france the spain away

Thursday june 22 portland , me DAY OFF
Well it is catch up time in the parking lot of the Fairfield inn. Accounting, blogging, advancing, and watching the rain. It is raining outside, our first non sun shiny day. But it is productive. The shopaholics go for the shop. The bike is taken for the ride. The roadies (both droadie and broadie) are back from the sheningans of the night before. Topless donuts! What a concept. I do my bit and later walk across the street to Hadley(?) field to go see the AA Portland sea dogs play the connecticutt defenders. It is a great game, and possibly the most fun I have had at a baseball game in years. Sea dogs win it 5-4, the fireworks go off, I get bit by a few mozzies, spill the beer a few times as I am directly behind home plate, and go pass out to law and order, a road dogs free valium.
Friday june 23 tweeter center Mansfield mass
Talk about mozzies, we are in a swamp today. I am bit by the biggest thing that I have ever seen, looks like a bloody pterodactyl. Crikey, this fucker is actually red, and he has lots of friends.
Back to the safety of catering and some baked haddock or Caesar salad or tortellini or what not. A quick hey to tea party tim, as we are doing a show with him in beantown forthwith. It is too hot outside to do anything, so we are hiding inside as often as possible. Sweating through the layers of black filth.
The ladies soundcheck and do their jane fonda workout and peach even knocks out an interview with the boston globe. The show is a blinder and seems to be coming together rather nicely. She takes off for the cheap seats, and everyone is laughing at the workout that I am getting running for the lawn each day. But hey, I need it, so keep running girl.
She runs towards the malloys, and damn if chris does not look like ernest hemingway, without the shotgun wound, I may add. Afters we all have a laugh and then hit the high road towards the Canada. I offload a bit of personal swag on the malloys and we break for the border.
Saturday june 24 molson amphitheatre Toronto, on
A glorious day on lake Ontario! We get through Canadian customs and immigration without anyone but yrs truly waddling off the bus. I am amazed. We actually beat the nails entourage to the venue, get parked up, eat some fabulous catering, watch the jerries dispatch the svens, try to help the peach enjoy her hometown show, and get the heck out of the dressing room as it is hotter than vikram yoga in there. B
By showtime the sun is shining right on stage and though we are on the lake it is heisse scheisse out there. She heads for the hills again, with me in tow, and a whole flock of security. Hell the groupies in front have briefed security by the time I get out there.
Afterwards there appears to be a ‘tea party’ everywhere in the room/on the bus, so I get on the bike, head down the lakefront in search of bratwurst in honor of the german victory, and tofu dogs for my fair palated friends and get the flock back ‘fore it is too dark and I get run over by a drunk canuck.
Back to the venue, and it is bbq time, what with the cooler outside and the tofu pups and all, we play a blineder with the bbq pineapple and soy ice cream. Ms booth joins us, and it is a strictly crew affair , as the band have gone off on a gay pride excursion somewhere, but make it back in time for the sausage party. We all get a bit scoobied, roll the bus at 4am en route to the motor city, or a suburb thereof.
Sunday june 25 clarkston Michigan, dte amphitheatre
So we are here early, parked up, and breakfasted and on the bikes through the lush venue grounds. I try to watch a bit of the England Ecuador, I do see becks bend it through the goalposts, and then witness the abhorrent brawl that is Portugal/Netherlands. Brutal, like a hockey game. A few friends show up(the hardy girls, the baise, mvb and friend) and we have a nice time out on the patio, daddio. Pretty funny, digging the Detroit accent, giving out the drinks, chasing the peach up to the cheap seats, and suffering through a bit of the boring botox infused after party. ‘oh look, it/s twiggy eating steak and shake’. Weird, and the perpendicular breastaurants are even weirder. I have yet to catch any of the Bauhaus, besides a song or two, and manage to steal 2 songs per night of NIN. NIN are pretty stunning live, I can say that for them. Bauhaus, well that is an entirely different story.
We head southeast for the night, further into the rust belt.
Monday june 26 akron ohio off
Well it is the crab shack, the bunk, steak and shake, laundry, dicks, barnes and noble, tgi Fridays, flair,world cup futbol, office space, black hawk down, accounting, starbucks, guitar center, feeding the ducks, and many other variations of the day off in a super 8 next to I77.
Tuesday june 27 blossom music center, Cuyahoga falls ohio
After a misspent night in the crabshack, the ladies implore me to move on, I get a refund and we do, over to the venue, in the middle of the woods outside Cleveland. Nice place, very rustic, and it looks like we are going to get so much rain, that I am looking for my other half.
The ladies get their paul frank bikes today, and the crew assemble them for the ladies and they are now a biker gang. It/s a pretty funny combo. I have to get them on the video sometime, the dead end kids..
I sit outside with the tour accountant and wax baseball, nails are still soundchecking a joy division song with mr Murphy which has put the kibosh on our soundcheck for the duration of the tour. But hey! That’s what these digital desks are for. The show is a cracker, as it is pouring it down outside during peaches set. She does a bit of stage diving tonight, whilst I try to video the thing, making me real nervous, but I best get used to it, me thinks.
The aftershow is again a non event, more of a party in bauhaus’ cubicle. I help myself to some of their wine, go out to the bus, watch school of rock, and cheech and chongs still smoking and wake up in Columbus.
Wednesday june 28 germain amphitheater Columbus, ohio
Hot and humid, chicky. Myself and the driver walk over to the hotel where I buy everyone rooms for the next two days. It is time for a trial separation. The venue is real nice, we are looked after quite well as per usual. I am simply dreaming about my okey hotel room and the lock down and all that advancing I can do. Yes! We do the gig, it is a bit sloppy, but the crowd is into it. The girls then cut and run, lucky thangs. A thunder storm breaks out during the grampires set, we all get soaked, I help myself to more of bauhaus’ wine and hit the steak and shake on the way to the hotel. Falling asleep to the nba draft, the ladies seem to be enjoying the hot tub with the bottle of champagne. A real bonafide day off.
Thursday june 28 columbus ohio OFF
Steak and shake, el alcapulco, advancing, feeding the ducks, the gym, the mall, the pool, the hot tub, corn flakes, baseball, law and order, black hawk down, email, dirty clothes cleaned, Seinfeld, bed. A real road dogs day off.

2 world wars, 1 wor4ld cup

he/s covered in marmalade

dissinformationFriday june 16 homldel, nj PNC arts centre
So it is the first day of our 3 week run with NIN and Bauhaus, and it is hot in the city this morgen. Mr gibbs is our designated driver to Secaucus and the crew pick up. We get all the ladies on the various stops and it is out to Secaucus and the cross load to the bus of the voluminous amounts of the luggage. Everyone is on form as we traverse the garden state parkway southbound towards the jersey shore.
We get there smoothly, and our submarine for the summer is super sweet. 2001 prevost with lots of space. Our arrival is timely and we are inside to begin the introductions and pick up our credentials. All the NIN peeps are colls as, and there are definitely familiar faces amongst the lot. Hell, aaron from the icarus line is the lead guitar player, and some of the same crew as the beasties. Nice.
It is a shed tour, so we are outside and onstage at 7pm. It is still bright and hot, and mark, our lampie, has his work cut out this tour, basically getting ready for the next tour. It is only our second show with the full band(peaches/radio sloan/jd Samson/radio sloan) so it is still a work in progress, but peaches rises to the occasion keeping the security guards and myself on the ropes with all of that gallivantin in the crowd. I settle up, we roll through the swamp up to the bus, watch a bit of Bauhaus, and set up the chairs outside for a bit of al fresco drinking. There is a real nice vibe around, and we hit up the after party and then the after bbq at the NIN crew bus. It is a blast, a great first night.
Saturday june 17 wantagh,, ny jones beach amphitheatre
Right on the water in long island, mi Corazon comes out on the train and we hit the beach, but alas it is cool and cloudy, but good enough for a nap and a nice walk on the shore. Still getting to learn the ropes and the egos on my bus. Everyone seems to enjoy the outside atmosphere, even though we are in a parking lot. It being nyc, a lot of friends make the trek. Lk and his wife Debbie drop in, as does my man max and his missus. The girls hit the stage just as the sun comes out, and the crowd seems into it, and peaches is into the crowd, quite literally. I am running into the crowd after the little canuck. Good to know that I will be earning my bacon. I miss Bauhaus for various reasons, and catch about half of the NIN set which is fantastic. So big! Mi Corazon and I go back stage and enjoy what little hospitality we get as the ladies have hit the bus and Maloney does some family action. After the after show I bid adieu to mi Corazon and the janager who are going back to the Brooklyn with max and missus, and I am back on the bus to crawl into my bunk. Some hours later I awake in a target parking lot in Saratoga, ny.
Sunday june 18 saratoga springs, ny SPAC
The venue is located in the Saratoga springs state park and it is a muggy swamp today out there. Not pleasant outside to be sure and the load is confusing at best. But hey we perservere and enjoy the delicious catering and chill wherever we can. It is the worst smelling sauna I have ever been in. it is fathers day and we all do our paternal thing.
J mercel from the rev and his missus are in attendance as is hoppers missus, jen, and a few of her mates. Nice to see some familiar faces in these out of the way places. They get a little after show on in the dressing room. And we head off to our crab shack across from the evil empire. Squid and bs head to Kingston with the kingstonians. I hit for 6 in the humid hell.
Monday june 19 saratoga springs, ny OFF
Fierce heat and thunder storms, I buy a bike in target and go for a cruise. Everyone else doffs the evil empire and the mall and gets their shopping on. I take it real handy, do some shopping, and have a beer with hopper and jen when they get the lads home, falling asleep in the crab shack.
Tuesday june 20 hartford, ct dodge music center
Still hot and still outside, we are next to the railway tracks. We tuck straight into the catering for the kielbasa. A big shed outside with very little ticket sales. We spend the day doing the internet outside, which is real nice to work and still enjoy the fresh air. It is jeordie from NIN/s birthday bash tonight.
The peach gives me a big work out running up to the lawn and back, and then it is time for the load and the settlement and the dallas/Miami game. Game 6, and what a game 6 it is . hey now and I get scoobied watch the heat take it. Dallas uber alles is being shouted in catering, but as the heat take it, the feeling is unanimous. Fuck kobe! Great for shaq to win one without the rapist. And if it is one and done, so be it. The heat took it, and as the laker fan that I am, good for riles and good for shaq. And Dwayne wade, forget bout it. He is money. We take the party outside, where carlos , bauhaus’ tm, is kicking some serious ass on the bbq. Ribs, rib eye, scallops. All good, man. Droadie is doing his best kelso impersonation and I do some chilling with some of the NIN crew, all sorts of good peeps.
Wednesday june 21 portland , me Cumberland county civic center
We are in maine, and it is my ex wifes bday today. Kind of ironic, being in maine and all.
I take my hangover down to the harbor for some steak and eggs and do my best to be outside all day. Luckily I have errands to run and Portland is well suited for that. As it is for the weather outside. Million dollar day, this.
It is an arena show, a make up for some previous show that NIN had cancelled. So it should be cool with the light show and all. I am a little concerned about the peach taking off through the crowd, as it is very dark. Luckily after doing the barricade trick, she has decided against that move for the same reason. I do all sorts and the girls go their own way for awhile. I watch a bit of NIN, which is very powerful in such an intimate setting. But too hot and smoky for me. I check us into the crab shack of the day, and hit for 6 inside the hotel. Real nice to escape the bus.