http://guyfletcher.co.uk/diaries/KTGCtourdiary/index.php Guy Fletcher is touring with Mark Knopfler and writing a detailed behind the scenes diary of the gigs... en-gb Copyright 2008 Guy Fletcher http://www.guyfletcher.co.uk/images/KTGC300.jpg http://guyfletcher.co.uk/diaries/KTGCtourdiary/index.php http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/23rd%20July%20-%20New%20York%20NY%20-%20Rumsay%20Playfield,%20Central%20Park Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update There's no denying it's risky to book an outdoor show in the summertime in New York city and today the city felt more like a tropical rain forest than anything else. With strong thunderstorms in the forecast for every day this week the afternoon temperature today was in the high 80's and I'd guess near 100% humidity. Every time I looked skyward this afternoon on our walk back from lunch at a cafe called Serendipity 3, I thought it was going to pour. The forecast..... Amazingly, it held off, not ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/23rd%20July%20-%20New%20York%20NY%20-%20Rumsay%20Playfield,%20Central%20Park http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/22nd%20July%20-%20Vienna%20VA%20-%20The%20Filene%20Center Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Our second visit to Wolf Trap wasn't quite blessed with the lovely weather we experienced in 2005 when we played in balmy summer weather. Today was a case of dodging thunderstorms and rain on the way down here. Our first 'hubbed' show out of New York and we were held at Teeterborough airport in New Jersey for weather and when we finally got going it was a short hop down to Dulles airport which is only a few miles from the gig. Wolf Trap is one of the nicest shed-type venues and apart from the un... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/22nd%20July%20-%20Vienna%20VA%20-%20The%20Filene%20Center http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/20th%20July%20-%20Syracuse%20NY%20-%20Landmark%20Theatre Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Premier entertainment palace...Yes I can see where the title comes from. A truly beautiful theatre as the picture below confirms. A little history....Site acquisitions, costing $1.9 million, began on March 29, 1926. Groundbreaking for construction began on March 15, 1927. Construction took eleven months and three days, involved more than 300 workers and cost $1.4 million. The theatre was advertised as “the last word in theatrical ornateness and luxuriousness" and it's not difficult to see why. A... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/20th%20July%20-%20Syracuse%20NY%20-%20Landmark%20Theatre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/19th%20July%20-%20Boston%20MA%20-%20Bank%20of%20America%20Pavillion Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update What a fabulous day this turned out to be. Another one of our favourite venues, the Boston pavillion is very close to the centre of the city and being on the waterside enjoys the occasional salty breeze. This was much appreciated as the daytime temperatures here are pretty extreme at the moment. Luckily the rain stayed away as the last time we played here, with Emmylou they closed the sides of the 'tent' and that had the adverse effect of making the sound inside quite tricky. As it was the sound... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/19th%20July%20-%20Boston%20MA%20-%20Bank%20of%20America%20Pavillion http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/18th%20July%20-%20Ottowa%20ON%20-%20National%20Arts%20Centre Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Waking up in Toronto, a few of us obviously felt the call of the gym and I found Glenn in there pounding away. Just as I got back to the room, Tim called to say we needed to scramble as there had been a mix-up re. the departure flight slot to Ottawa. Our recent decision to not do sound checks meant that Tim had revised all our departure times but I guess the air broker didn't relay the new information for today to the pilots and there was mild panic as we considered the consequences of us not ge... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/18th%20July%20-%20Ottowa%20ON%20-%20National%20Arts%20Centre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/17th%20July%20-%20Toronto%20ON%20-%20Molson%20Amphitheatre Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Toronto is another of those cities we all look forward to visiting. A huge sprawling place on the northern shoreline of Lake Ontario. The Four Seasons, where we traditionally stay is definitely a little tired now and so we find ourselves in a place called the Hazleton, with one of the hippest bar/restaurants in trendy Yorkville a popular area within Toronto. Just across the road from the soaring Four Seasons which we learn is scheduled for demolition in 2012. The Hazleton didn't let us down in t... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/17th%20July%20-%20Toronto%20ON%20-%20Molson%20Amphitheatre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/16th%20July%20-%20Kettering%20OH%20-%20Fraze%20Pavillion%20at%20Lincoln%20Park%20Center Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Another visit to the delightful Fraze Pavillion in leafy Kettering, Ohio. Almost a carbon copy of our last visit in terms of the weather, yes I know I keep on about the weather but that's just me. I would guess it was in the high 80's maybe even 90 when we went onstage in the sunlight but as the sun set, it couldn't really have been more perfect. It was nice to have the big circle back in the lighting rig as the Fraze is a very accommodating venue. There's a real 'homely' feel about these venues... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/16th%20July%20-%20Kettering%20OH%20-%20Fraze%20Pavillion%20at%20Lincoln%20Park%20Center http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/15th%20July%20-%20Nashville%20TN%20-%20Ryman%20Auditorium Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Another day off was upon us before we knew it and uniquely, for the band it was a travel day. To Nashville. The crew spent the day off in the same hotel that we were checking in to, the Leows Vanderbilt Plaza. Now Mark and I have a checkered history of stays in this hotel over the years as we've often used it when we came across to record the albums or to perform. True to form, as we checked in and went to go to our rooms we discovered that ALL the elevators were out of order. We were escorted t... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/15th%20July%20-%20Nashville%20TN%20-%20Ryman%20Auditorium http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/13th%20July%20-%20Chicago%20IL%20-%20Auditorium%20Theatre Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update The grandeur of The Chicago Theatre often leaves its visitors breathless. The elegant lobby, majestic staircase and beautiful auditorium complete with murals above the stage and on the ceiling, are components of an amazing building called "the Wonder Theatre of the World" when it opened at a cost of four million dollars on October 26, 1921. One of the pre-show rituals. Matt makes us all a cup of ginger, lemon and mint tea. It really clears the larynx's and soothes the throat so we're ready for o... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/13th%20July%20-%20Chicago%20IL%20-%20Auditorium%20Theatre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/12th%20July%20-%20Minneapolis%20MN%20-%20Orpheum%20Theatre Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update It seems like only yesterday we were here, in fact it was two years ago (and a bit). A lovely theatre in downtown Minneapolis and one we always enjoy as the people here really seem to love their music and it shows in the audiences. We had a really great gig, the band felt that it was one of our best. The Minneapolis skyline on the road into town. Blimey, another F18 fighter jet, we could get up real close to this one. This is a snap of the screen on Ben's computer showing the Wireless Spectrum m... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/12th%20July%20-%20Minneapolis%20MN%20-%20Orpheum%20Theatre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/11th%20July%20-%20Winnipeg%20MB%20-%20Concert%20Hall Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Our day off in Chicago finally arrived, much anticipated because we planned a return visit to the most amazing ball park, Wrigley Field to see a ball game. We did this once before in 2001 and enjoyed it so much that we vowed to return. The game we saw in 2001 was a thrilling one and even though the home team lost, this visit was every bit as exciting, and more. The visitors were the Cincinnati Reds and they definitely had the edge and were seemingly knocking the Cubs for six (apologies for the c... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/11th%20July%20-%20Winnipeg%20MB%20-%20Concert%20Hall http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/9th%20July%20-%20Regina%20SK%20-%20Conexus%20Centre%20of%20the%20Arts Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Regina is the latin word for queen and also happens to be the second largest city in the province of Saskatchewan after the town we played yesterday, Saskatoon. Once again, I can't ever recall visiting here before but on first appearances Regina looks like a nice quiet town with substantial areas dedicated to parks, lakes and countryside. Considering that Regina is situated on a vast treeless plain, the beauty of the city with it's 300,000 trees is entirely hand made. Another remarkably similar ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/9th%20July%20-%20Regina%20SK%20-%20Conexus%20Centre%20of%20the%20Arts http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/8th%20July%20-%20Saskatoon%20SK%20-%20Sid%20Buckwold%20Theatre Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Hubbing out of Edmonton Alberta today to the small town of Saskatoon in Sasketchewan. I'm pretty sure I've never been here although Mark says he has, albeit a long time ago. Flying in you can clearly see the effects on the roads of the long harsh winters endured here, but our local driver said "you think they're bad here, just wait till you get to Regina". Known as the city of bridges with it's seven river crossings across the Saskatchewan river, with a population roughly the same as Kelowna (25... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/8th%20July%20-%20Saskatoon%20SK%20-%20Sid%20Buckwold%20Theatre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/7th%20July%20-%20Edmonton%20AB%20-%20Northern%20Alberta%20Jubilee%20Auditorium Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update The days off are coming thick and fast now and I couldn't think of a better city than Vancouver in which to spend one. We were all grateful for a sunny day in this beautiful city and Mark, Glenn, Richard and myself took a 13 block walk up to Stanley Park and rented bikes for a cycle round the peninsula. In this shot of downtown Vancouver taken from the air as we left town you can clearly see the perimeter of Stanley park, the locals call it the island. Richard had been harping on about the burge... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/7th%20July%20-%20Edmonton%20AB%20-%20Northern%20Alberta%20Jubilee%20Auditorium http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/5th%20July%20-%20Calgary%20AB%20-%20Southern%20Alberta%20Jubilee%20Auditorium Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update I'm not quite sure of the last time we visited Calgary, could it have been with the Straits? a long time ago it seems. One thing I remember from the last time here is the incredible scenery with the beautiful green expanses and the majesty of the Rocky mountains in the distance. It's the Calgary stampede this week which bills itself as the greatest outdoor show on Earth, and for ten days it exists as the largest event in Canada. Certainly it's the largest internationally recognized Rodeo in exis... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/5th%20July%20-%20Calgary%20AB%20-%20Southern%20Alberta%20Jubilee%20Auditorium http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/4th%20July%20-%20Kelowna%20BC%20-%20Prospera%20Place Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update I must confess to a glitch in my geographical knowledge-base, until this tour, Kelowna in British Columbia is not a town I'd heard of. It's a beautiful town with a population of a quarter of a million situated on the Okanagan lake. It's name is derived from a native term for female grizzly bear. With a pleasant climate and two popular ski resorts close by, Kelowna is known to be one of the fastest growing cities in North America. Our driver was telling us that house properties have tripled in 15... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/4th%20July%20-%20Kelowna%20BC%20-%20Prospera%20Place http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/3rd%20July%20-%20Vancouver%20BC%20-%20Orpheum%20Theatre Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update The Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver was opened November 8, 1927 as a vaudeville house. At the time was the largest and most opulent theatre on the Pacific Coast. The City of Vancouver purchased the theatre on March 19, 1974 and undertook a complete restoration of the theatre's interior. The Orpheum re-opened on April 2, 1977 as the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Its Wurlitzer is Canada's last theatre organ still performing in its original home. A little bit of investigative wor... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/3rd%20July%20-%20Vancouver%20BC%20-%20Orpheum%20Theatre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20July%20-%20Seattle%20WA%20-%20Chateau%20St.%20Michelle%20Winery Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update The Chateau St. Michelle Winery was voted 'Restaurant and Wine' winery of the year the last time we visited in 2005 and has been a champion of Reisling for more than 40 years producing more than any other American winery. I would estimate that the Chateau St. Michelle winery sold over 4,000 bottles of wine at the show this evening. Danny, Matt and myself wandered around the field for about an hour and it seemed that everyone had at least a bottle of wine with them. I'd have loved to had a drop o... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20July%20-%20Seattle%20WA%20-%20Chateau%20St.%20Michelle%20Winery http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/1st%20July%20-%20Portland%20OR%20-%20Arlene%20Schnitzer%20Concert%20Hall Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update We had a very late checkout from the hotel in San Francisco this morning so Dan and I visited Mels diner for late breakfast where I inhaled the 'Elvis scramble' (managed to resist the hash browns) then it was a long and careful bag pack before departing to Oakland for the final time. I don't know anyone who doesn't like Portland Oregon, it's a beautiful town in the North West of the US with quite a similar climate to the UK plus it happens to be the self-proclaimed windsurfing capital of America... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/1st%20July%20-%20Portland%20OR%20-%20Arlene%20Schnitzer%20Concert%20Hall http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/29th%20June%20-%20Jacksonville%20OR%20-%20Britt%20Pavilion Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update We woke up in San Francisco to an almighty din coming from the streets below. The 2008 Gay pride parade was underway. After a while catching up on the computer and a ridiculously overpriced breakfast in the hotel (the last time I'm doing that) I grabbed the camera and was out in the streets enjoying the remarkable atmosphere. This town knows how to throw a party! Anyhow, it was a late departure for Jacksonville as the crew drive was another long one, what made things worse for the guys was that ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/29th%20June%20-%20Jacksonville%20OR%20-%20Britt%20Pavilion http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/28th%20June%20-%20San%20Francisco%20CA%20-%20The%20Greek%20Theatre%20(Berkeley) Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update The spectacular University of California Greek theatre is another one of those venues much anticipated by both band and crew. Literally the only slight drawback to playing here is that it can get a little chilly in the evening and tonight was no exception. Built in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst it's owned and run by the University of California at Berkeley and very well run it is too. The backstage staff are exceptional and everyone from the security and promoters team to the local catering st... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/28th%20June%20-%20San%20Francisco%20CA%20-%20The%20Greek%20Theatre%20(Berkeley) http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/27th%20June%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20CA%20-%20The%20Greek%20Theatre Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update It's always a delight coming to the beautiful Griffith Park is the site of one of the nicest venues to play on any tour, but tonight we had the added excitement of the possibility that John McCusker would make the show. He stepped of the plane from Heathrow at 6:30 PM and was whisked to the venue as fast as possible. No chance of making the sound-check, or the meet and greet and we were prepared for him not making the show as well. Luckily he didn't suffer too badly with the traffic and showed u... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/27th%20June%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20CA%20-%20The%20Greek%20Theatre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/26th%20June%20-%20Las%20Vegas%20NV%20-%20The%20Joint Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update After waking early again to the sound of crashing waves in Santa Monica, I still feel that I haven't quite kicked the jet-lag yet but there's no point in trying to get back to sleep so I open the curtains and watch the early morning surfers for a while. Then it was time to attack the diary in bed as we're on wi-fi in this hotel. I'm a real sucker for West coast Eggs Benedict and room service soon delivers along with an absolutely massive glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (at least a pint). ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/26th%20June%20-%20Las%20Vegas%20NV%20-%20The%20Joint http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/25th%20June%20-%20Salt%20Lake%20City%20UT%20-%20Abravanel%20Hall Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Salt Lake City became known as the crossroads of the west at the time of the great mining booms a century ago but more famously was the location chosen by Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers of 1847 who sought an isolated area to practice their religion, away from the hostility they had faced in the East. Salt Lake is also the home of the Mormon Tabernacle choir founded in that same year. The famed Utah Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in 1940 by Maurice Abravanel has become widely renown... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/25th%20June%20-%20Salt%20Lake%20City%20UT%20-%20Abravanel%20Hall http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/24th%20June%20-%20Denver%20CO-%20Red%20Rocks Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update It's difficult to imagine our last show in Athens was a mere nine days ago and here we are in Colorado having kicked off the US. leg of this amazing tour. The UK. contingent flew out from London on Sunday on what for some of us is the only commercial flight of the tour. The dry heat here and the altitude immediately hits you as we struggle to regain post-flight hydration. Danny and I both woke at 5am on Monday morning so it was early tea in my room whilst bleary-eyed we watched the sunrise. One... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/24th%20June%20-%20Denver%20CO-%20Red%20Rocks http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/15th%20June%20-%20Athens%20-%20Lycabettus%20Open%20Air Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update They say that 'time flies when you're having fun' and I think that's a fairly accurate gauge of how much we've enjoyed this leg of the tour, it's just flown by. Sixty three shows and every one completely and utterly enjoyable. It still feels like we're just getting started and I can honestly say that none of us have ever been involved in a tour that was so well balanced. We said our farewells to a few more members of the crew notably the drivers, both band, truck and bus. We also said goodbye (b... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/15th%20June%20-%20Athens%20-%20Lycabettus%20Open%20Air http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/13th%20June%20-%20Istanbul%20Kurucesme%20Open%20Air Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Certainly this must be the most anticipated visit on the tour as none of us in the band have been here before. With a population reported to be between 12 an 16 million, the city formerly known as Byzantium and then Constantinople is the third largest in the world. Clearly the success of it's economic history is based upon it's geographic location as an international junction of both land and sea routes. It also surely must be the only city to span two continents, Europe and Asia. Our day off he... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/13th%20June%20-%20Istanbul%20Kurucesme%20Open%20Air http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/11th%20June%20-%20Sofia%20-%20Culture%20Palace Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update This is our first visit to Sofia, one of the oldest cities in Europe. Bulgaria is one of the largest Balkan countries and has 5 others on it's borders, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. We flew in once again from Istanbul, and were met at the airport for the last time on the tour by Mannfred and his driving team A. When we got to the gig at just after 6 o'clock, the stage wasn't set up at all. Investigation revealed that we were once again extremely lucky to be doing a show at all s... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/11th%20June%20-%20Sofia%20-%20Culture%20Palace http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/10th%20June%20-%20Belgrade%20Arena Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Today was quite a day for the crew. First thing this morning, the lighting/catering truck was incapacitated just over an hour out from Belgrade. Of course, this truck is usually the first to load in as the lights need to be lifted before the rest of the stage is assembled/set up. The other two trucks arrived at the gig, unloaded and one of them drove back out together with Dave Hall (stage manager) and Pete Hillier (production manager) to retrieve the stricken cargo. This all took time and by 1:... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/10th%20June%20-%20Belgrade%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/9th%20June%20-%20Zagreb%20-%20Dom%20Sportiva Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update I'm pretty sure the Straits played here back in 1986 but I could be wrong. An old 60's sports hall with all the accompanying style and odour. We checked out of the Rome hotel, one of our favourites..and flew into Croatia this afternoon. We pondered on the stark contrast in cultures as we drove in to the city and towards the gig. The crew were all pretty exhausted but as usual they are all smiling faces and you'd never know unless you pry. We decided against a soundcheck but did a small meet and ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/9th%20June%20-%20Zagreb%20-%20Dom%20Sportiva http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/8th%20June%20-%20Codroipo%20Villa%20Manin%20(nr.%20Pordenone)%20Open%20Air Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Today's day trip from Rome took us to the far Nort-Eastern corner of Italy, near Udine. We flew into Trieste and headed North west towards Pordenone and the small town of Codroipo. A thoroughly beautiful drive through delightful countryside brought us to this amazing site. The Villa Manin is the family residence of Ludovico Manin, the last doge the Venecian Republic. For a thousand years the chief magistrate or leader of Venice was styled the Doge, a rare but not uniquely Italian title. The vill... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/8th%20June%20-%20Codroipo%20Villa%20Manin%20(nr.%20Pordenone)%20Open%20Air http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/7th%20June%20-%20Pesaro%20-%20BPA%20Palace Sat, 07 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update A short hop today from Rome due North to Rimini airport on the Adriatic coast. Then a 30 minute drive South to Pesaro and the slightly sci-fi looking Adriatic Arena. Our first visit to Pesaro and our first show of the tour without a sound check, of course everything sounded great as we took to the stage thanks to our amazing crew who despite extreme tiredness, consistently come up with the goods.. As you can see from the pic above, the entire rig was what we call 'ground support', meaning that n... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/7th%20June%20-%20Pesaro%20-%20BPA%20Palace http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/6th%20June%20-%20Rome%20-%20Palalottomatica Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Richard and I thought that today's diary entry should be a combined effort since it's inevitable our entries would be similar for our day off in Rome. RB. A day off in Rome. I was awake at the unholy hour of 7:30 unable to get back to sleep, a half hour later a full pot of espresso ensured I wouldn't. Down to the gym for the usual 90 minutes of agony. Back to the room for a bit of guitar practicing then tumbled out in the street. In this wonderful city full of attractions, I had none in mind and... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/6th%20June%20-%20Rome%20-%20Palalottomatica http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/4th%20June%20-%20Luxembourg%20-%20Rockhal Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update As we checked out of the Brussels hotel and made our way to the airport we talked about the fantastic run of shows we've just enjoyed, 6 fab Albert's and these four latest steamers. Bernie's driving team dropped us off at the airport and we said our farewells "see you in Turkey". Another short hop and we're walking through the VIP 'tube' at Luxembourg airport, then in-car with Mannfred once again on our way to what is a slightly surreal location for the gig. Belval is located 4 kilometres from E... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/4th%20June%20-%20Luxembourg%20-%20Rockhal http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/3rd%20June%20-%20Brussels%20-%20Forest%20National Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update We always look forward to the Forest National. On the Emmylou tour it was our first show and it's always a real treat and tonight was no exception. Danny and I had a little wander around the town, and a quick bite to eat in a particularly average bistro where the maitre-d stands out front and coerces tourists to dine. In a street where competition is fierce, he got us.Then it was back to the Amigo and off through the Brussels traffic to the gig for sound check and a meet and greet. Below, TC (To... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/3rd%20June%20-%20Brussels%20-%20Forest%20National http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20June%20-%20Koln%20-%20Arena Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Our final show in Germany promised much today as we hear it's another sellout in the fabulous Koln arena, the largest indoor venue of this type in Germany. It's the first time we've played in Koln and not stayed in town, we've been hubbing from Brussels and the fabulous Amigo hotel in the city centre. We arrived at the venue at the usual time only to learn of a slight delay caused by rush hour traffic delaying the trucks. I spoke with David Dean, one of the truck drivers and he explained his fru... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20June%20-%20Koln%20-%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/1st%20June%20-%20Sonderborg%20-%20Augustenborg%20Castle Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update After the exhausting week at the Albert Hall, it was something of a relief to find ourselves back out on the road in Europe again. As usual, we all met at Northolt for our flight on the Legacy over to Sonderborg where the weather couldn't have been any nicer. A gentle breeze and very warm temperature for our first outdoor show of the tour. As we landed we were greeted by drivers Mannfred, Gunther and Bob plus two police bikes to escort us to the venue, only 10 minutes away. We were grateful of t... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/1st%20June%20-%20Sonderborg%20-%20Augustenborg%20Castle http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/25th%20-%2030th%20May%20-%20Royal%20Albert%20Hall Sun, 25 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Rather than post a separate diary entry for each night at the Royal Albert Hall, I will update this entry daily. As it was quite a hectic first night, there aren't many pics yet but I will add more as we go through the week. Some of you may already know that each of the shows at the RAH will be in aid of a charity. Mark will be making a donation each night to a specific charity and they will then be able to make a re-show speech and organize collections in the hall in order to generate funds. Th... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/25th%20-%2030th%20May%20-%20Royal%20Albert%20Hall http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/24th%20May%20-%20Brighton%20Centre Sat, 24 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Firstly I'd like to thank everyone who posted birthday wishes on the forum and to all those who sang happy birthday at the show last night, cheers. It was a bit of a full-on day for me so I didn't take any photographs but Mike came to the rescue once more with some stunning shots of Brighton. Also, Leon, my 12 year old, had my video cam and I grabbed a few stills from that. The band re-assembled for sound check in Brighton after another much needed day off. We were all more tired than we thought... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/24th%20May%20-%20Brighton%20Centre http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/22nd%20May%20-%20Cardiff%20-%20CIA Thu, 22 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update As we left Newcastle we all agreed we'd had a fabulous couple of days even if the hotel wasn't quite up to the mark. Breakfast on room service was well below even a mediocre Holiday Inn standard and the coffee was pretty much undrinkable, but it's hard to be too harsh as the staff were all lovely.. so without harping on, onwards to Cardiff and the CIA, a well established gig on the UK touring circuit. Nothing particularly remarkable about the place really except that we always get a very warm we... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/22nd%20May%20-%20Cardiff%20-%20CIA http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/21st%20May%20-%20Newcastle%20-%20City%20Hall Wed, 21 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Onwards to Newcastle and the city Hall, Mark's hometown and one of the favourites of the tour. Once again, a difficult load-in for the boys in the crew. I'm always in awe of just how they manage to squeeze our production into this tiny auditorium. In fact several compromises are made, my keyboard riser is chopped in half to accommodate Glenn's guitar station. Indeed, one of the Reinhardt amps sits atop my leslie cab. I had to be mindful of the large gap which was perilously close to my chair leg... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/21st%20May%20-%20Newcastle%20-%20City%20Hall http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/20th%20May%20-%20Belfast%20-%20Odyssey Tue, 20 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update A very short flight from Dublin to Belfast for the band today and driving team B pick us up from the airport near Antrim in northern Ireland. I confess to suffering a little from the after-effects of Dublin Guinness over-enjoyment as the band had a session in the bar last night. So, a day off for me and as soon as we got to the venue in Belfast I was on the dressing room couch and on the receiving end of some stick from the crew who are in the middle of a particularly difficult week. A delightfu... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/20th%20May%20-%20Belfast%20-%20Odyssey http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/19th%20May%20-%20Dublin%20-%20RDS Mon, 19 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update As we took off from Edinburgh this afternoon, we had a great view of the 2.5 km. (1.5 mile) Forth Railway Bridge, the world’s first major steel bridge, with its gigantic girder spans of 1710 ft. Ranking as one of the great feats of civilization, the bridge was completed in 1890 and was built to replace the Tay bridge after it was demolished in the great storm of 1879. A short flight to Dublin and straight to the venue. Ah, Dublin...the RDS is a new venue for us as we usually play at the Point wh... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/19th%20May%20-%20Dublin%20-%20RDS http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/18th%20May%20-%20Edinburgh%20-%20Playhouse Sun, 18 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update One of the high points of any tour, Edinburgh is a place we all really enjoy visiting and staying. The venue is just a short walk from our hotel so Danny and I wandered down there for a cup of tea all the while trying not to get in the way of the crew who don't exactly relish the thought of loading into the Playhouse. One of the most unique things here is the truck-lift on stage left which today was used by the lighting and PA trucks. The entire trailer is reversed into the elevator and goes up ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/18th%20May%20-%20Edinburgh%20-%20Playhouse http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/17th%20May%20-%20Manchester%20-%20MEN Sat, 17 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update It's always great to wake up in the town we're playing and today in Manchester there's plenty of time to go for a wander around the shops. Unfortunately, it's raining but Danny and I go in search of a spot of lunch. The cafe's around the hotel aren't up to much so we go upmarket and find ourselves in Harvey Nichols brasserie. Very nice it was too. Then a quick search for a mini toolkit as I've been planning a hard-drive replacement in my MacBookPro for a few days now. I brought out my spare lapt... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/17th%20May%20-%20Manchester%20-%20MEN http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/16th%20May%20-%20Birmingham%20-%20NEC Fri, 16 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Our UK tour commences. Yesterday's day off for the crew was spent in Birmingham and the UK band members got to go home for a day. The fantastic weather has finally given way to the more usual British Summer mix of cloud, sunshine and drizzle but there was enough of a respite to mow the lawn. Then it was up early for me and a drive to the BBC in Birmingham with Eike, one of our drivers for a series of regional radio interviews as I begin the UK promotion of Inamorata which is officially released ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/16th%20May%20-%20Birmingham%20-%20NEC http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/14th%20May%20-%20Munich%20-%20Olympiahalle Wed, 14 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Show number 6 in a row in Munich today. As we wake in Prague, Danny and I decided we would interview our driving team here, Bernie, Dominika and Fabian. All three drivers rise to the challenge, stay tuned for that episode soon. We've already filmed Mannfred and his team in Vienna so that just leaves Eike and I'll edit it all together. We said goodbye to the Mandarin hotel and another short trip to Munich and the Olympiahalle. Memories of our gig here in 1992 in the Olympic stadium spring to mind... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/14th%20May%20-%20Munich%20-%20Olympiahalle http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/13th%20May%20-%20Vienna%20-%20Stadthalle Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update It was decided yesterday that we should 'get out more', so today we did. Richard, Danny and myself went for a walk around the town in search of the trad. jazz band that appear in the summer on the famous Charles Bridge (karluv most) which was build in 1357 (Charles IV. was a bit superstitious and chose the date carefully and thanks to that all Czech students now have no problems remembering it - it's all odd numbers in succession). Its predecessor, Judita's Bridge, which isn't standing anymore w... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/13th%20May%20-%20Vienna%20-%20Stadthalle http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/12th%20May%20-%20Budapest%20-%20Arena Mon, 12 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update I think it's safe to say that Summer is now here in earnest as we wake to yet another beautiful warm day. We meet in the lobby in Prague for our day trip to Budapest but there's a brief hold up as Kylie poses for the press who have been waiting outside the hotel gate for ages. As soon as she elegantly steps into her blackened Mercedes bus, we're off. I took a few snaps of the journey to the airport as the light was lovely. We arrive in Budapest and it's a short drive to the arena, a strange look... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/12th%20May%20-%20Budapest%20-%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/11th%20May%20-%20Prague%20-%20T-Mobile%20Arena Sun, 11 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Woke this morning to yet another perfect day in Prague but got straight to work on the diary etc. Danny called and we had breakfast together in my room whilst I typed. Pete called to say our departure time for the gig was delayed two hours due to the crew being held up in standstill traffic. There was an accident on the motorway during the night and they were stationary for that period. We got to talking about how those boys always seem to recover from these adverse situations in order to put th... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/11th%20May%20-%20Prague%20-%20T-Mobile%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/10th%20May%20-%20Oberhausen%20-%20Arena Sat, 10 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Today we said goodbye to Frankfurt. For sure one of the nicest hotel stays of the tour and a great town for a 'hub'. After a morning swim and a little bit of sunshine we checked out in the early afternoon for our final run to the airport here. A bit of a hold up as we arrive during a shift change at the General Aviation terminal. We wait for the next shift to arrive as the current one doesn't want to help us as it would incur going beyond the 2:00 cutoff. Soon we're all aboard the plane and Alex... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/10th%20May%20-%20Oberhausen%20-%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/9th%20May%20-%20Hannover%20-%20TUI%20Arena Fri, 09 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Yesterday was a delightful day off in Frankfurt, with most countries it seems in Europe experiencing the first heatwave of the summer it felt great to get outside and into the sun. A swim in the morning and a little bit of a wander around town in the afternoon. Our 'hub' from Frankfurt continues today with a round trip to Hannover..... ....which brings back memories of the show we did there in 1996 inside an old U-boat factory. It was the hottest show any of us have ever done and thankfully toda... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/9th%20May%20-%20Hannover%20-%20TUI%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/7th%20May%20-%20Stuttgart%20-%20Schlayerhalle Wed, 07 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Quite an early start for some of us today as the plan was to make our regular pilgrimage to the Boss VIP store near Stuttgart. In the end it was myself, Mark, John, Paul and Pete who decided to go. We caught the 09:40 from Frankfurt to Stuttgart and were picked up by Bernie and Fabian, two of our drivers for the 45 minute drive to the factory. Unfortunately, when Fabian started his car a warning light made a suggestion that the car should NOT be driven any further and when we examined the car, t... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/7th%20May%20-%20Stuttgart%20-%20Schlayerhalle http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/6th%20May%20-%20Leipzig%20-%20Arena Tue, 06 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update a message from Dan.. For those who are interested in my drums here is a photo of me at sound check in Berlin taken by Mike Humeniuk. The kit is a "Sonor Designer" set which I've had a few years. The shells are Maple and the outer veneer is of "Bubinga" which is an African hardwood. This particular type I believe, has been superseded by a newer model, the "SQ" I had thought about getting a Crimson "SQ" set built for this tour but by the time I'd thought of it, it was too late for the drums to be ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/6th%20May%20-%20Leipzig%20-%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/5th%20May%20-%20Hamburg%20-%20Color%20Line%20Arena Mon, 05 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update As the tour progresses we all drift into our daily routines and after morning tea yesterday it was another big swim for me in the hotel pool. Thankfully we've enjoyed a pool at pretty much every hotel. Afterwards I noticed Richard outside in his 'Zen' garden soaking up the sun. It would have been churlish not to join him. After half an hour or so it was back up to the room to devour breakfast (ordered 2 hours proir) of delightful Bircher Meusli and coffee whilst writing the diary and attending t... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/5th%20May%20-%20Hamburg%20-%20Color%20Line%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/4th%20May%20-%20Frankfurt%20-%20Festhalle Sun, 04 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Everyone woke this morning with the music of last night's after-show session in my room still reverberating in their heads. The best DJ session of the tour so far methinks. (playlist below). A leisurely drive through Berlin and past parts of what remains of the old wall towards Schoenfeld airport. Driving through old-Eastern Berlin on a Sunday is a far cry from the hectic pace of Paris or Stockholm, and we arrive at the gate (or gat) completely relaxed on what is a quite beautiful day. Another p... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/4th%20May%20-%20Frankfurt%20-%20Festhalle http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/3rd%20May%20-%20Berlin%20-%20Velodrom Sat, 03 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Fond memories of Berlin before Germany's reunification in 1990 means it's always interesting to return to see what's changed. Berlin still seems to be growing at a lightning pace. The German capital has always been full of historic intrigue and is well known for it's liberal lifestyle. The urban landscape and historical legacy has made it a popular setting for national and international film productions, in fact more than a thousand TV and film companies have their home here. The lobby of the de... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/3rd%20May%20-%20Berlin%20-%20Velodrom http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20May%20-%20Warsaw%20-%20Torwar Fri, 02 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Back on the road for another 6 in a row after four whole days off. 'It's only when you stop that you fully realize how exhausted you are,' this sentiment was echoed by band and crew when discussing the break. I for one was little more than a zombified shadow of myself as I tore into the task of mowing the overgrown lawn on Monday. What a difference a new month makes as we head into May, Summer seems to be here at last. The colour of the trees is suddenly a deeper green as we drive to the gig fro... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20May%20-%20Warsaw%20-%20Torwar http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/27th%20April%20-%20Moscow%20-%20Olympiski Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Moscow just has to be one of the most fascinating cities in the world and in the three years since our last visit, it has clearly changed immeasurably. One of the first things which strikes you is the sheer scale of everything and then the increase in neon lighting and most strikingly, the huge number of modern shops and stores. Clearly the wealth in Moscow is on the increase. The drive from the airport just goes on and on, a long very wide, very straight road. Moscow’s road system is centered r... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/27th%20April%20-%20Moscow%20-%20Olympiski http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/26th%20April%20-%20St.%20Petersburg%20-%20New%20Ice%20Arena Sat, 26 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Onwards into Russia today. We left Helsinki in the early afternoon and flew the 184 miles to St. Petersburg in completely perfect flying weather. Overtaken on the inside by a car with a bath on the roof. "The driving is a bit Dodge City" as Mark commented in the car today, the fact that there are practically no road markings on highways that are sometimes 6 lanes wide means that it's a bit of a free for all. Our normal team of drivers didn't make it into Russia so we used local cars to and from ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/26th%20April%20-%20St.%20Petersburg%20-%20New%20Ice%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/25th%20April%20-%20Helsinki%20-%20Hartwall%20Arena Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Our 5th day off of the tour, and we find ourselves in the beautiful city of Helsinki. A few of us hit the hotel gym which was great. The temperature drop was a little shocking as Mark, Danny, Glenn and I go for a wander in search of a fish lunch. Just down the road from the hotel is the South harbour and the old 'Kauppatori' a famous fish market building where we develop our appetites further looking at the beautiful produce. The lunch of choice was found at 'Sundmans Krog' directly across the r... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/25th%20April%20-%20Helsinki%20-%20Hartwall%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/23rd%20April%20-%20Stockholm%20-%20Hovet Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Checking out of the (not-so) Grand hotel in Oslo this morning not a moment too soon. It's actually a very pleasant place but has over the years become a bit tired and struggles in comparison to the level of service present in other hotels on this tour. We're off on our final 40Km schlep to the airport bound for our second Swedish gig and the beautiful city of Stockholm. Further evidence of the fact that traffic in the world is not getting any lighter; what was normally a 45 minute drive to the v... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/23rd%20April%20-%20Stockholm%20-%20Hovet http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/22nd%20April%20-%20Karlstadt%20-%20Lofbergs%20Lila Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Apologies to residents of this beautiful town for the earlier incorrect spelling of Karlstad. We seem to have been following the sunshine around for days now and this morning in the glare, the boys take coffee outside the Grand Hotel in Oslo before flying over to Sweden for tonight's show. Fabian, Dominika and Bernie (AKA Driving team A) pose in Oslo with Danny pre-departure. There's Danny again.. What a beautifully peaceful town Karlstad seems to be, and what a delightful gig. "Surely captain, ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/22nd%20April%20-%20Karlstadt%20-%20Lofbergs%20Lila http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/21st%20April%20-%20Bergen%20-%20Vestlandshallen Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update What a day. I'm up at the 'crack of sparrows' and Pete, the accomplished professional calls me at 04:08am, just to check I'm awake and will be downstairs at 04:15am.. I have my hand on the receiver (about to call him) as it rings. Pete very kindly offered to get up that early and help out, take photo's etc. My new good friend Vidar Ruud played the 2nd guitar in the performances and picked Pete and myself up from the hotel to take us to the studio. We were the first ones there but within 20 minut... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/21st%20April%20-%20Bergen%20-%20Vestlandshallen http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/20th%20April%20-%20Oslo%20-%20Spectrum Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Arriving in Oslo on a Saturday night can be quite an experience. Our hotel is sited on one of this beautiful city's main squares and the weekend revelry doesn't seem to calm down until at least 4:00 am. One of the more familiar gigs on the tour is the Spectrum in Oslo where the crowd is always fabulous and this show was no exception. I'm pleased to say that Matt is now on the road to stomach recovery and the band is on-song once again. Robbo is sanding Danny's snare head. Reason? I'm not sure...... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/20th%20April%20-%20Oslo%20-%20Spectrum http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/19th%20April%20-%20Copenhagen%20-%20Forum Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update There's quite a lot to write about in today's entry and sitting here in Oslo, Italy seems an absolute age ago. I'll start by describing our day off in Verona yesterday. During our stay in Verona at the lovely Byblos hotel, we'd often remarked at the delicious Valpolocella Ripasso they serve. It was when Mark suggested we make an attempt to buy some that Peter made some enquiries with the hotel staff about the vineyard. It turns out the maitre-d at the hotel, Gianni, is good friends with the chap... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/19th%20April%20-%20Copenhagen%20-%20Forum http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/17th%20April%20-%20Bolzano%20-%20Palaonda Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Caption Contest below... I'm not sure we've ever visited Bolzano before, situated in the far North of Italy quite close to the Austrian border, you can immediately sense the German influences even though 76% of the population speak Italian. We're still hubbing from our hotel outside Verona so it was a one and a half hour drive North through the lower Dolomites towards Bolzano. Some quite breathtaking scenery on the journey... ----------------------------------------------------------------------... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/17th%20April%20-%20Bolzano%20-%20Palaonda http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/16th%20April%20-%20Mantova%20-%20Palabam Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update The hotel we are staying in for four nights is worthy of a few words. One of the few occasions I think where opinions within the band are split. I think this place is fabulous. Set in the heart of the Valpolicella area just to the North of Verona, the 15th century classical Venetian style villa, previously abandoned has been lovingly and creatively restored and contains some quite bold paintings and furniture. Each room is unique and not to everyone's taste but there's a photo opportunity around... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/16th%20April%20-%20Mantova%20-%20Palabam http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/15th%20April%20-%20Milan%20-%20Datchforum Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update After waking admirably late in Zurich and having my daily meusli, Dan called to ask if I fancied a stroll before we left for Italy. Downstairs in 10 mins and we were outside in a surprisingly chilly 4 degrees C. Since neither of us had Swiss Francs Dan decided to use an ATM. Unfortunately he didn't notice it was not in service and it ate his card, we then spent the next 45 minutes retrieving it and thankfully the bank were very helpful. We went back outside and it started to rain so we aborted m... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/15th%20April%20-%20Milan%20-%20Datchforum http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/14th%20April%20-%20Zurich%20-%20Hallenstadion Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update We arrived in the beautiful city of Zurich to a much appreciated day off. A few band members are still reeling from a gastro-bug but fingers crossed we should be back up to full strength in a few days. I was looking forward to getting out and doing some shopping but the shops were closed as our visit here coincided with the two day 'Sechsilauten' festival. Every year the guilds and townsfolk of Zurich celebrate this traditional spring festival with gusto. The celebrations culminate on Monday at ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/14th%20April%20-%20Zurich%20-%20Hallenstadion http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/12th%20April%20-%20Erfurt%20-%20Messehalle Sat, 12 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Show day number 13 and the sixth show in a row today we found ourselves in Erfurt, lying exactly between Dortmund and Dresden and equidistant from Frankfurt and Berlin it is pretty much right in the heart of modern Germany. Of course before reunification in 1990 Erfurt was part of East Germany and because of very limited damage during the war years remains a beautifully preserved medieval city. Not that we ever get to find out as we never seem to stay in the town and today was no exception. We f... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/12th%20April%20-%20Erfurt%20-%20Messehalle http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/11th%20April%20-%20Mannheim%20-%20SAP%20Arena Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update It was a short drive down to Mannheim from Frankfurt this afternoon and the Mercedes S500L simply demolishes the miles. The 80 kilometer journey feels like 20 and before we know it we're pulling into the huge SAP arena. As was the case on the last few tours, our two teams of drivers leap-frog each other throughout the European leg in order to pick up and drop off the band wherever we are. There's some pretty clever logistical solutions on this tour but this is our favourite. Getting into these r... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/11th%20April%20-%20Mannheim%20-%20SAP%20Arena http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/10th%20April%20-%20Strasbourg%20-%20Zenith Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update None of us were particularly reluctant to leave the Hotel Fouquet's Barriere this morning. What should be a spectacular experience ends up being more of an annoyance in terms of service. It wouldn't be quite so bad if they weren't charging such daft prices. I could rant on but let's move on. . . Off to Le Bourget for the final time and a brief flight East to Strasbourg on the Alsace border with Germany. I stand corrected re. my Nantes entry....THIS is the latest and greatest Zenith arena only co... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/10th%20April%20-%20Strasbourg%20-%20Zenith http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/9th%20April%20-%20Paris%20-%20Bercy Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Paris. THE most beautiful city on the planet in my book and Bercy, one of the best gigs historically for us. The band has been hubbing from here for the past five nights culminating in this show. Although this time the venue was all seated I recall playing here many times in the past with both MK and DS when it was standing. Not that it made too much difference, the audience tonight was spectacular. Matt't new website rolled out today. Go to mattrollings.com and check it out. The wonderful B3.... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/9th%20April%20-%20Paris%20-%20Bercy http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/8th%20April%20-%20Nantes%20-%20Zenith Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Situated in Brittany on the banks of the Loire river and very close to the west coast and the Atlantic, Nantes was naturally one of France's major historic ports. As we flew in one couldn't help noticing how much greener it is here. It reminded me a bit of Ireland. I believe the Zenith here is France's newest and largest with an 8,500 capacity. Lots of smiling faces within the crew because of the space and easy load-in etc. I always think of how easy it must be to get it right when designing a m... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/8th%20April%20-%20Nantes%20-%20Zenith http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/7th%20April%20-%20Toulouse%20-%20Zenith Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update After the marathon trip from Portugal, yesterday was a day off in Paris and just about everyone in the band spent it sleeping. When we did finally surface a few of us lounged in the pool and/or went to the gym where there was a power plate sitting idly in the corner. Now we've all heard about these things so I decided to give it a whirl so to speak. It wasn't switched on and there was no mains cable attached so obviously I removed one from another machine to get it fired up. As it's name suggest... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/7th%20April%20-%20Toulouse%20-%20Zenith http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/5th%20April%20-%20Granada%20-%20Coliseo%20Atarfe Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update What a day. Four cities! Lisbon - Granada - Malaga - Paris We all woke up pretty late after the soiree in my room apres-gig in Lisbon. It was nearly 5 am when I said the the caps "I don't mean to alarm you but it's 5am". In 30 seconds everyone was gone. The Ritz-Four Seasons has a great swimming pool so me and a few of the guys took full advantage in the morning. It was a late-leave today since the crew has quite a drive from Lisbon to Granada. We left the hotel at 3:15 and flew into Granada and... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/5th%20April%20-%20Granada%20-%20Coliseo%20Atarfe http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/4th%20April%20-%20Lisbon%20-%20Campo%20Pequeno Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update A word about the Madrid show before I go on with the Lisbon entry. We learned that at the end of the show in Madrid, when there was a rush of fans towards the front of the stage, some joker decided to STEAL one of our AUDIENCE MICROPHONES. The mic, a Sennheiser and quite valuable was removed from the front of Mark's position just as we left the stage. If any of you guys are aware of this please let me know. Thanks. On to the Lisbon show and all of us recalled that this is Danny's anniversary gig... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/4th%20April%20-%20Lisbon%20-%20Campo%20Pequeno http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/3rd%20April%20-%20Madrid%20-%20Palacio%20De%20Portes Thu, 03 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update If you've been to any of our shows so far and sent me photo's attached to e-mails in the last 2 days, I won't have received them. This is because my mailbox was shut down due to it being overloaded. Some e-mails were over 30Mb each! ouch. I've fixed it now but all it's contents were lost. If you want to re-send anything DO NOT send masses of pics, just pick the really really good ones and if you must send a high res image, please, just one per e-mail. Our first '3 cities in one day' days. We lef... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/3rd%20April%20-%20Madrid%20-%20Palacio%20De%20Portes http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20April%20-%20Barcelona%20-%20Palau%20St.%20Jordi Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update I suppose he had to laugh..Pete sent me this picture as Glenn arrived safely albeit a little battered after his 'epic' journey with Pete from Rotterdam via Paris on sumptuous Spanish trains. The great news is that he can fly with us tonight on to Madrid etc... The fabulous Arts hotel in Barcelona does have extraordinary views and my room this time excelled. I couldn't resist another panoramic montage. Mark's new amplifier setup consists of the red Marshall 4x12 cabinets as used on the last tour ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20April%20-%20Barcelona%20-%20Palau%20St.%20Jordi http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/31st%20March%20-Rotterdam%20-%20Ahoy Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Ahoy! Show number three. There was a slightly different transportation setup today as we traveled to Rotterdam from Amsterdam by train. We always enjoy European trains (except of course the UK). The travel plan was born out of the difficulty we had making this journey by car 3 years ago. Rotterdam traffic is notorious but the trains run every 15 minutes. We also did our first meet and greet tonight and it was the full band this time with Matt on piano and John on fiddle. Our delightful journey... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/31st%20March%20-Rotterdam%20-%20Ahoy http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/30th%20March%20-%20Amsterdam%20-%20HMH Sun, 30 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update With two shows under our belts now it feels like we're on the road proper. The gig was as relaxed as anything last night. We had discussed a few very minor changes after the first show and put them to effect in the sound check. Some minor lighting issues and guitar change modifications etc. but considering it was only our 2nd show, pretty good overall. The Americans in the band are now well acquainted with our British customs and hand signals. Ike, drives Matt and Danny to the gig. As mentioned ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/30th%20March%20-%20Amsterdam%20-%20HMH http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/29th%20March%20-%20Amsterdam%20-%20HMH Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Under way at last. The week off after production rehearsals took some getting used to. Richard and Glenn both flew home to Nashville before joining us in Amsterdam for the final run through on Friday. The one thing we didn't bank on was their return flights coinciding with the FAA's decision to ground flights to inspect seemingly random aircraft for safety reasons. They didn't make it here in time for the run through. 24 hours later however all was well and they arrived bleary eyed at 8:00am on ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/29th%20March%20-%20Amsterdam%20-%20HMH http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/15th%20-%2018th%20March%20-%20Production%20Rehearsals%20(Deepest%20Berkshire) Sat, 15 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update Production Rehearsals - Bray film studios As you'd imagine, production rehearsals exist to test the entire production including lights and PA before we set off on the road. As much as I'd love to I can't show the shots I've taken this week of the lighting rig. It's beautiful. Once we've done a few shows I'll put them up here. Being the last step before unleashing the production onto the innocent public, an air of anticipation always accompanies a visit to Bray Studios birthplace of many a great ... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/15th%20-%2018th%20March%20-%20Production%20Rehearsals%20(Deepest%20Berkshire) http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20-%2014th%20March%20-%20Rehearsals%20LONDON Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT Ginzola Update 2nd - 14th March - Rehearsals LONDON Once again dear friends, the tour diary is under way. I will be writing entries for each and every show, posting pictures and running contests with stunning prizes! Don't forget you can post comments and ask me questions in the forum. I will answer all posts except of course ones which I deem unsuitable or just plain daft and I'm pleased to say there are very few of those. Please also remember to check out Richard Bennett's 'notes from the road'. Go to his si... http://guyfletcher.co.uk/cms/index.php/page/2nd%20-%2014th%20March%20-%20Rehearsals%20LONDON