This being my first Go Skate Day in NYC (normally it falls on a weekday and I am working, so I only catch the evening venues), my intentions were to try and get as much in as possible. Well, plans never work out the way you want them, especially when Ghostface and Raekwon are involved. My plan was simple: Start at House of Vans, take a few photos of the skating there and the surprise guest performance, then follow the mob to the other venues… Famous last words.

Left home a little later than I wanted because I have a hard time figuring out what gear to bring, and skating with multiple cameras is never ideal on a normal mission, so it’s even worse on GSD. I opted to drive to House of Vans and as I pulled up I heard the swarm of skaters and music playing. Made my way to the bowl and caught a few flicks of skaters carving in the bowl. The music stopped, and I heard a couple of voices that sounded all too familiar so I started making my way to the pit. Ghost and Rae come out and the place explodes. I made my way in and started snapping away. Somehow I found myself on stage shooting with Craig Wetherby.

After a live set that lasted about an hour, running through the library of classics, needless to say, skating took a back seat to the concert high. All the other events going on couldn’t compare to what I was feeling, and I was glad skateboarding brought me here. I sat down and gathered myself and gear, talked to a few friends, but can honestly say that skating was the last thing on my mind. I left HOV alone without a clue where any of my friends were, but it didn’t matter. I did manage to skate aimlessly with with a mob down Bedford Ave., but if all I did was witness a live Ghost and Rae performance, that would have been enough.