Tribe Summer Tour 2003

Tribeworld Tour Diary 2 - 23th August - 2nd September 2003

Saturday, 23rd August 2003 - London (Tribal Gathering)

It felt like we hadn't been to sleep when the alarm went off at 5am but we had to crawl out of bed and get checked in for our flight. It was a very bleary eyed group of cast who were greeted by some fans at the airport! Hope we didn't look too bad!

On to the plane and we managed to get another hour or so of shut eye before we touched down at Heathrow where we had to wait forever for our luggage. We finally got it all and hopped into our van and drove into the city for some breakfast at a greasy diner.

Then we drove to the Hippodrome and went in the back door where we were greeted by David Longman the International Brand Manager for Cloud 9. He and Hannah Butler had arranged the event and they talked us through the schedule and made sure that we were settled into our dressing rooms before they went off to continue getting everything organised.

We took a seat on a couch and suddenly Matt came in the door! We hadn't seen him for a few months so there was a lot of hugging going on. We got into our cossies and slapped on the make-up and then went downstairs to the basement. We stepped onto a platform and suddenly we were being raised up to meet the crowd. What an awesome feeling! We were so excited and could hear the crowd screaming for us. We erupted up onto the stage in a blaze of flashing lights and dry ice and it was just amazing; something we will never forget.

We were amazed to see that so many people had dressed up and it was really hard when we had to choose just 20 (we made it 21 actually) fans to come up on stage. We were particularly impressed by Spider from Leeds who was in drag as Ebony. Nice pair of legs Spider! We thought the set-up for the day was so cool because there was a huge screen behind the stage and we all got to watch the latest episode of The Tribe on it as well as the footage shot earlier this year when we toured round Europe, Scandinavia, The Netherlands and the UK. All the fans screamed every time they saw something they liked and it was an electric atmosphere.

We got to relax for a while and watch the Youth Create team perform their 4 minute drama based on The Tribe and they did such a cool job. We're really excited about something called Tribe Community which we are hoping will be introduced to all schools throughout England very soon.
After signing autographs we had to choose the Fan of the Day but it was so hard to decide. In fact there were fans from Germany, Denmark and France at the Gathering as well. We felt humbled by that but so pleased that it was an event that everyone could take part in.

Wow, what an amazing day. So much fun and so much support from everyone who made it there. We were so blown away by the event that we're sure that we'll hold more in the future so we hope to meet many more of you at Gatherings soon.

Time to head back to the hotel and we managed a quick change before we headed to dinner at Pizza Express with some competition winners and their families. Back to the hotel for a cup of tea and a calm down in the bar after a wonderful day.

Sunday, 24th August 2003 - London

A sleep in this morning! Yay! And we got our washing done, hallelujah - things were starting to get pretty stinky in our suitcases! After breakfast we jumped into the van and drove up to Cambridge for a charity cricket match, listening (and singing to) music all the way there. What a blast!

Several sore throats later we arrived at the venue which was somebody's back garden. But what a garden! It was really a huge field with a marquee and a cricket pitch. A great day in the beautiful sunshine, great company and all for a good cause (ABC - for children in Brazil). What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We journeyed back to London and stopped on the way for some dinner.

We eventually got back to the hotel at midnight and got into our comfy beds for a good sleep. We're taking the day off tomorrow so that we can pack and get organised for Atlanta. We're really looking forward to Dragon*Con and have heard that there will be heaps of Tribe fans there, some even travelling from the UK and Europe!

Monday, 25th August 2003 - London

A well deserved sleep in and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Most of us didn't get up until 10am - lovely!

Everyone had different plans today because it was our first day off! Meryl, Beth, Matt, Saranne and Emily headed to Oxford Circus for some serious shopping! We started at Top Shop which is of course one of our favourites. Beth bought a CD and some hair products. Outside Top Shop we spotted Shabbs - a well known Tribe fan. We chatted for a while about our weekend and our week ahead.
We were pretty tired from wandering all the shops by then and headed to Garfunkels for some lunch. Over lunch we decided that we would like to see a movie so we headed back to our hotel and dumped all our shopping. With only girls wanting to see a movie the only choice could be Pirates of the Carribean.

An early night because we have a fairly early start and want to be well rested for our time in Atlanta.

Tuesday, 26th August 2003 - London / Atlanta

Got up fairly early and had a quick breakfast. None of us feeling too flash as we hadn't got much sleep last night. London can be noisy at the best of times but last night it was as if every man and his dog were cruising the streets making a racket. An alarm at the hotel went off at some stage in the night which woke us all up and then the rest of the night we could hear all sorts of noises outside the windows!

Anyway, we checked out of our hotel and drove to Heathrow where we checked in for our flight to Atlanta via Chicago. We were all put through some major security searches - Beth and Caleb were frisked and then all of us had to empty our hand luggage and take our shoes off. Interesting!

On to the plane and we were happy to find that it was fairly spacious. The flight was a daytime one so we didn't sleep too well and spent most of the trip reading and listening to music - we had watched all the movies on the way over from New Zealand last week.

We were glad to have a couple of hours in Chicago and we had to get a little train from one terminal to the other where we were then put through security again. We got over that quickly enough and caught the second flight. We were all out for the count and before we knew it we were landing in Atlanta.

We were met by Bridget from WAM! along with a lovely guy from the hotel and the gang who are running The Tribe Track at the convention, Dayna, Tami and Yolanda. We jumped into our car and were whisked away through the bright city lights of Atlanta to our hotel. And wow what a hotel! It's HUGE! We were blown away. The elevators are all lit up and hurtle up to the top of the hotel as if we were at a theme park!

We all have amazing views of the city from our rooms and as it was getting pretty late we decided to stay in and order room service for dinner and get a good night's sleep so that we're in the right frame of mind for a day of shopping tomorrow - can't wait!

Wednesday, 27th August 2003 - Atlanta

Comfy beds, great view, air conditioning cranked up to the max. Gorgeous. Had french toast for brekky and lots of great coffee. Then we met up with Bridget from WAM! and the Tribe Track organiser Dayna and we checked out the room that will be used for the convention. It's a nice big room and will no doubt look pretty different tomorrow when we tribe it up.

We jumped in a cab and went to the Lennox Mall where we all went a bit mad in the stores. There's so much choice and everything is so much cheaper than it is back in New Zealand so big bucks were spent.

We then had some lunch in the food court. Then we walked across to Target and spent a good hour racing up and down the aisles throwing things in the trolley. Everywhere we went people commented on our accents and said how lovely New Zealanders are - well, we tend to agree!

Out of Target and into a grocery store where heaps of tantalizing treats were put into the trolley this time. Back into a cab and we returned to the hotel for a bit of R&R. Beth watched a movie in her room and Caleb checked his emails.

Bridget and Emily went back to the airport to meet Tom and Mikey from their flight and the rest of us stayed in our rooms, entertained by an amazing lightning storm. From up here at the top of the hotel we had a grand view of the lightning as it got closer and closer and the thunder got louder and louder. Tom and Mikey arrived at the hotel and there were huge hugs all round. We all had some dinner together before returning to our rooms and settling in for another good night's sleep in our amazingly comfy beds.

Thursday, 28th August 2003 - Atlanta

Met up with the Dayna and her Tribe Track staff and went through the schedule for the next few days then had some time next door at the small Mall to have a look around.

It was another majorly hot day and we had another thunderstorm. Supposedly they get a lot of those in Atlanta because of the moisture in the air ­ at least it's good for growing peaches! Anyway, headed on down to the main exhibition hall to check out the WAM booth and we set up all of our merchandise. We all chipped in and got the job done in a hurry. Grabbed some lunch and headed out to another local Mall for some mad shopping. Meryl, Beth and Tom bought some shoes.

Back to the hotel through the rush hour traffic. The thunder and lightning went crazy overhead again so we were glad when we eventually got to the hotel. A 10 - minute change and we went back downstairs to meet Bridget, Glenn and Midge from WAM. We all jumped into a cab and went to a New Orleans theme restaurant for a gorgeous dinner. It was pretty loud in there so conversation was limited but we all had a good time and enjoyed trying out some Southern dishes.

Back to the hotel to get an early night as the convention kicks off tomorrow with an appearance on Good Morning Atlanta. We saw lots of interesting people in the foyer including some Tribe fans who had just arrived. It's fascinating to see some of the costumes that are on show already as more and more people turn up at the hotel and we can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring. And then it was time to check emails, phone home and get ready for bed. It all starts tomorrow!

Friday, 29th August 2003 - Atlanta (DragonCon Day 1)

Got up at the crack of dawn and got ourselves ready to head downstairs for our spot on Good Morning Atlanta. As we went down the escalator we saw some seriously interesting people. Darth Vadar, Klingons, Fairies and all sorts of other indescribable costumes were out in force so we took a few hours to get acclimatized!

Met up again at noon for an interview session with the team from WAM! and then we all went over to the Hyatt for the Tribe Fashion Show. There were some amazing costumes and we were pleased to see that fans had traveled from as far as New Mexico and London.

We met the Hanging with The Tribe Sweepstakes winner. We had a good chat with them and look forward to spending some more time with them as the weekend goes by.
After the contest there were some authentic costumes on show from The Tribe and the volunteers looked pretty cool in them.

Up to the Green Room where we met some great people from writers to animation artists. And then down in the glass elevator with a whole load of Orks from Lord of The Rings which freaked us out more than a little. Past no Face from Spirited Away and a quick dash back to our hotel for a bite of lunch on the run before Tom was required for his individual Q&A session.

We all met up again early evening to go back across to the Hyatt for the opening ceremony where the first 10 minutes of the first episode of The Tribe was shown to a large audience and then we went up on stage to wave to everyone.
Hotfooted it back to our hotel for a signing session with the fans at The Tribe Track and then a mature audience Q&A session where there were some very interesting topics covered and lots of laughter. Back up to our rooms at 10:00pm for supper and bed. No partying for us as we're all exhausted.

Saturday, 30th August 2003 - Atlanta (DragonCon Day 2)

Headed downstairs to meet up with everyone and then drove to the starting point of the Street Parade. What a sight! Beyond description - Stormtroopers, Klingons, Superman, No Face and all sorts of other amazing people lined up and took part in the parade through the streets of downtown Atlanta.

Our float was really cool. Bill Nilan and his team from Tribe Red Dragon decorated it all for us and they chose a beach theme. We sat in deckchairs and squirted each other with water pistols. The float was followed by fans who were wearing costumes from the show and they all looked really cool. At the end of the Parade we went over to the Hyatt for a discussion panel about growing up on The Tribe.

We then went down to the WAM booth for a signing session and were blown away by the line-up of people who had come just to get our autographs. Some time off in the afternoon to get ourselves organized for tonight. We all got into our smart clothes for another signing session in the WAM booth.

Then it was time for the Guest Banquet at the Hyatt. A very smart affair, we all sat down at proper tables. Raymond Thompson was given an award and Herndog read Ray's speech beautifully.

There were lots of older illustrators, writers and comic book icons there and we were fascinated to hear what they had to say. After dinner we went up to a suite for the WAM VIP party and had a great time meeting heaps of interesting people and spending time with the Tribe Track staff and other fans. Caleb, Mike, Herndog and Beth stayed at the party but Meryl, Saranne and Emily had to head home to their beds.

Sunday, 31st August 2003 - Atlanta (DragonCon Day 3)

Another early start to the day with a 9am interview for some fans representing a conglomerate of fan clubs. After the interview Beth and Tom took part in a game show based on Family Feud (Family Fortunes in the UK) and that was great fun. The Mall Rats vs the Technos and guess who won? Herndog and his crew from the audience.

Next up we had a signing session and got to say goodbye to some fans who are travelling home today. Some time off to recharge our batteries. Beth watched a movie. Then she headed on down for her Q&A session which she thoroughly enjoyed. And then it was time for another signing session. Time to head over to the Hyatt for an interview with the WAM competition winner. The cast got to ask her questions and the audience even joined in. An interview with Clear Radio Network for most of the cast while Tom went off to do a WAM interview.

Meryl and Tom went over to the Convention Centre for a rehearsal for their performance tonight at the Masquerade contest while the rest of the gang got some time to relax. Then it was time to meet up and go over to the Convention Centre where we all got to watch the amazing costumes that people had put together. We had front row seats and had our eyes glued to the stage as we watched the show. Meryl and Tom came on whilst the judges were making their decisions and performed for the crowd. It went down really well and there was great support from the Tribe fans who had come along just to see Herndog and Meryl sing in the audience but they had also enjoyed performing and will be buzzing about it for a while yet.
Back to the hotel for some closing idents with WAM and then up to bed. We get to sleep in tomorrow morning before the events start but we're all so tired after all the travelling we have been doing that it's important that we take care of ourselves.

Monday, 1st September 2003 - Atlanta (DragonCon Day 4)

First up this morning was a signing down at the WAM booth. Lots of fans had gathered with presents and gifts and last goodbyes.
Then it was over to the Hyatt for one of the final panels of the convention. It was a last chance for fans to get in any questions they hadn't got answered and a general discussion at the themes of the show over the last five series.

Lunch time and we headed to the American Grill that was in the hotel and we had lunch with the team from WAM. A chance to discuss the weekend and to say some sad goodbyes.
One last signing session and a group photo oppotunity for the fans. Lots of familiar faces and lots of loyal fans.

After around half an hour we headed for a coffee and said our final goodbyes to the WAM team. At 4.00pm it was the final panel for the convention. A time to say goodbye to everyone including the fabulous track staff that overwhelmed us with their generosity and support and made the panels run so smoothly. We had made plans to go to dinner with some friends and we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe around the corner.
We wandered back to our hotel for a semi early night as we have to be up by 4.30am tomorrow!

Tuesday, 2nd September 2003 - Atlanta / Auckland

Up very early for our dawn flight to Denver. We caught our flight to Denver then on to LA. We had a few hours in Los Angeles and time for some last minute shopping before getting on our flight to Auckland. The total flight time was around 12 hours to Auckland. Most of us managed to sleep at least nine of those hours and it was nice to be heading home.

We arrived in Auckland at 5.00am and sat down to a breakfast. It's been a fantastic trip and we take home so many amazing memories.