Minneapolis, Minnesota

Up early, gym, shower. Met up with Mark and Danny around 1 in the afternoon and took a cab to a wonderful drum studio owned by Steve Maxwell. He is a grand fellow, a historian, collector and seller of vintage drum kits. Both Danny and Mark know him and have bought kits from him, but this is the first time to meet him for me. I don't play drums, although strangely enough it was my first instrument before taking up the guitar, but I felt my credit card vibrating in my back pocket. The old 50's kits of Rogers and Gretsch's were gorgeous and sounded just like what a set of drums ought to sound like. It made me want to buy a set. Fortunately, we got out of there before anyone was able to do much damage to their bank accounts.

It was an hour flight from Chicago to St. Paul airport and another 30 minute drive to the venue in Minneapolis. The Orpheum Theatre with a capacity of 2,600 was sold out. Another wonderful audience and good show. I wish we were staying here in Minneapolis, it's a grand city and one we all love particularly since having come here in 2004 to do Prairie Home Companion and seeing a little bit of the town, however this tour we are doing more base cities and flying in and out, so Chicago is our base for the mid-west and it was a runner to the plane after the show. Some old friends of Glenn Worf's very kindly brought a cooler of Leinenkugel Beer and the most fabulous summer sausage and cheese we'd ever had and that's what we ate on the plane ride back to Chicago.

It turns out that Lyle Lovett and crew are in Chicago doing a gig tonight. Matt played many years and on all of Lyle's records and we all have mutual friends in the band including our old band mate Jim Cox who now tours with Lovett. A phone call was made and we went directly from the plane to the hotel where they are staying to meet up in the bar for drinks and a bit of catching up. It was great to see Jim again as well as Ray Herndon and Russ Kunckel. I used to do record dates with Russ in Los Angeles back in the '70's and it's been at least 15 years since I saw him last.

About 2 in the morning the bar had closed and we bid our fellow musos goodnight and walked to our hotel on a very balmy, very early Sunday morning.

So long,

Richard