Hola, y'all! Casey here and it's a beautiful day in Columbia. We've been on this South American tour for a few days now and it has been absolutely amazing. Let me bring you up to speed…
11/19 - 10:00 PM - We arrive in Quito, Ecuador and are welcomed with an angelic warmth by a bunch of dudes who were putting on the shows / wanted to bro down hard style. Kyle's cymbals didn't make it on to the plane from Miami but it wasn't a big deal because our new Ecuadorian Brothers were psyched to lend us some gear. We loaded up a van and headed to a hotel we'd be staying at and got to see the surroundings. After checking in and dropping up our crap we were taken to a pizza place where Jeremy, Matt and myself split the family deal which included 2 large pizzas, a delightful salad, limeade y'all and oreos for desert. Maybe not the most authentic Ecuadorian cuisine but it really hit the spot and there's plenty of time for that. We headed back to the hotel and slept like bricks.
11/20 - Morning - We had an early but short flight to Guayaquil where we'd play the first show of the tour. The flight lasted about 45 minutes and we were greeted again by a few serious bros. This place was a more tropical city and it was hot! The ride to the venue was amazing because we were able to see Ecuador in the daylight. Then came soundcheck where we goofed off and shook out the kinks. The show ended up being super sweet and we all had a great time rocking Guayaquil. We played, packed up and got back to the hotel with about 3 hours until our flight back to Quito so we tried to get a bit of sleep.
11/21 - 4:00 AM - All of us were zombies and somehow managed to function enough to get on to the plane. We got back to Quito and slept a bit. Then it was off to the show. We were going to be playing an outdoor festival where all kinds of bands were performing. The ride there was unbelievable. We were zipping in and out of lanes and flying through the mountains. The view from the van was beautiful. We showed up at the show with just enough time to get ready and then we were up. I'm not sure exactly how many people were there but looking out from the stage I was overwhelmed. As soon as we started people were pumping fists and singing the words. I couldn't believe how cool this show was. We drove back to the hotel then our new Brothers wanted to take us out for a last meal before we left Ecuador. The place they took us was on top of the city and out the window you could see all of Quito and it was beautiful.The place was amazing and to go out on that note was really special to us. We only spent a few days with these guys but they treated us so well that it was hard to say goodbye.
11/22 - We got ready and left the hotel as zombies again. Late nights and early morning just come with the territory of these kinds of tours. We boarded the flight to Bogota, Columbia and before we knew it we were shaking hands with a whole new group of people that were excited to make us feel at home in their country. We got a bit of sleep and then drove to the venue. So many kids were waiting in line and were psyched for the show. The scene in Bogota is unreal. The show was packed and every band was so impressive. When it was time for us to play we got up there and looked out at the craziest sight I've ever seen at a show. This place had 2 levels of balconies running along the side walls of the venue and kids were hanging off the edge of them ready to giv'er. You couldn't see the wall or floor because everywhere you looked there was a body. We started the set and people were going crazy stage diving and jumping off the balconies. We've played a lot of amazing shows but this one was like nothing we had played before. The best part was that we were playing the same place the next night. Most of the kids told us that the second night would probably be a lot less kids but to me it felt just as packed and just as awesome. That night we went out with the people that were helping us out and got some amazing food and walked around the city. It's one thing to come to a place like this and play a ridiculous show but to be in the company of such kind and amazing people is what makes this truly worth while.
11/24 - We've got most of the day to spend in Columbia and actually do a bit of sight seeing with our friends. Then we've got a late flight to Peru. So far we couldn't be happier with the way things have been going and we can only hope things continue to be as awesome as they have been.