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April 25th 2004
It's 150 kms from Stavanger to Bergen but it takes
5 hours because the roads are so narrow and mountainous and you
have to take two ferries. Of course, with Petter's help, we had
allowed for this and once again we saw the real beauty of this country.
Today was Grand Prix day though and I was desperately looking for
a way to watch at least part of the San Marino race. As it happened
the second ferry was at 1:30, half an hour before race time and
the lounge, which was empty, had a TV. We found the channel which
was showing the race and I was very happy! We set sail into the
fog and the time came for the start… the tension was mounting
(all my Spanish musicians are into it because of Fernando Alonso!)
and as the cars came around to line up for the start… the TV
signal faded away into the Fjords!! I was very unhappy! By the time
the signal came back we had to get off the ferry. I must plan my
tours more carefully!!
Arriving in Bergen and with a little help from the locals we eventually
found Rick's Café and began moving in. Our show is just a
small part of the annual Bergen Music Festival, an event which is
now in its 11th year. I met briefly with the organisers and then
we went for lunch… well, the band went for lunch… I went
to do a live radio interview which was very interesting. For almost
an hour we reviewed key moments in my musical life and focussed
on the people in it which gave me the chance to tell some funny
stories about Gary and David and to have an honest exchange with
the audience that had come with their questions. After all these
years it was nice to do something different.
We were leaving immediately after this show so we didn't bother
checking into the hotel. My dressing room was nice and it had a
shower and all the things I needed.
Greg and Sherri were late and full of all kinds of pathetic excuses…
as if they were here on holiday or something!! So Greg's punishment
was to be my guitar tech for the night which meant that he sat hunched
up in a corner of the stage and helped me switch guitars when I
needed to. He actually did a great job!
This was the best show of the tour and it was great to finish what
had been an excellent tour with a storming show! The club was sold
out (and then some!) and the end of the show, including two encores,
left us all with a great feeling of satisfaction. We had all worked
hard… the band, Richard, Petter and Monica… and under
not the best circumstances, so it was really rewarding to end on
such a high note!!
So we packed the trailer and headed for Stockholm, facing about
15 hours in the van!! As I look back on it it was really quite daunting
(I have always liked that word) but we go through this in the same
way we had got through everything else… as a team!! That's
as important today as it ever was and it reminded me that one of
Heep's most important and productive assets was the team spirit
we had in the beginning. Reflecting on how it all fell apart I can
see that it was partly because we had lost that spirit and become
a group of individuals. I take my share of the blame for that with
some regret.
Next day...
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