A drink (or two…) too many the previous night, made our early start even more difficult (I’d managed two hours’ sleep max)! My trio, Dave Brons and friend Chris Walton had been booked to play for students at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), in Read More …
Category: Tour Blog
Day off – A Lancastrian Adventure!
After a week of rehearsals and last night’s gig, I was more than ready for a day off. I’d been staying at my parents’ house near Burnley in Lancashire, and Simon had come to stay the week with us too, for the rehearsals and gigs. Read More …
Day 1 – B3 Gig – Seven Arts, Leeds, UK
I’ve spent the past decade touring the world as a hired musician, playing to tens of thousands of people in dozens of countries… but today I can tell you that none of that will fully prepare you for fronting your own solo show. After the Read More …
Day 35 – Day off in Atlanta
Today we were treated to a nice relaxing day off after our previous day’s epic drive. Simon, Guatto and myself started the day with breakfast, America style, at IHOP. I spent the rest of my day finishing a magazine column I had to write – Read More …
Day 34 – Disembark cruise ship and drive to Atlanta
After a final night partying on the boat we met bright and early in the ship’s reception. I probably managed two hours sleep (at the very most) so the sight of our van, the place where I’d be able to sleep for today’s 12 hour Read More …
Day 33 – Day at Sea – Cruise To The Edge
Today was our final day on the boat and another day off at sea – I was determined to make it a lazy one, before the madness of the US/South American tour began. I spent the day chilling out, watching numerous bands including a familiar Read More …
Day 32 – Swimming with Dolphins – Cruise To The Edge
Today was another day off. After our cancelled excursion the previous day, I was really hoping that today’s trip would still be running – it’s not every day you get the opportunity to swim with dolphins! Thankfully the Jamaican weather gods granted their permission for Read More …
Day 31 – 18th gig – Cruise To The Edge, Pool Stage
Both Simon and myself received a phone call first thing in the morning telling us that our planned excursion – swimming with Stingrays – had been cancelled due to the bad weather. When we heard the news we decided to head ashore to check out Read More …
Day 30 – Day at sea – Cruise To The Edge
Today we had a day off at sea. Nothing to set our alarms for, but that was a fact my jet lag wasn’t interested in! We spent the day exploring the ship, booking a couple of excursions, checking out bands and eating whatever and whenever Read More …
Day 29 – Boarding the ship and 17th gig – Cruise To The Edge
After a great night’s sleep I woke up bright and early, partly due to jet lag but mainly because we had a cruise ship waiting for us! The next 5 days would be spent onboard the MSC Poesia as part of the Cruise To The Read More …
Day 28 – Fly to the US
Strictly speaking the US leg of the tour diary started at around 11pm on the night of the 23rd, when I finished my packing for the next few months (I’m going to be staying in the US after the tour is over). After two of Read More …
Day 27 – Fly home to England
After an early alarm call I decided to pass on a morning shower in light of the close proximity of the bathroom heater/fan to the shower – I wasn’t willing to risk adding electrocution to my concussion! Our tour van dropped Carl and myself off Read More …
Day 26 – 16th gig – Il Giardino, Lugagnano di sona, Italy
Our final gig of the European leg of the tour was in Italy, so we had to be up early to drive there from Germany. When we arrived we were shown to our very appropriate dressing room… …Although a price list on the wall made Read More …
Day 25 – 15th gig – Lindenkeller, Freising, Germany
We spent the first part of the day driving from the Netherlands back to Germany AGAIN – we just can’t seem to stay away from the place this tour! Our venue tonight was a nice concert hall called Lindenkeller that we’d played on a previous Read More …
Day 24 – 14th gig – The Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
We spent the first half of the day driving from Germany back to The Netherlands (not as silly as it sounds, seeing as the two countries boarder each other and there’s a common joke that The Netherlands is so small, everything is an hour and Read More …
Day 23 – 13th gig – Hamtorkrug, Neuss, Germany
Seeing as we were already in the town of tonights gig we were treated to a rare, much-needed lazy start to the day. :o) When we arrived at the gig venue we were greeted with a poster displaying two wonderful words… Inside, we found a Read More …
Day 22 – 12th gig – Little Devil, Tilburg, Netherlands
We spent the first part of the day driving from Germany to The Netherlands. When we arrived at our “hotel”, we found a very nice bar that served food… but no sign of any bedroom facilities. After further enquiry we were assured that we had Read More …
Day 21 – Travel Day – Barcelona to Dusseldorf
We had the morning to sleep in, which was very welcomed after our previous few days’ sleep deprivation. Xavi, our promoter, picked us up from the hotel in the afternoon and drove us to the airport, where we had 5 hours to kill before our Read More …
Day 20 – 11th gig – Sala Music Hall, Barcelona, Spain
Seeing as we had to leave our hotel at 2am, I didn’t bother going to bed. So, after no sleep, we made our way to yet another airport, to board yet another plane to travel to yet another European country… touring’s not as glamorous as Read More …
Day 19 – 10th gig – Uhlenspiegel Musikclub, Rutesheim, Germany
As usual, we spent the first half of the day travelling to another European country – today we were driving from Austria to Germany in our increasingly well stocked van (first rule of touring: never let a rider go to waste)… When we arrived at Read More …
Day 18 – 9th gig – Stadthalle, Telfs, Austria
We began the day with another early flight back to Austria for our next gig. We flew into Innsbruck – an airport notorious for its tricky (and bumpy) descent through a mountain range. Putting up with a little turbulence was well rewarded by dramatic views Read More …
Day 17 – 8th gig – Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium
Our day began in the early hours of the morning. After only a few of hours’ sleep we drove to the airport, where we waited to check-in for our flight to Belgium… When we arrived in Belgium, we were met by a representative of the Read More …
Day 16 – 7th gig – Cafeti Club, Amstetten, Austria
Today we broke our different-country-per-day pattern by staying in Austria for another show. When we arrived in Amstetten I spotted the entrance to the venue… … I had no idea we were doing THAT kind of show, and wondered if I had time to nip Read More …
Day 15 – 6th Gig – Reigen, Vienna
After our usual daily drive across a European boarder, we arrived in Vienna and spent a little time in our hotel before heading to the gig venue. We were playing in a basement rock/blues club – I remembered playing here a few years earlier and Read More …
Day 14 – Day off in Bratislava
Today was the chilled day off I’d been looking forward to. When we checked into our usual hotel in Bratislava (the lovely Hotel Chopin), I was sad to see they’d changed their roller blading policy in the elevator… We arrive around lunch time, so Simon Read More …
Day 13 – 5th gig – Blue Note, Nove Mesto Nad Vahom, Slovakia
We spent the first part of the day driving to Slovakia… Before heading to the gig venue we had time to stop by the hotel. The good news was that we were going to be spending the night in a palace (the ‘Thermia Palace’ to Read More …
Day 12 – 4th Gig – Bluesiana, Velden, Austria
After a much needed night’s sleep we meet in the hotel lobby and drove to a snowy Austria. Before heading to the gig we checked into our hotel – an ensuite bathroom is pretty standard, but it’s always nice to have a room complete with Read More …
Day 11 – Fly to Italy and 3rd gig – Papozze, Italy
So, after a couple of weeks break from the tour, it’s time to start the diary again. Since my last entry I’ve finished recording my solo album – all that remains to be done is mixing and mastering – I’ll keep you posted! Not sure Read More …
Day 10 – Fly Home
After a far too early alarm wake up, we met in the lobby to take our now-customary convoy of Tokyo taxis to the bus stop for the airport. At the bus stop we said our goodbyes to our promoters/hosts/friends Izumi and Tetsuya and made our Read More …
Day 9 – 2nd Gig – Takadanobaba Area, Tokyo
Today was our second and last Japanese gig. I spent the morning practicing, before meeting our promoters in the Lobby to make our way to the gig venue in a convoy of taxis. We arrived at the venue, tucked into our rider, and were faced Read More …
Day 8 – 1st gig – Shimokitazawa Garden, Tokyo
Being the day of our first gig of the tour, I spent the morning going over the new tunes we were adding to the set, as well as putting a few finishing touches to my new solo spot – an arrangement of Debussy’s Clair De Read More …
Day 7 – Day off and sightseeing
I’d been woken up and kept awake for most of the night by an intense headache. At breakfast it became clear what had caused it; I’d not had a single coffee in the previous couple of days (opting instead for green tea) – clearly my caffeine addiction Read More …
Day 6 – Arrive in Japan
We landed in Tokyo Narita airport, 12 hours after we’d set off from London; however, rather than it being midnight UK time, due to the 9 hour time difference it was 9am the following day in Tokyo, meaning we’d missed a full night’s sleep. I was Read More …
Day 5 – Flying to Japan
I had a horrendous night’s sleep – two hours at best – which may or may not help with the jet lag I was about to encounter on our 12 hour flight through 9 time zones. Needless to say, I was feeling TIRED… I packed Read More …
Day 4 – Day off – T minus 1
We began the day at another restaurant (this is becoming a habit!) meeting our soundman Simone for a full English breakfast. Wanting to document the all-important reunion with the 4th and final member of our touring party, but being too late with the camera, I Read More …
Day 3 – Day off – T minus 2
Today was the first of two days off – a chance to do any last minute practice, sort out pedals/equipment and relax a bit before heading off to Japan for the first gig of the year. Simon went to collect his car from the car Read More …
Day 2 – Last Day of Rehearsals
After a MUCH better night’s sleep I was feeling in good shape for our second and final rehearsal day. We worked on the new tunes for a few hours and then ran the entire set. After a full day’s rehearsal, and only a little less Read More …
Day 1 – First Day of Rehearsals
… So here it is, 3 years after my last tour diary, the first entry of a brand new world tour diary. The next four months promise an epic journey spanning 15 countries and 4 continents. As is the case with many epic journeys, this Read More …
Day 41 – Travelling back to England
My alarm awoke me at 11.45am – just a few hours after I’d gone to bed the previous night. I headed to down to the lobby at 12.45 to find that I was an hour early – well, I’d prefer it that way. Josh also Read More …
Day 41 – 27th gig, Carioca Club, Sao Paulo, Brazil
I was awoken at 10am by my phone – I panicked, thinking that I’d over slept again. Thankfully, when I looked at my clock, I found that this was not the case. I answered the phone to hear Marcel, our promoter here in Sao Paulo, Read More …
Day 40 – Travelling to Sao Paulo, Brazil
We left the hotel at a very respectable 9am and Damian (from the Argentinian agency) accompanied us to the airport in our minibus. When he got on the bus I noticed he was wearing a ‘Brighton Volleyball’ T-shirt… not sure he appreciated me taking a Read More …
Day 39 – 26th gig, Teatro Gran Rex, Buenos Aires, Argentina
After a few hour’s sleep my alarm awoke me at 4am, just enough time for me to get down to the hotel lobby to leave at 4.30 – I didn’t want a repeat of yesterday’s oversleeping incident. We were dropped off at the same airport Read More …
Day 38 – 25th gig, Teatro Nescafe de las Artes, Santiago, Chile
At 1.30pm I was awaken by my hotel phone ringing – I’d completely slept through my alarm and the phone call was Harry saying that everyone was waiting for me in the lobby – oops! I quickly got together my luggage and made my way Read More …
Day 37 – Travelling to Chile
Extremely early start! We left the hotel at 5am (ouch) and headed to the airport for our flight to Chile (via two connecting flights). We said goodbye to the van, our home for the past 5 weeks, as Josh’s band mate Guato set off on Read More …
Day 36 – 24th gig, The Compound Grill, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Another early start for another long drive. Our drive was though desert, complete with impressive looking cactuses. A tree-hugger at heart, I had second thoughts about hugging one of these dessert shrubs. When we arrived at the venue we found a large Bar & Grill. Read More …
Day 35 – 23rd gig, Cannery Casino Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Viva Las Vegas! We had an early start today, in order to allow time for the drive to Vegas and the soundcheck for the evening’s gig. We decided not to make many stops… but when we did, we made sure that we picked a place Read More …
Day 34 – 22nd gig, Galaxy Concert Theatre, Santa Ana, CA, USA
This morning I decided to pay another visit to the Nash guitar that I’d played the previous day – I wanted to have one last play before we left town. At ‘noon-ish’ (today’s official meeting time as stated by Harry), we met in the hotel Read More …
Day 33 – 21st gig, Canyon Club, Agoura Hills, CA, USA
As planned, I headed out to the guitar shops in the morning. I decided to start with the shops that we hadn’t had time for the previous day. In the Mesa Boogie shop I tried out a guitar made by a small company based just Read More …
Day 32 – Travelling to Hollywood
Today we drove to Hollywood. Our journey to the hotel took us through the centre of town. Bruce pointed out various landmark buildings including the church were Marilyn Monroe’s funeral took place. When we arrived at the hotel we stopped the busy Hollywood traffic while Read More …
Day 31 – 20th gig, Brick by Brick, San Diego, CA, USA
Well, my plan not to fall behind with the tour blogs wasn’t exactly successful – I better get on with the story… We left the hotel and went to the venue to soundcheck. In the lobby we met Tony Ortiz – he’s going to be Read More …
Day 30 – Travelling to San Diego
We met in the lobby at 9.45 and set off on our drive to San Diego. The journey was a lot shorter than we were used to and took us past some very English looking scenery. We arrived at our hotel around 3pm and headed Read More …
Day 29 – Travelling to Bakersfield, California
Another day off, another long drive. We met in the lobby at 11am and stopped for lunch at a Danish restaurant where I had a dubious version of Wiener Schnitzel – I think I should stick to the American classics in future. The remainder of Read More …
Day 28 – 19th gig, McNear’s Mystic Theatre, Petaluma, CA, USA
Today was Simon’s birthday. We met in the breakfast room where he ate a hearty birthday breakfast of waffle, maple syrup and fried bacon – nice! We spent the morning at the hotel – I played some guitar and posted a couple of tour diary Read More …
Day 27 – Travelling to Petaluma, California
Today’s journey took us through the Donner pass – the famous place where a group of stranded American settlers resorted to cannibalism to survive. Despite its grizzly past, this drive has to be my favourite so far; the scenery was breathtaking, driving through beautiful pine Read More …
Day 26 – Travelling to Reno, Nevada
Our first leg of the journey lasted all of 3 minutes – round the corner to Starbucks where we found the Christmas cups had now been issued – it’s November… it’s Christmas! We left Starbucks and got onto the road out of town, Harry told Read More …
Day 25 – Travelling to Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Today was the first of three long travel days. When we stopped at the first gas station of the day Simone, keen to stay healthy, bought a packet of vitamins. I thought that the packet would last him for the rest of the tour but Read More …
Day 24 – 18th Gig, Soiled Dove Underground, Denver, CO, USA
Seeing as were were staying at a hotel in the same town as our gig we had a late lobby call – 2.30pm, just enough time to get us to the venue for load-in and soundcheck. When we arrived at the venue we found a Read More …
Day 23 – Travel day, Denver, Colorado
We met in the lobby at 11am and drove across the street to the Starbucks. At this particular Starbucks they added a personal touch by asking you your name then, when your drink is ready, they call you personally – it’s nice not to be Read More …
Day 22 – Travel day, North Platte, Nebraska
Today marked the first of two days off. I, for one, was so relieved to be having a couple of days off. As much as I have really enjoyed doing a show every night, I was beginning to feel a burnt out – a couple Read More …
Day 21 – 17th Gig, Englert Theatre, Iowa City, IA, USA
When we arrived at the venue we found that, yet again, we were the support act for a screening of the Rocky Horror Show! Perhaps we should consider re-naming the tour? Inside we found a very similar looking theatre as we’d played the previous evening. Read More …
Day 20 – 16th Gig, Arcadia Theatre, St. Charles, IL, USA
On the way to the club we made the usual diner stop and I ordered a MASSIVE Greek salad. When we reached the venue we found a nice theatre, attached to an arcade containing a Starbucks – both Josh and his raging caffeine addiction were Read More …
Day 19 – 15th Gig, Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI, USA
We played Shank hall on our 2006 tour, so it was a familiar venue. Famed for it’s Spinal Tap connection (the club is named after a venue in the film), the main room of the venue is full of Spinal Tap memorabilia as well as Read More …
Day 18 – 14th Gig, Reggie’s Live, Chicago, IL, USA
After a short drive we started to look for a place to stop for lunch. Josh, our resident Google Maps diner finder set to work and picked out a good looking place. He told Harry the number of the freeway exit and Harry responded, “Oh, Read More …
Day 17 – 13th Gig, Slippery Noodle Inn, Indianapolis, IN, USA
As the venue for tonight’s gig was only five minutes walk from our hotel we didn’t have to meet in the lobby until 2.30pm – bliss! I spent to morning doing laundry: I was getting desperate – having just done my first day of sock-recycling Read More …
Day 16 – Travel day to Indianapolis
Seeing as we didn’t have a show today it was decided that we’d have a late check out – a decision enthusiastically received by everyone. As we left the hotel we passed a car park advertising ‘No FREE Parking – ANYTIME!’ – interesting advertising tactic; Read More …
Day 15 – 12th Gig(s), Jazz Cafe at Music Hall, Detroit, MI, USA
After the usual morning drive we tracked down a diner – we’ve stopped leaving our lunch stops to chance and instead have adopted a high-tech approach, using google maps to help us decide where we’re going to eat on our journey. Today Google suggested the Read More …
Day 14 – 11th Gig, Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH, USA
A long drive scheduled for today, hence the 7.30am lobby call. After saying goodbye to Tony and Mary Ann (they’ve been staying in the same hotels as us) we hit the road… for all of 10 minutes before our first coffee and gas stop. When Read More …
Day 13 – 10th Gig, Robert Parillia Performing Arts Center, Rockville, MD, USA
Today’s gig was in a town called Rockville – what an amazing place to do a rock gig! The venue was on a college campus – a nice theatre with very helpful tech staff. The idea today was for some college students to come and Read More …
Day 12 – 9th Gig, Rams Head, Annapolis, MD, USA
We met in the hotel lobby at 10.30am. Today we were driving to a gig in a small town call Annapolis – not far from the PRS guitar factory. Two days previous Winn Krozack, the head of artist relations at PRS, had contacted me saying Read More …
Day 11 – 8th Gig, Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA, USA
We left the hotel at 11am and set off for the gig. On the way to the venue we resumed our current game of Scrabble – the game that I was (for the first time this tour) winning. Simon, the undefeated Scrabble champion, fought hard Read More …
Day 10 – 7th Gig, BB King’s Blues Club, New York, NY, USA
We met in the hotel lobby at Midday and left for BB King’s. The drive to the club was quick; the drive around the block to the front door of the club took an age in the New York traffic. Outside BB King’s Tony Ortiz Read More …
Day 9 – Day off in New York City
Our first day off after six shows in a row. Bizarre as it sounds, I’ve been having such a good time playing a show every night that I really didn’t want a night off – I would have much preferred to have played a show Read More …
Day 8 – 6th Gig, Strand Center For The Arts, Lakewood, NJ, USA
On the way to the venue we stopped at an all-American diner for breakfast. I had a ‘Tex Mex’ omelette and a decaf coffee – fantastic. A couple of hours later we stopped for gas and coffee. Simon and Josh picked up American sized coffees Read More …
Day 7 – 5th Gig, Showcase Live, Foxboro, MA, USA
We left the hotel at 12 noon – we’d driven for an hour and half after the previous night’s gig so that we could stay in a hotel in the town of today’s gig. The day started how all good days should start – with Read More …
Day 6 – 4th Gig, Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry, NH, USA
The day started when we met at 9.30 in the lobby. The promotor had arranged to pick up the medication that was stolen from Carl’s bag, but some legal technicality prevented him from doing so. We said goodbye to him and headed out a side Read More …
Day 5 – 3rd Gig, Gesu Theatre, Montreal, QC, Canada
The day started at 9am, when my alarm woke me up – for the first time on this tour I slept right up until my alarm went off, I’m finally getting accustomed to the time zone. We met down in the hotel lobby at 9.30 Read More …
Day 4 – 2nd Gig, Lula Lounge, Toronto, ON, Canada
I woke up at 7am again, having set my alarm for much later – I’m still not coping well with this new time zone! After an early breakfast and some time writing up my tour blog it was time to hit the road. We met Read More …
Day 3 – 1st Gig, Studio At Hamilton Place, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Again, I needn’t have bother setting my alarm – my UK body clock woke me up at 7am. I went down for another early breakfast and then spent the rest of the morning checking that I knew everything from the set – running everything in Read More …
Day 2 – A day of preparation
Despite having set my alarm for 11, I woke up at 6.45am – my body still stubbornly set to UK time (11.45am). When I realised I wasn’t going to get any more sleep I headed down to the hotel’s breakfast bar and had some fruit Read More …
Day 1 – Travel to the US
The day started at 8am when the alarm clock went off, signalling the start of a journey that would last for 43 days and 1000’s of miles. The previous night a friend called Wayne had stayed over at our house and had kindly agreed to Read More …
Welcome to my tour blog
As has become the custom with longer tours, here I will make a day by day diary of the tour – I hope you can join me, even if you’re not at one of our shows, it’d be nice to have you along for the Read More …
Gig in Monopoli
After a good 6 hours’ sleep my alarm woke me at 9. I got up and went down to breakfast – fruit salad. After breakfast we set off on a long drive south to our next gig in a small seaside town called Monopoli. The Read More …
Gig in Rome
After a restless night made even more restless by some insect clicking on my ceiling throughout the night, I got up and went down for my ‘biological breakfast’. I’d been intrigued by the thought of it ever since our promoter had mentioned it the previous Read More …
Gig in Pisa
After 4 hours sleep my alarm woke me at 4am. I quickly got ready and set off on my long journey to Carl’s house. There was no need to pack a case for this trip as I’d left everything in Austria a few days early; Read More …
Flying back to England
After another breakfast of meat and cheese, we left our hotel at 11am and drove to Graz airport, we arrived at the airport about an hour later and got out of the van with only our hand luggage – our clothes, guitars and pedals were Read More …
Gig in Austria
I was awoken by the sound of a pack of huge barking dogs. The hotel owner had said that he kept Irish Wolf hounds and I presumed that these must be what had woken me. I open the curtains onto my balcony and was met Read More …
Driving to Austria
After breakfast with Carl I went back up to my room, showered, finished the previous two days’ tour diary entries and did some work on my book. I got a call from Carl at around 11.30 telling me that we were going to meet down Read More …
Day off in Budapest
Today was a blissfully uneventful day spent in the hotel. The original plan for the day was to drive to Austria, where we’d spend a couple of nights in a hotel before our next gig. However, our plan had changed when we found that we Read More …
Gig in Budapest
After less than 4 hours sleep my alarm awoke me at 3.45am – the time I needed to get up in order to drive to Carl’s house for our 5.45am start. I’d packed the night before so, bleary eyed, I zipped up my suit case, Read More …
Neal Morse, Guesting With Dream Theater; Day 6 – Travel Home to The UK
After our long journey the previous night, we had a late breakfast in Collin and Jessica’s garden. Mattias had stayed over at Collin and Jessica’s house and Max came round late in the morning… we had a great morning / afternoon chatting in the sunshine. Read More …
Neal Morse, Guesting With Dream Theater; Day 5 – Gig In Gelsenkirchen With Dream Theater
As I should have learnt by now, when sharing a room, all sleeping plans go out of the window! Having set our alarms for 9.55; 5 minutes before we had to be down for breakfast/production meeting, I was awaken by Ruben’s phone, receiving a text Read More …
Neal Morse, Guesting With Dream Theater; Day 4 – Gig In Munich With Dream Theater
My alarm went off at 8.15am – giving me and Ruben enough time to have showers and get down to breakfast for 9; the time of our scheduled production meeting. At 9.45 we called Henk and Wilco’s room and, apparently (I didn’t make the call), Read More …
Neal Morse, Guesting With Dream Theater; Day 3 – Driving To Germany
The plan for this morning was for us to meet at Collin and Jessica’s studio at 9.30, load our gear into Alco’s van (Alco is our front of house sound engineer) and then set off for Germany. However, it was decided (very sensibly, if you Read More …
Neal Morse, Guesting With Dream Theater; Day 2 – Rehearsal Day
The plan for today was for the band (minus Neal) to rehearse in the morning and afternoon, before Wilco and Henk had to leave for a gig in the evening. We started our 10am rehearsal at 11.30 and ran the set for our coming shows. Read More …
Neal Morse, Guesting With Dream Theater; Day 1 – Fly To The Netherlands
I arrived at the airport at 10.30am, found my check-in area (zone E; the same zone as I’d checked-in to a few weeks ago) and joined the end of a VERY long queue. At the entrance to the queuing area (how much do us Brit’s Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 14 – Traveling home to England
I woke up at 9 and went downstairs to find Mattias asleep in the living room. I tiptoed past him and went into the garden where I found Max and Collin. It wasn’t long before Mattias woke up and we all had breakfast together. Max Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 13 – Driving Back To The Netherlands
We‘d been told the previous night that breakfast finished at 10.30, so we (Berry, Collin, Jessica and myself) agreed to meet in the hotel restaurant at 10am. One of the first things I learnt about touring was that if you make yourself a packed lunch Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 12 – Day Off At The Festival
We’d arranged to meet for breakfast in the hotel restaurant at 9. However, when I’d got back to my room at some ridiculous hour in the morning, I’d decided against setting my alarm – opting to skip breakfast in favour of a late morning… we Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 11 – Sweden Rock Festival Gig
My alarm awoke me at 7am. Unfortunately, I’d not got the night’s sleep I’d planned; Berry got back at 11.30, had a shower, sent a few text messages and then his phone woke us both up with a text message in what seemed like the Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 10 – Driving To Sweden
I woke up when my alarm went off at 4.40am – ouch! At 5am Berry, the guitar tech for the coming shows, turned up at Collin and Jessica’s house. We eventually left at 5.30 with Berry and 4 other people in his car; Collin, Jessica, Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 9 – Rehearsal With Neal
Again, rehearsals were due to start at 10am – this time the plan was for Neal to be there from the start. When I got up, Collin told me that Neal and his family had arrived in Amsterdam at 6.50 that morning – things were Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 8 – Still No Neal
Today, the plan was to start rehearsing at the church at 10am, without Neal. Then, once he’d arrived in the evening, we’d run the set with him before finishing for the day. However, as soon as I got up and went down stairs, Collin told Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 7 – Setting Up For Rehearsals With Neal
Today was initially meant to be a rehearsal day but Henk, busy as he always is, was playing at a big festival nearby. So big was this festival that it usually generates 2-hour-long traffic jams and, not knowing what time in the evening he’d be Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 6 – Another Day Off
I started the day with what was meant to be a quick job – posting these tour blogs on my website and Myspace (the Myspace versions don’t have photos, so if you’re reading this on Myspace, then visit my website for the full picture). We Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 5 – Alternate Picking and Conspiracy Theories
With nothing on the agenda, I decided that I was going to devote today to practise. I did a few picking exercises in the morning and, once I’d got into the flow of things, I decided to watch some videos on the internet whilst I Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 4 – Day Off
This was our first of a few days off. As on all days off, I woke up with a cold (this usually happens when I give myself a rest). Jessica was teaching in the morning, so Collin and myself cycled across town to the church Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 3 – 2nd Day of Rehearsals
Another 10am start, this time with no alarm clock hitches! In total, we ran the set 3 times today. The first time we ran it we made notes of any areas that needed to be focused on. Then, after this initial run through, we replayed Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 2 – 1st Day of Rehearsals
Today was the first day of rehearsals for the coming shows. In the morning, before we left for the rehearsal, I spent some time on the internet ordering t-shirt to wear for the few shows ahead. The t-shirt simply says ‘Guitarist’ – I think that Read More …
Neal Morse, Summer 2009; Day 1 – Fly To The Netherlands
My tour started as most tours start… at the airport. However, most tours don’t start at the wrong terminal of the airport… woops! I’m so used to flying from the same terminal of London Gatwick that I didn’t notice that they’ve change terminal for some Read More …
The most eventful one-off gig in Carl Palmer Band history?
After being home for a few days since my last tour with Neal Morse (sorry, I didn’t have time to write a tour diary for that) I set my alarm for 2.45am; allowing me time to drive from my house in Brighton, to Carl’s house Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 13 – Travel Home
After breakfast in our hotel’s restaurant, I indulged in the luxury of free WI-FI internet in the lobby, before we set off for the airport at 1pm. Traveling with us in our van was Miller Anderson (the guitarist from BBQ, who played before us last Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 12 – Hungary
Up at 4.15am… taxi at 5am… airport 20 minutes later. After some confusion of how to get to the departure gate we boarded our first plane of the day, which took us to Vienna airport. Another security check… another gate… another covert mission to get Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 11 – Travel Day
We met in the lobby of our hotel at 9am and set off for a day of travel. The Spanish promoter who had been looking after us took us to the airport and we boarded a flight to Madrid. Once in Madrid, we returned to Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 10 – Gran Canaria
I woke up, had breakfast, showered and then met Simone in the lobby for walk along the sea front. Whilst walking we saw a couple of signs worthy of photographic documentation; ‘Tocata Bar’ and ‘Dancing Fany’s’! We walked and ate ice cream whilst discussing the Italian Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 9 – Travel Day
After a good night’s sleep, I awoke to face a day of travel. Our party met in the hotel lobby at 12 (we had to vacate our rooms at 11.30, so we ‘unofficially’ lingered in the lobby until Stefano came to pick us up at Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 8 – Rome
Feeling completely rested and restored from the onslaught of the first 5 gigs, we headed to Rome to play our next gig. The journey took a couple of hours plus half an hour for the obligatory stop at an ‘Autogrill’. When we arrived, we found Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 7 – Day Off By The Sea
I awoke at 8 am with all the lights in my room on; I’d got back to my room the night before and collapsed on my bed (a combination of exhaustion and Limoncello (but definitely more of the latter if I’m honest))! I went down Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 6 – Travel Day
My alarm woke me at 7.30, after only 3 hours sleep – this time it was self-inflicted! I wasn’t too worried about not getting much sleep, as, for the first time on the tour, we didn’t have a gig today, or tomorrow for that matter. Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 5 – UFA
We landed in our next city, Ufa, at around 5am and were met by a new group of Russian hosts. On getting into one of their cars we were handed a menu for our evening meal, which we dutifully filled in. The menu consisted of Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 4 – St. Petersburg
At last, our first half decent night’s sleep of the tour; my alarm woke me at 8, after 6 and a half hours sleep. I sacrificed breakfast in order to take full advantage of the sleeping opportunity and met the rest of our party in Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 3 – Moscow
After one and a half of hours sleep, my alarm went off at 3am signaling the start of a new day (the lines between each day seem to be getting smaller and smaller on this tour!). I went down into the lobby and outside the Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 2 – Norway
After a few hours sleep, my alarm went off at 5am, heralding the start of a day of grueling travel; we planned to take 3 trains to Munich airport, where we’d take a plane to Oslo, Norway, for our next gig. On arriving in the Read More …
CPB European Tour, Day 1 – Germany
It had been precisely 6 months, 2 weeks and 2 days since the Carl Palmer Band’s last gig, and none of us had played together since. To say that Carl is not one for over rehearsing would be something of an understatement… in my four Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 45 – Fly home
After less than 2 hours sleep it hardly feels like another day, but… We met up in the lobby, went to the airport, said goodbye to Harry and got on the plane. The VERY, VERY, VERY nice lady at the check-in desk (did I mention Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 44 – 32nd and final gig, Grinnell Theater, Grinnel, IA
Our last gig was in a beautiful modern theatre on what appeared to be a college campus. All the staff were really, really friendly and helpful. Both Stuart and myself were SO excited about this being our last gig. I can’t believe that we’ve actually Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 43 – 31st gig, Music Mill, Indianapolis, IN
Again, another great venue. The crew were really friendly and helpful. The gig was great. We met some people who had seen us at previous shows on the tour and, having enjoyed it so much, they’d decided to travel to see us before the tour Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 42 – Day off, Travel day
Another day of driving. We stayed the night at a motel in the middle of nowhere – I have no idea of the name of the town. There was a MacDonald’s next to the hotel and I called in for some fries. I was immediately Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 41 – 30th gig, Granada Theater, Dallas, TX
In the morning we stopped at a Gas station / place to get some food. On the food counter was a large jar of pickled eggs. In England it is commonplace to find jars of pickled eggs, however, it is NOT commonplace to find jars Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 40 – 29th gig, La Zona Rosa, Austin, TX
In the U.K. petrol stations (gas stations) make a REALLY big deal about you not being able to talk on a mobile phone (cell phone) – it’s meant to be some sort of fire hazard. I remember one tour of Scotland had the constant theme Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 39 – Day off – Van Horn TX
Again, this ‘day off’ was actually just a ‘day with no show’! We were travelling from Scottsdale to Austin, stopping to spend the night in a small town called Van Horn. More desert! In the middle of the desert we passed what appeared to be Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 38 – 28th gig, Martini Ranch, Scottsdale, AZ
On the way to Scottsdale we drove through some great desert landscape. Amazing vast stretches of rock piles and sand. Very beautiful. The venue was a nice rock club (is ‘nice’ really a good word to describe a rock club?). When I got on stage Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 37 – 27th gig, The Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach, CA
Another great response from another great audience. I remember being hungry before I went on stage. There was a guy standing in front of me in the audience with a large plate of nachos resting on the edge of the stage. I was SSSOOOOO tempted Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 36 – Day off, Las Vegas, NV
A day off in Vegas!!! I looked into visiting the Grand Canyon but, after speaking to a friend, I discovered that it would be an intense all day trip… I really wanted more of a relaxing day. So, I decided that I’d go for a Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 35 – 26th gig, House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV
On the way to Vegas we made our usual stop at Starbucks. This time it was Stuart’s turn to get the comedy quote on his cup… ‘There’s been a time for war, a time for strife, a time set aside for everything under the sun. Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 34 – 25th gig, The Galaxy, Santa Ana, CA
Another great gig. Had a great time tonight. The audience was very enthusiastic. There were two acoustic acts on before us. I don’t know what either of them were called, but they sounded great. Being acoustic acts, they were a complete contrast to us, which Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 33 – 24th gig, The Roxy, Hollywood, CA
After their first attempt of trying to scare us off with their ‘Dangerous Chemicals’ sign on the hotel wall (see previous diary entry), our friendly hotel’s staff tried to get rid of us once more at breakfast. Next to all the food at the breakfast Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 32 – 23rd gig, Café Du Nord, San Francisco, CA
I got up and had breakfast, which I shared with the birds who were trusting enough to hop onto my table and eat the crumbs from my plate. They had made the hotel courtyard their sanctuary, bathing and drinking from the swimming pool whilst perched Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 31 – Day off – San Francisco, CA
Today we drove from Eugene to San Francisco. We got to our hotel late in the evening and found it was quite a well-known place for bands to stay. It consisted of a courtyard surrounded by two floors of rooms. In the courtyard there were Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 30 – 22nd gig, Taboo, Eugene, OR
The taboo is a great rock club in Eugene. The gig, however, was not the triumph it could have been. The attendance was the worst we’ve experienced so far. We all played well. A couple of things that stand out about this gig are me Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 28 – 20th gig, Aladdin Theatre, Portland, OR
A great gig in a great venue. The Aladdin is a beautiful small theatre. The audience was very, very enthusiastic and gave us standing ovations after every song – starting with the first song of the night. Thanks to the many great audiences we’ve had Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 27 – Day off, Portland, OR
Our second day off in Portland. I wrote more of my tour diary, went shopping for a phone card and then Stuart, Carl and myself met up in the evening for an Italian meal. Before the meal we made a quick stop in a Boarder’s Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 26 – Day off, Portland, OR
With the prospect of 2 days between Denver and our next gig, Portland OR, it was arranged for the band to fly to Portland and enjoy 2 days off whilst the poor crew endure the gruelling drive. The flight was good. On the plane I Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 25 – 19th Gig, Walnut Room, Denver, CO
Travelled from Hays to Denver. The club had just had a fire in the dressing room area so we had our dressing room in a building close by. Good gig, good venue :o)
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 24 – Day off (now officially called ‘days with no show’)
Today we travelled from Springfield to Hays, Kansas. Starbucks has been a constant throughout this tour… my personal favourite being a Chai Latte with and extra squirt of chai (it seems my chai dependency has increased the further we’ve got into the tour)… VENTI of Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 23 – 18th Gig, The Warehouse, Springfield, IL
The Warehouse looked uncannily like… well… a warehouse! Apparently there had just been a tornado there. When we were driving to the venue we saw chimneys lying destroyed on the roofs of houses and other general signs of destruction. The sound at this gig was Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 22 – 17th Gig, Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
This morning we realised how our hotel got its name… daylight is a wonderful thing! Spinal Tap obviously got to the club before us… When we arrived there was a mini Stonehenge suspended above the stage! :o) On closer inspection, I also saw that another Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 21 – 16th Gig, The Abbey, Chicago, IL
This morning we went to pick up the new amp from the guitar centre. In the shop there was an amazing triple neck guitar – one 6 string, one 7 string and one 12 string neck… very cool! It was for sale for $299!!! Would Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 20 – 15th Gig, Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
Another good gig. As I walked on stage I noticed a guy about 4 rows back in a Steve Vai T-shirt. I figured he was a guitar player so I spent the next 2 hours playing to him!
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 19 – 14th Gig, Rex Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh – Kate’s hometown. The sound check revealed more amp problems. The same problem I’d had in Troy had returned. We managed to get the amp serviced before the show at a local guitar shop (where I bought a gig bag which holds 2 guitars Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 18 – 13th Gig, The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
Again, superstitious numbers not withstanding (this being our 13th gig), another great gig… On the way to the club we passed the Pentagon… another photo opportunity… We must have been coming in to town in an election period as there were mini bill boards dotted Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 17 – 12th Gig, B.B. King’s Blues Club, New York City, NY
In the morning I decided to take a walk up to central park via some churches / cathedrals. I have a habit of trying to spend some time in big old churches when I’m away on tour and I managed to get my fix this Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 16 – Day off – New York, New York!
We arrived in New York in the early afternoon. Once we’d checked in to our hotel, me and Stuart went straight out to do some sight seeing. With one day in New York the obvious choice for me was to go straight up the Empire Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 15 – 11th Gig, Keswick Theater, Glenside, PA
On the drive from Annapolis to Glenside we made our customary stop at a road-side diner; this one was definitely all-American… right out of the 50’s… Great, great venue! The gig was good from what I remember. After the show Carl did a meet and Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 14 – 10th Gig, Ram’s Head, Annapolis, MD
What a memorable gig! When we arrived the guy doing monitors for us remarked about my PRS gig bag, telling me that he knew Paul Reed Smith very well. When he saw how impressed I was he said he’d call him and get him to Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 13 – 9th Gig, IMAC, Huntington, NY (Long Island)
On the way into Huntington we passed a church with a few signs outside… One said, ‘Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me”… Join us for Church school, Sundays 9 a.m.’. Another said, ‘Open for rest and prayer… all welcome’. The last one Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 12 – 8th Gig, Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT
Toad’s place – wow, who hasn’t played there? They’ve had Bob Dylan, the Stones, BB King, Chili Peppers… You name it, they’ve played there. The gig was great – great audience, great sound (although it was apparently a mono P.A.!). They had a large “Mr Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 11 – 7th Gig, Regent Theatre, Boston, MA
When we got to the venue, we walked into the dressing room and saw that the theatre had kindly provided us with several copies of a magazine entitled ‘Bridal Guide’. There was a cover feature on ‘Long Distance Love’ – very useful when your girl Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 10 – Day Off, School Trip! Boston, MA
Ah… our first day off :o) We arrived at the hotel in Boston and were met in the car park by the wife of the head of music at Beachmont School. We had a visit to the school scheduled and so we jumped into her Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 9 – 6th Gig, Revolution Hall, Troy, NY
“We’re the Carl Palmer Band from the UK, you must be the U.S.A.”!!! Our first gig in the U.S. When we arrived at the venue in Troy we were greeted by 3 guys who Carl introduced as friends of his. Amongst them was one guy Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 8 – 5th Gig, Theatre Granada, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
When we arrived at the theatre we spotted all our usual tour posters, but alongside them was one that wasn’t familiar. The poster was headed with the title of “Carl” (so no surprises so far…) but underneath was a large picture of a semi-naked, over-muscled, Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 7 – 4th Gig, Le Medley, Montreal, QC, Canada
Had the most artificial chicken product I hope I’ll ever come across – part of a chicken club wrap from Tim Hortons. Stuart was telling me of a chicken burger that contained, “Mechanically reclaimed chicken”… that’s precisely what this was! However… The pre-show meal at Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 6 – 3rd Gig, Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON, Canada
We had a laugh at lunch time when Carl spotted that he was eligible for the section on the back of the menu entitled, ‘For our guests 55 and older’! On walking into the club we were told that Nirvana had played here, to which Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 5 – 2nd Gig, Empire Theatre, Belleville, ON, Canada
Another beautiful theatre. Upstairs, one of the dressing rooms was a room full of mirrors… I took the opportunity to do some arty photography… The performance on this gig was definitely up a gear – with the first gig under our belts we were able Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 4 – 1st Gig, Hamilton Place Theatre, Hamilton, ON, Canada
In the morning we left the comfort and familiarity of our hotel in Rochester and climbed into what would be our 2nd home for the next month and a half; Harry, Stuart, Carl and myself would be traveling in a mini-van (or people carrier, as Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 3 – The Day Before The Night After
A nice relaxing day before the day of the first gig… Bruce showed us around his hometown – 1st stop, the House of Guitars (or HOG)… a shop crammed with vintage and rare guitars. As soon as I walked in the door I was worried… Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 2 – Meeting The Crew
Much of today was spent meeting the crew for the tour. Allow me to introduce them… Harry – possibly the world’s best tour manager! Also a great sound engineer (he’s wearing both hats on this tour). Joe – Production / Stage manager. Joe is responsible Read More …
CPB U.S. Tour 2006, Day 1 – The Journey To The U.S.
Drove up to Carl’s house in North London – on the way I called in at a guitar tech’s house who’d recently re-fretted my PRS with Jim Dunlop 6100 jumbo frets (a bit of info for the gear heads out there!). Re-frets are brutal on Read More …
CPB Band U.S. Tour 2006, Welcome To My Tour Diary
Here I am, 3 and a half weeks and 19 gigs into the tour and I’m only just starting to write my tour diary!!! I’ve decided to write the following as a way of keeping a diary, not only so those interested might be able Read More …