I received a call from my friend, Bruce. Bruce is the FOH mixer for Five Finger Death Punch and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He offered to get me backstage at the 5FDP show with Shinedown and Sixx AM at the Peoria Civic Center. How could I say no?

Before soundcheck.

I met Chet Haun. Chet is the amazing guitar tech for 5FDP. And, I’m not just saying that because he thought the Swaim guitar I built was awesome…

The highlight was catching up with Bruce, and reminiscing about all the jamming and guitar repair we used to do.

Just two guitar-playing kids from a small town in Illinois.

As a fan, it’s easy to take a show like that for granted, but the crew puts in a staggering amount of work. Utmost respect, guys!

Every person I met, from artists to crew, treated me like family, and I can’t thank them enough. It was just what I needed.

Now, on to finishing the new StrikeForce novel, The Lotus Blossom!