The Coolest Rock Star I Have Ever Met

Over the years, I have more rock stars than I can count.  It's one of the perks of the job.  Typically, half of them are cool and the other half are jerks.  Out of them all, there's one guy that I would honestly consider a friend.  His name is Ivan Moody and he will be in Billings tonight singing for Five Finger Death Punch.

I first met Ivan back in 2003 when he was in a band called Motograter.  They had just been signed to Metallica's label Elektra Records and Ivan came in for an interview on a station I was working for in California.  We are both the same age and we both grew up in Denver, so we had a lot in common.

Every few months, Ivan's band would roll through town and we would hang out.  Then, Atlantic Records bought out  Elektra and dropped the band.  Ivan ended up getting a real job, hanging drywall in Phoenix.  He would call me and talk about how he "almost made it".

He ended up Las Vegas and met up with a band that needed a singer.  They later became Five Finger Death Punch.  Almost immediately, they signed another record deal and released their first album. It ended up selling over a half million copies and went on to become the first of several gold albums for the band.  I last saw Ivan in 2008, when 5FDP was on the Mayhem Festival with Slipknot.

Ivan actually came down into the crowd during the set, saw me and gave me a hug.  After the show, he sent a roadie over to come take me backstage.  We smoked a phatty and talked about his journey.  We've traded a few e-mails since, but haven't had the chance to hang out.

If you are going to see the concert tonight, not only will you get to experience an awesome hard rock frontman, but you will also be watching the coolest, most down to earth rock star I have ever met.