October 4, 2002 Once again, we all got up early, had our breakfast, loaded the gear into the cars (well, Johnny did most of that, and for that we thank him!), and headed off to the next gig. The band was really looking forward to this one because the opening act was Nocturn, a local southern rock band (you know, it's still funny saying that because I don't mean southern Germany), and they were looking forward to a little friendly rivalry. A battle of the bands! We found Rider's Cafe without a problem. We all walked in and were immediately impressed with the place. Of all the gigs, this one probably had the coolest look about it - a huge stage that rose a few feet from the floor, and a second level to the club that you could go up in to see down onto the stage. Very nice! At the Rider's Cafe The one problem (well, two - the second would be finding the hotel!) was going to be the equipment. The guys had to quickly acquire some amps as there was some confusion about who was supplying what. The bigger problem would be Bobby's: the Nocturn drummer was really concerned about Bobby breaking a cymbal. It was probably a valid concern - Bobby's a fantastic but hard drummer. Bobby was a bit worried about the guy himself being worried, so we would see what would happen. The next problem was finding the hotel. Once again, we saw that vein on our dad's forehead. Now, no offense to Europe, but Europe, your signage is terrible. You have signs for something on a road that points down the road, and then the place turns out to be miles away after four lefts and a right and there was no sign to tell you that! We finally got to the hotel, got showered, and went back to the club. Nocturn went on - these guys are great! They've got the whole southern rock flair down really well - the long dusters, the hats, the Confederate flag, the scarves. I swear to God that the lead singer, Alfie Mizrahi, even had a southern accent when he spoke German. It was great listening to him switch, too, back and forth from speaking German to saying the song titles in English with a southern accent. The guys got a chance to meet Lutz Melzer, Nocturn's bassist, and someone they'd really wanted to meet since Billy Moss and he had been exchanging emails. We noticed that the drummer for Nocturn was pretty low-key - he had a really jazzy style about him. Good stuff. Problem was, Bobby was about to take his drumset out back, have his way with it, and not even give it a kiss. Bobby was really worried about the guy's drumheads, especially with his solo. At every show, Bobby does a really rockin' drum solo where he just beats on those drums. We were sure that Nocturn's drummer was going to have a heart attack when he saw that. Fortunately, Bobby didn't break anything but he did pit the heads pretty badly, so he tried to compensate the guy for the damage he'd get that night and the following night. The turnout for the show wasn't as high as the others - it was too bad, too, as this club looked like it could really pack them in, and with a stage like that it would have been awesome to see the floor jammed with people. Still, the guys sounded good and the folks from the Rider's Cafe said it was one of their best shows ever! October 5, 2002 This morning it was off to the final show in Hamburg at MayDay. This time we were able to find the place pretty well (and we didn't have to abduct any local citizens this time - cool!). The club was moderately sized and just felt really nice - warm and inviting, if you can call a bar that. The guy in charge, Dtlef, was a great guy - very friendly, and as he served us coffee and beer he gave us quite a lesson on local history. He told us a bit about the Black Church that we'd driven past (the church was left standing as is after it had been partially destroyed in WWII) and about the city of Koln and how ancient it was (since we'd told him we'd been there two days before). Fascinating stuff! He even produced a historical atlas from below the bar to point things out to us. Wow. The accommodations were going to be a little different this time - we were going to stay in a hostel, and we had three rooms with two sets of bunk beds in each. Our dad said that he guessed Xoe and I could room with him and Molly, but we actually worked it out differently and all the non-smokers decided to room together for the sake of everyone (Bobby, Billy Leach, Xoe, and I). The guys didn't seem to mind us sharing their room, but of course the rest of the band wouldn't let that one go without lots of comments. Our room was officially dubbed The Orgy Room. We had a plan to have Billy Leach play some of those fat porn bow-chikka-WOW-wow chords while wearing only his Stetson and his boxers, while Xoe, Bobby, and I banged the beds against the wall in rhythm for effect. Everyone got a little shut-eye before the show. Being that Xoe and I are girls, we cluttered the bathroom with all of our various girly accoutrements. Billy Leach came out of the bathroom after a shower and said, "well, I'll have you know that my hair smells herbal fresh, my skin is sloughed, and my pores are refined!" Back at the club, Nocturn went on once again and totally rocked the place. Just before the show, Lutz, Billy Moss, and my dad were talking and Lutz said that he'd love to play bass on "Takin' All I Can". Sure! The guys said that would be great. Billy Leach and Billy Moss at MayDay The place was packed, and this would turn out to be a terrific show to end the tour on. Everyone was excited, and lots of people were dancing. The show sounded great and the guys played - in my opinion - even better than they'd played at every other show on the tour (and they played great at every show!). People bought CDs and the guys signed like mad, and one guy who showed up even had the guys sign his car! You know when you've signed huge hunks of steel that you've really come into your own. Back at the hostel, everyone seemed to crash as soon as the heads hit the pillows. The next day we could afford to be a little leisurely - we had a long drive back to Amsterdam (with a stop in Enschede to retrieve one of Joe's bags, which got left behind). Joe's flight was out of Hamburg, so he was up and out the door before 8 am - unfortunately I didn't get to say goodbye to him (bye, Joe!). I woke up about 8 am, same time as Xoe, who was across the room from me in one of the other bunks. The guys were still asleep. She gestured to ask what time is it? I looked at the watch and gestured back. Bobby cracked an eye open from his bed below and said, "I can tell we're rooming with sisters." "How's that?" said a very sleepy Billy Leach from one of the other beds. "Because they're communicating in some sort of freaky sign language to each other." We packed everything up and plowed on into Amsterdam. That night would be our last night in Europe! Our dad, Molly, Xoe, and I got our room at the Rembrandt, splitting up with the band and Jeanne, and the four of us had a great dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. We eventually returned the rental car and got a taxi back, and then it was up bright and early to meet everyone at the airport. After a few goodbyes the next day, the trip was over - it was time for the long flight home for everyone and some much needed rest for the band! Coolest Moments Like I've said, there's no experience quite like touring with your dad's band in Europe - this ranks up there as one of the coolest moments of my life, ever. I didn't care that I didn't get to do much sight-seeing; I'm not a sight-seeing person, really, and I was there for the experience. And what an experience I had! I personally want to thank all the guys in the band, because they really made my experience what it was. Each show was incredible, and it was just so educational to actually be almost a part of a band's first experience touring in other countries. And the guys didn't seem to mind having us along for the ride (in fact, a couple have said that we added a little moral support to the whole thing - thanks, guys!) I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Other coolest moments not mentioned above: Bobby telling us all stories of his childhood. As Billy Leach said, "Bobby, you're definitely the funniest guy in the band." Bobby had me in tears through some of those stories they were so funny. Eating dinner with the group every night and watching my leftovers disappear as hands reach into the plate to take what's left. Bobby learned early on that I don't like tomatoes so he'd simply help himself to those on my plate whenever we were all eating. It might sound strange, but this really made me feel like I was at home eating with family! Backstage at the Rider's Cafe after the show. The band walks in and all I hear is "…Don Swensen Family Dancers…" and immediately, without thinking, Xoe and I do the hip-wiggle-and-snap and it's totally coordinated. The whole band laughed hard at that. The killer was that we didn't even know what he was talking about - we just heard the phrase. So…you guys need some moral support for a spring tour in Europe, right? 1 2 3 4 5