Jimmy Bowskill Band - European Tour Blog - Jan - Mar 2010

January 31, 2010

Today with be the last gig with Steve on board for the tour and our last gig before a four day rest. We need it. We’re all sick and have many issues that have developed over the past few weeks that need time to be resolved.

We wake at Henry’s strange hotel and pack. The drive is three hours and we manage to get to the club without a stop. The venue, Pulp in Duisburg, Germany, is equally as strange as the Blues Garage only on another level. The decor is much like a medieval castle…in fact, it’s exactly like a medieval castle. It’s a nice place but beyond strange. We load in along a long walkway outside in the sub-zero temperature then head straight to the hotel. As it turns out, the hotel is lovely and the room very large, which in Europe is highly unusual. I fold out the couch and put a mattress on it and we head back to the club.

We arrive at the venue, we are accosted outside by several autograph seekers, which is something we are not used to. In spite of the fact that we sign millions of them on CDs at the end of the night, having several people, some with photos of Jim from previous shows, recognizing you and asking for multiple autographs is both flattering and unnerving. How do these people know who I am?

We await Ash’s sound check and set up for what proves to be a tedious sound check that ends after the doors are opened. We play a few half songs before an attentive crowd in our street clothes then retire to our shared dressing room with WA. These guys are so nice. I feel like we are infringing on them in their space as they prepare for a big show but they welcome us and engage us in conversation. The mood is jovial as we have a short break after this gig. Most of Ash will go to the French Alps and some will go back to London. We will return to Den Haag and meet up with Pooch, our incoming tour manager who is talking over for Steve when he flies home to Canada.

Our show goes well, and we feel good. The audience is very large and seem very engaged. Afterwards, Dan and I load out to an outdoor alley and strike drums and load guitar cases in sub-zero temperatures. It is awful doing this when you’re sick, tired and drenched in sweat after a hot set. Jim goes to the merch table and we hike the gear the two block walk to the van and load it.

After Ash’s set, we do incredibly well at the merch table. What a great gig for Steve to end with.