Oct 28 New York, City of Dreams…

The drive to NYC has been a good one. Even though we were told to travel light, let’s just say that this isn’t exactly what happened. I can’t remember one time we traveled light… Your Favorite Enemies doesn’t know how to do this at all! How many pairs of socks & shoes do you think Alex has brought with him? I’ll let you guess…! Nonetheless, we’ve had an amazing time squeezed between pillows and suitcases on the way there, a road that is simply breathtaking, especially in the fall season, as the colors have only started to change in New York State…

We unpacked everything, and then headed to Times Squares. I mean, where else could we start on a night in New York City? Many of us had never seen Times Square before… But no matter how many times I have seen this place, it never ceases to amaze me. There’s a reason why NYC is known all over the world, and a reason why it is called “The Empire State”. It sure does deserve its name!

And then, already the day after, it was show day. First time ever in NYC, something that Jeff had wanted for a long time… Being the one taking care of the business, he knew we would come here when it would be the perfect time… We arrived at the venue, that had been changed last minute, and that was much smaller than what we expected. No stage, the band was to play on the floor. Alright, that can do, we usually end on the floor anyway! And in the middle of the stage? A pillar, so huge it’s impossible to hug it. Right in between Alex and Sef. Probably one of the weirdest things I have ever seen! But hey. It’s New York, the birthplace of punk rock, and as Alex said “I can tell you from the vibe of the room that it’s gonna be pretty punk rock… no room for bored bystanders looking too cool to engage themselves into the stream of the moment… it’s small, it’s trash and it’s raw…”!

And you know what? This is exactly what it has been like! Totally punk rock! No drum in the crowd, but Alex did crowd surfing, and pushed it further by doing something I have never seen before: he walked on the ceiling! People were holding him upside down, as he was moving forward, his feet on the ceiling!

And what a moment it has been. Really, there are no words to express this. So many people traveled all the way to NYC to see us, some we knew of, some who surprised us, some we met for the first time, some we had not seen in many years but that have always held that very special place in our lives… One thing that didn’t change, though, was the time we spent talking with everyone after the gig. That’s something we just can’t miss. And let’s be honest, that’s also the best part! Different people, different countries, different ages, different styles. But one.

Looking at everyone gathered together, discussing what had happened in the last years, talking about the show, about what was coming up next, sharing about dreams and visions, I remembered Frank Sinatra’s famous lyrics… “If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere”. But somehow, they rang in a very different way. I used to think those lyrics were about any type of success. Being known. Being a celebrity. Becoming someone. But on that night, I realized this is about staying true to yourself. In a city where everything is possible, where you can do what you want, become who you are, this is the true meaning of “making it”. And to this, we can say we’ve succeeded. Brilliantly!

The day after, we decided to go out and explore Manhattan a little bit. It’s been a short trip as it was raining, and let’s just say New York City isn’t as interesting under the rain when you’re a group of people…! We made sure to stop by one of Sef’s favorite places after the M&M Store, the LEGO mega store…!

The next day has been a very quiet one… But we made sure to make the Saturday pay for it! We went with some of the biggest tourist attraction in NYC. Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, and Finnerty’s. What? Don’t know Finnerty’s? They say it’s the Giants’ home away from home! We got to watch the game over there, and what they say about it is no lie! People were lining up outside in hopes of coming inside to watch the game, where everybody was chanting, screaming at the TV. It was unreal. You could have never said we were in NYC. It felt like San Francisco all the way. At least, the way I imagine SF on a game day!

And then came the Bla Bla Bla! It was a special edition, one that was on the road, something we were doing for the very first time! It was something I was really looking forward to. Somehow, the Bla Bla Bla in itself wasn’t that special; it was only the set-up that was really different! This day was the only opportunity we had to do a Bla Bla Bla before leaving on our European tour “Shadows of Dreams to Come”, and it was important for us to do it! There’s no way we would miss this opportunity. Sadly, being on the road doesn’t give us perfect control on everything, so we had to cancel the Encore and the French edition of the show. Nonetheless, it’s been lots of fun! Something we definitely should do a lot more…! Your thoughts about this? 😉

Following the Bla Bla Bla, we enjoyed that last day in NYC to walk around a little bit. There was that very special place that Jeff wanted to show us ABSOLUTELY. And that place was the Rough Trade Records store. We walked around in a nearby park and enjoyed the view of Manhattan skyline, where we headed right after for a tradition we have every time we are in NYC, Eataly! We took the metro back to Brooklyn, and went to the park once more, this time to see the Manhattan skyline at night, and to share a toast…! New York might need nothing because there’s already so much in there. But the spirit we brought in that city that never sleeps sure had no equal. Here’s to another milestone on our road…!

Love you guys!
See you around next time on the road, hopefully very soon!
– Stephanie

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