Berlin, Germany

This afternoon I had a wonderful lunch with my Amanda, who is visiting her boyfriend Mark, who is visiting his parents here in Berlin. They came to our hotel with Mark's mom Cindy and we took the train to Ka De We, Berlin's premier department store. One entire floor is dedicated to a food hall with the finest of everything from meats, fish and poultry, bakery, fruit, teas, cheeses, coffees, olives, doesn't matter, they've got the finest and it's displayed to perfection. To go along with the groceries there are a least a dozen little restaurants to sit down and eat a variety of different foods from sushi to traditional German fare. We opted for the latter, sitting at the counter and eating a Wiener Schnitzel the size of a small third world country, washed down with a Konig Pilsner on tap. There could not have been better food or company. I stopped in the men's department on the way down and found a fab black and white psychedelic print shirt that was a hit when I wore it tonight on the gig.

Waldbuhne is an outdoor amphitheatre that Hitler loved for listening to the works of his favorite composer, Wagner. It was said that he had the frog and newt population eradicated because their croaking interfered with his enjoyment of the music. They never came back and that is the reason why the mosquitoes are in abundance there. I can't verify the accuracy of that story but it's a good one. The weather today has been dreadful, blustery, cold and rainy. The crew were miserable setting up today and we had our fingers crossed the rain would hold off long enough to do the show. Late this afternoon the clouds parted and things began to clear, although the temperature remained brisk.

We had the largest meet and greet of the tour so far before the show, 12 people from Universal Records, 6 contest winners and my Amanda along with her Mark and his parents, Cindy and Hank. There was a tense moment or two when a photographer from the record company backed into us while we were playing. What are people thinking about. Nothing, that's what. We kept our cool, Guy didn't kick anyone and I didn't tell anyone to shove off but I'm ready for that roll of razor wire.

The gig was fantastic even though it was cold. Sometimes the nights when things are going against you make for the best shows and I would have to say that about this evening's show. 13,000 fans with plenty of bench seating up the sides and back and the front lawn was standing. We went on stage very much in the daylight and it never really got completely dark which gave us a chance to observe the audience watching us. They were a wonderful crowd and we gave them a wonderful show despite some stiff fingers due to the cold.

So long,

Richard