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.