From The Inside…
Oh dear.
These long drives are starting to get the better of me. While traversing the long (and sometimes back tracking) distances we did in the USA, in Europe we can normally look forward to some semblance of normality and reasonable travel times. Since you can drive for eight hours across Canada and still be in the same province, in Europe you’ll have gone through two countries by that point. Except this time, when we thought it’d be fun to do a show in Helsinki and then one in Rome. I think it is safe to say that Jens, our manager in Europe, has a funny sense of humor and was playing a few tricks on us with these long drives. But still, we lived and he delivered us to our flight on time and only a little blood was spilled.
So you will appreciate that by this point of our tour we are not as happy to be in a bus again, but at least in the Murderbus, we can stand, stretch, walk around, etc. But even with the amenities of said Murderbus, we do get a little stir crazy… J-Brand will be looking for something John has misplaced, food or trouble. James will either be driving with his eclectic musical selections leaking from his headphones or working on his laptop, and Kate and I will either be reading, script writing or sneaking wine when we think John isn’t looking. If he’s noticed the empty bottles, he wisely hasn’t said anything. Self medication has gone a long way on this tour.
Actually, we all sleep a lot. Everyone else sleeps because they were likely out clubbing after the show til all hours or sightseeing by night. So they are legitimately tired. I’ll be sleeping because I will have gotten up to go running a half hour before everyone gets in so then I’m tired. I have tried to do the after party thing but it gets me every time. I admire Kate and Brandy’s enormous energy reserves. If I had done what they do, I’d likely be dead. I’m a bit of a stick in the mud after so long on the road, and after the show I like to shower, have a cup of tea and a dirty magazine, though I’m willing to compromise on the shower and tea part most nights.
So as I was bemoaning how it is to be cooped up in the Murderbus for these Canadian dates, I had a look at the other touring vehicles that our other bands are rolling in. I am grateful now we have room enough to stretch in when I see how the other guys are all packed in tight as lettuce jammed into a Subway sandwich. But I’m impressed too, considering the long drives how tolerant they must be of each other. Mind you, this is day four of the tour so tempers have yet to flair… let’s wait and see how the WCO boys do when we get to BC… If anyone is interested in taking bets on who cracks in WCO and asks to ride with us, message me privately and I can give you the odds…
Look out Thunder Bay!
LMR
