So i promised I’d write a New York tour diary entry on the plane home and I’ve almost kept that promise. I am on a plane – just on the way back to the U.S.
It’s been a lovely week off and I feel almost human again. My body clock was jerked violently into UK time where I found myself regularly being woken by a crocodile or My Little Pony at 6.30am Greenwich mean time. The owner of the crocodile would be demanding to watch Octonauts and have tea and toast in bed and my confused, jet lagged brain would struggle to comprehend the underwater world of Captain Barnacle and his crew but within a few days I was fully back to home life as though I hadn’t been away at all. The previous six weeks had suddenly felt like it all happened in a week and now already we’re back on a plane for another six week stint and the previous week feels like the blink of an eye. My head is spinning!
When I left you last, we were approaching New York City having just left behind a snowy Boston. Frank Sinatra was cranked up on the stereo and we were all feeling pretty excited. We had good reason to be excited. New York was awesome in every way.
There is a tangible buzz in New York City that I’ve found nowhere else in the world. Just being there seems to instil an energy and vitality. I already walk at a fast pace but in NY it’s as though I’m turbocharged. After loading in which was mostly taken care of by local crew, I took off to squeeze as much as I could into the two hours before Soundcheck and strode up to Union Square and down to SoHo – grabbing some lunch and another fuzz pedal i would later return along the way. When I arrived back at the venue, it was on fire!
The Webster Hall is a big old building with a wealth of history and character but is, I imagine, in serious need of electrical re-wiring. Iain Graham had happened to be in the dressing room when he noticed small black specks floating from the direction of the bathroom. Mistaking them for tiny flies, he opened the door, expecting to find an infestation of insects but instead, found the toilet bowl and light fitting above on fire. As I walked into the venue, people were running around, shouting into walkie talkies and trying to locate a fire extinguisher. Major disaster was averted but it could have been much worse. It wouldn’t have been the first time Webster Hall had burned down – apparently it’s happened 5 times already!
The building wasn’t the only thing on fire that night. When our time arrived, we came out all guns blazing. The combined effect of being in New York with the knowledge that it was the last show of the first leg, made us draw on every last ounce of collective energy we had and we created an inferno of our own. It was a fitting end to an amazing six weeks and once the chaos of bundling our gear off the stage and into cases was over, we wasted no time in celebrating what I think has been the beginning of a beautiful and lasting relationship with this formidable country.
Another six weeks now lie ahead of us. Some of the drives will be even longer than the last stint but the weather will be getting warmer and we have some amazing cities yet to visit, some great venues to play and some tasty food to eat! We look forward to meeting some of you along the way.
Onwards and upwards!