Installment 5
| Venue: | various | | Situation: | Elvis Costello Tour |
July 7 continued I was warned that the hotel might not be up to the usual standard of the tour. Correct. For the first hour, my room was nice and cool, and then something happened. You know when you wake up at a Bluegrass festival in a tent and your sheet or sleeping bag is more like a roasting bag? I think maybe the squirrel on the treadmill died and all the power in the hotel came to a halt... That is what is happening here at the Mercure Hotel, but there is a Costco-like place next door. So, I am committed to going early tomorrow to get some bus provisions. We finally leave the planes behind for a while and travel happily by bus. Let's see how many baguettes we buy separately for the overnight ride, which will follow our show at The 30th Festival of Jazz a Vienne. July 8 Yes, to Costco, for some strawberries, oranges, pears look nice, some cheese and salami, some crackers, nice lemonade and cranberry juice. And a baguette! Now I have to choose whether to come back after sound check this afternoon to the Mercure or stay in the tiny town of Vienne and just sightsee and hang out. Vienne certainly wins. The poor little squirrel has definitely had it. Instead of returning to the sweltering hotel, I indulge in some wonderful cafe au lait on the tiny tree lined avenue, which runs through the hillside village. Next I tour ruins from Roman dominated times. Jeff Taylor and I have made the right decision in staying behind. We are playing in an ancient amphitheater from Roman days. For thirty years now it has been home to the Festival de Jazz Vienne. Lions 30-Christians 0. Just kidding! Diana Krall has chosen to open for us tonight; most nights Elvis and the Sugarcanes start the show. Maybe we are too much louder, but probably a gesture from a lovely lady and star in this arena. Diana and band are incredible, so now we get to follow them. As soon as we hit Brilliant Mistake, the jazz audience turns into a scene from Grey Fox and stands and stays that way for the evening! I love playing to open minded people. Elvis voice is back completely, and we are stomping through the set taking no prisoners. It is documented too, filmed, though for what I am unsure. So there is proof. Ok, now we get on the bus and travel overnight to Bruges, Belgium. July 9 I never really never knew much about Bruges before seeing amazing movie about two hit men who end up there after committing a sin they could never make right - a Colin Farrell movie that did well for his mantel. I know I will return to this city; there is no way to experience it in the short time I have here. Built on canals and dominated in its early history by the Catholic Church builders, there are some amazing architectural examples of that time. One of which, in particular, figures into the movie I mentioned earlier. This is the chocolate and lace capital of our little tour, both of which I've gathered up, just in case someone at home might be in need sometime in the near future. Mussels are another item not to be taken lightly this time of year! July 10 It's Bela's birthday today. I have a little time to kill before we go play here at the Cactus Festival. Don't know why they call it that, but they do. No sound check tonight, this is a festival with lots of good music from artists with whom I am not familiar. While the weather has been glorious, right in the middle of our show the bottom dropped out and a torrential downpour begins. Miraculously, the crowd holds, relieved I think from the hotter than usual weather they have been experiencing. July 11 Rotterdam was one of those times when you ride into a venue where there are about twenty stages. You play one of them, and then leave. I suppose I should be more excited about this, but we are outside of town in a warehouse district especially built for the North Sea Jazz Festival and I just cannot say enough about how droll this looks. How about a fake palm tree or something? Anyway, about 10,000 people were suddenly in the room and we played our show to a very enthusiastic audience. There must be some trees or grass out there somewhere. Probably grass. Instantly transported to the hotel and in my room, I had a nice dinner from room service and watched the World Cup final between Netherlands and Spain. Soccer, or football, as it is referred to here, has been dominating the airwaves since we have been over here, and since I am in the Netherlands, I must be careful not to mention I am for Spain in this contest. After all, I will be there soon and be spending a fair amount of time with them. Right now, though everyone is dressed completely in orange and filling the pubs in rowdy fashion. OK, Spain wins, I'm happy! Now we can go to Montreux where we will hook back up with Diana and band. There is a rumor an onstage collaboration may occur. Diana has something up her sleeve. I've been having a great time on the gigs we have shared so far, and have made the acquaintance of Robert Hurst, Diana's bassist, who turns out to be a classmate of Edgar Meyer's from University of Indiana where they were both students of the late Stuart Sankey. Small world again! July 12 Having the overnight ride in the bus gives me time to explore Montreux a bit. Obviously designed for the vacationing European and being in the most expensive country on the continent, they decided to keep there own currency. A wise move in the end, or thus far in the European Union adventure. To this point on our tour, we have gone from Pound Sterling to Euro, back to Sterling, then to Danish Kronen, to Euro, then Swiss Franc. Keep a calculator handy. The money changers in airports and on the streets will rob you with change fees and the banks may do slightly better. Sometimes the post office money handlers are best, but to get the best break use your credit card when you can. They are constantly scanning for the best exchange. We are currently in residence at the Montreux Palace, owned by the Fairmont folks, so it's not too shabby. Built in the early 1900's for the socially elite and Dukes and Duchesses, it is a gem of the Belle Epoque architecture. Works of art abound inside, as well as being woven into the theme -yellow facade.
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