Exodo Fest With Tourniquet...and Andy Robbins

Published on april 30th, 2017 |  by David CrossChild

On United States is the  Easter, but in the Hispanic world is called "La Semana Santa, La Semana Mayor (Holy Week) and everybody celebrated the Passion of Jesus Christ, his death and his resurrection and for this reason, before to talk of my story about the band Tourniquet in the Exodo Fest in Mexico, I will like to show to you what The Bible said, because if we will be remember to Jesus, we need to practice what Jesus said.

S. Mathew 6:12 and Forgive our debs as we also have forgiven our debtors. S. Mathew 5:43-44  You have heard that is was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy, But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Well, I wrote this and I will like  apologies with the people of the Exodo Fest for my words on my review of 2016 because apparently I don't read the small letters of the contract in their Facebook page when they said that for $390.00 Mexican pesos, you have a seat on the bus from Ciudad Mexico to go to the fest and returning Sunday at 12pm.

Nobody wanted to pay attention or explain me correctly how to leave the place where I was, since at that time, and I accept, i was like any other visitor to the festival with my sleeping booth and everything but thanks to the kindness of the Sacrosent band that I was allowed to stay in the cabin with them. But as i explain in my review last year, at the end of the Fest i sleep at the Airport of Mexico and I returned home next Monday. 

Anyway, last Monday April 17 I had a nice conversation with Pastor Miguel who finally explain to me how works this if you want to leave the Fest before the Sunday. He said me that is a Micro Bus that take you to the nearby Cities of Huamatla and Apizaco where you can take another bus to Mexico City and this buses are leaving around 7am, also told me more things that I will reserve at this moment.

Well, I received a Message from the Rivera Bomma Band asking me if I can help with their merchandise table and my answer was "Yes", but with the condition that i can stay with them in the same cabin and have food and transportation to the activity, they told me "we have a deal",  they gave my name to the promoters to be include me as a crew member of the band and they send the next e-mail: 

"...also will be David from FireCross Ministry, he speak Spanish both will be helping us".

I was going to meet the band in Mexico at 11:30 am but my flight was delayed around 30 minutes and when I landed in Mexico the band already was eating at the airport with the promoters and they was sending me text messages, but i was inside the plane, and when finally I was at the food court they already gone and they was in the Bus at door 7. 

I saw other persons of the Fest near to a band that came from Norway and they was waiting for the band Armor of God, and I ask where is the door 7 and they point finger to another direction, they sent me back to the check point. Once there I ask to the airport employees who sent me back to the correct place, but the bus was already gone. In this moment I feel like the boy of the movie "Home Alone" and for a second I didn't know what to do. Rod Rivera text me again and told me that still people from the Fest waiting at the food court and I find the group just on time to meet the Armor Of God Band that just arrived to Mexico.

Finally the guys discover that they don't have a place to stay because the management of the place had over sold the site and did not have available space available at this time. I ask for Rivera Bomma Band, and they told me they are at the stage area, but they was not there and I ask to the person in charge but she said that she don't have the list available at this time and she was busy trying to resolved the situation with the other bands and she can't remember in what cabin Rivera Bomma are. I wait like 2 hours and a half, my cell don't work good, no signal but around 6:30 pm I received a message from Mr. Rivera and told me where they are.  But at that moment ¡Boom! Tourniquet Just arrived to the Fest and for my surprise, inside the bus was the bass player in Holy Soldier, Mr. Andy Robins, WOW. Also inside the bus was Aaron Guerra but the most emotional moment was when Ted Kirkpatrick saw me and his first words were :

"David my old friend" How are you? Hey guys this is our fan number one". He took a photo at his graduation day with a TouniqueT t-shirt and I still have posted in our pages. He know  everything about Christian Rock, He know all the History about the Christian Rock. Right, David? 

...and I was amazed because he remember me and my answer was "Yes this is correct". Then the new lead singer from TourniqueT Mr. Jason Robison ask me if I know a band with the name of "Saviour Machine" and my answer was: "yes, I have all the entire collection signed by the band" and he smile and said "ok you convince me". Then he left the bus, and I saw Mr. Andy Robbins and I told him in few words part of my testimony related to his band Holy Soldier and I told him about my Military tags that read Holy Soldier on it, but also i ask to him for a possible band reunion, and he told me "NEVER SAY NEVER" and said me that they all are good friends and always have a change to share time together.

With Andy Robbins and Jason Robison

Well, finally I found my cabin and I spoke with Rivera Bomma band members and I ask if we can go to eat something, so we move to the food area, but we realized that we don't have yet a silver tag that the bands used to can access the tent where is the food, and we ask for the person in charge, but she told me that tent access is only for band member and was not for the entire crew. So I told her that they are 3 band members and 2 still at the cabin and explain to her that I will be in charge of the merchandise table and take some pictures to the band while are playing, but she told me the answer was no.".  So, I left the place and move to the food court to buy some foods. For my surprise, they don't have water available for sales, they told me that only have some cokes. Wow and was only 8pm on Thursday, Well I buy a coke and a burger and I move to take some pictures.

The  first band that play was Exousia, a very popular Mexican band, then was Broken  Flesh and this band presented a great message, very strong and in this one the lead singer explain how he accept Jesus in the must darker moment of his life. He said that was a Satanic priest but in the middle of his emptiness he try to suicide but Jesus came on time and save him. Then was the time for Armor of God, a band of Power Metal put the public to Jump and enjoy the every single song. 

I wait one more band and then I left the concert area and go to my bed to try to sleep, but I can't, I think that maybe was the altitude. In the morning i explain to Mr. Rivera and i asking if he can show again the email to the Pastor Miguel so he can see that my name was in the list like a crew, and he promise to me that he will do. We Breakfast together in a near restaurant very close to the cabin and finally I found some water. I continue walking to the concert area to check where will be our table for the merchandise and was preaching the guy of Broken Flesh and he gave more detail about how he find Jesus. Then Pastor Miguel brought a few words about the Bible and also spoke about the Octopus, that is also the theme of the activity and bring important stuff about this animal. Then Mr. Rivera show up with the merchandise bag but we need to wait because our table was not available at that moment.

After a while the music started again, unknown the name of the first band because I was at Rivera Bomma table, but the only I really know was that after the second presentation of Armor of God, Rivera Bomma Band played.

Rivera Bomma Band...they are running since 1998, they are from Newark and in my humble opinion they was ignored by the media (Christian Radio Show, Magazines etc). The New members Tony Stahl in piano, Mike Lepond in Bass, Dan Prestup on drums and Will Shaw as new singer, join forces with Rod Rivera. The quality of their music was demonstrated on stage, where they shined with their own light and leave the Mexican people with open jaws and screaming for more, once and another time, but because they was running late the promoters don't gave a second chance to this public that was hungry for more music of them.

Many people compare their music with the legendary Yngwie Malmsteen, like a Christian version of him. They started with the song Victory from their first full album, next they played The Maker, Ridding high, Revelation, Via Dolororsa, song that was request but the band don't played, and they closed with the song In the Blood. Unfortunately John Bomba is not in the band and this was the debut of the new singer Will Shaw, who honestly surprised me a lot, good scenic control and a very good voice.

Finally Tourniquet, the most expected band of the night. They delighted us with their music, songs like Acid Head, The Test for Leprosy, 86 Bullets, Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance, The Tomb of Gilgamesh, Bearing Gruesome Cargo, Broken Chromosomes, Where Moth and Rust Destroy, Ark Of Suffering, Vanishing Lessons, WOW.

The only thing I can say is that I want to congratulate Mr. Andy Robbins, "I take my hat off to you" He told me during the event that he don't have any contact with Tourniquet in more of 20 years, and in that occasion Luke Easter sang a song with his band Holy Soldier, but nobody took pictures or video that night, and they contact him for this activity, he listened the songs and really did a practice before the show with Aaron. My Friend Andy Robbins, you played very very good, no mistakes, like if you was play in Tourniquet all your life.

Andy Robbins on Stage with Tourniquet

Well, everybody knows that Mr. Luke is not longer in the band, so now was the debut of Mr. Jason Robison, from bands like Wrath of Typhon, and Seraphine another Melodic Metal band. I have to admit that i think that Mr. Robison is a little crazy, he ran all the stage and also he jump from the stage in a little empty space, but he surprise to the people with his big energy and  charisma.

Jason Robison on his debut

I think that Tourniquet is a band that need always 2 guitar players because this is something visual, when you hear the changes in one guitar, you expected to see a second guitar player, but this don't happened.  Ted excused one of their musician because he can't make it. I think that he stay at United States but even with only that Mr. Aaron Guerra that did a good job, I still think that their music is so complicated  for only one guitar player.

Aaron Guerra on Stage

Well, Ted, Ted is TED and his capacity at the drums is amazing, I event don't remember in what song he did the drum solo, i only can say is that he play spectacular, and also he taked a time to preach between the songs and he asked for a interpreter to be sure everybody understood the message he brought from God to all of us.

Ted Kirkpatrick Preaching

Now, In the afternoon, Before Tourniquet showed up at the stage, I take my time to do some questions to Mr. Kirkpatrick, for example, if he doesn't miss his old band, his old friends, and if someday there will be a reunion tour, and I told to Ted that in my Facebook I have Erik Mendez and I made mention that he always talked about him because people always  ask to him about a Reunion Tour. Ted said " A Erik, he is very funny right", he always make me laugh!  Well, I told him that I always talk to him at his Facebook and also with Gary and  that we the fans dream with a Reunion of the old band.

Also I comment to him that last year, i had the great opportunity to meet Mr. Victor Macias, and this last one is very difficult to find because he don't have any account in the internet to find him, but he is very active now playing with Deliverance. Ted also ask me how was this presentation and I told him that Deliverance play better than ever and also I comment to him that Mr. Jim Chaffin from The Crucified is playing with them and he said "Oh yeah, I know that him is very good drummer". I mention to him that Erik posted a photo with the band, all of them with white suits and he said that remember that picture that was at Gary wedding and was very good times and I replay to him that I cried a little and I asked to him: Do not you really miss those times? and he only told me that the bands have internal problems, little things that happened and people don't know, and I only told him  "Yes ,I agree and I'm not interested in know their internal problems, but take in mind that the fans still waiting for a Tourniquet Reunion Tour?

Andy Robbins and Ted Kirkpatrick

During the 3 days was a great crowd , I think more than the last year, but the cold also was very intense, I think they said was -7 degrees Celsius. Imagine that when we was in the mountain was not snow, but by Friday all the top was freezing.

I wait for the last band Impending Doom, they play 3 songs and they had a big problem with the sound equipment, this never happened in all show, just with the last band, i heard 3 songs and then I left, I think they took like 15 minutes,I don't know, I can't still waiting so I left to sleep.

Next day I left with Rivera Bomma Band in the bus and we arrived with no problems to the airport, one of the guys left the fest as soon like they played because he went to do some sightseeing in the morning in Mexico, but for me, i don't think I will return again to the Exodo Fest, but yes, I hope see the Pyramids next time.