Herman Li of Dragonforce
What's on your rider?Because of the huge number of shows we have to do on a world tour, we no longer have the insane amount of alcohol that we used to. These days it's really healthy.
What's your pre-gig ritual/ routine?We take every show we play very seriously, so I'm afraid our friends all have to go hang out at the bar without us one hour before showtime. Each of us has our own individual warm-up routine before we hit the stage to make sure the fans get their heads blown away when they see us play. I do at least one hour of warm-up playing the guitar, jamming to my favourite songs.
Who is the most famous person to have shown up at one of your gigs?A few months ago at an aftershow, Brian May came up to me saying he wanted to come see DragonForce play live. Yeah, I'm serious! He actually came up and told me saying how much he likes our music.
Most embarrassing on-stage moment?Stage dived into the crowd at a sold out show and not a single fan caught me! Painful!
How many roadies does it take to change your lightbulbs (ie, how big is your entourage)?Loads! I don't actually know the exact number of crew we are talking, but we have a big production on this tour so I expect quite a lot to make sure the show runs smooth each night.
Any useful stage tips?Don't stare at your feet or instrument. And don't stand still like a statue.
What's the worst thing ever thrown at you?I don't remember anything thrown at me apart from a pint of beer. That one tasted good, though!
Who's invited to your aftershow party?Everyone who wants to have fun and not start any trouble is cool with us.
What's your best tour story?I remember a few years ago we were in Russia for a couple of shows. We had to travel on an overnight train to Moscow from St Petersburg. The Russians get seriously hammered on vodka on those trains and our drummer Dave decided to join them. He got so drunk that he pissed on one of the other guys twice while he was sleeping. Dave was so out of it he thought the sleeping compartment was the toilet!
DragonForce play The Academy, Dublin on Tuesday
