Monday evening, 17th November, Heerlen
So, welcome, to the exotic life of a "rock star" on a day off!
I..m writing this at a table in "The Jasmin Palace", a Chinese restaurant one step away from our hotel - the hotel from hell! The place could easily have been the inspiration for Stephen King..s "The Shining"! When I open the elevator door I expect something unspeakable to leap out. Dark, shadowy corridors. Not a member of staff to be found.
Adjoining rooms obliged to join in (at least audibly) with the copulating couple next door. I switch on the TV and flick between channels....
A day off can only mean one thing - Laundry!
Michi tracks down a laundrette and Jeff, Jann, Rainer and I form a conga along with our bags of washing. On arrival I ask the boys if they want to split the washing into separate piles - blacks (a lot of!), blues, other colours. Instead they opt to throw everything in together!! I give up! So if the boys look a little bit grey during the tour, you know why!
The boys scoot off, to do what I don..t know! So it..s just me, my book and the two washing ladies for the next hour........Rock n Roll doesn..t get more exciting than this!
Days off are rare and everyone goes to ground like timid badgers and it..s highly unlikely we..ll cross each others paths until tomorrow.
After the laundry expedition it..s back to "The Shining" hotel to drop off my fragrant, newly washed clothes and then out into the chilly Heerlen evening in search of a place to eat.
I criss-cross the streets and precincts and do a full circle back here to the Chinese restaurant.
Time to recall the past few weeks - Spain, Paris, London. These were unexpectedly successful shows for me overall.
Spain I hadn..t toured for many years and I had no idea of how it would be. The warmth and enthusiasm of all the audiences filled my heart! Madrid, Alicante, Gijon and Barcelona - so many different areas of Spain, all with their own unique identities. It was amazing to see this country again. I can..t wait to get back next year! Muchas Gracias!
Then onto Aalst in Belgium where I had the pleasure of having the band Motek opening the evening. They are amazing and I recommend you to check them out if you get the chance!
Next stop - Paris, another city I haven..t played in for some time. Like all capital or major cities it can provide a cool or at best indifferent reception. However the audience at La Locomotive blew us away with their passionate response. A beautiful night! Merci bien!
After Paris came London, my home town! I haven..t played there for fourteen years and whenever I have it was to a generally unfriendly audience. I..ve never felt such a "foreigner" anywhere as I have in my own country sometimes. I was expecting nothing yet received the most unbelievably warm reaction - even from the promoter and the crew! It..s taken a long long time. Let..s see if something can grow from this. If it does who knows, maybe Michi can have the pleasure of driving on the left-hand side some more! Thank you very much London, it means a lot!
Now, with the last show in Breda, the Dutch stretch of the tour has come to a close. These too have been unique. Whilst the audiences haven..t been big, the reception has been and that is something very special - Dank u wel!
So now it..s off to Köln and the German stretch of the tour begins.
See you later!
Anne x