Stavanger, Norway 8 June, 2015
Sunday the 7th was a day off in Amsterdam. I’ve been coming here since the very early ‘70s and am ashamed to say I’d never been to the Rijks Museum, the national museum of Holland. I can happily say that I went today. It was a perfect day, warm but not hot and the sky was cloudless and blue. The museum was only a half mile walk from the hotel. I can’t begin to describe the depth and scope of the the Rijkes but can tell you that I stood in front of Vermeer, Van Gogh, Rembrandt and every other Dutch master and more. Humbling stuff. I’d stayed for three hours when they were closing and didn’t scratch the surface. Check it out here: www.rijksmuseum.nl
From there I stopped at fantastic record shoppe called Concerto… a very large selection of CDs and old vinyl. I’d just begun trawling through the jazz vinyl when they too closed. It’s a good thing too, it could have been ugly with so much good stuff there. I left happily/unhappily empty handed. A pint of draft Grolsh by the canal before heading back to the hotel.
Monday the 8th up early and did some practising, packed the bags and made it back to the Concerto Record Store all before checking out of the hotel and heading to Stavanger, Norway for tonight’s gig. With Ruth and Nigel gone, we’ve changed the setlist a little and had an early soundcheck to work through a few tunes we’ve not done for a while. Dinner, meet and greet, warm up and get ready to hit the boards.
It was the DNB Arena to 5,500 great fans… a standing gig with seating around the perimeter. Great seeing some young fans who were taking it all in. A great gig tonight, one of those on the ball but relaxed shows.
We did a runner at the end of the show, about 9:45, and it was broad daylight… you needed sunglasses! The Legacy took us to Oslo in the bright sunlight. Ribs, gin and tonics and an great feeling all around.
Arrived at the hotel and a few of us made a bee line to the roof-top bar for a night cap. At 1 in the morning it was still twilight. Way up north now.
So long,
Richard