October 15, 2017
6am? Oh fuck off. Why am I awake. Can’t have been more than four hours asleep.
Gig tonight and energy to muster.
Eyelids are decidedly drawn up like roman blinds.
I decide to pack my cases.
3 nights in the same hotel and I have occupied every inch of my suite.
It’s going to take a while, but I can sleep after.
No I can’t.
The upside is that at last I am able to FaceTime home.
Man and cat.
Man is pleased.
Cat is unhinged.
I think at least I can go downstairs with my cases and have coffee before it’s time to leave.
Bizarrely I find the hotel cafe is closed.
Hm.
Both the coffee shops are closed outside too.
Saturday morning at half 10? Closed?
What is this fresh madness?
‘Dawn to Dusk’ you say?
Meet Jiminy Cricket.
Where’s your shitting conscience?
The sun is all but over the yard arm.
Off to the airport where we perform airport duties.
No time for breakfast there and it is an airbus affair.
I am sat next to a large, fidgety man.
He moves his arms restlessly, inadvertently brushing mine
which are sleeveless.
A pet hate.
Feathery touches as with lambs wool against bare skin makes me feel like doing violence.
I fold my arms in like a seal snapped clapping.
The babe in arms on the other side of me keeps dropping his fathers black technology onto my bare toes.
I have empathy, I’ve been there, but my nerves are stretched tight.
That was an easy flight, said G, with whom I had swapped rows and seats so that she can take pictures out the window.
I may have said something.
I ask if this is a day I can skip soundcheck.
I feel light headed with fatigue and my voice rasps.
I am told it is my call, but the guys advise that I don’t and so I will go.
The hotel is a Pullman. We check in.
A nice suite but no time to lounge.
An hour to turn around.
I make up a cup-a-soup that is in my emergency Tupperware and pack a day case with tonight’s tools.
The venue. A three tiered, 180o seating arrangement.
We have a riser each as we do in all places where the stage size allows.
It is a 2000 capacity and we are sold out.
James says there will be some sound issues, but we will play it by ear.
Makes more sense than playing it by colon.
I need to adjust a few things but see what he means.
A quick sound check.
It’s my brothers 60th surprise birthday party tonight.
One of those important dates we miss in far flung suitcase world.
Sean and I sing a song to the strains of John’s guitar in warm up, that my brother had introduced me to in my teens.
He was very instrumental in my earliest influences.
The Who. Family. Melanie. Zeppelin. Jack The Lad.
I asked John and Sean if we can make an audio birthday card of it to him and Sean suggested we do it in sound check, that James would be able to catch it far more reliably, and with greater effect than from my telephone’s built in microphone.
After we have tested ourselves for the show, this is what we do.
James was late to his dinner balancing it for me in order to get it to my nephew in time for tonight’s party that he has arranged.
It is useful that we are a full 12 hours ahead.
I am grateful.
Dinner and then I alight to my dressing room.
We have planned a longer warm up tonight due to my tiredness.
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