Blowout
Today’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 drive was a bit unnerving, especially according to Chad who was in his bunk in a dead sleep directly over the rear wheels. There was an almighty explosion and the bus was expertly guided over to the hard shoulder of the M40 motorway. There was then a lot of phone calls made and a 45 minute wait for the emergency team to arrive. When they did, their jack didn’t fit, so BJ manually jacked the bus and fitted the spare wheels. I say wheels because there were two almost simultaneous blowouts. The band finally checked in to the hotel in Manchester at 7:30 this morning.
Hi Tech lift
Great hotel here (The Lowry, recommended). Richard pictured being elevated in one of the hi tech Lowry lifts.
Apologies once again for the complete ignorance of some of the Manchester Arena security staff. Mark had to intervene this time as one particular ‘jobsworth’ decided he would single-handedly carry everyone back to their seats one by one during the encores. Mark shouted out during So Far Away “Oi fatso! Get out of here, you’re spoiling the show”, which he was. It was annoying for everyone especially as the security breifing was carried out as usual. By the way, all of the backstage staff were extremely helpful and courteous.
Bus
The band leaving the hotel for the gig.
Rub down
Here’s a shot of our masseuse for tonight, Diane Nivern who has a small practice outside Manchester. Here she’s helping Chad attain his super-drummer status before the show.
BTW a few people have mentioned the absence of PyroMan in the set. To answer your questions: Yes, the bass is OK. We WILL be playing it again soon.
