Milan, Italy 3 May 2013

We left the hotel mid-afternoon for the venue and got a study in Milano traffic which was teaming.  Ah well, how hard can it be?  It's a beautiful city, I'm sitting in a brand-spanking-new Range Rover and I'm not the one negotiating the roads.  When we finally arrived at the gig I made a bee line straight to catering, the only thing I'd put in me all day was three cups of coffee and a work out, it's 4:30 and I'm starving.  Of course at that time they were in between lunch and dinner and the only thing out was soup and fresh bread.  I piled in to two bowls of possibly the best soup I've ever had, cauliflower and caraway.  Never had that particular combo before but as Chris our lead chef informed us, it's a strange soup... when you walk it way it calls you back.  It certainly called me back for a second bowl and tugs at me now as I peck this note out many hours later.

Sound-check; ran a few tunes for sound and memory.  One, Back To Tupelo, made a return to the show tonight after an absence of 8 years.

The Mediolanum Forum holds a capacity audience of 8,500 and did so this evening; sold out.  Great audience, their show of approval overpowering.  As for the show, I'd say we held up our end of the bargain.  Everybody playing great, relaxed and enjoying each moment and song.  Having done a couple of those tours with Dylan the last two years where we only played just over an hour, I was wondering how it would be to stand up and play a 2 hour gig again.  No worries, it goes by so quickly for us.

The usual routine, an encore, a Rover, a runner.  There were a couple of cold Peroni's and a ham and cheese sandwich waiting in the Rover which I scooped up, put in my bag and made good work of back in the room.  Some of the boys went down to the bar for a night cap, but I opted for a quiet and, by tour standard, early night... in bed and clicked off the light before 12:30.

So long,

Richard​