Saint Margarethen, Austria 14 July, 2015

A day of complete luxury.  I woke at 9 and made an executive decision to do absolutely nothing until lobby call.  It wasn’t exactly nothing… I read for a few hours, practiced and had a few espressos courtesy of the Illy machine in my room.

We all met down the lobby at 3:30, everyone enquiring how everyone else was regarding the stomach virus that swept the band.  Happily things are much brighter today than yesterday, all the boys have turned the corner and on the mend.  Also,  the fortunate few, myself included, who didn’t get ill remained healthy.  Lots of chatter again and, if not a full compliment around the catering table, it was a better showing.

Tonight’s show was an open air venue called Romersteinbruch in the town of Saint Margarethen about 45 minutes from Vienna.  It’s a man-made amphitheatre blasted out of a small mountain and used to present opera as well as pop shows.  Sort of strange-sort of cool.  So much stone was removed to make the venue that it looks as though it operates as quarry as well.  It reminded me a little of Red Rocks outside of Denver, Colorado.  

Anyway, it was a sold out show of nearly 5,000.  It’s one of those stages that has a huge proscenium between the band and the front row.  It felt like the first row of people we a block away.  Still, it was good seeing the band feeling better and happy to be on that stage.

Folks a little fragile still and tomorrow is a most welcome day off.  I plan to hit the gym early, get out in the town and find a Vienna Schnitzel the size of a small third world country.

So long,

Richard