We were first supposed to go to Nigeria exactly one year ago for some Kanye dates but it was canceled because Jay-Z and Beyonce had just gone and they found it dangerous. So when I found out we were going this year I was like “oh great”…. but then I thought: we’re only going for 2 or 3 days and we probably won’t see anything else than the plane, the hotel and the venue so heck, this won’t feel any different than El Paso, Texas. I wasn’t shook anymore. Then as we got closer, they told us we had to get shots against hepatitis A and thyphoid and start taking malaria pills. “How victorian!” said my girlfriend. The band was flying out on the 12th but I had booked this 10.Deep x Fool’s Gold holiday party in New York on that date. Can’t I fly out on the 13th? Isn’t the first show on the 14th? “You can fly with Kanye on the private jet,” they tell me. Alright, if you insist.

(more…)

Last weekend was probably the most action-packed, fun-filled, jet-setting, zig-zag-zigging adventure we’ve had since the beginning of the tour. Here’s a summary.

Friday we all flew to Memphis after a 4-day break. As usual, we played our show in the evening and then went out to an afterparty. This one was kind of far though, and we only got back at 3. Here’s the twist: at 5am we had to leave the hotel to catch our private jet. Wait wait wait, a private jet, you ask? Yes, the one Dave Chappelle got us so that Kanye could play at his outdoor Block Party in Brooklyn at 2 in the afternoon. (Oh, THAT private jet.) So with 1 hour of sleep, we flew to New York and went to this Chappelle event, which boasted performances by The Roots, Common, Mos & Kweli, Erykah Badu, Dead Prez, Jill Scott and the reunion of the Fugees. And Michel Gondry was filming the whole thing for some DVD. To open up the show, Chappelle got a 100 piece marching band from Ohio to replay “Jesus Walks”. Then Kanye performed for half an hour, backed by a band that could be described as “Questlove and friends”. And I was up there scratching, having a blast.

As soon as we were done playing we had to sprint back to the airport (the private-jet-airport) and fly to Chicago in time for an 8pm concert. So we missed the rest of the Block Party. The line-up in Chicago was: Ray-J (!), John Legend, Kanye and Destiny’s Child. After our set I went back to the hotel to catch another hour of sleep, because we had another show coming up at midnight. So I missed Destiny’s Child. Or rather, they missed me. But the midnight show was incredible. There were no other performers, so we played for an hour and a half. And finally, at 5am that night, we got on the bus and left for Kansas City…
On the road again!