Gothenberg, Sweden

We've topped the hill and are working our way down the back side of this European tour. Goteberg was the 36th show and we now have 25 to go before tackling America. The only reason I bring it up is just before sitting down to peck this note I found myself thumbing through the itinerary and checking. It's not that I'm marking off the days, but just trying to get a measure of our progress and what we have left to do. There comes a point in every long tour that I begin to get numb. I deal with it in different ways, certainly the fitness is a must for maintaining any crumb of sanity. After that it alternates between the activity of getting out in each city and staying busy, and near total lethargy. I'm opting for the latter at the moment, practicing, writing another Hawaiian steel guitar instrumental that will be completely useless to anyone but me although if we ever get a meet and greet record going it'll end up on that. Currently devouring "The Last Train To Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley" by Peter Guralnick. It came out about 10 years ago and I'm probably the last person on earth not to have read it but am enjoying the book very much. On deck is the sequel "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley".

All of which pretty well sums up what I did with the early part of my day, stayed in the room, played guitar and read, didn't even bother with food or coffee. In the afternoon we packed up and decamped The Hotel Continental in Oslo and flew into Gothenberg, Sweden for tonight's show.

Once given the opportunity, food seems to have been the highlight of my day. Among other things there was a rerun of shepherd's pie at the venue followed by an award winning apple and rhubarb crumble drowning in hot custard that easily qualifies as the true meaning of life. It was a Brit comfort food dinner courtesy of Darren Wey and company.

The gig was sold out, 7,500 it says in the itinerary and certainly looked it but I wasn't counting seats. A good show to a seated audience that remained seated but should not be mistaken for disinterested. It was simply a crowd that was there to listen and showed it's appreciation at the end of the songs rather than during them. By the end of the show they were on their feet and we were on our way to the Gothenberg airstrip.

A short flight into Copenhagen (Kobenhavn as it's spelled in Danish) with loads of fab sushi and saki that was inhaled but not quickly enough for the 35 minute flight. With a platter and then some left over, we gathered in the hotel lounge with drinks, chop sticks, wasabi and soy to polish off the rest the food and the evening. Not a bad way to call it a day for show 36.

So long,

Richard