Seattle, Washington

Q: How can you tell it's the first show of a tour?
A: Everyone on stage has a fresh hair cut.

And so it was, eight blokes looking like freshly shorn sheep and playing our first show of the Get Lucky tour. It may not have been the most perfect show, but it surely was a most joyful noise. I've played big, live shows for four decades now but can't remember an opening night when I was so relaxed and for that matter so was the band. Even Tim O'Brien and Mike McGoldrick, the new guys who had a plateful of information to remember, were taking it all in stride. Beginning with tomorrow night's show, everyone will be making slight changes from the crew, lighting director and sound guys to us on stage, but the crackling energy and enthusiasm on the stage of Moore Theatre tonight was tremendous.

On the personal injury front, I was very pleased that my mangled right hand made it through the show. I must admit it looked pretty ragged after it was all over, bits of it falling off everywhere, but all in all it's progressing daily and will only continue improving if I can avoid spilling anymore coffee. So many thanks go out to Dr. Bryan Oslin, plastic surgeon supreme at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville along with nurse Joella Avery as well as Dr. Ciaran Healy in London who treated me initially. Without their expertise and good humour my right hand would probably have fallen off on the sidewalk of Liverpool Street.

I did manage a good hard work out in the gym this morning, the first in over two weeks since the hand incident. My wife bought me a grand pair of heavy duty weight lifting gloves and they're a miracle. If nothing else, they make me look like I know what I'm doing while throwing the weights around.

Alright, it feels like we're on our way now. Tomorrow, Vancouver.

So long,

Richard