Luxembourg 21 October, 2011

I love hotel rooms equipped with coffee makers, better still, espresso machines. I seldom eat a large breakfast but often order a room service Continental simply for the coffee. No need today. Krups makes a machine to be used with Nespresso coffee cartridges that conjures a quick and very drinkable cup of espresso, so drinkable I had three.  

A quiet day of practice and reading before getting the bags zipped and ready for pick-up, followed by our daily drive through the town centre in peak hour to the venue.  Tonight, Rockhal Centre du Musiques located at 5 Avenue du Rock and Roll.  This is the very strange place I've written about in past, located in the middle of an old abandoned foundry the size of a small town.  I don't know how long it's been inactive, but from the look of it, a long time. It's hard to describe, Guy will be posting pics no doubt, but it appears to be something from a movie, a destroyed civilisation or planet, just the grey, crumbling, deserted reminders of once thriving commerce.  There in the midst of it all is a large square building that has been turned into a music venue. Not much to look at from the outside or in, it is actually a great place to play. Painted completely black inside with no seating and just cat walks around the upper perimeter, it has been acoustically treated and sounds nothing at all like what it looks like.  In fact, it's very dead, no bounce back from the walls and a great gig to play.  As we drove through the war zone to the entrance of Rockhal, new band members gaped out the window of the bus but for us it was just another day at the office.... we've been here before.

A hurried soundcheck, light dinner, change clothes and play.  5,800+ folks standing, packed in like sardines gave us a great reception and the band never fails to play well... every night.  Mark ended up playing guitar on three songs with Bob at the top of his portion of the show to great response.  

We boarded the two tour buses for a three and a half hour drive to Dusseldorf, Germany where we'll spend the night and have a day off tomorrow. Pete Mackay our hero and unflappable tour manager arranged mountains of the most delicious sushi for the bus ride, all quickly inhaled.  There's good reason why he's known as St. Peter.  We rolled up to the hotel at 2:30 wanting for nothing more than a pillow and bed.

So long,

Richard