We asked for the form from the flight attendant but she didn’t have any in English.  Strange since Guam is part of the USA?  Once we landed, I tried to find f forms but there were only a couple of English language forms were left.  I finally found someone who could get more forms for me.

All our luggage and equipment arrived with us and it was a short 10 minute drive to the hotel.  Really nice Hilton right on the water.  Of course, my TV and deadbolt didn’t work…but the Wi-Fi does!

Guam is “famous” for their snakes and after a typhoon, I’m guessing the situation is even worse.  I walked out on the balcony of my hotel to take a photo of the beach.  It was after midnight and no lights out on the balcony.  About 2 seconds after I got out there, I remembered the snakes, so there is only ONE photo for my Road Report.  LOL.

First show tomorrow then a day off on Sunday and fly to Japan on Monday. I sent Lindsey a “Happy Birthday” Message a few minutes after midnight.  I sent her to Interlaken, Switzerland with Asleep at the Wheel.  Nice spot to celebrate in my opinion.  This is the first time I have missed that festival in 3 decades.  So bummed that I couldn’t be there but not at all worried that Lindsey will handle everything perfectly.  I just miss seeing my Swiss Friends!!!

Jude

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 24 – DAY 3 – PERFORMANCE AT ANDERSON AIR BASE, GUAM:

Went to bed at 3:30 am.  Woke up at 4:30 am because of a phone call. Back to sleep and another phone call at 6:30 am woke me from a dead sleep.  I got up, dressed to go jogging but instead went to the front desk to get them started working on correcting the billing charges.  When I checked my Amex bill last night, the hotel had overcharged me by approximately $100 per room per night.  What I thought would be a quick fix, turned into an hour and a half ordeal.  I finally left it with the manager to correct and told him I would come by before we left or the show today.  Back to the room to stretch and finally made it out to the street.  It was about 80 degrees with 100% humidity and the threat of rain.  I ran down towards the main “tourist” district and it was a nice run.  Stopped in an ABC store about a mile from the hotel and purchased some water and a couple of cosmetics that didn’t fare very well in my checked bag!

Instead of running my usually 3 miles, I ended up running 3 ½ miles.  It was interesting to see the destruction caused by the recent typhoon….trees uprooted everywhere and buildings damaged.  Some people have been without water and electricity for more than 30 days and the bases were hit harder than the other areas. And, of course, I was constantly “scouting” for snakes!!!

Showered and dressed for the show and we met in the lobby for a 1:00 pm departure.   Jenn (our POC) arrived at around 1:30 to pick us up because there were traffic delays from power company trucks working to get power restored.  We figured out that we probably met several times in Iraq and Afghanistan since she was there when I was taking so many tours there.  The show is in their Conference Center because the theater where it was originally scheduled to take place had too much damage from the typhoon.  The stage was set and Jamz Media Productions had done a great job setting up everything and being ready for us.  We met Carly – one of our other POC’s once we arrived.

The band/crew was happy with the equipment and sound check went as planned.  Dave who is Jenn’s and Carly’s boss was also there.  They told me that on a Saturday night, if they get 50 people to attend, that’s a good attendance.  They were worried that even less people would attend because they are still without power and water so they dealing with all the issues that come with that situation.  We were all pleasantly surprised to have 142 in attendance.  And they were “fans”.  They knew the songs and many of them who were previously in the USA said they had been following the group for a couple of years.

Autumn Kings paid for Facebook ads at each base to generate interest.  They had a great response from people commenting and saying they were attending the concert.  Evidently it paid off!

The show started about 20 minutes late because we were allowing people to get in the gate.  It was a fantastic show and all age categories.  Lots of small children just dancing their hearts out throughout the show.

The guys took photos with everyone after the show and the line was very long.  Everyone in line was begging for them to come back.

We had pre-ordered dinner and it was delivered backstage after the Meet and Greet was complete.  I was pleasantly surprised by how truly great the meal was!  Military bases are not known for their “good food”.  LOL

We arrived back the hotel at 10 pm and tomorrow is a “day off”.  Jenn has offered to pick us up at 1:00 pm and take us somewhere for a “local” meal and then a visit to the tourist area.

Jude

SUNDAY, JUNE 25 – DAY 4 – DAY OFF IN GUAM!:

Was really nice to have a day off today.  I got an hour and a half workout in the hotel fitness center.  It’s a really great fitness center.  Had to go back to the front desk and spend a lot of time once again trying to get the billing sorted out.  It’s such a beautiful hotel, but definitely needs to replace some of the staff with more qualified employees.  I tried to wash clothes but all the machines were in use so I tried to get some work done instead.  The electricity went out for about 10 minutes.  My first thought was “snakes I the lines” but it was actually part of the rolling blackout that is being utilized while repairs are still underway.

Jenn picked us up at 1 pm and we drove down to the strip to have lunch at a restaurant that serves “local” food.  When we arrived, it was closed.  So many businesses are still closed from the typhoon.  Just as we were leaving, they called her back and said they would open in 10 minutes.  But, once we got inside, they didn’t have more than half the things on the menu.  This is the case with all the restaurants that have been able to open back up.  We all found something we could eat and it was really good.

Jenn drove us out to the base to meet “Shakey the Pig” – the base mascot.  He was a really large pig but very friendly.  She brought him apples and the guys fed him.  Next stop was a lookout that was near the munitions dump.  We had to walk a pretty long way on a trail that had been hit pretty hard by the typhoon.  They told us not to get off the trail because there could still be live munition from World War II.  Between stepping over branches, trying not to get off the trail and get blown up and watching for snakes on the trail and in the trees, it was a pretty interesting hike.  But the overlook was beautiful.   We did see a HUGE Coconut Crab on the walk back!

We made a quick stop by the Base Exchange where I grabbed a couple of Guam souvenirs and a Macha Latte.  Then we drove back to the hotel where one guy had a massage booked, a few were going to the pool and a few were just going to grab a nap.

Jenn just kept telling us how much she appreciated our visit.  She said that the young airmen who live in the barracks on base are the ones they are having a hard time getting out of their barracks.  It was difficult before the typhoon but living on base with no power or water for weeks was really tough on them.  She said the entire front row last night was young airmen and they stood the entire show and sang along and danced.  She said they are averaging 3 suicides a month!  They definitely needed this morale boost.

I was able to wash and dry my clothes when we returned to the hotel.  Then I walked a mile down to the closest ABC store and purchased more Guam souvenirs for the family.  Noticed that Lindsey’s flight is delayed leaving Zurich today and she’s going to miss her connection to Knoxville.

I stopped in a local Ramen shop that Jenn recommended and got a bowl to take back to my room.  It was definitely as good as Jenn said it would be.

Back to the room to eat, shower, and pack for our flight tomorrow!

Jude

 

MONDAY, JUNE 26 – DAY 5 – TRAVEL FROM GUAM TO JAPAN:

This will be a short report because it was a travel day and also because it is now 3:30 am in Japan and I need to get some sleep.  LOL.

Everyone met in the lobby at 8:30 am and I was surprised that I actually got accurate receipts for our room costs from the front desk.  It was a short drive to the airport and the place was practically deserted.  No problem checking in and we had about an hour before boarding the flight. It was again a 4 hour flight on a really crappy United Airlines jet.  I didn’t know planes that old were still flying.  As I mentioned, there was no Wi-Fi and the seat back monitors didn’t work.  Wouldn’t matter if they did because there was nothing worthwhile to watch.

When we landed, we all agreed those two flights were the hardest of our trip…much worse than the 14 hour flight over the water.  Everything was going smoothly at Immigration until one of the officers insisted that they would not accept Jake’s QR code and made him fill out the paper form. He had the same code that all 7 of us had and was accepted.  Someone on a power trip obviously.  All our equipment made it and Paul was waiting for us when we arrived.  He had a bus and a truck to transport us.  Took a couple of hours to drive to Atsugi Naval Base.  Haven’t been here since last November with Kellie Pickler.

Once we arrived, we dropped bags and stopped by to look at the pool where the show will be held and then immediately went to Hamazushi – my favorite sushi restaurant in Japan.  The guys have never experienced it and absolutely loved it.  We’ll have two more chances to eat there when we go to Yokosuka and Okinawa.

Stopped by the 7-11 on the walk back to base and I’ve been working non-stop for hours now.  Time to get some sleep. First show in Japan will be a “pool party” tomorrow (okay, later today) at Atsugi Naval Base.

Jude

 

TUESDAY, JUNE 27 – DAY 6  -PERFORMANCE AT NAVAL AIR FACILITY  ATSUGI:

Did not get in bed until 4:30 AM this morning. Was going to sleep until eight but kept getting text messages and WhatsApp messages  and  Facebook messages every hour. Planned to go for a jog before showering and going over for sound check but when I checked my email, there were dozens that had to be answered before I would be comfortable leaving. Of course I never made it for the jog.  I had to shower and get ready to go to soundcheck. Looking at the schedule, I probably won’t be able to exercise again until we go to Okinawa!

We use an awesome production company in Japan called Sound Zaurus. Yoshi is the owner and is such a sweetheart. All of his guys are so professional. They had the stage set and ready for the guys to set up and do their sound check when we arrived.

As the guys were sound checking, I walked to the base exchange to try to find some more silver sharpies for them to sign the black AFE caps with. No luck. Did find some sunscreen for the guys because it is brutally hot here today. Reminds me of the time in Guam again. But it will cool off tonight.

The show is at the base  Swimming pool. It’s a huge pool for adults and children and we’re hoping to have a large crowd. They finished Soundcheck early and walked across the street to the green room to have some lunch. Then we went back to Lodging and had about an hour there before needing to come back for the show. It has definitely cooled  off here.

 The show started on time and the audience was predominantly families. The Skipper came to the show and I realized I had met him last November when I was here with Kellie Pickler.  He’s such a nice guy!  He said that 80% of the base is deployed right now.  I did notice that most of the attendees were women with young children.  The show was great and the guys took photos with everyone in a long autograph line after the show.

 We had pre-ordered dinner and picked it up on the way back to lodging.  The Skipper had invited everyone to come to the 19th Hole for Tuesday night tacos and tequila but we realized it ended at 8 pm and we finished too late to go over. 

 Lobby call is 9:15 am tomorrow and I’m hoping I don’t have to stay up answering emails all night!  We perform at Yokota Air Base tomorrow and it is supposed to be a pool party as well.  However, it started raining tonight and the prediction is for it to rain all day tomorrow as well.

 Jude

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28 – DAY 7 – PERFORMANCE AT YOKOTA AIR BASE:

Spike met us at lodging at 9 am with a nice tour bus for the ride from Atsugi to Yokota.  He confirmed that leadership moved the concert inside because of the high threat of rain and thunderstorms all day.  It was supposed to be another “Pool Party” like last night at Atsugi.

About ten minutes after we departed, he announced that we were stopping at a rest stop.  I assured him that no one needed to stop that soon after departing lodging so he told the bus driver to keep going.

He had arranged for us to stop at an “Italian Pizza Restaurant” but said we were going to arrive too early since we didn’t stop at the restaurant.  I asked if we could go to lodging and get checked in but he said the rooms were not ready that early.  So, we stopped for 30 minutes at a Japanese “Mall”.

We arrived at the restaurant at 11:00 am and VG met us there for lunch.  The pizza was good and I’m sure for the Japanese it is a unique “treat”.  The menu was very limited.

As we were driving to lodging, VG said AFN Radio was asking if we wanted to stop by and promote tonight’s show.  We dropped our bags and hurried over to the station for a quick interview.  The crew and musicians went straight to the stage for sound check.

When we arrived at the venue (where I’ve had shows many times), the backstage dressing room/green room had been moved to the back of the building.  That meant the guys would have to walk through the audience every time they needed access to the stage.  We found another room where we could set up the dressing room area that was directly backstage and much easier to access the stage.

My friend, George, came by and we had a nice chat while the guys were doing their sound check.  A couple of girls from Marketing shows up just as they were finishing sound check and asked to do a Facebook Live.  I asked them to come back at 5:30 pm and they would do it right before the show began at 6 pm.  They said they weren’t available to do that so we made time for them to quickly do it before we rushed back to lodging to change for the show.  Spike picked up our pre-ordered meals and we stashed those in the refrigerator prior to going back to the venue for the show.

I sneaked a quick peek at mine since I had ordered the “grain bowl” and wasn’t sure how it was going to look.  Definitely not anything like I was expecting!  There were little “mounds” of food items which appeared to be chick peas, broccoli, pickled cauliflower, some type of cheese, some type of rice, and in the center was a big white “jelly like” mound.  Turned out to be a poached egg.  Everything in the bowl was cold and it came with a balsamic dressing.   I decided I needed to visit the nearby 7-11 for one of their delicious egg salad sandwiches as a backup.

The show was supposed to start at 6 pm but we delayed until 6:15 pm to allow time for more people to come.  This was the lightest attendance so far on the tour and sadly, since COVID, Yokota has always had poor attendance.  Not sure what the problem is but hopefully things will get back on track soon and people will start coming out to see the show.  I’m sure the change in location hurt attendance as well – and not one drop of rain fell all day/night!

Regardless, it was a fabulous show for the 99 people who did show up…49 of which came to have photos taken with the group after the performance.

We stopped off-base at the 7-11 after the show and everyone loaded up on snacks and ramen.  We had been given 3 choices for dinner from the base – chicken, steak and the grain bowl.  The guys who ordered chicken and steak said theirs was good.  Those of us who ordered the grain bowl decided not to eat it.

There was some confusion last night about the departure time tomorrow so I emailed our POC to confirm but did not get a response since it was already 9 pm at night.  Hopefully, we will be picked up at 9:00 am as shown in the itinerary.  Only going to get 3 ½ hours of sleep tonight.

Jude

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 29 – DAY 8  – PERFORMANCE AT YOKOSUKA AB:

Everyone was up and in the lobby ready to go at 9:00 am – and no one was there to pick us up.  I called and finally reached our POC who advised that they were not coming until 10 am and that they were in traffic and it would be even later than that.  Since this is a show day, that was definitely not good news.

I sent everyone back to their rooms until the bus arrived after 10 am.  On the drive over, I re-confirmed all our pick up and departure times with Yokosuka and tomorrow for Okinawa.  Frank at AFE re-confirmed everything with all the other bases.

We hit traffic (as I expected) on the drive to the base so we won’t be arriving until around 1:00 pm.  There’s no way we can get checked in, have lunch, and start sound check at 2:00 pm.  Unless we delay the start of sound check, we’ll miss lunch entirely.  I think most of the guys had breakfast, so they should be okay.  Hamasushi is located right outside the base gates and I know everyone was really looking forward to going there again for lunch.

We arrived at 12:45 pm and typical for how my day has been going, none of the rooms were ready.  We stored our bags with the exception of what we needed for sound check and headed to the food court.  Really enjoyed talking to Gregg who has handled entertainment here for decades.  Of course, he is retiring as well!  After a quick lunch, we went to the stage.  It’s on a huge sports field and they will have food booths, games, etc. set up around the outer perimeter.  The guys sounded fantastic at sound check.  They even finished early.

Rooms were ready when we got back except for one but we switched his out and everyone had about 2 ½ hours to “chill”….or work like me!  It’s really hard only having one night in each city and living out of our suitcases.  Tomorrow we fly to Okinawa where we’ll have TWO nights.  LOL.

Was really worried when we arrived at the venue because no one was there!  But about 15 minutes prior to the start of the concert, the people began arriving.  My friend George’s cousin was there and came back to meet us with her husband.  Truly nice people…just like George.

This was probably their best show yet.  Great crowd and energy was high.  It was a beautiful cool night out near the dock.  They performed 3 encores tonight!

We had pre-ordered dinner and MWR picked up our meals for us to take back to the room with us.  I’m going to “try” to get in bed by midnight tonight since we depart for the airport at 8 am tomorrow!

Jude

 

DAY 9 – FRIDAY, JUNE 30TH – TRAVEL FROM TOKYO TO OKINAWA:

Short report today…

Met in lobby at 8 am for the trip to the Haneda Airport.  Was surprised to learn that no one from the base was traveling with us.  Before we boarded the bus, I asked if the driver knew which terminal to take us too and if he understood and spoke English.  After being assured that he did, I turned to him and asked him which Terminal our flight was going out of.  Was met with a blank stare.  Doesn’t speak or understand English.

It was a short trip and there wasn’t a line at the check in counter.  We have two guitars  in one soft carry on pack and one guitar in another soft case. We are flying on JAL and I knew we would have problems carrying the guitars on board but also knew that they would put the guitars in a special padded box so they would be protected.  I had called JAL a week ago and told them we would need at least two of the boxes for instruments and was told there would not be a problem.  Well, there was a problem.  They were out of cases.  I asked them to check arrivals to see if anyone had recently landed with one.

After arguing back and forth (via an iPad and Google Translate) for well over an hour, they found one box and we wrapped the other guitar in bubble wrap and checked it in.   The instruments easily fit in the overhead bids.  But, you just can’t argue that particular “rule” with JAL and ever win. They even told us we would have to purchase a “seat” for the guitars – on a completely sold out flight.

We grabbed some quick snacks from 7-11 and Starbucks and went through security only to learn that our flight was delayed by 20 minutes.  It was a 2 hour and 45 minute flight and packed full.  The plane had one of the largest and nicest toilets I’ve ever seen!

We landed in Okinawa and was met by Tony from MCCS.  There was no traffic on the way to Lodging.  We dropped our bags and quickly ran by the food court to grab some lunch.  The stage was ready for them when they arrived.  Equipment and production is great in Okinawa but none of the technicians speak or understand English.  The guys still finished sound check early and we went back to lodging.  Had dinner at Terra Restaurant next door to lodging.  Sugar Ray is the headliner at this festival and we met some of his guys at dinner.  Really nice people.

Back to lodging after dinner and working now.  Hoping to get in bed by 3 am.

Jude

 

DAY 10 – SATURDAY, JULY 1st  – PERFORMANCE AT FOSTER FEST – CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA:

Had 4 phone calls between 1:30 am and 4:30 am!  Guess I should turn the phone off but afraid I’ll miss an important call.  I went for a 3 ½ mile jog around the base.  The heat and humidity were horrific.  It affected my breathing like it feels when exercising at a high elevation.  But, I made it and afterwards felt great!

Was able to get a little work done before we departed for the performance at the Foster Fest.  MCCS does such an amazing job with these events which take place multiple times each year.  There are food booths in an area behind the stage as well as go-carts and kiddy ride/activities.  That area was packed when we arrived.  A local band from mainland Japan was performing when we arrived and they were really good.  I walked around and took photos of all the food booths while we were waiting for that band to finish.

Autumn Kings took the stage right on time.  The area in front of the stage is flat and then slopes up a large, grassy hill.  People were everywhere.  I tried to take panoramic photos of the crowd but it was impossible.  I needed a “drone”.  LOL.

Autumn Kings only performed for one hour which seemed very short after all our 75 minute shows.  They had a great show again.  They did a lengthy Meet and Greet with attendees who had won passes to meet them. Everyone in line was talking about what a great show they had.  Sugar Ray and his band arrived while Autumn Kings were on stage and everyone was really nice. Leadership also showed up for his show.  We had to leave before he finished his set to get to a restaurant before everything closed.

Henry – their tour manager  —  isn’t feeling well so he went to bed and skipped dinner.  Really hope he’ll be feeling better tomorrow!

We had meal coupons for Terra Restaurant next door but me and 5 of the guys decided to take taxis to Hama Zushi which is near American Village.  Needed that one last sushi “fix” before heading to Korea tomorrow.  We had two tables and stacked our empty plates to see who ate the most.  The other table had over 30 plates and counting and we only had 24.  Plus, both tables had empty bowls from Ramen and Undo that was ordered plus dessert bowls.  At the end of the night, the total bill for both tables came to a little over $65.00.  That’s around $10.50 per person for ALL THAT SUSHI.  Unbelievable!!!

Decided to do laundry last night since machines are usually available at that hour.  Didn’t get in bed until 1:30 am and have to get up at 5:00 am.  Not looking forward to flying Korean Air tomorrow but really excited to see all my friends in Korea.

Jude

 

DAY 11 – SUNDAY, JULY 2 – TRAVEL FROM OKINAWA TO SEOUL, KOREA:

Everyone was ready at 7:50 am for an 8:00 am departure.  There really wasn’t any traffic and we arrived at the airport a few minutes after 9:00 am. There were lots of agents standing behind the counter but no one would check us in.  We were told that check-in would not begin until 2 hours prior to departure!  We went upstairs and purchased some food for breakfast.

This time, we decided not to bring the guitars to the counter for check in and try to carry them on. By the time we finished checking in and paying for the excess, we had less than an hour to go through security and clear immigration.  We were already cutting it close when the security officers told Jake and Keith that they could not carry on the guitars but instead would have to go all the way back to the check in counter and check them in.

Jake and Keith ran back and the rest of us continued through security and immigration.  We kept in touch through What’s App and they were cutting it really close.  Everyone had to board the plane and I told the flight attendant that we were waiting for two more passengers.  She said there were actually waiting on 8 more people.  Jake and Keith finally made it on the plane.

We are on Korean Air and it is a super strange aircraft which has no first class section and the first seats on the plane begin with Row 28.  There was a couple sitting in front of me with a very tiny baby.  The baby only cried a little once the entire flight.  Cudo’s to the parents!

Korean Air served a “meal” which is always terrible and this did not disappoint once again.  It was something that looked like chicken pieces in a red sauce.  I did not eat it.  When the flight attendant came back to pick up the containers, the guy next to me handed his to her and managed to spill the majority of the red sauce all over me.

Our escorts were waiting for us with a large bus once we cleared Immigration and Customs.  We left our carts and luggage with them and went in search of food.  All the guys ate at Shake Shack but I had traditional Bibimbap in a hot stone pot.  It was excellent but they gave me the vegetarian version.

We arrived at lodging around 5 pm and all our rooms were ready.   I walked over to the Food Court in search of a Matcha green tea latte but the Starbucks had already closed.  Ran into all the guys there as well.

Have been back in my room working for hours and hoping to get in bed at a decent hour tonight!

Jude

 

DAY 12 –MONDAY, JULY 3 –  PERFORMANCE AT CAMP HUMPHREYS, SOUTH KOREA:

I don’t think I mentioned that Camp Humphreys is the largest overseas U.S. Military base.  Prior to this massive “build up”, the “headquarters for the region was at Yongsan near Itaewon (where I shopped like a crazy person each visit).  The Dragon Hill Lodge is still at Yongsan but that’s about all.  It took around 10 years to get everything moved to Humphreys but now it is HUGE.  The figure I heard is 45,000 living and/or working on base (including civilian contractors/workers).  The base exchange is like a huge Wal-Mart+++.

Jake, Joe, Henry and I met Toni in the lobby at 10:45 am and went to AFN for an interview.  The girl doing the interview was amazing.  She did such a great job with her questions.  They had a lot of posters and autographed photos on the wall from previous tours and I saw my Chely Wright, Diamond Rio, New Year’s Eve Improv Comedy tour and one other tour (which I’ve forgotten which one it was) all hanging on their wall.

We went back to lodging and picked up the guys and then went to the food court inside the “monster sized” Base Exchange to grab lunch.  The set up for our green room is definitely not ideal.  It’s over a quarter of a mile from the stage and walking back and forth in the unbearable heat is not pleasant.  Before we walked down to the stage, we asked if there was water at the stage and was assured that there was.  I left the guys once we arrived and went to Texas Roadhouse to get their menu so we could pre-order dinner then stopped by the exchange to see if they had Zicam Swabs.  No luck.  When I arrived back at the stage, the guys said that there was no water there and it took 45 minutes for someone to bring water to the stage.  They said our production company actually cheered and clapped when the water arrived because they had been there all day without any water.  Only when the ice chest was opened, there was only 6 bottles of water in it.

The guys actually finished sound check about 30 minutes early.  Said the production company was great with good backline and PA.  Their techs don’t speak any English but they have an interpreter.

We had about an hour back in the room before heading back to the stage.  We met the nicest Brigadier General who is now the Deputy Commanding Officer over all the 8th Army in Korea.   His wife was with him and she is so sweet, too.  We also met David Fraser who is filming the entire event for us.  He’s a first year college student and gets credit for the filming.  He’s the son of Doug Fraser who handles the club on base where we usually perform and where Chingy will be performing in August.

Before we went to the stage, we again asked if there was water there and stage towels. Again, we were assured that there was.  Almost at the end of the show, the guys started asking where the stage towels were.  It took about 15 minutes for someone to bring them and even then, they were bath towels.

The Brigadier General came backstage to thank the guys for a fantastic show and I had a chance to talk to him for a few minutes.  He said he loves entertainment – especially country!  My kind of man.  LOL.  He was surprised that Autumn Kings was opening the show because he had never heard of the other bands performing.  I told him I had never heard of those bands either and wished we could have gone on later.  We started at 5:30 pm and at 6:00 pm, the heat index was still at 108 degrees.  As we finished our set, the sun went down and the temperature dropped significantly.  Most of the people had been sitting far away on the side of the stage where there was lots of covered, shady areas.  We did the autograph session inside and the line was our longest yet.

We all went to the Texas Roadhouse to eat our “pre-ordered” dinner after the M&G.  Then back to the room for quick showers and drove to Osan Air Base to spend the night.  Doris is our contact here and I met her at Misawa last November with Kellie Pickler.  Saw her again this past March when I was here with Runaway June but she had only just arrived at Osan at that time.  She’s great!  Had a text from her during our show saying the 4th of July performance was officially moved indoors because there is a 100% chance of rain tomorrow. The fireworks are cancelled but all the booths and food vendors will just be inside the ballroom and outside in the corridors.

Going to bed so I can get up early and take the guys shopping! We only have a couple of hours to do so.

Jude

 

DAY 13 –TUESDAY, JULY 4 –  4TH OF JULY PERFORMANCE AT OSAN AIR BASE:

Up at 5 am to work and then meet 3 of the guys for the walk over to the Osan Shopping street.  They were very impressed.  I went to Song’s coin shop to check on ordering more Stars for Stripes challenge coins. Then walked around with the guys.  I was wondering why the shops didn’t start opening at 10 am so I went back into Song’s and asked him.  They said that all the shops are closed on Tuesdays!  DARN!!

A few shops did open up and I found a great Prada fanny pack. Cannot tell it from the real thing and I “KNOW” how to tell the difference.  I was unable to bargain with him and get a lower price because I wanted to pay with a credit card, I was only buying one item and there were no other shops open for me to try and find a less expensive one.  But I was happy paying $90 for what “appears” to be the real thing!

We started sound check at around 1:00 pm and still no rain.  FSS did a great job moving everything to the Officer’s club.  By the time we finished sound check, it was raining really hard.  When we came back over for the performance, there was a huge crowd outside at the food booths as well as inside. Every table was filled for the show.  It was a great show with the exception of the lighting.  The lights were so bright and directed towards the audience that the crowd could not stand in front of the stage.  The Lt. Colonel who is over Services came by to thank the guys right before they went on stage.

We finished the show at 5:20 pm, loaded all the equipment into the van and took it back to the hotel to store it.  Doris had pre-ordered dinner for us at Chili’s which was right next door to lodging.  It was surprisingly good, too.

We were back at lodging by 8 pm.  Some of the guys are thinking of going to the bars located right outside the gate on the shopping street later tonight –depending upon the weather.  We have been getting “emergency alerts” on our phones all night about the rain.

Tomorrow we visit my favorite base in the entire world – Kunsan AFB – home of the Wolf Pack!

Jude

 

DAY 14 – WEDNESDAY, JULY 5 –  TRAVEL FROM OSAN AIR BASE TO KUNSAN AIR BASE

Woke up and did what I always do first thing — turned on my computer.  Only this time, I had a black screen!  Totally dead.  Checked the power outlet and changed the battery –nothing.  Complete disaster!  I asked Ian what he thought it was and the answer was not good.

We drove 2 hours to Kunsan and as always, the staff and Wolf were waiting for us.  The “Wolf” changed command in May so this is not the same wonderful man we had with Runaway June in March.  We have another wonderful man that I met in Misawa last November with Kellie Pickler.  And, our hosts with FSS had the computer techs from the base sitting in the lobby ready to take my computer to the shop for me.  Sadly, they agreed with Ian and said there is a chance I will even lose all the data on my hard drive!  Not good at all.  Fortunately most of the items are in the Microsoft Cloud but not everything…like my accounting!

We dropped bags and departed for the food court for lunch.  This time I found a restaurant that had a salad!  After lunch, the guys were treated to surprise visits to Special Forces and the F-16 Hanger.  They got to play with drones with Special Forces and learn what SF does on this base.  Very educational for them.   As I mentioned previously, all the F-16 aircraft and F-16 pilots are at Osan AB until the end of August while the runway is being repaired at Kunsan.  But, Baja contacted Wolf and learned that there was one aircraft at Kunsan that is being repaired.  So, the guys got the full education on that amazing aircraft and the pilots that fly it from Wizard.  Only thing they didn’t get to do that they normally would have done, is sit in the aircraft.  Still both visits were special treats…again  thanks to Baja, Wolf, Wolf 2, SF, and Wizard.

We had a few minutes back at lodging before departing to dinner with the FSS staff.  We went to the same restaurant as we did in March and it was excellent.  Very traditional Korean style meal with lots of meat and veggies cooked on grills in the tables.  Everyone was able to find something they could eat even with some being vegetarians and other food preferences.

Jake was sweet enough to loan me his laptop to work on tonight.  It’s a MAC and I’m not at all familiar with using it.  But, it was a lifesaver since I didn’t have to go sit in the business center until 2 am!

Praying for good news from the IT Department tomorrow.

Jude

 

DAY 15 – THURSDAY, JULY 6 –  PERFORMANCE AT KUNSAN AIR BASE – HOME OF THE WOLF PACK!

Started the day with a visit to AFN Radio.  Once again, the person doing the interview was very young….and very good at her job!  Each visit lasts an hour with the DJ playing music between chats.  Joe and Jake are so great doing these interviews.   We had a few minutes after the interview to return to lodging but I had to go to the base exchange and buy an external hard drive so the IT department could copy all my data off my computer hard drive.  Thankfully, they did get the computer to open again.

I went by IT and they told me that one of the techs stayed up all night taking the laptop apart and putting it back together.  Said there were over 100 screws!  He could not find out what was wrong or why it crashed but was able to get it working again.  For how long, we don’t know!  He copied all the info from the hard drive onto the external drive and it took over 6 hours! Now I hold my breath every time I turn the computer on!

Next stop was an amazing lunch with Wolf, Wolf 2 and Falcon.  The Loring Club had prepared a delicious buffet of all kinds of traditional Korean food.  We sat at a huge table and I asked all the Wolf Pack Leadership to separate and sit between my guys so they could talk to them about “why we are here”.  Afterwards all the guys were raving about what they learned and so impressed that the leaders spent the time with them and relayed the information with such “grace and professionalism”.  Once again, the Wolf Pack exceeded my expectations!

Next visits were with the Fire Department and the K-9 Unit.  The guys all climbed the ladder all the way to the top of the fire truck.  They firemen extended the ladder almost straight up and also gave them a few “turns” while they were on it.  I watched safely from the ground!  LOL.

Visiting the dogs is always a real treat.  Unfortunately, no on was able to “suit up” and let the dog chase them this time because of a recent incident involving a civilian.  Regardless, they were amazed by the entire training and “chase” process.

Had to go straight to sound check from those visits but we are using the same production company that we used at Humphreys so we finished early and had time to go back to lodging for about an hour.  After returning to the venue, the guys took photos with the Wolf Pack Leadership and Wolf Chief was there this time.  He had been in Osan and just arrived back at Kunsan.  I met him and his lovely wife (who is here visiting). Wolf Chief is the person Baja reached out to in order to facilitate the F-16 and SF visits.  Always so impressed with the Wolf Pack Leadership and FSS staff here.  We’re losing SSgt Harris and Andy as they are leaving Korea very soon.  Hate to see them go!

We held the show start time for about 30 minutes because so many people were still arriving.  Club was packed by the time the guys took the stage and it was a “rockin’” night.  They did two encores and the crowd was still asking for more.  The M&G line was long but most of those in the line wanted “group” photos so it moved quickly.

SSgt Harris had our pre-ordered food waiting for us in the Green Room and the guys stayed there to eat.  I had her take me back to lodging so I could “try” to catch up on some work now that my computer seems to be working.

We depart to Camp Carroll tomorrow – about a 3 hour drive.  Been a very long time since I’ve been there!!!

Jude

 

DAY 16 – FRIDAY, JULY 7 –  TRAVEL FROM KUNSAN AB TO CAMP CARROLL:

Woke up to steady rain again this morning.  Looks like we are going to have to move the Camp Carroll performance indoors as well.  We “sadly” departed Kunsan AB at 10:30 am.  I think most of the guys in the band had a very late night with some of the Kunsan guys.  A visit to a “hooch” was mentioned which always involves lots of alcohol.  LOL.  It was a pretty “quiet”  (as in everyone sleeping) ride.

We stopped about an hour and a half into the rider at a roadside rest stop with a restaurant.  This one wasn’t as big as where we stopped previously on this trip with Runaway June.  But the ramen was excellent.   Arrived at Camp Carroll exactly on time and Shawn met us at the gate.

We dropped bags and headed to the venue to check it out.  It’s going to be perfect but would have been nice to hold the event outside at their amphitheater.  We then went off base to visit a Korean War Museum.  It was still pouring rain and will continue all weekend if the predictions are correct. The museum was fascinating but would have been better if more of the signs were in English.  There was hardly anyone there except us and the café and gift shop were closed.

We had planned to go off base for dinner tonight but a lot of the guys just wanted to grab food at the Food Court and get some sleep.  Shawn still took several of the guys out to eat but I stayed in as well.  Needed to try and get caught up on a backlog of things caused by the computer crash.

The gym is right across the street from us but Shawn advised that we can only use it between 10 am and 6 pm.  Several of us decided not to go have lunch off base and get in a workout instead.  No idea why we can’t go to the gym earlier!

Can’t believe it will be our last show tomorrow….

Jude

 

DAY 17 – SATURDAY, JULY 8 PERFORMANCE AT CAMP CARROLL – LAST SHOW OF THE TOUR!

Got 5 hours sleep and then got up in time to answer some emails before walking over to the gym.  I found out “why” we couldn’t work out except between 10 am and 6 pm, too.  The gym doors are locked between 10 pm and 6 am and you must have a CAC card to open the doors.  Obviously, we don’t have those.  Got in a great 1 hour and 15 minute workout and also ran into Troy and Jake who were there for a workout.

Returned to lodging to shower and dress for sound check.  Made a quick stop at the Food Court and purchased a peanut butter smoothie for “lunch”.  The guys who went off base for dinner and lunch today said the food was excellent.  Not surprised at all and glad they made it.

Sound check went quickly but Ian and I had to discuss the “lighting” with the production company afterwards.  For some reason, the Koreans are insisting on “lighting the audience” by shining mega-watt bright white lights directly at them.  We asked them to totally remove those lights.  We do not have this problem with country artists so I guess this is just the “Korean Way” with rock entertainers.

We pre-ordered dinner from the Pub because we have to pack up and depart to the airport at 3 am tonight.  Ugh!

The show tonight could not have been a better audience.  This base is so remote that they don’t get a “lot” of entertainment.  But they were one of the most “enthusiastic” crowds the band performed for on this tour.  Perfect ending to a very long tour that went by so quickly.  This is such a great group to travel with and so incredibly talented.

So…right in the middle of the show, we all started getting emails from Delta stating that there had been a change in our flight and they were trying to re-book us!  Totally freaked me and the guys out.   The Delta email said that we were departing Pusan at 7:05 am on July 9th but not arriving Seoul until 8:08 am on July 10th.  That means the one hour flight was going to take 25 hours. Made no sense at all.

I called Delta and even though I got someone on the line immediately, it took 1 hour and 40 minutes to try and sort out the problem.  And even then, she could never get Korean Airlines (the first flight from Pusan to Seoul was on Korean Air and they “Partner” with Delta) to confirm or deny that the flight was departing and arriving as scheduled!  I finally made the decision to cancel the Pusan/Seoul fights and just have the base drive us the 4 ½ hours to Seoul tonight.  The Delta agent had to “re-book” all our flights or else they would be cancelled if we didn’t take that first flight.  I asked her to call me back if we got cut off.  She said she would.  We got cut off.  She didn’t call me back.  Since only 5 of the 8 passengers were showing as re-booked, I had to call Delta, get a different agent and start over.  This time it only took 1 hour and 4 minutes to get everything sorted out!

So it’s 1 am and we depart for Seoul at 3 am which is the same time we were going to have to depart to Pusan.  Just hope that’s all the problems we have with flights this trip!

Jude

 

DAY 18 – SUNDAY, JULY 9 –  LAST DAY OF TOUR – LEAVING KOREA FOR THE USA!

I never went to bed mainly because of staying on hold with Delta Airlines for almost 3 hours.  Everyone met in the lobby for a 3 am departure.  Nice tour bus for the 4-4 1/1 hour drive.  At least it is Sunday and no traffic at that time of the day…well not as “much” traffic.  The roads were terrible and I wasn’t able to sleep at all!  I was tracking the flight that we were supposed to take and it was showing that it took off and landed on time.  Craziest thing ever!!!

We arrived at the airport about 45 minutes too early for the check in counter to open.   Went to Starbucks for a Malcha (in the USA, it is Matcha!) green tea latte to try and “perk me up”.  Check in was easy and they let the guys carry on their guitars.  Only one issue and that was with Jake.  He had purchased an upgrade and the agent wasn’t showing it.  I told him where to find it on his Delta App and the agent said they would issue his boarding pass at the gate.

The line for check in was really long and if we had taken the flight instead of driving, there’s no way we would have made it to the gate in time for our flight.  There were only two lines open in the Security check and when I went through, they handed me a card saying I had to go to the baggage inspection area!  First we had to go through another long line for Passport Control and then an even longer line for Immigration.  The baggage inspection station was at the far end of a very long terminal!  The “suspicious” item was a small portable phone charger that I’ve had in my luggage for at least 10 years and never had an issue.  I noticed when she zipped my suitcase back up, she zipped it starting at the top and taking both zipper pulls all the way to the bottom.  I should have made her change it but I didn’t.  One of the zipper pulls is completely missing from my suitcase and now I have to try and get it repaired during my short 2 days at home!

We boarded the flight and departed on time.  Had a lot of turbulence the first hour but then it settled down.  I ate, watched an old movie, slept and worked before landing in Detroit.  We actually landed a little early so I rushed through Global Entry, baggage claim and Customs and was able to change my flight to an earlier one back to Nashville.  Poor Autumn Kings are Canadian and Immigration made them wait until all the U.S. passengers had been processed before they would let them go through to baggage claim.  It took at least 2 hours and I was already on the flight to Nashville when they messaged me that they were leaving the airport!   Flight to Nashville was absolutely freezing.  I asked the flight attendants if they could adjust the temperature as everyone was cold.  They said it was impossible – as they stood there in their long sleeve shirts and fleece sweaters and jackets!  Landed early and got to hug on Zac and Zoe for a few minutes.

Can’t say enough about what great guys they are and so incredibly talented.  Every base would have them back again and I’d love to tour them again. Very, very successful tour with special thanks to Frank Tagatac and Armed Forces Entertainment, Bob Kinkead and Autumn Kings, and Lindsey Chance for all their assistance and support.

Off to Norway on Tuesday for the annual Breim Country Treff with Josh Turner and Dale Watson!