Tour Diary : National Auditorium, Mexico City, MexicoTue 27 March  Mike and Richard apres showMargaritas all round! Mexico Welcome to the first instalment of ‘tour notes’ compiled by Guy. Coming to you from a laptop somewhere in deepest hotel room, dressing room, tour bus or plane. Constantly in search of a different perspective. Always on…

In earsThe bold move to launch the band into the 21st century by switching to ‘In-Ear’ monitors has had its doubters since the rehearsal period in March. Chad was the first to sing the praises of the hi-tech system having used them before on previous tours. He talked Mark, Guy, Glenn and Geraint into trying…

TennisBuenos Aires March 31stThe first night in Buenos Aires was firmly stamped into our memories as we all went out for a ‘band’ meal at a beautiful waterside steak house in the city. Mark’s old pals Guillermo Vilas, the famous Argentine tennis player and Rudy Pensa, the maker of many of Mark’s guitars showed up…

Colin in wheelchairThe long awaited picture of Colin after the football match.The show must go on. FootyFootball Buenos Aires, March 30th 2001. The eagerly awaited football match between the ‘MK Giant’s and the ‘Diego Villeneuve Allstars’ (record company) took place in near perfect conditions. The fact that no members of the band were able to…

Robbie McGrath in MontivideoHope it doesn’t rain. Sound check in Montivideo, a hot and steamy day. Band on a boatThis pic taken aboard the giant high-speed hydrofoil bound for Montivideo from Buenos Aires. This thing travels at 60 knots. Buenos AiresThe view from the boat looking back at BA. We travelled 200miles in just over…

Pre show ritualsPre show ritualsMike and Richard continue to do battle on the card table before each show. A card game called Casino. For official rules go to http://www.pagat.com/fishing/casino.html  Looks like a fight waiting to happen to me although I’m sure we’ll all be playing it soon enough. Always the hardest thing to do for me…

Caipirinhas..scene of the crime Undoubtedly one of the talking points of the Brazilian leg was the rate at which the caipirinhas were consumed. A well-known English keyboard player started the ball rolling on the promotional tour there in November by consuming fourteen caipirinhas within a 12-hour period. (Zeppelin bar, Rio de Janeiro. Situated across the…

Chad & AngelHere’s a pic of Chad with our bodyguard in Brasil, Angel. As you can tell we got on very well. It was tough to say goodbye.

Sao Paulo viewHere’s a particularly boring shot of the view out of my hotel room window in Sau Paulo. You can see it is a particularly BIG city. It seems top go on forever. In fact, the journey to the soundcheck here was on one occasion in excess of 2 hours due to traffic. It…

Some of Richard’s guitarsGIBSON SOUTHERNER JUMBO (1954) The Southerner Jumbo, an old standby in the Gibson line, was for many years their answer to Martin’s Dreadnought. This guitar from 1954 has a beautiful sunburst finish and is all original. As is typical with Gibson acoustics, it’s rich and woody tone suits finger picking or strumming,…

The planeThis is currently our chosen mode of transportation. A Gulfstream G4. I’ll try and get some better pics of this baby as we go. Truly a thing of beauty. The Wallingford show was our first day using the jet. We flew from Boston in the afternoon into Bradley International airport having been diverted from…

MK & Rory Mark and Rory Madden, our monitor man from Port Talbot, Wales having a laugh during sound check in DC. Rory introduced the band to the sonic delights of in-ear monitors.

Glen’s set listFriday 26th April Philadelphia The song Rudiger was missed out during the show because Glen Saggers (MK’s gtr tech) handed Mark the wrong guitar. Mark realised this genuine error and launched straight into ‘What it is’ causing much head scratching and on-stage skirmishes behind him. It just goes to show how much control…

Newark New JerseyPerforming Arts centre Don’t forget, you can e-mail me with comments, queries etc.on tour at drfletch@btconnect.com

Richard Bennetton stage in NYC Stand-by Mark. Here’s a pic of Rory Madden (Monitors) setting up Mark’s in-ear pack. “lift my shirt and turn me on, luv”. This ritual occurs 20 minutes before every show. The level at which we set our packs is critical and determined each day at sound check.  Beacon theatre dressing…

planeRB pictured with Amy, our stewardess. Chad is sitting up in the jump seat today. How’s this for travelling….Board the G4 in NYC at 3:30pm, fly to Ottowa in 1 hour, do a show there, jump straight back onto the G4, fly to Toronto in one and a half hours and be in your hotel…

The managementSir Paul Crockford, Mark’s new manager. Would you argue or buy a used car from this man? Paul also manages William Topley, who will be our support act for the Denver show as well as most West Coast dates in the US. Paul is seen here sporting one of his more tasteful shirts…believe me!

MK’s Amp CabinetsInfo on this is currently being compiled by a keyboard player,  hence the delay! I’ll upload the lot in one future diary entry.

The ball gameThe band had the opportunity to go and see a ball-game at the famous Wrigley field stadium, Chicago on Saturday 5th May. The Cubs were at home to the LA Dodgers. It was quite a game as I’m sure most baseball fans in the Chicago area will remember. The final score was Cubs-20,…

Guy’s rigGuy’s keyboard rig consists of an old beaten up Korg SG1D used purely as a master keyboard. A Korg Trinity Plus, a Clavia Nord 2 Synth used for big synthy low-end stuff and also for Junkie Doll/Pyro Man sounds. A Roland JD800 Synth with String Cards, used for most of the soft string pad/beds…

GeraintA fine shot of the fabulous Geraint Watkins at his demon B3. Geraint againPriceless!

Red Rocks ViewAfter four days off for band and crew, the prospect of an outdoor show at a venue as beautiful as Red Rocks was an exciting prospect. It’s been 16 years since Dire Straits last came here on September 3rd and 4th 1985 on the Brothers in Arms tour. (I found these dates on…

Questions, QuestionsThanks for all your e-mails. It’s great to have the feedback from the diary both positive AND negative……..keep them coming Unfortunately, yesterday I left my camera switched on during the flight to Seattle…when I went to take shots at the venue…no could do!…Left the charger on the plane!! Here’s a pic of my workstation………We…

Sultans of swingVancouver We had a great time here. It’s nice to be back by the sea again even if it is a bit rainy. The show was fab. Great crowd, a very light hearted vibe on stage tonight. It must have been the massages we had before the show tonight. I managed to get…

Sushi @ 45,000ftToday was another one of those amazing travel days. Leaving Vancouver at 2:00pm, we had lunch on the plane. Sushi. Good sushi. Well it was Vancouver! We landed in Portland, Oregon at around 3:00 and sound checked at 4:30. I’ve always wanted to spend more time in Portland as I’m a windsurfer. Actually…

Wide shotSan Francisco, what can you say. Pic – on the way to the gig in Berkeley.The show itself was ‘different’. A much more well behaved audience than previous gigs. Still an excellent crowd, don’t get me wrong.(disclaimer) We just felt we had to push a bit harder, (which we did) if you know what…

Viva!A blast of hot dry air hit us as we stepped down form the plane upon arrival in Las Vegas. Quite a temperature change from San Francisco. The Hard Rock Hotel (the Joint) was the venue for a true club-gig. A great audience and atmosphere ensured a great show. The stage was small but that…

The GreekIt was fantastic to be back at the Greek theatre in Los Angeles. We last played here on the Brothers in arms tour. A truly beautiful venue both scenically and with it’s facilities.   We had a little surprise in store for the audience. Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne both agreed to come along and…

new guitarist!!A brief word about the San Diego show. A truly wonderful crowd here. Hope you all enjoyed it! Pictured is our new guitarist!!! Peter Mackay I feel I should address the issue of ‘Songs/setlists’. I’m getting so many e-mails requesting songs from Golden Heart and earlier Dire Straits albums, that I literally can’t keep…

Eddie Butler and Chad relax during sound-checkThe show in Dallas tonight was a bit of a surprise. None of us have ever been to the ‘Bronco Bowl’ before and didn’t know what to expect. The audience was fantastic! They really got us up there from the word go. We were all feeling a bit tired…

Another star guest appearance.Sonny Landreth thrilled us all by coming along to ‘help out’ on a few tunes. ‘Who’s your baby’, ‘Pyro Man’ and ‘Sailing….(also with William Topley) were prime candidates, whilst ‘Money for nothing’ and ‘So far away’ were enriched by his slide extravaganzas during the encores. Thank-you Sonny. We had a great night…

Warm-upTonight’s events were brought to a close with a beautiful 36 minute flight from Birmingham AL to Atlanta GA. The show was enjoyable, another great audience.. The dressing rooms were not the height of luxury to say the least. A couch would have been nice. Richard has found the place to warm-up before the show….

Chastain Park AmphitheatreTonight’s show at the lovely Chastain Park in Atlanta proved to be a lot of fun. A fabulous venue where the only limitation was the 85 decibel sound limit. I hope we didn’t upset any of the local residents. The audience were really having a good time. They were up and standing from…

Searching…..

RAHOK, the European leg of the STP tour got under way last night with the first of three nights at the wonderful Albert Hall. We confessed to being ever so slightly rusty even after only 6 days off. I suppose the Jet lag had something to do with it. It was great to see people…

Us Lota pre-show band and crew photo. more later…… The new planeWe flew in the new plane, a Dornier 328 Jet, for the first time today. Very nice it was too. I think I need to address the set list issue again as I’ve had numerous e-mails concerning the omission of Silvertown Blues. We are about…

such concentrationMike, Mark and Glenn Worf caught concentrating during the Stuttgart sound check.   The audience this evening were apparently typically Stuttgart. They took a while to get going, but once they got there they were absolutely fantastic. Really enthusiastic. During the last encore, literally everybody had their arms in the air. Sorry about the delayed…

Austrian discAnother Gold disc presentation this time in Vienna from Universal. The first European GA (general admission ie, standing) show at the Stadthalle in Vienna was fantastic. I think the band enjoy these shows best as we can see more of the audience reaction which last night was truly fab. The sound was I understand,…

The gigThe Congress Hall was the venue for our show in Warsaw last night. Our driver described it as ‘Stalin’s gift to Poland’. We were eager to know what type of audience to expect the band has never played there before. Mark and I visited briefly last November for a TV show and interviews and…

RudigerThis is the now famous Rudiger. The man who inspired the song. As always, he waits at the hall in Berlin. ICCAn empty hall during soundcheck at the ICC. That’s Geraint’s Hammond B3 in the foreground. LightingAttack of the killer teddy bear drummer. When lighting designers get bored!! White StratHere’s a pic of Glenn Saggers…

COMPETITIONSo you think you know the band! This is a tour diary competition.   Can you recognise the 6 band members from the pictures on their tour photo passes. The faces have been disguised by simple use of a ‘Sharpie’ pen. No additional computer enhancement has been applied. If you think you recognise these people, then…

Halla slightly surreal pic of an empty hall at a prolonged soundcheck, due to minor power problems. 240 voltsThis is our back-line power insurance. (pic missing) A large flightcase off to stage right. This basically regulates the power supply to the back-line (on-stage) equipment during the show. Thus preventing any unexpected power surges from affecting…

GinsengMike Henderson checking out his Ginseng stockpile for ripeness COMPETITION Thanks to all of you who had a go at the contest.. Only 16 got it right. Here’s the first 3 sent in.. Teresa EatonMohammed Abbouti TemsamaniDavid Blizzard Congratulations to you three. TOUR PRIZE being put together now… The correct answers were… A Chad CromwellB…

The gig from the airTaken from the plane, this picture shows the venue for this evening. I got this only because we had to do ‘fly-around’ ‘cos the runway was occupied on our first approach into Hamburg Airport. A seemingly chaotic air-show is taking place at the airport itself with all sorts of planes flying…

BrendanHere’s our Brendan. From Cork, Ireland, Mr. Galvin joined us for the European leg of the tour. He has taken over from Peter Mackay (you may remember he left us to join Rod after the US) Brendan has his work cut out making sure we’re everywhere we need to be….on time. Fantastic show last night….Hamsterjam…

MK and ampWhat a show tonight in Brussels, it’s always great to return to the Forest National. The audience were truly amazing. I do however have a small apology to make to some of you. Namely the security tonight. I saw myself some of the crowd taking photos with small cameras and security guards actively…

Mike attireYou can see by the way Mike is attired here how hot the show was last night at the Zenith in Paris. The temperature reached 36 degrees centigrade on the stage, and that was probably the coolest place in the venue. Apparently there was never any air conditioning installed there. It’s due to be…

TGVThe travel today was particularly pleasant. Paris to Lyon, non-stop on the new high speed TGV service. It really does make one realise the pathetic inadequacies of our own British so-called transport system. A supremely fast, quiet and comfortable ride. Here’s a pic of Chad and MK enjoying the following e-mail which was sent to…

guyfletcher.co.ukToday I can announce the birth of my new official website. guyfletcher.co.uk  It is still in its infancy and is a bit basic at the moment, but as soon as I have some time I will be uploading all sorts of goodies, a large selection of pictures (THUMBNAILS), MP3’s, MPEGS etc. You’ll be able to go here…

It’s the Olympic Pavillion BadalonaJust realised, the venue is not specified.. even though it’s been in the itinerary since we were in the US. Better late than never. Don’t forget to check out guyfletcher.co.uk my new site (work in progress). You can access this tour diary from there too you know… BluelitesWhat a night. We…

Sad newsI have a sad announcement to make. The great Chet Atkins died yesterday morning. Obviously we are all deeply saddened by the news as we all knew him and loved him tremendously. We all know for sure that wherever he is now, he’ll be happily pickin’ his guitar. Rest in peace Chet. This picture…

Outside the Las VentasThis is the wonderful Las Ventas bullring in Madrid with the mobile recording trucks sitting outside. Thinking about it this morning it’s quite remarkable that we did the show at all. The trucks with our equipment only arrived from Lisbon at the venue at midday, ususally they arrive very early in the…

TimBilbao, I’m writing this one before the show tonight as I know I won’t be inclined to do it after we fly back to Madrid and arrive in the hotel at 2:00am. I shall be filling my bag with beers from the dressing room, in preparation for the frosty welcome at the hotel bar. Last…

Competition No. 3The competition is going extremely well.30 entrants and NOBODY has got the correct answers yet! Check out my site for the question  guyfletcher.co.uk and click COMPETITION No. 3  Sorry Glenn, I just had to. You know what it’s like when you’re wandering around the venue looking for interesting things to photograph. Please forgive me?…

Piazza del DoumoQuite a day yesterday. Here’s the venue at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. As you can see, the lights are just going up. Glenn and I wandered around the corner from the hotel and there we were, at the venue. You can’t argue with the setting…The Piazza del Doumo (now officially known…

buskingTHIS JUST IN…….Tim Hook has been exposed. He’s actually a Hillbilly from east Tennessee who is masquerading as a tour manager in Europe. Local authorities take note. A small slip-up pictured here, Tim was caught busking outside the dressing rooms. onlookers These folks had the best view of the stage in the house, as you…

Competition No. 4Same as before…for the big picture, go to my website at guyfletcher.co.uk and click on ‘Competition’.OK, just time, before we have our week off.   The question is ‘In which cities were these photographs taken’. I think it’s probably just as difficult as Competition No.3.  Please send answers to me at the usual addressesmail@guyfletcher.co.uk or guymktour@aol.com Subject…

Competition No.4 updateCompetition now closed…I guess my hints were good the correct answers came flooding in! I’ll announce the winners (and correct answers) on my website as soon as I’ve sorted them out. Well done, GF UdinIt was another one of those 3 cities in one day, days. We spent the morning in Rome, doing…

Crocks is backOK, I’m back. After a welcome break of seven whole days off, we’re back on the road, literally. This morning in London we met the tour bus which will whisk us round the UK in luxury this week. There was quite a pleasant surprise awaiting us. The ‘splendid’ chap who drove us around…

All these people worship BEER!Max drew this during the show and made sure we all signed it as soon as we came off stage tonight.   The audience tonight were what we have come to call ‘a listening audience’. After the noise and excitement of Italy and Spain, it has taken a while for us to…

BlowoutToday’s travel was a slight departure from our normal routine. I went home after the show in Brighton, and so did MK. The rest of the band drove overnight to Manchester. A pleasant 4-5 hour drive through the night was what they all were looking forward to. However, what happened about 2 hours into the…

Narrow busThe trip from Manchester this afternoon was thankfully uneventful, after the events yesterday. Mike, Chad and Richard pictured here as the bus speeds northward on the M6 through the Lake District. ClydeThis is the venue as it appears when you arrive at the SEC. A mini Sydney Opera house. Security was an issue again…

Welcome home”Welcome home Mark” was the cry as we came onstage tonight at the City Hall. A welcoming atmosphere made the show very enjoyable for us all on stage. It was the last show of the tour to be recorded (previously Madrid, Bilbao and Glasgow). We’ll be working on the live release soon. I’ll post…

50Richard did his best to keep this quiet, and nearly succeeded. It was Richard’s 50th birthday on the Sunday 22nd July. May I wish you a happy birthday Richard on behalf of all in the band and crew. Joanne presented this cake last night on the plane home after-show from Cologne. It was another one…

Devotion to dutyTaken at RAF Northolt. This is the photo for the next Caption Competition. Send your captions to the usual address mail@guyfletcher.co.uk If you want to see the full size image, go to my website and click CAPTION COMPETITION PyroMan Bass Guitar Auction I’m going to set up the auction of the PyroMan Bass…

White StratHot news….Mark received his prototype signature Martin (HD-40MK) the other day. He is knocked out by the sound, the looks and the build. This guitar will go into production in January 2002, so get your orders in now. Mark has congratulated Dick Boak and everyone who was involved in the project at Martin guitars….

Golf?The largest golf ball in the world…..is in fact a great venue. This picture was taken on our final approach into Stockholm airport. 11,0003 shows to go now……and last night’s was sold out. 11,000 ‘music lovers’ showed up at the Globe, and a great crowd it was. sit down!The show went smoothly, except for a…

Bass AuctionNEWS….The PyroMan Bass guitar is finally up on e-bay for auction. I had a few problems getting it there. It’s under the MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS category. There is a link directly to the auction page on my homepage.  guyfletcher.co.uk Don’t forget…the proceeds from this sale will go directly to ‘Teenage Cancer Trust’ UK. A worthy…

rhythm sectionWe arrived in St. Petersburg last night after the show in Helsinki. A marked difference in cultures. Chad, Glenn and myself went for a long walk around the town today armed with cameras. I couldn’t tell you what this building was (there are so many magnificent structures) but it was big. bassThe PyroBass was…

OlimpiskyAnd so here we are…..the final diary entry of the tour. Were done! We came off stage about an hour ago and everyone is sad, but glad. The last show was fantastic, it really couldn’t have been a better atmosphere. Here’s a shot of the venue for the last show which was of course the…