L-FRESH: Low:Fi National Tour Diary Part 1

Nov 17, 2009 Web Blog
Posted by L-FRESH AKA The LION

Tour Diary Part 1

Sydney to Perth – And It All Begins…

It’s hard to explain how it feels to be on your very first national tour. For an artist who dedicates so much time to music, sacrificing a lot in order to achieve your dream, it’s quite a revelation when you embark on such a journey. I got selected to tour with and open up for Nas (a massive influence on generations of artists including myself) Chali 2na (from the legendary Jurassic 5), freestyle world champ Supernatural and the one-and-only pioneer DJ Qbert.

[singlepic id=12 w=320 h=240 float=left]Traveling with me on this tour are my Street University brothers Sie-1, Tom Rock, Voke2 & Mr. Klash. Five tired faces, ten excited eyes. For us the tour began at 4AM in Sydney, catching a 6AM flight to Perth. For me, the flight was filled with moments of self-exploration in an attempt to prepare myself for the coming week.

In Perth we were greeted by MC Hunter, who invited us to an all-day free hip-hop event being held just around the corner from our hotel. Shit was hectic: Bboy, MC & Beatbox battles, Perth did their thing, straight up. Hunter let us get up and warm up our vocal chords, so to speak, a teaser for what lie ahead.

The Perth Show – So we emerge

Day two, and the first thing on my mind this morning was the show. As I opened my eyes I pictured the event: on stage gripping the mic with my team by my side. To be completely honest, the nerves hit immediately. Having built myself up to this point, and now with reality directly staring at me in the face, I realized the gravity of the situation. This wasn’t just an ordinary show. None of the shows to come are ordinary.

I took my time in getting ready and dressed, taking in each second as if they were minutes or hours. After I prepared myself physically and mentally I heard a knock on the door. Sie-1 walked in and asked me if I was ready. He knew the answer before even asking the question, however the formality of asking had to take place.

We walked to the venue early to scope it out. On the way I saw a gold coloured 4WD on the main street. In the passenger seat I thought I saw Nas. I had one of those looking without recognizing moments: taking a quick look, looking away and looking back. I’m pretty sure it was Nas but if I get to meet him, I’ll ask him.

Our performance went really well. It felt great to get the first show out of the way. The people of Perth were warm and friendly as they embraced our show. We ended the night watching Chali 2na and Nas rock the main stage. Watching them up close was a blessing. The show was amazing and fueled the whole team with inspiration. Tom said I was like a twelve year old kid when I was watching Nas perform. But hey, hey, hey…what can I say.

Perth to Melbourne – Obstacle Course

The day after the first show was draining to say the least. We caught our flight to from Perth to Melbourne but just as we were about to take off, the plane had an engine failure and we were delayed for a number of hour. Our time spent at the airport was filled with food and some vivid, stomach achingly (if that’s a word) hilarious story telling by Sie-1.

The flight was a long one. I spent most of the time in contemplation; really excited about the next show. While the team were sleeping, I was just sitting there visualising the show and thinking about my future, wondering what life has in store for me next. I’m very thankful to say the least.

We arrived in Melbourne at about 2AM and drove into the city. For Klash and Voke this was their first time in Melbourne, and the drive into the city was one to remember. Seagulls illuminated the sky as light reflected off them: a beautiful sight. As soon as we got to the hotel, I fell straight onto the bed and called it a night.

Day off in Melbourne – Work, work, work

Considering how late we got into Melbourne, I had to sleep in at least one day on tour. So I slept in till about 12:30PM.We went for a walk and bumped into the rest of the boys who were just chillin’ with Nas’s band. The band came over as we continued walking and I got to meet some of the band as well. It was cool to connect with some of the others on the Low:Fi tour team. The rest of the day was spent sorting through footage and uploading them to the internet. Check it out www.myspace.com/lfresh97.

Low:Fi Tour Video Playlist: