by Gert (posted Oct. 21, 2004)
Hello people, it's me, Gert.
I'm sorry I didn't write any sooner, but as you may or may not know: things can get pretty hectic on tour. Anyway, here's my short account of the past week.
Friday Oct 8
This is our first day off, but as expected, we spend it on our tour bus driving from Tucson to Austin. We stopped somewhere along the road to spend the night in a place called Fort Stockton. If you're wondering why you never heard of this place before, that's because it’s located in a parallel universe some call “The Twilight Zone”. It's in the middle of the dessert, and the people who served us food in the local gas station (a very cool place to hang out when stuck in Fort Stockton) amazed me by being extremely nice in such harsh circumstances. I had a Texas cheese melt. Very tasty. I can still taste it, and it's been a week. I believe later that night, we saw the 2nd presidential debate, in which George W. Bush again proved to be an ass.
Saturday Oct 9
As usual, since we headline each show fairly late, I got up around 1, and after a short stop at star bucks (for non-Americans: a chain where you can get great take-out coffee), I visited the local capitol. The flyer said, amongst a lot of other facts and history I found rather boring, that it's bigger then the one they have in Washington. I didn't really like it a lot, though… (Sorry Texans: I do like you ! Well, not all of you, but those I met where cool). Inside there where paintings of all the past governors of Texas, and the one of George W. Bush looked kind of impressive… but like I said: it was a painting. Anyway, on my way back I purchased two extremely hot sauces, because I like spicy food. I also like expensive Australian wines, and my birthday is the 19th of march.
Back in the club, we met Jen Foster, her band and the crew. They will be doing the rest of the tour with us, so from now on, our three-band bill is complete. Again, like the Skills of Ortega (and I can't believe how lucky we've always been with this over the last 10 years), incredibly nice people.
Later at the show, the turnout didn't exactly blow me away (I lie to blame it on some important college-football game that was played the same night). But the people who where there where awesome. A couple of them where friends of Brady, and one of them was Don Win, an eccentric but equally sweet and famous drummer, and I was proud when he told me afterwards he really likes what we're doing.
Sunday Oct 10
And for the first time on the Yellow Umbrella Tour, the weather really sucks. We're in Dallas, and tonight we'll be playing in the “Gypsy Tea Room”, where the local artist did a fantastic job painting the album cover of “Paradise in Me” on the wall of the club.
I realised yesterday that the amount of clean clothes I've got left is rapidly shrinking, so I felt I needed to do laundry today. People in the club explained where to go. After I walked around for about 1,5 hours, I decided the “Bar Soap” was either bankrupt or extremely small. Or maybe I did pass it, but for some reason kept on walking, which brings me back to another question: “Am I, or am I not, an idiot “? Anyway, I did find a cool leather seventies-jacket in a second-hand store that might have belonged to Alain Delon or Jacques Brel. I'm talking about the jacket, not the store.
By now Curt, our excellent guitar tech, is rehearsing like there's no tomorrow since he will be taking over John's lead guitar in a couple of days. Too bad that on a musical level, it’s just not clicking a 100 percent between John and our music. Very strange. He's most likely the best guitar player I ever played with, but I guess rock is just not really his thing. The way he approaches soul is amazing: you have to check out his album. (He goes by the name “John Black”).
We met with a couple of fans who were really happy to see us again, and it was mutual. It feels good to see how every single night, no matter how few they are, people walk up to us and say: I wish you guys would come more often.
Monday Oct 11
Houston. We have a very comfortable and clean dayroom. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept: we travel on a tour bus, which, with its beds, modest little living room, surprisingly small refrigerator and tiny little bathroom in which number 2 (also known as “kaka”) is totally out of the question, is our home. (I'm sorry : that was an unnecessary long sentence.) Anyway, so “Bus is home”.
Because the budget is fairly tight this time, we book 1 room every day where we can hang out when there's time, and in which we can all shower when we, as Curt describes it “start smelling like a circus person”. Maybe circus people smell really nice, like roses, or maybe Curt's right. I honestly don't know. Maybe, after a successful night at the circus, the juggler tells the bearded lady “Man, I really need that shower: I smell like a rock star”, and the bearded lady replies :” maybe rock stars smell really nice, like roses,... But what was I saying again? Right ! Dayroom!
Sometimes people at the hotel reception wonder why the hell we need 9 towels at 3 in the morning.
So what else did I do today? Laundry ! Woohoo! Never take the luxury of clean clothes for granted, kids. Listen to uncle Gert, and buy his album to support his wardrobe in February next year.
That's right. Again, it wasn't what I would call a huge turnout at the show, but I believe those who were there saw a good one. Like Darlene, who made this really sweet banner.
Tuesday Oct 12
New Orleans. Definitely in my top 5 of “favorite US cities to play a show or visit”.
Unfortunately, I only had a little bit of time off, which I spend strolling through the magnificent French quarter. This is one of those places where taking a picture just doesn't make a lot of sense. It's a total package: the sun on old French and Spanish colonial architecture, the scent of fried alligator and other Cajun dishes in the hot, humid air, live zydeco music, and the knowledge that as soon as the southern sun disappears, the vampires will come out. I don't like vampires, though, because they suck your blood and then you die... Walking there brought back a lot of memories from the previous times we played New Orleans. I love it. Didn't find the place where I had a drink with our former guitar tech Marc, though. We played the Howling Wolf before, and
I'm sure that if Ditten were here he would remember the brand of the mixing console and the amount of Goldschlager he had, but I'm afraid the interior of this club just doesn't ring a bell. (Tour amnesia).
We played a good show, and afterwards said goodbye to John, who will be flying back to his charming girlfriend in L.A. John spend the night in a Hilton hotel room that got offered to us by Wim, a fellow Belgian who works there. So Wim, if you're reading this:
thanks a lot.
And John, if you're reading this: Thanks a million man ! I'm very happy we've met. I'm sorry things didn't quite go as we all hoped they would, but I really hope you that you know we wish you all the best, and that it was a pleasure having you around. Oh, and thanks for leaving your DVD on the bus, too. I will think of you every time I step into a dog poop.
Wednesday Oct 13
Day off. (Read : “travel day”). Great breakfast at cracker barrel. I know, it's not very rock'n’roll, but they really have excellent food ! I'm basically not that much of a rocker anyway. In his new biography, Bob Dylan says he never wanted to be the spokesperson of the cultural revolution in the sixties, and that all he really wanted was a beautiful wife, kids, and a white picket fence. Well, I have a whole new respect for the guy. (He still sings out of tune, though).
In the afternoon we booked in to our Orlando hotel called The Travelodge. This hotel smells funny. I suggest you never go there, but it was cheap. And after 2 years, we saw Bart again, who you will all remember as our old drummer from the Paradise in Me and Cocoon Crash period. It was truly awesome to see him again, as if we saw each other only a couple of days ago. We all had dinner together, and we hanged in the hotel parking lot for a while with beers we took from the bus. Later we watched presidential debate number 3 in which, I must admit, Bush looked less stupid then in the two first ones.
Thursday Oct 14
Orlando. It was good to have Bart around all day in what once was his natural habitat.
Before the show I called my wife. I'm not elaborating on how much I miss her: you would need a much bigger computer. We had Mexican food for dinner. I lost count of how many quesidillas I had on this tour. Jen Foster and her band played an acoustic set for a change, which I thought was awesome. They, the Skills of Ortega and ourselves, played for a pretty international crowd. French, Swiss, Israeli, American... And for a very brave Belgian girl who recently has been going through one hell of a chemo-treatment.
Good luck Anouk, sterkte ! I feel privileged again that Christine gave us the opportunity to be part of this truly wonderful cause the Yellow Umbrella Tour is promoting.
This was also Curt's first appearance as our guitar player, and he did great, so we celebrated that event over a pint of lager in the Irish pub next door.
Friday Oct 15
Boynton Beach. We picked up our new guitar tech, Alvin, at the airport. He will replace Curt now that he became a rock star. We spend a couple of hours on the beach in the afternoon, and the water was just perfect. Back in the club I was a little surprised by the size of the club. Knowing we now have a crowd here that averages between 50 and 300 people, playing a venue that holds 2000 looks like an awkward decision from our promoter. So, mr. Promoter, if you're reading this : What the hell were you thinking ?
Today the people who were there were in for a treat, though. Besides the Skills, Jen Foster and ourselves, they saw the band “EL” open the show, and they rock.
Really good band, and great people. So later in the night, we played for about 100 people in a 2000 capacity venue. The warmth of the applause, however, was equally heart-warming then an overwhelming Pink Pop roar. Thank you guys, it's you who turned this rather awkward situation into a great show.
Tomorrow, Saturday, we'll be heading for Jacksonville, and my sister will tell you all about that.
Love
Gert
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