Day 15:
Zagreb-
The venue was huge, but throughout the night there were so many flies and mosquitos. I'm surprised I only ended up getting one mosquito bite the next morning.
The dinner was some really good vegetarian chili, and for those that drank, they brought special beers and wine.
We played a longer set than usual just cause we had the time, and it was exhausting, but no matter what, they always ask for more songs.
The hostel we stayed at was nice, and the beds were really comfy. I did the usual sink washing of the clothes, and went to bed.
The breakfast the next morning was okay for what it was. Bread, butter, jams, some corn flakes-like cereal, cheeses, meats, and coffee. Thus far into tour, we'd all kill for eggs for breakfast, or even a taco/burrito. Both are so few and far between.
Day 16:
Bratislava-
Got out of the hostel around noon. The hostel guys were really nice, and made us special breakfast since everyone except me missed the actual allotted time for the breakfast.
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When we arrived at the venue, we were chagrined to find the amount of stairs we'd have to traverse to get the gear down, but once it was down, there was time to rest.
We setup and sound checked, and then had some food. Dinner was some Chinese-like take out with rice, veggies, and chicken, and oddly French fries.
The 'backstage' area was basically a closet behind the secondary bar area. We did receive monster energy drinks and lots of water, so that made people happy.
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The hostel we are staying at is a dorm-style youth hostel. Another one of those 'asylum feel' hostels. I guess it was used as cheep housing for students, but it was comfy and not too dirty. The struggle, though, was finding the rooms. The setup was very confusing, and most of the rooms didn't even have numbers on them.
Eventually we found our rooms, and we slept.
Day 17:
Innsbruck-
Innsbruck is a beautiful town nestled in the Austrian mountains. It's got a river flowing through it fed by mountain glaciers, so I'd imagine it's pretty cold.
We are staying at Mikes' apartment for the night, so we stop off there first and do some laundry and get some food. We then head over to the venue and chill, and eat more food.
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The show was not well attended, but the few people that were there were pretty excited, so it still felt like a good show
We had a singalong party back stage after the show with a classical guitar that was sitting there. We sang random hits we remembered from the 90's and just made complete goofs of ourselves, it was fun.
We went back to Mikes' place to finish laundry and get sleep. Since Feldkirch is only about an hour drive away, we were able to sleep super late, and get s nice breakfast and chill for a while.
Day 18:
Feldkirch-
The drive was beautiful passing by mountain ranges and flowing rivers.
We get to the venue, and it's in the basement of a 4-story hostel building. We are sleeping on the 3rd floor, and there are beds layer out for us. A bit to shabby sleeping situation. The wifi, however, was only accessible from the lobby and the stairwells, so we all gathered there for a while messaging people back home.
There was a bit of confusion when it came to stage setup and sharing gear with the first band. We were offered the use of the 1st bands kit, and we would just use our hardware, snare, and cymbals. When we finally setup, the toms were a bit muted and thuddy for our taste, but, we had already made the decision, so we went with it.
The stage was very small, so we had to make due with what room we had, but I think we've managed to fit on smaller stages in the past.
Dinner was nice. It was hummus, some kind of spicy sauce, and a fake steak-like meat that was delicious. We wrapped all of it up into tortillas and made ourselves some lovely burritos.
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Much like last night, the show was not well attended, although the people excited to be there were fewer in numbers. Many people were sitting and not too outwardly enthused about being present at the show.
In a 5-week tour, not all shows are going to be spectacular. You wish they were, but odds are against you that you'll have a couple bummer shows throughout the duration. Hopefully we've seen our bummer shows, and the rest will be awesome.
On to Switzerland today playing Lucerne, and then a day off in Neuchatel.
Day 19:
Lucerne-
With only an hour or two drive away, we were able to sleep in very late. Sadly, the wifi had stopped working at some point during the night, so those of us without cell phone plans will have to get in touch with people back home once we get to Lucerne.
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We were greeted by cows pulling up to the venue. The room was big, with a good sized stage. Some bands gear was already setup on stage, dismayed that it'll be another night we're using another bands drum kit instead of our own.
The back stage are was the same as I remember it from many years ago, with bunk beds in the back.
We figured out the gear situation and then some got on wifi, and others went exploring and swimming.
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We played second to last for this show, which from a sleep standpoint, was good. We get to go to sleep earlier, or at least chill longer before sleep. However, due to the loud band still playing, along with the loud dance party afterwards, there was very little hope for going to bed at a good hour without earplugs.
Each night we have been asking folks as nice as we can to not smoke, both for Armines' voice, but also for the health and well being of the rest of the touring party. Some of us have gotten sick either from smoke inhalation, or just from our environment, or just from allergies, but cigarette smoke can considerably exacerbate our condition. So, we ask nicely for people not to smoke during our set. It would be nice for the entire venue to be smoke-free, but they haven't really gotten to that point yet. The best we can ask for is a 100% smoke free backstage area, which we are mostly successful at getting every night.
However, there were people still sparking up even after we asked nicely, and even an instance where someone lit up a cigarette directly in front of Armine at the front of the stage. During an instrumental section of a song, he grabbed the mic and yelled at the dude to put it out, he did, but I could still see others in the crowd smoking (as well as smell it).
Late night dance Larry aside, we finally got to bed, and we will be able to wake up late, and then lazily make our way to Neuchatel for a much needed day of chilling.
Day 20:
Neuchatel-
We all wake up around the crack of noon and slowly meander into the van. It's only about an hour drive to Neuchatel, and then we'll be treated to food and relaxation.
North, unfortunately still has a show today, so as soon as we drop our stuff at the house, we take a walk down to lake Neuchatel for a swim.
The water is nice and cool, and feels amazing. The scenery is beautiful, and the section of the lake we picked to dive in wasn't too busy.
Eventually North had to get going to their show, so the rest of us went to sit and dry off with some coffee. We sat and talked for a bit, and then made our way back to the house.
There we all just chilled. Matt and Armine got some work done and Eric and Joel went for a stroll through town.
Day 21:
Marseille-
Rested and relaxed, we all have to be up early, and we're out the door, back into the van to Marseille, France. It's about s 5 or 6 hour drive, but we'll have some nice sights of the French countryside whipping by.
We stopped on the shore in Marseille and swam in the sea. The view was glorious and the water more so.
Once we got to the venue, we were excited to see a Mexican restaurant next to the venue. We had some time to wait since the promoter was running considerably late, so we got burritos. We have been wanting burritos all tour, and they were quite exceptional.
There is no wifi at the venue, and apparently we're sleeping in rooms located above the venue...with no wifi. How, in the year 2016, does a venue that books and houses touring acts from around the world not have wifi?!
The room had a separate smoking room off to the side of the stage, which was nice, cause all the smokes were then contained in one room, and we wouldn't have to worry about it. If you felt like killing yourself slowly in a closed room with cigarette smoke, you got an added benefit of having a window looking directly at the side of the stage, to get a closer view of the band.
We played fairly well, and the crowd seemed to be excited. Overall, a good show. Because Marseille isn't the safest place, we left all the gear in the venue and loaded out in the morning. Normally I'd be against loading in the morning because it completely negates my shower in the morning by getting me all worked up and sweaty, but for the sake of the gear not being stolen, I'll allow it.
Hopefully when we get to Toulouse tomorrow, they have wifi.
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Day 22:
Toulouse-
The drive to Toulouse wasn't too long, and I ended up sleeping for most of it. We drove through a rainstorm, but when we arrived in Toulouse, it wasn't raining. The venue didn't have wifi, but there was a free city-wide wifi network. Although it wasn't very fast, it was enough to communicate with family back home.
We started loading in just as it began to rain, and soon after sound checked. The dinner they prepared for us was a glorious feast of pasta, chicken, potatoes, salad, and melon fruit blend/smoothie-type thing. There was also pound cake and chocolate cake for dessert.
The show was good, and I think one of the more perfectly played nights (for myself at least).
Tonight we sleep at a Formula 1 hotel, which is more comfy than but only a step or two up from a squat or hostel.
Day 23:
Bordeaux-
Standard European hotel breakfast. Toast, spreads, stale cereal, coffee, and baguette.
There's a cool breeze, and it looks like it may rain in a bit or along our drive to Bordeaux, but I'll take that over the heat and humidity. The drive today is only 3 hours.
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The venue was in the basement of the building, but we were able to park right out in front, so loading in was made easier despite the stairs.
The show went well, and the crowd was excited. The stage sound was a bit off, mainly for me since there was no drum monitor, but I think I played fairly well, though out of either excitement or panic, I think we ended up playing a bunch of the songs at a considerably faster tempo than normal.
We slept in an apartment upstairs from the venue. After the show I hid in the backstage to cool off, then immediately after packing up, had to sneak my way past everyone outside to make it upstairs and go to sleep.
Day 24:
Nantes-
A normal 4 hour drive to Nantes. We got stopped once by French border guards, not at the border, but at the toll booths. We wondered why they were out en force, but then remembered it was Bastille day, and I guess they're just being overly cautious.
The venue had s facade of a small bar, but when you go through the side doors, there's a quite large are in the back with a big stage. Dinner started cooking once we arrived, and it was delicious. Perfect rice and beans with veggies and kielbasa.
The stage had a curtain and they would close it in between bands so that they could setup in peace, and also to fill the stage with more fog. There was a little gap on the right of the stage where the curtain ended, and a couple people were awkwardly staring at us, but we're used to not having a curtain, so it was okay.
After the show we packed up and loaded out, but being that it was Bastille day, the celebration had blocked the roads we needed to leave. They told us it'd be about an hour till they'd be clear, so we went back to the venue where a dance party with a DJ had already started, sat backstage, and the promoter ordered us pizza.
It was then we found out about the truck that had plowed through the crowd of people watching fireworks in Nice. We were all speechless as we read the articles explaining the incident on our various mobile devices.
We had a short discussion about the world going to hell in a hand basket, and then it was time to finally make way to our sleeping spot(s).
We were being split up, since no one place had room for all 9 of us, though we would have preferred a hotel or hostel, it might not have been in their budget. The place I went to was pretty nice, and full of nerdy paraphernalia strewn about the apartment. I slept on an air mattress, mostly because I feel bad sharing s bed with dudes when I can snore loudly if I roll into the wrong position. It was comfy, and I actually got a pretty good sleep.
Day 25:
Paris-
We had croissants, baguette, orange juice, and French press coffee for breakfast. Feeling good, and on our way to Paris.
Because of last nights' unfortunate events in Nice, we're predicting being hassled (understandably so) by more police on our way to Paris.
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Our friend Nahla brought us dinner. Homemade chicken (and vegetarian chicken) shawarma. One of the best dinners of tour, and enough food to bring in the van and last for s couple days...unless Mike (our driver) eats it all while we're playing tonight.
The stage is as small as I remember, but the sound on stage is really good, so that's awesome. We've been told there's already around 100 pre-sale tickets sold, and that a lot of people just walk up and buy tickets, so tonights show might be pretty packed.
The room was quite steamy and sticky, but luckily I have my trusty fan next to me. The room was packed, and people looked like they were having fun.
Afterwards the cafe made us more food. It was rice, green beans, and roast beef.
We quickly gathered all our dudes and made our way to the hotel. It's comfy, but we only get to sleep for a few hours to catch the ferry to London.
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