Date: 30-31 January 2011
Place: Santiago - Chile
What happened:
Sunday 30th Jan.
In the hotel lobby waiting to go to sound check.
I'm no condition to sound check coz I'm falling asleep. So back to my room after egg and chips at the corner cafe.
9:17am Monday 31st jan
Thank you Santiago for a great gig. Sorry about the technical problems with the mic. I hope it didn’t spoil things too much. Next year I will make sure there is a mic ready for me before I go onstage or better still bring our Brazilian roadie. Thanks every one for your wonderful support and generosity. I couldn't do all the signing and photos after the gig inside the venue but the security wanted to clear the room so going on the street was the only option if I wanted to finish signing for everyone. They did tell me that it was dangerous but I was standing in the middle of about 50 fans, so if I did get mugged again I'm not sure what they would get , apart from a nice gold marker pen.
Now I have four flights to get home. Wednesday after noon I hope to be there with my girlfriend my dog and my motorcycle. Till then I am in airport travel limbo
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Date: 28 January 2011
Place: Buenos Aires - Argentina
What happened:
12:38 pm. I'm in the lobby of the Wilton palace hotel. We are transferring to hotel Americano today. Sound check is scheduled for 8pm and doors at 10pm which probably puts us onstage at midnight. After that we are supposed to be getting a flight to Chile at 8am . I hope things go a bit smoother today. Three gigs left of south America part two. If I can sort it out I'm going to try and do a signing and photos before the show but it's chaos so I won't raise any hopes. It would mean I have to have my main meal about 7pm and there has to be a dressing room and water to drink and no interviews. If all those things happen I could meet the fans before the show. I'm feeling a bit hung over from all the travel and confusion yesterday. Physically drained . Mentally I seem to be doing ok. Lots of water and juice and long steamy shower could sort me out.
"Hands of flame I thank you."Said roman a fan that saw my blog and got to the Wilton hotel in time for a photo and autograph before we left.
7:47pm at dinner. Buena suerte buffet , two blocks from the hotel Americano .
No signing before the show, four support bands, no sound check , onstage at 10pm finish by midnight. That is the latest news. It's a bit frustrating to be doing my first ever gig with my own band here and be told I can't play the set I want to play coz it's too long. I told the promoter that I am signing for the fans after the show and if they close the club I will do the signing in the car park. I'm going to make sure my bag is packed and ready before I leave the hotel coz it's supposed to be 8am flight.
9:01 pm leave hotel for gig.
10:12 backstage
The last support band is on. Playing a cover of two minutes to midnight . Not sure when we will go on but someone said there is no problem with the curfew now. We have changed the set a little bit so if we have to cut some songs it shouldn't spoil things too much. The venue is on a main street in the city. If I do have to sign outside it might be next to a bus stop lol.
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Date: 27 January 2011
Place: Brasil/Argentina
What happened:
Don't fly to me Argentina
5:15 am Curitiba brazil . Hotel lobby.
We are on our way to Argentina. We have a drive,two flights and a drive. We are supposed to arrive at the venue in Rosario ( where che guevara came from) at 10pm local time and go on at midnight . Well that's the plan. It's not started well coz we were supposed to leave the hotel at 5am.
I haven't been to Argentina since I was with iron maiden. I'm excited and nervous about the trip. It's two shows, buenos aires is the second. Nico and me are planning to do "como estais amigos" the song I wrote when I was in maiden about trying to find peace after the war. I hope the fans there like it. Well we don't actually know if we have any fans there. There has been no news about ticket sales for the gigs from the promoter. Let's hope the support band and their girlfriends stay to watch our set if we haven't lol.
Got to try and get a new sd card for the camcorder at the airport so I can record the shows.
Curitiba was the hottest show of the tour so far. I was soaked with sweat after four songs. No air conditioning and really humid. The humidity is great for my voice coz it doesnt dry out but it's not good for the jumping about and running around. I had to be really carefull, after the first song, not to run out of breath. It was hard to breath. It probably didn't help that I've put on weight since I started my diet lol. The gig was great. Good size stage no feedback and ok amps. But the enthusiasm of the fans was what really made it special. It was the last gig of the promise and terror tour in Brasil and I was so proud of the fans and the support they gave us. The standard of photography has slipped at the last few gigs but tonight at the signing after the gig everyone had their cameras and phones ready so not to much waiting round posing like a gargoyle ;-)
5:57 am leave the hotel for Sao paulo international airport.
I've had a runny nose and I've been sneezing since we got to Curitiba. Not sure if it's a cold or my allergys. The hotel had plants every where, or it's a cold I've got from the air-condition in the previous hotel. It happens some times. I've used all the lemsips I brought with me. I hope there will be something at the airport pharmacy to relieve the runny nose and head ache. It will affect my singing a little bit but as long as it doesn't turn into a sore throat i should be ok.
7:21am stop for piss and fuel.
Wouldn't it be great if vans used urine for fuel.
Of course the result of the result of running vans on this plentiful renewable fuel would be a tax on the amount we all piss.
10:16am in the van.
Heavy traffic. It's a relief . The enthusiastic driving and hard suspension and challenging roads have combined to give me back ache . The 8 passengers lurch from side to side and bounce off our seats, the brazillian driver charges every speed bump and attacks every bend no matter how big the drop down into forest would be if the van was to crash through the barrier at the side of the road because a huge truck coming down the hill is on the wrong side of the road. Oh no sorry it's our van that seems to be spending a lot of time on the wrong side of the road as we go round bends overtaking everything.
I think it's a cold. Not just hay fever or allergies . My headphones have been irritating my ears a bit. On closer inspection I found each one has a plastic insert that is poking out slight y from the mushroom foam bit that tucks in my ear. A possible remedy could be cutting down the plastic insert or get rid of it and super glue the foam mushroom bits to the headphones. I am not going to attempt this while I'm in the van coz with my luck I will arrive in
Argentina with my headphones glued into my ears. That may appear very rude to the fans there. "look he hasn't even taken his headphone s off while hes talking to people"
Well you can see what I mean.
2:06pm arrive airport Sao paulo
4:54pm. On the plane.
We managed to get a couple of beers in before we got on the plane. I'm hoping it will lead to a bit of sleep after take off. 15 minuet delay but we aren't panicking yet. Just two hours 35 mins luxury. Didn't find anything for my cold.
7:39pm landed in buenos aires
Feel really tired. Went through the lyrics and arrangement idea for como estais coz I couldn't sleep. I think it will work
9:17pm buenos aires airport. The second flight is delayed. We were supposed to be boarding at 8:45pm but now it's 10:40 pm. It could get worse. Looks like it will be arrive at the venue and plug in and go. We haven't had a propper meal today just snacks and crisps. Every one is starting to feel it so we are facing up to buying food in an airport. The most expensive food and drink you will ever buy that you never really wanted.Dave is looking at the options now. We need the most food for the least money. I've got some cup soup but as luck would have it I've got no cup.
10:06pm hahahahahahah I've made a cupasoup! Dave returned with toasted ham and cheese sandwiches which were nice. On a tortilla bread rather than regular bread I enjoyed the difference . Certainly gives me a few ideas for the next time we have a toasted sandwich maker on tour.
After that , I learned the Spanish for, a cup of hot water please, and went down to the coffee shop to ask for one. They gave me a styrofoam cup full of boiling water at no charge. Then using some packets of cup a soup I got from the supermarket in Porto Alegre , I made a delicious spicy chicken cup o soup topped with a little bit of grated parmesan cheese I had saved in a zip lock bag from Curitiba.
Yes people these are real survival tips I'm sharing with you. Even if its just how to survive in an airport with very little money.
People sometimes get stuck for days in airports. They might not die but they probably get really hungry because they resent the price of the food in airport cafe.
10:33pm no sign of the plane. The flight is not on the info tv . Tour manager investigating. I fear the worst.
11:07pm. The worst news. The flight to Rosario is cancelled . I'm gutted. really fed up that the fans have been stood up. No explanation
00:52
We are now in two taxis with all our gear racing toward rosario . As far as I understand it the fans are gonna wait for us. So we are gonna get there no matter what!
1:04am gutted. Promoter phoned tour manager gig is off again. Really fed up that fans have been let down. It's the airlines fault. The promoter will sue the airline over the cancelations. Taxi is still racing but now to a hotel in buenos aires. Feel very deflated.
1:45am we are back at the airport NOT a hotel. I think we might be here a while.
3:45am Wilton hotel
The airline gave us a hotel coz of the cancelled flight. Breakfast included till 11am. I've set my alarm for 10:50. God only knows what tomorrow will bring but lets hope the next few hours give us the chance we wanted with the fans of argentina. Until then.........
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Date: 17 January 2011
Place: On the road to Goiania
What happened:
4:13pm Monday
We left the hotel about 1:30pm . We had lunch and then the tour manager had to go to the bank with the promoter. Now we are waiting by the van in a car park while the tour manager gets a cool box for the drinks . Goiania is the next town and it's 10 hours drive away from here. I'm finding it very frustrating waiting around. It doesn’t matter how late we leave it's still a ten hour drive. Tomorrow is a full day off with no travel. Very unusual for us when we are on tour… But the later we get there, the more time we will end up spending in bed on the day off. It's been too bumpy to write much yesterday while we were driving and I expect today to be the same. I don't like days off unless I'm ill. There's too much time to think and the temptation to drink too much and that's not good for my voice or my mental health.
Jay is going to listen to the recording of the Jbs gig from December on the journey to Goiania . We are hoping it's good enough and interesting enough to put out as a low cost official bootleg. It could even be a two disc set with a DVD . One of our trusted fans,Rich, videoed the whole gig. When we have a chance to watch it I will let you know. If it all works, and i really hope it does, it might be ready for may.
In other news.... I'm in contact with an agent and promoter about Australia and New Zealand. We would love to go there in 2012 to start the world tour for the next full studio album, code name album 3, and film the whole thing for part of a world tour DVD. It's a lot of ifs and maybes at the moment but I'm a dreamer. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work and the support of the fans it might just be possible.
5:01pm
We have the cool box and it is now has Ice and drinks In it. I really think we definitely probably gonna set off soon.
Yes, we are moving. Heavy traffic so I can just about type.
One thing I noticed last night when I was meeting the fans after the gig was how good most Brazilian fans are with their cameras. Most fans seem to know how to work their own camera and or phone really well. They are really quick. Still the same as everyone else when it comes to using each other’s though. The unexpected result of that is they often come back two or even three times. So I end up seeing the same people again in a kind of surreal vortex of photo posing. A nice thing is the fans call my posing ,the hands of flame, instead of the invisible oranges that the uk fans talk about lol.
I think it might have been about 800 people last night at the gig. I was feeling a bit better before the gig. And I felt my performance was a bit better. I had a lot more confidence in the first half of the set. We put nightsky and GOS in the set and they both went well. I've got a problem in the fast part of GOS but I'm hoping to sort that out by the next gig. Spoke to Nico at lunch about our idea for como estais amigos . We are going to try to find a hour to go through it tomorrow before dinner and then sound check it at the next gig, if there is a sound check. Not sure how long the set will be but if there is a sound check and it feels good and there is time we might try it in the set. If the rest of the band feel ok with it we might even have a full metal version for Argentina.
5:38pm
Stopped for something. not sure what.
5:44pm
On the road again.
It was a piss stop. No one told the band so we didn't go for a piss.
8:37pm
Dinner stop. Roadside fish restaurant. Jesus Christ runs this place says the sign above the main door. Well that's a ruff translation.
Dinner was good. The first sign was the menu. About 6 choices. All revolving around fish from the nearby river or braised steak. Jay and the cloud had the steak and the rest of us had the fish. Chunks of fresh White fish deep fried in a light batter. Real chips made from potatoes that reminded me of the chips our local Indian take away does. Simple tomato salad ,rice and beans. Perfect for me. No sign of the magical third ingredient that posh restaurants always seem to have.
I think Jesus is better at restaurants than Gordon Ramsey.
9:46pm back on the road
12:08 am
The enthusiastic driver went over a speed bump so fast, it bounced me out of the seat and I hit my head on the roof of the van. No sign of the hotel, no sign of a city or town. Brazil is bigger than Wales .
Some good news. Tickets for Campinas are doing well. I heard a rumor that it's not a hotel tonight it's an apartment. But I will still have my own room no matter how small.
12:52am
Shit stop. That's a stop so one of the crew can have a shit, not a stop in place that's shit. Some ungood news, still 230K to go. My revised arrival time 3am ish
3:17am
Fuel stop. Battery almost dead
6:11am
Arrived somewhere.
BB
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Date: 16 January 2011
Place: On the road between Macaé & Belo Horizonte
What happened:
3:21am In the van. Macaé outside the hotel
The gig went really well. The stage was really good. High but not too big. The monitor system on stage was great with side fills and big wedges that actually worked. My voice felt ok but was thin in a few places. I don't know if that was mild dehydration or not enough warm up time. Most of the set i felt confident in what i was singing. We went on Around 11pm. The organizers were trying to rush us on because it was rainy. LOL : the rain started to ease off when we went onstage. At the end I climbed down and high five the 200 or so people in the front row. There wasn't any merchstand or proper signing so the tour-manager managed to sort out something backstage for a few of the fans.
12:41pm Driving to Belo Horizonte
Just having a quick stop for the driver. The roads are so bumpy I can't type my blog. We went through some of the mountain area where there mud slides across the road. It looks like the roads had just been cleared. The was just enough room for our van to get through at a couple of places. My heart goes out to the family's of those who have lost their lives in the floods. It's not appropriate for me to say anything except I'm sorry for your loss . Another 3 hours in the van on difficult roads but we are going straight to the hotel yey!
3:18pm
In an unsurprising change of plan we have arrived at the venue not the hotel. It's the hard rock cafe and there is a rumor of lunch but no signs of any food or water yet.
4:21pm
Food and water arrived. Now the soundcheck
6:46pm
I stayed at the merch stand when they opened the doors. Managed to do photos and signing for about 250people. It's nice when it's relaxed like that and I don't have to rush. Someone said other artist don't bother signing or meeting the fans. Why? Are they up their own arse? I hope so! lol.
BB
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Date: 13 January 2011
Place: Rio De Janeiro/Macaé
What happened:
4:30pm
We always eat well in Brasil. The schedule so far is very relaxed compared to our last two tours. When you are constantly moving and snatch ing sleep where you can, it's important to eat properly. At first there was a rumor that we would stay in Rio today and travel tomorrow. Then it was drive to Macae at noon. But what actually happend was we got up about 2pm then we went for a nice lunch in a typical local cafe. Now we are on our way to Macae.
The gig tomorrow night is a huge free festival on the beach. We don't know how long our set will be or if we will have a soundcheck but if we can we will try to fit god of speed into the set. For now I'm gonna listen to the rest of the promise and terror album songs and Como estais amigos from virtual XI. Nico and me are working on a special arrangement of the song for Argentina. If it works it will be the first time the song has ever been performed in Argentina. For me it's quite emotional because I wrote the words during my first trip to Argentina and I have only performed the song a few times live even though it's one of my favorite songs of all the songs I have written ever.
Did you know I got engaged on Xmas day? Yes I now have her name tattooed on my right arm. It's forever.
6:45pm stopped for pissing and shitting and fuel.
The shop had an interesting selection of magnum ice cream. Nico found one called magnum devotion. I've never seen it before but I put the diet off for another day and tried one. Lovely , a bit crunchy and kind of dusty dark chocolate. A definite luxury . Probably best to restrict yourself to one a week. Nico had two. I'll stick to eskibon because they are a lot cheaper but still very chocolaty.
8pm in the van
It's raining. It's dark. It reflects my mood. Feeling low. I still have problems with depression and it comes and goes. It's like drowning. When I was five I almost drowned in the sea on a family holiday in Jersey. My mom and dad had split up when I was 3. My mother, grandmother and uncle went on a trip to jersey. I don't remember much about it just the same things any 5 year old would remember but the being under the water and not being able to get back to the surface I do remember. A woman dived down and pulled me up. I don't remember feeling scared but that could be a trick of the mind. I remember a feeling of confusion. I'm floating on the surface of life right now, but I feel as confused as that five year old me under the water wondering why I'm here. These are the thoughts I have when I'm low or worse depressed. I'm just the same as anyone else who struggles with this kind of thing. Everyone gets low sometimes. Everyone does the best they can not to go under. Some manage to make it some don't. Action is the enemy of Thought Einstein said. That is true for me sometimes. If I can keep busy with the band and not have too much time to think I'm better able to cope.
I will try and do some signing and photos before the gig. The fans always make me feel honoured and humble and lucky that my dream means something to some else.
1am in bed
Arrived at the hotel about 9pm. A few fans were waiting for us and took photos and had some things signed.
We were treated to a really nice dinner and a few beers. The hotel is total luxury and a lot better than we are used to. It makes me miss my girlfriend. I've got a balcony and a sea view and I'm a preferred guest. It took me about 5 minutes to make the room a complete mess. Soundcheck is rumored to be 5pm. Onstage 10pm. Drive after the gig 8hours to next gig.
BB
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Date: 13 January 2011
Place: Rio De Janeiro
What happened:
7:30am : Lobby. After a lot of messing about and mild confusion and waiting around we leave for soundcheck at 8:30am. It's Thursday and it's the first full day of promise and terror part two in south America. I try not to get too excited about things coz they always end up going a bit wrong and disappointing me. So I usually try to live in the moment with no expectation, so I am always surprised when anything actually works out. It's not over till the fat lady sings , is what some people say. The gig isn't happening till I am on the stage singing, is my version of that. But... This time I can't help being excited. We did this gig last year but it almost didn't happen coz of flights being delayed. We walked in with our guitars when we should have been going on stage. The gig had only 3 weeks promotion but it was one of my favorite gigs of the tour. Now we are here at 9am to sound check and it's three months promotion.
Soundcheck was ok no major problems.
8:30pm : We are on the way to hard rock cafe of Rio in the van. We had a big lunch so I'm not feeling too hungry but thinking of the lovely food they do there is changing that.
We have moved from the hotel in Botafogo to an apartment in copa cabana. It's much more comfortable and a lot cheaper. I will miss the man who lived in the lift at the hotel, he was so cheerful, and the breakfast was nice.
3:30am : back at the apartment
Thank you Rio for giving us an incredible gig.
On our side we had no major breakdowns and got the set to run smoothly. On your side you sang the words to the new songs and made us so proud. You made us feel like kings you made us feel like heroes. Thank you all.
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