Once we got into the terminal we had to clear immigration. A very simple concept that just doesn't work in Russia. A dim and grim looking room at the bottom of a stairwell is where the green booths are located. The line went up to the top of the stairs and would stay like that for a while - only one booth was open. As I walked to the men's room behind the stairwell, I could see the additional immigration officers having a nice smoke break. Why should they worry about the line rolling up the stairs. Of course as soon as another booth opened up it was like the doors being opened for a general admission concert. This happened 3 or 4 times as more booths opened up. Somehow we still managed to be one of the last ones through the booth, even though we were one of the first to arrive.

Once we hit the booth, a bright fluorescent light would highlight your face in a very green like plutonium way - and the beautiful Russian woman behind the glass who decided whether you got to come in or stay out wasn't about to shed a smile on anyone.

We finally cleared the airport and were soon on our way into downtown Moscow. You immediately get the feeling that things probably haven't changed much since the wall came down. The buildings all looked identical and it was obvious that there wasn't much money to maintain these places. The structures were linked together with cables running from roof to roof. No ground wiring, just a heap of big black cables.

The airport lies about an hour outside of Moscow. The roads are huge and always filled with cars. A good of number of the roads have no lines painted, but somehow traffic manages to flow evenly. The cars wouldn't even have been mentioned for the CA smog test. You see a few BMWs and Mercs, but for the most part, the car of choice is the Lada. In case you have never heard of it, it's a simple metal box from Poland about the size of a Ford Festiva. It was a very common site to see these cars on the side of the road with the hood in the up position. No roadside assistance at the ready.

Police cars vary from flashy BMW's to little Lada's with a tiny police light on top. Seems like if you know the right person you can fly through town with a blue beacon.

If you're a pedestrian trying to cross the road you are certainly living on the edge. Stoplights for the walking folk doesn't happen very often, and there's only a few places where tunnels cross underneath the huge roads.

The city of Moscow has around 10 million people spread out over a very large space. Only a few people speak English, the younger generation are a better hope if you need help. The city is very polluted, you can see and smell it in the air. We arrived at the hotel around 10:30pm and the sun was still high in the sky. A complete sunset doesn't happen until around Midnight.

Before we went to Russia we were told that it's a very dangerous place, and to be very careful when you leave the hotel. In all honesty I never felt that. I traveled on the Subway, walked through the city at different hours of the day and night. All I could see was people minding their own business. I even had a camera with me, and certainly wasn't shy to use it. I asked people for help, and they were more than helpful. I should actually correct that by saying that it was more of a homemade sign language. Hey it worked.

The subways are museums. Each one is different in design. Old wooden escalators take you deep down into the ground. Beautiful murals, chandeliers, arches, and statutes fill the stations. If you are looking for local merchandise, the tunnels are the places to look. I found a beautiful, handcrafted painted wooden bowl set for nest to nothing in this underworld. The subway system can be challenging, especially since there is no western alphabet to be found. So you get a subway map, find a friendly looking Russian who points on your map and then puts you in the right direction.

The only chance we had to see Red Square was at 2 a.m. It immediately struck us as amazing that this old cobble stone square carried tanks, nuclear missiles, and thousands of soldiers through on parades. I asked one of the locals if the parade still went on. He said that it still happens, it's a tradition. Parents bring their kids to see and experience what was once the center of attention. The statement that everything looks bigger on TV is definitely true here. The square was tiny compared to the amount of military traffic that goes through on a parade.

There are a number of statues, squares, and churches in the city. Most of the statues are related to the military. The churches are beautifully colored. Some Golden, others bright red. I did notice quite a bit of restoration going on.

Our gig was at Gorky Park. It was an old amphitheater that was once used for straight theatre. Open concrete standing room only in front, with old wooden benches the rest of the way back. This venue may well have been condemned in the States. Weeds were making their way through the ground in the back. The Grid above the stage was an old wooden roof, and the fly system was electric. Of course not all the parts were in working order.

The lighting and sound companies were both very helpful. The gear was pretty decent. Language barrier wasn't too bad, and for the things that didn't come across, we had an interpreter named Tim. His band was the opening act. He was trying desperately to get him and his wife to the States. As positive and enthusiastic as he was, there was still a feeling that any attempts were just of no use. Even big recording artists in Russia don't live that well. There are no major laws on piracy, so it's tough to get good sales. It's also a market that stays within the country. Some international recording companies tried to bring bands from Russia, but none have been successful.

When they were ready to open the doors, lines of soldiers entered the venue. Not much smiling going on there. All green outfits with what looked like bullet proof vests. They all carried aluminum sticks for crowd control. I must say after much jumping and laughing I actually got two of them to break a smile - but they still wouldn't pose in a picture with me. Apparently these guys make $150 a month, which isn't a lot even by Russian standards. Although I was later enlightened that most of them don't really starve, blackmail is a very popular way of getting perks on the side.

During the show one kid jumped onto the stage. He didn't get far though. 3 soldiers grabbed him, one of them dragging him by his hair. I later found out that the aluminum sticks came into full force on this kid backstage. There was a mixture of soldiers and guys in suits who acted as security. Not sure where the guys in suits came from.

The Russian kids definitely love their rock n roll, but for promoters it's not easy to break even. The weather was beautiful, but the $15 concert ticket just was too high for a lot of the younger generation.

When it came to leave, we should have known that our early departure to the airport wasn't because of distance. In all my travel experiences, I have never gone through customs on the way out. We spent 45 minutes in customs just to get to the check in desk. After that we then had to clear immigration. Once again we saw the mad rush happen as soon as another booth opened up. Thoughts of trying to get out of this country before the wall must have been depressing. That is if you were allowed to leave.

Once on the plane we started our long taxi to the runway. Zigzagging around the dead planes, some without engines in them.

It seems to me that the people in Moscow I met would rather leave their country and travel to the new world that we so often complain about.