Well, it's been quite an adventure over the past couple weeks. We started out in Perth, Australia on August 28th and wrapped up in Christchurch, New Zealand on September 12th. Now it's time to fill you in on all that happened in between...

After the incredibly long journey to get to Australia, the band was ready to blow open the gates and throw down in Perth. The fans at Challenge Stadium were more than happy to oblige and matched the band's intensity throughout the set. They even sang along to every word during the brand new songs that debuted on this tour, "The Night" and "Haunted". We were all very impressed with the fan reaction in Perth and used that show as the bar to measure every other show Down Under.

We did find it a little odd that for our second straight tour of Australia, we seemed to bring the rain and end a long drought. We're beginning to think the Aussie Gov't should be paying us to visit more often since we're helping them so much. The weather didn't dampen our spirits though as we moved on from Perth to enjoy a day off at the world famous Penfold's Winery in Adelaide. The pictures below really don't do the place justice, it was gorgeous. We had an amazing time and it was definitely fun trying to contain the now-buzzed Mikey from "breaking shit" in such a stuffy, fine-dining establishment. I think Mike was really just having a hard time coping with the strange 1/2 hour time zone change that only exists in Adelaide. Check out the video clip in the "Media" section to see what I'm talking about.

Once we got to Brisbane, the lineup was complete. We were without P.O.D. for the first couple of shows, so it was great to finally all be together, especially with Alterbridge killing it every night as well. The vibe on the tour was a lot of fun between the bands and things got a little crazy when we got together. On the night off before the Brisbane show, I joined the band for a feast at a well known steakhouse called "Cha Cha Char". After a few rounds of drinks, our steaks came and we were presented with THE HOTTEST ENGLISH MUSTARD EVER! Everyone but John Moyer seemed to go into shock with how spicy this stuff was. John was smart about it though. He waited until the drinks were flowing and the bets began. Eventually, he was bet big money by the rest of the band that he couldn't eat a whole tablespoon of the stuff without taking a sip of water for 3 minutes. From that point it was on. John even got cocky and did 2 MORE TABLESPOONS FOR "FREE"!!!

The next day, we got to walk around and explore downtown Brisbane and the Botanical Gardens before heading to the venue for the show. David joked at one point that he was getting inspired for new animal noises for the next record when we were walking around listening to all the crazy squawking sounds coming from the trees and bushes. The band was constantly getting recognized by fans while we were sitting down for lunch and visiting a local CD store, as you can see from some of the pics.

The Brisbane show was definitely one of the wildest of the tour, especially once David got the crowd riled up with the "AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!, OY! OY! OY!" chants. And of course the guys continued to be impressed with how well everyone seemed to know the words to all the newer songs. There was one fan in particular that stood out and made us feel really welcome. You can see him and his Australian flag below. The guy even wound up coming to the Sydney show the next night and was in the same spot, front-and-center. When I noticed him and his flag again, I stole it away and brought it backstage so the band could sign it. See what happens when you get original and make cool tour swag of your own? He wound up with the best piece of Disturbed memorabilia from the whole tour!

After we finished in Brisbane we headed out the next morning for a whirlwind trip to Sydney. It was a long day, filled with tons of press, including interviews for MTV & Channel V, as well as several radio stations & magazines. The show was especially brutal that night too. I'm not sure what they put in your water down there in Sydney, but the crowd was raging and the pit was a non-stop circus for the entire set! During "The Game", a fan even managed to get up on stage to stage dive, which really pissed off our road manager, Jason. He wrestled the sweaty bastard to the ground and was about to escort the guy out, but he wasn't able to hold on long enough and the guy escaped into the crowd, leaving Jason holding nothing but his shirt. Of course, the band got a big laugh out of this at the encore break, as you'll see in the clip I'll post up here soon. This show wound up being even more special at the end of the night for a couple of reasons: The label reps were on hand to present the band with their official Australian Gold Record plaques for Indestructible (pictured below), and it was Mike's birthday! We all got to celebrate together with the band and crew, and the drinks were flowing late into the night. Thanks for the massive hangover Sydney!

The next day, our trip to Newcastle became one of the coolest experiences I have personally had in touring with Disturbed, and I'm sure the band would agree. It turns out that there is a US Air Force Base about 45 minutes from where the show was taking place. We received an invite to go over there and check out an F-15 fighter that had been specially decorated by a die-hard Disturbed fan. None of us was prepared for what came next. We showed up to find about 100 servicemen & women gathered together around the fiercest looking jet we'd ever seen! I shot lots of video of it all, which you'll see at a later date I'm sure, but you can check out the pics below for now. The guys each took turns climbing the ladder with "The Guy" painted on the underside and hopping in the pilot's seat. Everywhere you looked, there seemed to be another Disturbed logo. The Band wound up signing the landing gear hatch door and posing for numerous photos with the appreciative troops. Getting to hang with our troops is my favorite part of this job and I know the guys agree. It always turns into a mutual admiration experience, with the troops sharing how much the band's music has meant to them in difficult times and the band expressing heart felt respect for all that these people sacrifice for all of us.

Many of those troops then joined us for the show later that night and David took the opportunity to call them out during the encore break. As you can see from the video, he then took a moment to talk about his inspiration for "Inside The Fire" and encouraged people to seek help if they too were struggling with suicidal thoughts, or knew someone that was. It was a very meaningful and heartfelt gesture. After the set, the band took some time to sign and take pictures with the troops that joined us backstage. At one point, David was even put on the phone with the squadron commander, who unfortunately had missed meeting the band because he was out of the country. Hopefully he'll get his own time with Disturbed sometime soon because, if it wasn't for his devotion and painting his F-15, the rest of the troops in Newcastle wouldn't have gotten the chance to meet the band in the first place.

After Newcastle, we had a day off in Melbourne to walk around and explore the city. It is true that Melbourne is the Rock Capital of Australia because it seemed that everywhere we went, fans were excitedly stopping the band on the street and getting pictures taken. Later that night, our generous hosts from Frontier Touring took us all out for a big steak dinner at a well known Melbourne restaurant. I had never seen a place like this before, with nothing but all different kinds of meat on the menu. You couldn't even order a salad because they didn't have the ingredients! Amazing. That pic of Mike with the steak on the knife pretty much says it all.

The Melbourne crowd obviously impressed us as well. On a cold and rainy night, their Aussie madness was exactly what the band needed to feel at home. The miserable weather outside couldn't dampen the spirits of all the crazed Melbourne fans who shook the building with their raw energy all night long. The whole set was spectacular, but as the band broke into Down With The Sickness, pandemonium broke out and Melbourne cemented it's place in our hearts (and ears!) as a perfect end to the Australian tour. It was a ferocious sendoff for out trip to New Zealand. After the show, band and crew headed out to the Irish pub attached to our hotel and threw back a few pints before we headed up to our rooms to catch a little sleep before our early morning flight to Aukland.

_The Collector

Lunch in Perth before the show
A special message from Dan at soundcheck in Perth
Dan, Mike, & David discuss upcoming shows in the dressing room
A blown up tour poster left in the dressing room for the guys to sign
John's bass tech Bull Parrish makes some last minute repairs
A small glimpse at some of the massive gear it takes to make the show run
Dan looks over to see when Mike wants to end the finale for the insane Perth show
Checking in for our flight from Perth to Adelaide
Some pictures from our once-in-a-lifetime tour of the Penfold's Vineyard

Dan shows off a very rare bottle of Penfold's from the 1940's
Each of these barrels contains over $300,000 of Grange wine. There's over $30 million in this one room alone!
Ah, the best part of the Penfold's tour, the wine tasting!
The guys share some laughs over dinner
David gets a small sample the next day since he missed the night before
A really cool clock we saw hanging in the Penfold's store
All decked out in Penfold's swag over looking the vineyard
A couple live shots from the incredible Adelaide show

Dan doubles up while David addresses the frantic Adelaide crowd
The guys sign for the appreciative fans after the Adelaide show
Checking the flights to make sure we'll make it to Brisbane on time
Look closely. Dan is showing off his favorite T-shirt in the airport lounge.
Boarding our plane to Brisbane


Even in business class, there's little room for Dan's giant laptop
John signs a menu at Cha Cha Char after winning the big mustard bet
Two fans are shocked to run into their favorite band at lunch in Brisbane
Indestructible prominently displayed on a shelf in a Brisbane music store
Dan and David spot Dragonforce's new CD on the shelf as well
Dan pays tribute to Australia's legendary sons, AC/DC
The guys head out for a walk through Brisbane's Botanical Gardens


John signs some flats before the Brisbane show
Mike takes a PSP break during the long wait for showtime in Brisbane
This fan came to 2 shows in a row, front and center. That's devotion!
The band is presented with their Aussie Gold Indestructible plaques
Dan signs for a lucky fan at the Sydney meet n' greet
David and Mike share a fun interview with Australia's own Channel V

Mike makes his feelings known during an MTV interview in Sydney

A large collection of signed Indestructible vinyl. You know you want one.
The guys pose with The Guy under the F-15 ladder


Mike climbs into the cockpit for a little Top Gun moment
The band poses with the landing gear hatch that they autographed earlier
Everyone piles in for a group photo in front of the custom painted F-15
David signs for some of the US soldiers that were guests in Newcastle
Dan and John watch P.O.D.'s set before heading to the dressing room
John signs for a fan that greeted the band at the Melbourne Airport
David and Dan do some sightseeing around downtown Melbourne
Days later, John still has a message for the hot English mustard
Steak house in Melbourne. Vegetarians not allowed!
Mike in one of his happiest photos ever
A funny sign I saw during soundcheck in Melbourne
This fan in Melbourne had the biggest Disturbed tattoo I've seen
David and Dan sign for fans after the Melbourne show
The guys buy some last minute Aussie gifts for their families
Danny poses with his Guitar World cover on sale at the Melbourne Airport
Watching college football at the airport before flying to Aukland




New Zealand pics to follow...Stay tuned!