| PAGE 10.
We were over half way through the tour and things
were running smoothly. The band sounded good and everyone was
playing at their very best. My hands were in good shape and I was trying
out a few new things in my solo 'Little B'. It takes a few weeks on
the road for any musician to get up to scratch with his playing. My
solo is built up on a framework of patterns, rhythms and tempos. It
has a logical form like any piece of music, or in simple terms, it’s
like a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Within each
section of the framework I can improvise, invent and play things
that come into my head. It’s something that comes the second you
think of it (sometimes!) You don’t practice it, you just do it. You
practice your technique and it is that technique that enables you to
execute what you want to play. Each tour I try and do something
different and on this occasion I thought I’d have some fun with you
and get you to join me in some rhythm patterns. I would change down
to a slower groove and start with a two bar phrase and invite the
crowd to copy it and clap it out. It was hit and miss to start with,
until I eventually found the right formula. Its interesting how one
city can follow you with ease and 300 miles down the road a deferent
audience will not change to the next pattern. Some nights the
dynamics from the audience were amazing, starting with the volume so
quiet you could hear a pin drop to really loud and full on in your
face. When we both got it right, it was as if me and the crowd were
in a rhythm section together. I enjoyed doing it and think most of
you out front enjoyed being part of it too.
“You can do
this!”
More flights and long coach trips. Five days in
Denmark, visiting some beautiful towns. I love it here. Erik was
still getting lost at various departure lounges. On Wednesday 4 May
we had a day off for the flight to Iceland. We had been here many
years before to do a week in a night club. Not, as I recall a
particularly memorable week but this certainly made up for it.
I spent the afternoon walking around this
colourful town. It was ice cold but the sky was a bright blue. It
was good to have a day off and I just slowed down to the easy tempo
of the place and inhaled the fresh clean air.
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 Ice cold in
Iceland.
Met some fans who had flown for miles to see
us and ended up at the Hard Rock Café with Bruce, Griff and
Warren. A few drinks back at the hotel which boasts the
largest collection of fine whiskies in the world. Also all the
rooms had a great selection of original paintings.
A good night's sleep with no early
morning packing and travelling the next
day.
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 Dinner at the Hard Rock, a
rare night off. |
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