The last month has been an incredible adventure. When I was originally contacted about doing the Sidekick Roadie thing I couldn’t believe that it was actually real. I kept waiting for the “Ha ha! Gotcha!” that never came. Come on, would you believe someone if they told you: “We’re going to fly you around to concerts with Grammy award winning artists in Chicago, New York, and Miami. Full access at the shows, and you’ll get to meet the performers.” I didn’t until I was actually on that first flight in Chicago. But once the ball started rolling, I had more and more fun with every trip.

I want to take a moment to thank all the people involved with this. The Grammy people who have put a lot of work into these shows. T-Mobile for not only picking up the bills for the shows/after parties/etc, but for also giving me this great opportunity (and of course the Sidekick)! It’s been a blast, hopefully we can do it again sometime! Glen, the bus driver that hauled us around to different clubs after the shows and drove the Sidekick Tour bus cross country. And finally, Colbie Caillat, Cat Power, John Legend, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Kat DeLuna, Pitbull, and Ozomatli for putting on great shows and being all around cool people.

It’s definitely been a journey that will not be forgotten.

Sidekick Roadie signing off…

-Ed

Listen up gang, I’m going to dish out some tips on how to make the best of your experience with the Grammy Tour.

#1: Go click on the VIP Link on the right hand side of the page right now. No seriously, right now. I’ll wait… Done? Good. I’ve heard that not a whole lot of people are actually entering the contest, probably thinking “oh I never win anything”. Because all these people are slackers, this means you have a great chance of actually winning it! Look at Val, she had a great night in Chicago and is rocking a brand new LX because she entered.

#2: Go to the T-Mobile stores that are listed for your city in order to get tickets. You can’t buy these tickets anywhere. Do it quickly too! The Vic Theatre was packed, and there’s only so many people that can get in before the fire marshal comes knocking at the door.

#3: Make sure you flash your Sidekick to the right people once you’re in the show. This will score you a wristband that’s good for free drinks and food, as well as access to a private area where you and your Sidekick friends can hang out.

#4: Make sure you get there early enough to catch everyone performing and you get a good spot up front.

#5: If you get there early you can also hang out on the T-Mobile Sidekick bus that’s probably parked out front. There’s a wheel to spin to win free stuff like Sidekick gear and Grammy CDs. It’s also a cool place to just chill. Say hi to Glen (the guy that drives the bus) for me!

#6: Keep an eye out for the T-Mobile Sidekick bus the day of the concert. It will be driving around the city, parking in areas where there are a lot of people and opening up the doors. If you spot it, hop on board and hang out with some models and chat about the Sidekick, check out the devices if you don’t already have one, and more. There’s also a chance you might score some tickets to the concert if you don’t have them already.

#7: And the last thing I’ve learned so far…. T-Mobile knows how to throw a party. Don’t miss your chance when the tour bus comes to your town.

Wow, what a trip! I didn’t have a chance to post much last night because I was too busy running around having fun. But now it’s time for “What it’s like to be a Sidekick Roadie”.

The evening started off with getting together with some friends I knew in Chicago. We grabbed some dinner and then headed over to the Vic Theatre. Not having ever been to the Vic, we were wondering where it was until we saw the giant T-Mobile bus with the biggest picture of a Sidekick LX plastered on the back of it. “Yep, this must be the place.” Two of my friends were able to score tickets, and I picked up my All Access pass and we were in! Then it was time to get a ton of wristbands so we could access all the different areas. When you go to the concert, don’t forget to bring your Sidekick (as if that’s a possibility) and you can flash it to upgrade to “VIP Status”. This means you get to hang out in a special area reserved only for the cool kids, plus free food and drinks!

At first I wandered around the floor, watching Colbie Caillat sing. She was great. A good voice with fun and happy songs. When she got off stage the T-Mobile crew grabbed me and we went up to the balcony overlooking the stage for a meet and greet with her. She came up, met some people, snapped a few photos with us (I hope my eyes weren’t closed!), hung out for a few minutes and then headed out. Looking out over the balcony I saw how packed the place was! The floor was filled with people dancing and singing along with the DJ in between sets and texting friends. Rather than try to push my way through the crowd, I decided that I would take full advantage of the comfy balcony along with the T-Mobile team and the VIP winners for Chicago. I spent Cat’s entire set up in the balcony, enjoying her covers of familiar songs and her dancing around the stage.

In between Colbie and Cat there were raffles where you could win a Sidekick LX. I pulled my ticket out each time, wondering what I’d do with a second Sidekick LX if I won, but of course luck was with someone else that night.

I didn’t know what to expect with John Legend’s show. I had seen little videos here and there on the web, but hadn’t realized the level of intensity with which he puts on a show. He came on stage to a crowd going absolutely nuts! Lights, backup singers, screaming fans, and all! He put on an incredible show, one that anyone would appreciate whether they like John Legend or not. One lucky fan actually got pulled up on stage to slow dance with him for one song, and he spent some time right up against the front row singing to everyone. He also did a great cover of The Beatles “I Want You”. All in all an excellent show. When he was done performing, he came up to the balcony to meet us, take a few pictures, and hang out with his fans for a bit. Wanting to give his fans a chance to chat with him, we snuck out of the Vic and hopped on the T-Mobile tour bus to head to the after-party. You don’t think the night stops when the show is over do you? More on that later…

As I’m typing this, Cat Power is on stage singing to a packed house. Luckily I’ve got the all access pass that gets me up on the balcony over looking the stage. Perhaps the best seats in the house. Thanks T-Mobile! 

Oh, and did I mention, I just met Colbie Caillat a few minutes before. She’s even prettier in person. And yes, I did get my fix of “Bubbly”. I didn’t really know what to say to Colbie since I was so nervous. I think I managed to mumble “Uhhh.. Hi, I’m Ed”.

They’re also giving away a Sidekick LX (don’t know if it’s blue or brown, but who cares, right?) in a raffle at this show, so if you make it to a show, keep ahold of that ticket!

I’ve never been to a concert that had so many people typing on their phones. I almost got runover by a guy trying to text someone while he was walking. Oh and there are video cameras all over the place, so there should be some good video up soon. Be sure to look for yourself if you’re here. I’m taking pictures here and there. The one here is of Cat Powers performing. It’s dark and everyone is moving around so much so it’s hard to get good pics. I’m sure the Cobra Snake will have better ones.

Ok, what am I doing on my Sidekick, there’s a party going on here! Ed signing out till later.

-Ed

I’m in town Chicago people! Although by the time you probably read this I will be back out of town, having enjoyed my evening back in Chicago and looking forward to New York. I’m checked into a swanky hotel room, right off Lake Shore drive, on the lake itself! Well not literally on the lake, but you know what I mean. I can see the John Hancock building out my window and am watching the city traffic pass by out my window. This is apparently how the VIP roll with T-Mobile. If you haven’t entered to win VIP status, you should get on that. I don’t know exactly what they have planned for the winners, but I’m sure it’s going to be pretty cool.

As for me, I’m off to find some delicious food in Chicago. Should I try the deep-dish pizza? or perhaps a famous hot dog? Then it’s off to the Vic to pick up my ticket and into the show! Hope to see some of you there.

-Ed

Whew, almost didn’t make it to Chicago! I missed the BART train to the airport by 1 minute, but grabbed the next one 15 minutes later. I looked up info on the flight from my Sidekick to see what the chance of my flight being delayed was. Not very good, it showed that it was more often on time than not. I literally ran through the airport to check in and get through security, because I wasn't going to miss this trip. Luckily I made it on the plane just in time and even managed to score a window seat by swapping around with some people on the plane.

We took off and banked over the gorgeous waters of the Bay and headed off to Chicago, crossing snowy mountains, dried lake beds, and lots of clouds. The window seat was kind of pointless once my view was nothing but white clouds. I spent some time transferring songs to my Sidekick so I could listen to Cat, Colbie, and John. I've found I have a strange addiction to Colbie's song "Bubbly". Just can't get it out of my head. Hopefuly she'll sing it tonight at the show. Uh oh, the pilot says we're about to land, time to turn off electronic devices!

-Ed

I can't wait for tomorrow! I'll be coming into Chicago in the early afternoon, giving me a few hours to run around the city and hopefully catch up with some friends I met through some of the Sidekick blogs that are scattered around the internet. I don't have any specific plans on how to spend my time in the city, so if any of you have suggestions, let me know! If anyone out there does the Twitter thing, go ahead and follow me (username is edrabbit and the url is http://www.twitter.com/edrabbit) and you can get up to the minute news on where I am and what I'm doing and what sorts of cool people I'm hanging with.

For those of you wondering how to get tickets to see any of these shows, you're going to need to head into the local T-Mobile stores and see if they have any tickets left. You can find the locations for each city by clicking on the city and looking on the right hand side of the page. Also, don't forget to enter for VIP access, the T-Mobile people say there's a pretty good chance at winning still. Not only will you get free tickets and backstage passes, but you'll get to hang out with us Roadies. Come on, that's pretty cool, right?

So tonight I pack up my bags, decide which gadgets and laptops to bring, clear off my memory card for new photos, and then it's off to Chicago for a night of good music, and probably more people IMing and text messaging at a concert than I've ever seen before!

I just rolled out of bed and jumped online to check and see if more info had been posted for the other shows. My jaw dropped when I saw Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes pop up for New York. I’ve been a longtime fan of Missy Elliot. Her style and music are just incredible. I can’t wait to actually see her live! And Busta Rhymes?! At the same show? Pretty much just plain rad. They could make me sit through 2 hours of people dropping drawers of silverware and calling it music as an opener and I’d still wait to see these two.

There’s less than a week left until the Chicago show at The Vic Theatre. I’ll be honest, when I first heard that John Legend was playing I realized that I really hadn’t listened to much of his stuff. So I jumped on his official website and checked out several of his videos. Then I downloaded his album and started listening on my morning bus rides and around the house. I must say he has an incredibly great voice and is amazingly talented. I’m pretty excited to see him perform in Chitown. I also found out that Cat Power and Colbie Caillat will be performing in Chicago. A pretty sweet lineup for a concert. These are definitely going to be shows not to miss! If you haven’t checked into tickets, go hit up your T-Mobile store. If you’ve already got tickets, drop me a line and let me know which shows you’ll be at!

I’ve always wanted to feel like a rockstar. Traveling the country on tour, new towns, new shows, new faces, and all. There’s just a slight setback to that dream, I can’t really play any instruments. And as for my singing, let’s just say that I won’t be winning a Grammy any time soon. That’s why I’m stoked to be going ‘on tour’ as a Sidekick Roadie to check out some great artists all over the country! I was really surprised that T-Mobile picked me, but I’m totally taking them up on the offer and packing my bags for a whirlwind of an April.

The first stop is in Chicago, where I lived for almost 3 years before moving out to the San Francisco Bay Area. Hopefully I’ll be missing any remainders of the cold winter as I check out John Legend at the Vic Theatre. Then a week later it’s time to hit up New York for an as of yet unnamed performer. (Geez TMobile, you really like to keep me in suspense, eh?) And then after that I’m packing my swimsuit to head down to Miami.

But you’re probably wondering who the heck I am and why I’m so excited to be traveling to these Sidekick events. I’m a long time Sidekick user, hearkening back to the “bar of soap” black and white Sidekick days when I got hooked. I’ve owned just about all the devices (except the SKiD and Slide) and am currently loving the LX with it’s gorgeous screen. But I’m not just your ordinary Sidekick addict, I also run a well-known unofficial Sidekick blog you’ve probably heard about, as well as some theme sites. I have been engrossed in the Sidekick community for 6 years now. Perhaps not surprisingly, this won’t be the first time I’ve traveled around the country for the Sidekick. I’ve got friends all over the US that I’ve met and still keep in touch with via the Sidekick. It’s such a great community and I look forward to the chance to meeting even more Sidekick fans at these concerts. If you see me, don’t be shy, come up and introduce yourself!

Yo!

Welcome to my 50th GRAMMY Celebration Concert Tour presented by T-Mobile Sidekick weblog—my name’s Dave. I make movies in gorgeous Hollywood, U.S.A.

Back a couple months ago, I won the grand prize in the T-Mobile Sidekick Video Contest with a video I put together. (Shout out to LG & Laura!) I was totally hooked up and got to be on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Super cool, but the dude totally mispronounced my last name!! (LA-HAIR?? haha)

Check out my Jimmy Kimmel appearance here : youtube.com/watch?v=4bLjgieLeWA

Anyways, the people at T-Mobile Sidekick asked if I wanted to be a part of their upcoming concert tour, post weblogs, take photos, meet some cool people, etc.—I said, awesome, Let’s do it! I’m totally excited to be a part of it, and I hope you guys enjoy checking out my posts, exclusive photos and all the action from the road!

Feel free to message me and I hope to see everyone at the concerts coming up!

stay cool,
-Dave