Die Persistence Tour liegt nun schon wieder einige Wochen zurück. Mit Countime, Cutthroat, Wisdom in Chains, BillyBio, H2O, Street Dogs, Agnostic Front und Gorilla Biscuits stand ein mega Line-up auf dem Programm!
Mein persönliches Fazit über die Show in Oberhausen: Einen besseren Einstieg ins Jahr 2020 hätte es nicht geben können. Die Stimmung war unglaublich, die Bands haben eine großartige Show abgeliefert und nebenbei ordentlich selbst gefeiert. Dieser Abend wird für mich unvergesslich bleiben.
Viel spannender ist es jedoch zu erfahren, wie die Bands selbst die Tour erlebt haben. Seid auf ihren persönlichen Rückblick gespannt…den Start macht Richie von Wisdom in Chains!
Richie Mancuso im Interview
AFL: Hey Richie, by now the Persistence Tour is history for a couple of weeks already, so thank you for your time to answer my questions and give us a little personal retrospective on the tour.
I was at the Oberhausen show and my impression from the stage side was that all the bands really got along super well and you all had your own party on stage every night. How would you describe the tour?
Richie: The tour was really fun and really easy. It was more like a vacation than a tour. Some bands we already had a great bind with and some we were meeting for the first time, but we all had the same mind set and that was to support each other and have fun.
AFL: Was there one show that really stood out to you from this run? Any special highlight or a funny anecdote you can tell us about?
Richie: There were a few. The Czech show was really cool, the venue itself was very interesting and had a sort of futuristic vibe to it. Würzburg was great, because some of us actually got out and really explored that city and it was beautiful! London and Belgium stood out for us because we got to see some great friends that we don’t get to see that often.
AFL: Can you give us a little inside on how a typical day on the Persistence Tour looked like for you?
Richie: Well, for us, we would have a long ride on the bus the night before, we would stay up all night, talking about all types of things, listening to music and just hanging out. At some point we would sleep a bit, wake up in our destination and then see what was going on. There would be groups of guys that may train the material arts a bit, some would travel around the city we were in, some would just relax at the venue and chat. Eventually the time would come and we would watch some bands, then play the show ourselves and watch more bands! All the sets were really interactive and fun. After the show, there would be a lot of chatting, partying, singing, laughing. It was really great.
AFL: Twelve days together on tour in very limited and confined space on the bus…where there any moments where you didn’t like being on tour or was there any fighting?
Richie: Literally none, everyone got along and it was one of the few tours that seemed to fly by the people were really bummed when it was over.
AFL: How would you describe Wisdom in Chains in just three words?
Richie: The peoples band.
Time for Pizza….
AFL: You take a pride in the self-proclaimed fact that there is no other band in the universe who knows more about or consumes more pizza than you. The obvious question is: what is your favorite pizza and who makes the best pizza in the world?
Richie: The American Northeast makes the best most diverse pizza on planet earth. Of course, Italy has great pizza, but it is very traditional. As far as our favorites, i´ll give you a few:
- Louie and Ernies in the Bronx, their sausages pie
- Tacconelli´s in Philly, Pa.
- Williamsburg Pizza in Brooklyn
- Frank Pepe´s in Ct.
- Amore in Queens
- De Lorenzo´s in NJ
AFL: Where there any pizza surprises – positive or negative – during the Persistence Tour? How would you rate the catering on tour?
Richie: The catering in general was decent, some nights better than others. Würzburg stood out from what I recall. As far as pizza, there was a decent pizza here and there, but nothing great. While in Europe, we look forward to the schnitzel.
AFL: OK, this question is especially for Luke, but I’m sure you other guys can chime in with some stories as well. Luke, first of all congratulations on wining this prestigious award! From what I saw in Oberhausen, you totally deserved it! What do you think made the difference and earned you the title coming out first in such close competition? Who would you say was your biggest competitor for the title?
Richie: Well, Luke isn´t here at the moment, but I know he was completely honored to receive such a great tribute. I will say that the contest wasn’t even close and Luke was by the far the most dedicated human on tour with his only mission of delivering smiles fun and excitement to everyone he encountered. A second place would be the great and legendary Stigma who’s wonderful nature and presence is always appreciated.
Luke: Haha, thank you! Even though i think it was more for a laugh, it still means a lot to me. Lol. I don’t think it was a competition. Unless you’re talking about the Freddy challenge during the h2o set, in that case Mike Gallo was a hard competitor! Lol. Overall when you have a lineup and package full of great friends, amazing bands, amazing support from fans and genuine people is why I embraced every night, being able to share the stage and memories together as one…I feel like a tour like that and this music we play brings out the best vibes in everyone and i am truly blessed to be a small part of it all.
AFL: Sadly, not many bands in our genre can live from their music alone. What about you? What do you do when you´re not on tour? If you have a „day job“, how do you balance your jobs duties and PTO and being on tour?
Richie: Here is a list of our members and their jobs:
- Evan is a painter and welder
- Richie is a NYC Union concrete worker
- Chris Mav is an archeologist
- Joe is a NYC Union carpenter
- Luke is a NYC Union construction laborer
AFL: Alright, brain storm time! What are the first thought to come to your mind when you hear to following:
Richie:
- Favorite band(s) – Madball
- Germany – Schnitzel
- Hardcore / Punk – Our lives
- Vinnie Stigma – The Godfather
AFL: Are you coming back to Germany for some shows this year?
Richie: Yes, we plan on being there in June/July (WISDOM IN CHAINS ab Ende Juni auf Tour))
AFL: Is there something else you want our readers to know or to get off your chest? Then, now would be the perfect time for it!
Richie: We appreciate everyone who takes the time to watch us live, listen to or purchase our music or Merch. Means a lot to us.
Again, thank you very much for doing this. I really appreciate your time and effort. Thanks a lot. Good luck to you and I hope to see you again soon!
Richie: THANK YOU!
Persistence Tour 2020! So war es in Oberhausen & Bericht, Bilder, Special, Persistence Tour 2020: So war es in Brünn (Tschechien), Persistence Tour 2020: Die Bilder aus Dresden
