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September 20th 2003
Sleeping on trains is not a problem for me but the sleep itself
is not terribly nourishing and I was glad to get to the hotel, have
a little breakfast and go to bed. After a couple of hours it was
once again time to get ready. The record company had organised an
in-store autograph session and it went well. The Russian (cyrillic)
version of The Last Dance was available and I signed a lot
of them as well as things ranging from Salisbury vinyl to bootlegs
of High & Mighty!!
Sound check today was much better as the crew had quickly settled
into a routine. Jorge had familarised himself with the PA and apart
from a few small things we were ready in no time.
We set ourselves a target of improving on the Kiev show and we did
a lot more than that! Tonight was a show I will remember for a long
time. Sure we had a few problems but the sheer force of the dynamic
that developed between the band and the audience was amazing.
On top of that I received more flowers and more Vodka (this time
I gave it to the crew) and after the show I sat in my room in stunned
silence, thankful and, to be honest, a little humbled. With Uriah
Heep I realised so many dreams and achieved so many things. As a
writer and a musician my goals have changed with time and now all
I want to do is share the music with people who appreciate it. That’s
hard to do now (for obvious reasons) but tonight had been so completely
fulfilling and I was very, very happy.
There were hundreds of people outside but, rather than please a
few and disappoint many, we jumped in the cars and sped back to
the hotel. But, surprise, surprise, a lot of them had beaten us
to it so I spent a bit of time trying to sign everything and shake
as many hands as possible.
Even at dinner I found myself quite reflective, wondering if I would
have a chance to come back here and thankful for one of the great
nights of my life.
As I said my goodnight prayer I also found myself thankful to be
sleeping in a bed that wasn’t moving! God is good.
Next
day...
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