I played in Zlin a long time ago with Free Spirit so I remember the venue but
it’s Saturday and I need to get some laundry done. Apparently everything
closes here on weekends but Michaela, the director of the club offered to help
which was really cool.
Zlin is a small town and it feels somehow….
depressed…. not depressing (that’s within our own control) but just lacking
enthusiasm. I imagine if I lived here I wouldn’t find the environment too
inspiring either but it was rare to see people smiling and that’s sad.
Obviously some of these former communist/eastern bloc countries have a way to go
before they are able to offer the people the kinds of economic and social
opportunities that will inspire them. Of course they may just be happy as
they are…. they just don’t show it!
That’s why the contrast we saw at the gig was
so amazing…. this was our first solo sell-out and it felt genuinely good to have
achieved another milestone. I met fans who had come 200+ kilometers from
Krakow in Poland and the atmosphere in the club was really exciting.
The band exchanged energy with the audience
and vice versa until we reached the end that seemed to come too soon somehow.
After a brief cool-down I asked the guys to
join me at the meet & greet. We were signing Live Fire posters and, even
though it was a bit chaotic, the guys enjoyed it and the people loved it.
I was happy to see the band be a part of it. Of course there were one or
two collectors with 35 years worth of Vinyl and CDs to sign but I can’t help but
be grateful to them now can I? And there were a few things signed that
will probably end up on e-bay but that’s showbiz!
Finally I jumped down into the crowd while
they took their photos and eventually escaped to the relative calm of the
dressing room.
Another night to remember and one for the
record books… I decided to sneak back to the hotel (about 100 meters) and grab
some sleep. It felt good and, as usual, I ended my day with a quick call
home to say goodnight to Monica and get a quick “animal update”.
Can’t wait
for tomorrow now!
