Fall 2004 Tour
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ELP Digest - Keith Emerson Band Fall 2004 Tour |
Please note that Dave Kilminster is also providing a more extensive Tour Diary on his web site that you may be interested in reading, too. Please visit it for even more behind the scenes info as the Keith Emerson band goes out on the road!
On with the blog... (latest update: 01/02/2012)
Monday 6th December 2004
Back in Marina Del Ray, and Pete and Phil are flying home today... I know they're really looking forward to getting back so see their respective families. Keith drives round to pick them up and take them to the airport, but I've booked a couple of extra days out here though, just as a little holiday.
I've a few days before I have to be in New York (another little project), and it's actually really nice to stay in one place for a bit, unpack the suitcase and make plans for next year!!!
Sunday 5th December 2004
Our final gig :0( Fortunately it's a goody, but I still can't believe it's all over with so quickly... I'm trying to find certain people to say goodbye to, but it's all total chaos backstage. And onstage too, as Tesla are treated to a male stripper midway through their set!! Not a pretty sight!!! Phil has been shooting video footage all through the tour, and has compiled this hilarious film which he shows us in the dressing room afterwards... we may even make it available on the web at some point!
Keith also has a surprise for us... he's had some silver pendants made for the band as an end of tour present, showing 'Tarkus' on the front, with his signature on the back... They're really beautiful... :0) In fact I haven't taken mine off yet!!!
The bus ride on the way back to Los Angeles is pretty quiet, everyone lost in their own private thoughts. So much has happened in the last couple of months... but it's been a pretty amazing ride!!!
Friday 3rd December 2004
Tonight we play in San Jose, I can't believe we only have one more show to play after this... :0( Pete and Phil are missing their families loads, but I could happily stay out here touring for another year or so!!! Later on we hear that the last show in Reno may be off, as the snow is so bad we might not be able to drive there... Snow?! SNOW!?!!! No one mentioned snow to me... Those flip flops I bought in California are looking pretty redundant at the moment...
Anyway, the gig was great, but I'm feeling quite down... I don't want this one to be the last... in fact I really don't want this tour to end.
Thursday 2nd December 2004
A day off in San Francisco... :0) San Francisco is such an amazing city, probably the most multicultural city of all the places we've been to in America. in the evening find an amazing black pedal steel guitarist playing in a blues club!!! Wish I could remember his name...
I do remember that they were playing a six hour set though!!! I was very envious.... I have to play eight gigs before I get to play for that long!!
Wednesday 1st December 2004
John, our tech, had an old bootleg of a previous Scorpions gig in Saramento, and all day was looking forward to the point in the set where Klaus screams HELLO SACRAMENTO CALIFORNIAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! Phil even managed to capture the magic moment on video!!!... little things...
Tonight was special for me too... When I started out playing guitar, I bought an album called 'Making Magic' by Pat Travers. In fact it's only now that I think about it that I realise on the cover he's dressed in a black vest top and trousers (the same as me), and holding a telecaster (which is the guitar I use!!!). Wow, the power of the subconscious!! Anyway, I loved that album to bits, and so was very happy when I found out that Pat was at tonight's show!!! :0) He's an old friend of Keith's, so I got to meet him... :0) He didn't see us play (he had to rush off for his own gig), but it was just so cool to say hello... hopefully I didn't make too much of an ass of myself, as I have a tendency to do with people I really respect!!
Anyway, tonight is a fairly short journey to San Francisco....
Tuesday 30th November 2004
Today we travel to Sacramento and the coach, complete with new driver (our 'miserable' one has been replaced...) arrives around 1:00... It's actually a lovely drive, and Will Alexander acts as our tour guide, pointing out various areas of interest.... "And down there, that's where they shoot all the porn movies"!!
Must be 'Silicon Valley', I think to myself.... This is actually one of the few times we've traveled in daylight, and it's really great to see some of the countryside...
Saturday 27th November 2004
I'm supposed to do a phone interview today, but I just can't come down from the ceiling! Also, Richie Kotzen (ex 'Poison' and 'Mr. Big' guitarist) may be coming down tonight, so I also want to practice a little bit!!! Little finger is marginally better, but I'm still having to take it easy... :0/
I'm finally feeling relaxed, for the first time in a few days!!!
Played a great gig too!!! And, although the aftershow is a little quieter tonight (possibly due to the torrential rain outside) I still go down and have a chat with a few fans... I even signed some breasts!!! It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it....
Friday 26th November 2004
I spend a while looking around the shops in Universal studios before wandering down to the gig, and the Amphitheatre certainly lives up to it's reputation!!! It's a really lovely venue... very plush. But everyone seems a little jittery today, either nervous because it's the big 'LA' gig, or just uncomfortable at being in Hollywood (or 'Hollyweird', as it's generally referred to around here!!)... it's certainly the tightest security I've encountered on this tour so far!!
The gig itself was great though, and afterwards there's a small gathering of celebrities outside in the courtyard... I pop down to meet a few people, and even Pete and Phil manage to pry themselves away from their respective lap tops!! There's some guys from 'No Doubt', John Pain from 'Asia', and Ronnie James Dio, who sang with 'Rainbow' (Rainbow Rising, what a wonderful album!!), 'Black Sabbath', and of course 'Dio'... and who turns out to be a lovely bloke!! I spend a while chatting to him before wandering back to the hotel.
Thursday 25th November 2004
Happy Thanksgiving!! I'm not exactly sure what it means, but I believe it's some sort of Harvest Festival celebrated by the pilgrim fathers... consequently almost everything was closed!!! Keith and Will both live in California so had gone home the previous evening, and the rest of us stayed in a swanky hotel just around the corner from the Universal Studios... I spent the morning outside by the pool (yes, it's tough!) and noticed there was a special Thanksgiving meal offered in the hotel for $50 a head. Phil and Pete said that was way too expensive so we ventured (along with John) out to a cute little French restaurant (called 'the small house' in French I think), which, incidently ending up costing us about $65 each (not including taxi fares!!)... It was a lovely evening though... :0>
Am looking forward to the concert tomorrow... have heard loads of great things about this venue...
Photos from the end of the tour (end of November through December) (from Dave Kilminster)
 More Universal |
 Dave meets Ronnie James Dio |
 Until the sun goes down on Santa Monica Boulevard |
 Anne |
 It's Christmas! |
 Alcatraz, through a telescope |
 Golden Gate Bridge |
 Universal |
 There are worse places to do an interview |
 Dave, Pat Travers, Keith |
 Blue for you |
 More entries for my 2006 calendar |
 Anne, in the snow |
 Really sad the tour is over... |
 But glad to be going home! |
Wednesday 24th November 2004
Gig in Fresno.
What dictates a good night or a bad night when you're playing in a band? Well I suppose it's about how you're feeling (physically and mentally), how the other guys are feeling, how everything is sounding (both individually and as a whole), and the audience... Tonight EVERYTHING felt wrong!!! The band were pretty loose tonight (Tarkus was definitely a bit ropey!!), with technical problems a plenty (more than in all the previous ten gigs put together!!!), and everything just generally felt like hard work.
In Las Vegas, during the quiet 'Battlefield' section of Tarkus, there was some dappy tart sat right at the front talking REALLY loudly, with a voice resembling a rusty cheesegrater!!!! Fortunately she left when the heavy bit started.... Tonight, another one!!! I was going to say something, but I was already half way through the section... and didn't want to ruin it for the people that were listening...
Tuesday 23rd November 2004
Gig in San Diego... Mostly it was really good, although about half way through Tarkus I noticed that I was losing signal from my wireless.... damn, I should have changed the battery. I got to my solo and the tone was pretty bad by then.
What happens is that you lose signal to the amp, so the amp gets a little quieter and cleans up a bit... :0( You want this huge screaming rock tone, and you're left with something resembling Hank Marvin!!! Not that I have anything against Hank, but you know what I mean... Oh well. I'm learning loads of things on my first ever American tour!!
Sunday 21st November 2004
Around 7:00 we were told that everyone had to cut their set, and so we were now down to thirty minutes... :0( It seemed a bit pointless, but we went out about ten minutes later and... what a great gig!!!! :0) It was really good fun... with an amazing audience!!!!! My hands didn't warm up until about ten minutes AFTER we finished but everything seemed to go OK. A very pleasant surprise to what was, potentially a complete disaster!!
Saturday 20th November 2004
After the show we all went for Sushi and endured the club band playing covers downstairs... I was convinced for the first few numbers that it was a Karaoke night, but no... that was their singer... :O#
Friday 19th November 2004
Keith and I met Alice Cooper after the show... what a nice chap!!! Got some photos taken with him too (see piccies)... I was approached by a couple of people saying how much they enjoyed the show, so I gave them one of my promo CDs... and all of a sudden there were about forty people there all after one... I ran back to the bus and got a load more to hand out... then I had to sign them!!
Wednesday 17th November 2004
All the venues so far have been seated, but tonight in Albuquerque we had our first standing audience... and what a difference!!!! They were absolutely amazing!!!!! :0)) The venue wasn't ideal, and our dressing was a short bus ride away, but that was the loudest response I've heard from an audience in a long time... I think we rose to the occasion and put on a great show. It really helps to have people on your side...
Tonight's a huge, eight hour trek to Phoenix...
Tuesday 16th November 2004
A great gig, and another amazing audience!!! I guess they don't have too many Rock acts coming this far south...
After soundcheck Keith, Phil and Pete went shopping and came back with a toaster... Ummm... OK, that doesn't sound very rock 'n' roll.... Errr.....
Keith, Phil and Pete went 'ROOOOOOOOOCCCK SHOPPING', and came back with a Toastmaster 400 'cool wall' with auto shut off and variable browning knob!!
Well... it doesn't sound much, but practically every dressing room we've had so far has had a toaster, but no bread!?!... We did try toasting banana slices and Pringles the other day, with little success.... But now, toast on the bus!!! :0) Little things....
Photos from the third week of November (from Dave Kilminster)
 Master & Commander |
 Was it really a good idea to let the drummer steer? |
 Costumes from M&C |
 Pete & Phil trying to work out how to make the ship go |
 The earliest existing model of a Moog Sythesizer!!! |
 Dave on the boat |
 Las Vegas... INSIDE the hotel!!! |
 Las Vegas... outside |
 Bellagio Dancing Water |
 Very arty... |
 Keith, Alice Cooper, and Dave |
 Alice reduced to this after meeting us!! |
 Outside gig in Phoenix |
 That bunny is just not going to come out... |
 San Antonio welcomes careful drivers!!! |
 The Alamo |
 The Alamo from the side |
 Side view of the Scorpions gig |
 Sunset in Phoenix... maybe I should go into making calenders when I get back!?!!! |
Photos from the second week of November (from Dave Kilminster)
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Monday 15th November 2004 (DK)
Slept great on the bus again... :0) I don't sleep this well at home!!
We arrived at around midday, which turned out to be 11:00 as we're back in Mountain time again!! So I decided to go for a walk and take a look round.
El Paso is right on the Mexican boarder, but we were advised not to go over to Mexico, especially on our own, as it isn't particularly safe.
Well, I hadn't shaved today, and was looking particularly mean (yes, I am kidding!!) so I decided to take a solo hike over the border anyway (it's a guy thing I guess!!!). On the way though I bumped into John and then later, Will, so in the end it was the three amigos that walked over the Rio Grande into Mexico...
It was definitely... umm... an experience!!! Within the first sixty seconds of crossing the border I saw six guys with rifles, had three people offering to 'take us somewhere nice' in a taxi, been asked for money twice and had one solitary person trying to sell us drugs!!!
At border patrol coming back into the USA the officer asked if I'd eaten anything... 'Yes', I said, 'why is that a problem'? "You'll find out in a couple of hours" he replied!!!! Gee thanks....
Sunday 14th November 2004 (DK)
Tonight was memorable for three reasons.
1/ The audience were Amazing!!!!
2/ The catering was the worst of the tour so far... more food with the salt
would have been good!! (Oops, there's me moaning again!!), and
3/ after the show it's the longest trip of the tour so far... 816 miles!!!
Approximately 14.5 hours!!!!!
Tonight I really hope everyone can sleep on the bus... Me? I fell asleep in the lounge before we even got out of the car park!!!
Saturday 13th November 2004 (DK)
Had a long walk around San Antonio, especially down by the Riverbank, and looked around the historic site of the Alamo... It's just a shame that most people remember it now as the place where Ozzy Osbourne got arrested!!! :0/
Thursday 11th November 2004 (DK)
We're in Austin, apparently the live music capital of the world!... Had a wander around in the evening, and it does seem to be a particularly mad place!! 1:30a.m. and 4th and 6th Avenue are full of scantily clad women, drunken men and lots of police... reminds me of home actually!!! :0)
Wednesday 10th November 2004 (DK)
Well, it's Wednesday so we must be in Houston!! It was actually a great gig, and afterwards Keith and I made our way to a studio for a live appearance on the 'Rockline' radio program... It was a pleasant affair, but there was only one good mic and, as Keith was doing most of the talking he used the decent one, and I was left with the 'radio shack special'!! :0/ Also, just before we played, the presenter happened to mention that there were over 650,000 people listening...
Oh good, I'm glad he mentioned that JUST before I started singing!!!
Tuesday 9th November 2004 (DK)
The gig in Dallas was cool... not one of my better efforts but good overall I think. After the show we met a whole bunch of people, I had my tarot read (!) and Paul (Pepe) came backstage with his little daughter Lauren... aww.... :0) During the show Keith dedicated Tarkus to her...
Just the leisurely four hour drive tonight...
Monday 8th November 2004 (DK)
I actually slept loads better on the coach for not having to get up at 4:00am to check into the next hotel!!! I must have had about nine hours before we arrived (at around 10:30a.m.) and so I was ready for the day!! Unfortunately Keith and Pete didn't fare so well, and I don't think Phil slept at all!!! :0.
The hotel's interesting... there is a water feature in the middle of a lobby with a Swan swimming in it... It looked really nice from a distance, but as we got closer we realised that the Swan was on it's own (as you may know, Swans generally come in pairs as they mate for life). We found out from the woman on the front desk that her mate had been killed recently by a guest... :0( The poor Swan was obviously very distressed, and just kept swimming into the wall... it was really, really sad...
Photos from the first week of November (from Dave Kilminster)
 Arty Camera Shot |
 Reminds Me of Christmas |
 Lights |
 Happy Birthday to Keith |
 My Kind of Town |
 Phil in Traffic |
 Fallen Angel Statue |
 Dave with Rig :0) |
 We Couldn't Get the Bus Through the Drive-Through |
 Sunset |
 Cool Sky |
 Dolphin |
 The Aliens Have Landed |
 Autumn |
Sunday 7th November 2004 (DK)
Check in to the hotel in St. Louis around 8:00, and try to catch some more zzz's... Despite the 'Do not disturb' sign I'm woken by a knock at the door, and those words that strike terror into the hearts of every touring musician......"House keeping"!!!
This evening;s gig was strange... We were told that, due to the unions (what the f*&% have they got to do with the music anyway!!!) we could only play for forty minutes...
Now, we're only ever scheduled to play for forty minutes anyway, but we always go on five minutes early... because we love playing, and want to give the fans a bit extra, too. However, we were told that if we went on five minutes earlier tonight, it would cost us $800.00!!!
the other bands don't have the same sound problems as us, as they're all using in-ear monitors. In fact, they can't believe we're just relying on the on-stage monitors... which I guess is pretty old fashioned now. Mind you, I'm the only person I know who still uses cassette tapes too!!
We watched Fawlty Towers on the bus... but no one was looking forward to the drive to Dallas tonight, as it was gonna take 12 hours!!!! :0/
Saturday 6th November 2004 (DK)
The gig in Green Bay was pretty good!!.. and a GREAT audience!!! In fact the audiences so far have been amazing on this tour... :0)
Friday 5th November 2004 (DK)
We arrive at Green Bay around 8:00am
Gambling here was certainly in full flow...
Keith, Phil and I decided to visit the Casino, just to have a quick look round... We all started off with a dollar each, and decided to see who could lose it the fastest!! Phil won, as his went in about seven seconds... I made about 25cents, then lost it all, and Keith got up to about three dollars before losing all his!!!
Earlier at dinner we'd been discussing recording some new material, and I have LOADS of ideas that I want to try out :0))) The LAST thing any of us wants this band to be is an ELP covers band!!! And I'm sure we could come up with some AMAZING stuff (although I guess I'm probably a little biased...).
Thursday 4th November 2004 (DK)
Our show today in St. Paul, was the first for a couple of days, and I was expecting everyone to be a little rusty... I shouldn't have worried.. What an AMAZING gig!!!! The band were REALLY on form tonight...
From a sound quality point of view, this was probably my favourite show of the tour so far... but also I think we all played pretty good too... :0)
Later that same evening (!) we had to do an emergency stop, to avoid hitting a deer in the middle of the highway!!!!!! We managed to miss that deer, but unfortunately an hour or so later we actually did hit one... It was really sad... :0( apart from the tasteless 'Venison, Lake and Palmer' jokes!!!
Tuesday 2nd November 2004 (DK)
Keith's Birthday!!! Phil and I go shopping for some cards and pressies... In the evening we go to a really nice Sushi restaurant, and afterwards to the Cheesecake Factory!!! It's just a really lovely evening... :0)
Crash about 4:00am...
Wednesday 3rd November 2004 (DK)
7:40am... BBBBRRRIIINNNGGGG.... 'Mr Kilminster? we have a package for you downstairs...' Damn... Forgot to unplug the phones... :0( Fall back to sleep... zzzz
8:50am... RAP RAP RAP.... 'HOUSEKEEPING'.... Double Damn... Forgot to put my 'Do not Disturb' sign out... :0((( Eventually fall back to sleep.... zzzzz
Chicago is completely different to what I expected, those old gangster movies hadn't really prepared me for such a lovely city!!!
Tuesday 2nd November 2004 (DK)
Keith's Birthday!!! Phil and I go shopping for some cards and pressies... In the evening we go to a really nice Sushi restaurant, and afterwards to the Cheesecake Factory!!! It's just a really lovely evening... :0)
Crash about 4:00am...
Monday 1st November 2004 (DK)
Well, as luck would have it, there's some construction work happening right outside my bedroom window... There's nothing quite like the sound of a pneumatic drill in the morning to put you in a really good mood!!!!! I go down to complain and change rooms, and Keith and Phil are already queuing up to do the same!!!
A little later that evening, Pete knocks at my door and asks if he can borrow $700.00... I tell him that he should have found an escort service that takes credit cards (joke!!), but he tells me that he's bought a second hand sports car!!! Well, why not...
04 November 2004 (Photos from Phil: click thumbnails for larger image)
Who says you can't have fun with a camera (and with Photoshop, apparently) while you're on tour? Phil Williams dismisses the notion with this batch of photos from the road received today:
 Dave K - surfing |
 Dave K - Surfing sunset |
 Dave K - Sunset LA |
 Birds over Malibu Beach |
 Sunset - Venice Beach |
 The KEB mobile |
 Dave K - alien? |
 Pete the Boxer |
 Pete the Viking |
 Phil's New In-Ear Monitors |
 Phil and Yamaha Gear |
 Pete and Dave overnight in Boise |
 Night Glow Moon |
 Halloween Moon over Boise |
Late/End of October 2004: Photos taken by Dave and/or Phil - click on thumbnail photo for view of larger image):
 Heavy Metal ummm... Ironing!!! |
 More Heavy Metal Ironing!!! Anybody would think this is Iron Maiden!!! |
 Phil, Pete, and Spock? |
 Pete |
 Last Minute Rehearsal |
 A Tram (pretty exciting, huh?) |
 Book Signing at Music Millennium |
 Book Signing at Music Millennium |
 Scorpions Drum solo |
 A unique view... |
 Security |
 Dave's Bunk |
 Robbie (Leg)... guitar roadie and general lifesaver!!! |
 Controller - before the show |
 Oh no, he played a Bb on a C major7 chord!! |
 Monday Specials |
 The latest in hi tech headphones! |
 Umm... box slippers? |
 Will and Keith on the bus |
Sunday 31st October 2004 (DK)
The gig tonight was cool, although without a soundcheck Keith was having level problems... Just a short drive into Chicago tonight... I'm hoping for a really cool hotel, with swimming pool, fitness room, internet access etc as we're gonna be there for a couple of days... We check in at 3:00am, and my room looks like a student squat!!! Not only that, but it smells funny!!! Too tired to complain, but I'll probably go down in the morning and sort it out... All I really need now is some peace and quiet.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Saturday 30th October 2004 (DK)
Keith had played the Cobo Arena back in the 70's with ELP, and it's certainly a very impressive venue...
we have the intro music sorted, as well as the introductions to Tarkus and Fanfare!!! This show is just getting better and better... :0)))
This obviously calls for a small vodka induced celebration.... $O/
Friday 29th October 2004 (DK)
We check in at 4:30a.m... After yesterdays morning annoyances I decide to take no chances and proceed to unplug both phones from their sockets!!! The 'Do Not Disturb' sign is on the door... so now, for a good nights sleep... zzzzzzzzzzz
WWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ......... It's 8:30 in the morning, and some one is DRILLING INTO MY CEILING!!!!!!!!! :0/
I pick up the phone to call reception... oh yeah.... ummm... decided to try and back to sleep instead..... zzzzzz
ZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.... It's now 9:45, and I decide to plug the phone back in and politely ask reception "WHAT THE F$%&£*G HELL IS GOING ON"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I often feel like my life is a comedy, but never more so than at this very moment...
I go down to complain, and get a free breakfast... OK, not enough sleep, but at least I'm gonna get fatter!!!
The Allstate Arena is MASSIVE, and it holds over 12,000 people!!! This is the biggest venue we've played so far... Before the show we met up with Nick Mitrovich, from the WGN TV network, who wants us to appear on his early (7:00am!) show to play live... I don't think ANYONE wants to see this band at 7:00am... it's really not a pretty sight!!!
Thursday 28th October 2004 (DK)
Another day, another time zone!!! We arrive at 8:00am, which is now 9:00am and I waste no time in getting into bed... . Am feeling a little disappointed with my performances so far... I'd injured the little finger on my left hand about two weeks before we came out, and it's just not getting better... Consequently I haven't been able to practice, and don't feel like I'm playing my best at the moment... add that to this annoying bug, and you have a fairly miserable guitar player!!
Anyway, will sleep now, hopefully till about two or three, and that should make me feel a little better...
Wednesday 27th October 2004 (DK)
Gig in Denver!!! We had quite a long soundcheck today... ten minutes!!! We had a bit of extra time tonight too, so I went out to meet some people after the show... I'm really glad I did!!
It's great to get people's feedback, especially when they're saying nice things about me!!! ;0> Just kidding... The general consensus though, seems to be that people love what we're doing...
Monday 25th October 2004 (DK)
Wake up in the hotel room... cold... Apparently they've had snow this morning (gee, I'm really glad I bought those flip flops in California last week!), and one of the boilers has packed up... I go outside (where it's warmer!) in search of cold cure drugs...
Sunday 24th October 2004 (DK)
We arrived in Boise, Idaho at around 6:30a.m.... Oh, the glamour of it all!!! I
had a few hours sleep on the bus, but still feel rough as a badgers... We've
also passed into the next time zone, so it's actually 7:30a.m now, and Keith and
I decide that we're not going to wake up in time for breakfast, so we might as
well have it before going back to bed!!!
I want something healthy, but then noticed the d.i.y. waffle machine... awww...
not fair!!! How am I supposed to watch me figure with all this good stuff
around?!!
Saturday 23rd October 2004 (DK)
raining... again!! Keith and I are scheduled to do a little performance/book signing at 'Music Millennium'... I show up with my acoustic, not really sure of what we're going to do... Keith spots the old upright in the corner, drags it out, and we do an acoustic version of Tarkus!! Umm... interesting!!! Then he reads some bits from his book (complete with some silly sound effects from me!) and we finish off with 'Honky Tonk Train Blues'...
The event actually went surprisingly well, and could be a possibly avenue in the future?! Who knows...
The rain is getting heavier now.. our driver cheerfully informs us that the only difference between Summer and Winter in Portland is the temperature of the rain!!
Oh, well... this REALLY feels like home now!!
Thursday 21st October 2004 (DK)
We turned up for a sound check in the afternoon, which went well... Everything still seemed to be OK!! Maybe it's just my suspicious nature to expect things to go wrong all the time?!!
Anyway, after the sound check one of the woman security guards came up to me and said "Hi, I'm Randy"... the temptation to reply with "yeah, so am I"!! was overwhelming, but I managed to resist... "So you're the lead singer then?" she asked, "umm... yeah, I guess"... "so, do you live in Germany then?", "well no, I'm not with the Scorpions" I politely informed her"... "Oh, OK... so which part of Germany are you from?!!".... "Umm... good heavens, is that the time!!" was the best excuse I could think of before hurrying back to the dressing room...
We really didn't know what to expect when we walked out on stage that night, but we certainly didn't expect such an AMAZING reaction!!! Everything went REALLY well!!! What an wonderful response!! It was such a relief for everyone I think, and I certainly didn't waste any time in celebrating afterwards with a small bottle of chardonnay... Alan White (drummer with Yes) came backstage afterwards to say hi!, and the evening was generally considered to be a huge success... (For photos of the band with Alan, visit keithemerson.com's Tour page)
Photos from Seattle (taken by Dave and Phil - click on thumbnail photo for view of larger image):
 The Stage Is Set (sort of...) |
 Hall Waiting for Chairs |
 Dave's Pedal Board |
 Comford Hellcat Amps |
 Space Needle |
 View from Space (Needle) |
 Dave Texts from Space Needle |
 Phil in Space Needle |
 Dave As Jellyfish |
 Phil As Octopus |
 Fish |
 Leafy Seadragon |
 Shark |
 Dave Attacked by Shark |
Tuesday 19th October 2004 (DK)
no bouncing headboard last night, so I slept really well!!!
We had a production rehearsal at the venue (The Everett events center) this afternoon, which is huge!!! :0) The crew were all really friendly too, and my pedal board (which I'd wired up the day before we'd left, but hadn't tested) was working perfectly... :0)
I was really looking forward to the gig on Thursday...
Thursday 14th October 2004 (DK)
my room came with it's own entertainment, in the form of the bouncing headboard courtesy of the couple next door, who insisted on waking me up at all times of the day and night... Fortunately it never lasted long (!), but they were certainly getting some practice in!!
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Last updated: 01/02/12
