june 23, 2009
Tuesday june 23, 2009
4:30 pm
at The Coliseum Theatre in Aberdare, Wales
Note to self: The dongal, which gives you mobile internet on your laptop, doesn’t work in Wales.
7:04pm
in the car in the parking lot of The Coliseum Theatre in Aberdare, Wales
soundchecked and fed and all ready to play. The backstage area though has got A/C on full blast and I’m freezing so I’ve come outside to sit here and write and try to get warm again.
Last night we played The Robin in Wolverhampton. We played it last year too and the sound system there in great. The only trouble with the venue is that it is 700 capacity, which is quite a bit beyond my draw currently, and any venue that is less a third full feels drear and empty and it change the whole energy of the audience and of the entire show.
One thing I am figuring out is that I’d rather play a sold-out show of 40, than a half filled venue with 100 capacity. Those two shows will have entirely different energies and audience responses, even with an identical performance.
The most notable thing about this gig was that afterwards, a fella came up to talk and I recognized him from his having been to one of our other shows. His name is Craig and I knew he was a visual artist and a gallery owner. But Craig had come on this night not only to hear music, but to give us a gift. He has painted a portrait of the two of us and gave it to me. It is positively stunning and I will treasure it for the rest of my life. And when I die, it will go to my only son. It is an absolute treasure!!! Thank you SO much, Craig!
That night, Zak and I had some difficulty in the hotel room. For several reasons. One is that we couldn’t have our suitcases open at the same time – there wasn’t enough room. And if one of us was in the “bedroom” area, the other had to be either in bed or in the bathroom. Then after the gig, when we got back to the room and found it to be unbearably hot and stuffy, we went to open the window. To discover that we were just above a major road with tons of traffic, AND directly across the street from the police station. Ok. Fine. I can deal with that. But then we discovered that the window had a “safety” latch that only let it just barely crack open. So we took matters into our own hands. I poured the drinks and Zak got out his Leatherman. Ten minutes later, having removed the safety latch with the Philips head, and jimmy-rigged the window to stay open, we sat there drinking our whiskeys and looking out over the police station and the traffic below.
Of course we had to fix the window first thing morning, but it was worth all the fresh air we had all night long.
Today’s drive to Aberdare was about 3 hours. And is the first time I’ve been in Wales proper. Once we got here, we went our separate ways – I headed to a big nearby park and walked its perimeter; then headed to town centre. There I had a peach and a banana for lunch, and stopped at a drug store.
And right now, my belly full of lasagna, I am completely ready to take a huge, luxurious nap. Unfortunately, the show starts in about 35 minutes :-)
Time to go get into my show clothes…
Xo,
r
