With the final day upon us, (I'm writing this diary entry from home) what a final day it turned out to be. As we are in Madrid, I planned a time-honoured last-day visit to the nearest delicatessen knowing full well that the suitcase, already tricky to close, will be bearing the brunt of any Chorizo or cheese purchases...will require skill and patience to close successfully. Danny engaged the man behind the counter in conversation with his impressive Spanish. Dan spent a good time living here whilst working with Jarabe de Palo and other Spanish bands. The counter was displaying many different types of high quality cheese, Chorizo and Jamon so I chose  a few bits and pieces almost randomly, knowing I wouldn't be disappointed. We decided also to get a few bits and pieces for lunch before our long drive to the final venue of the tour. With Jamon, fresh tomatoes, bread and garlic, we headed out of the El Corte Inglés (Spain's only remaining department store chain!!), across the courtyard, into the hotel and up to my room where I put the kettle on for our Anglo-Spanish luncheon.

Our four cars lined up outside the Villa Magna for the last time and the band were all assembled and ready to depart at 4pm. The itinerary suggested a 2.5 hour journey time but the 175kms was covered effortlessly in just over two hours. The scenery to the west of Madrid was at times beautiful and a lot greener than I had expected. I don't know why but I was expecting desert but once we started climbing the foothills of the Sierra de Gredos, the greenery filled the scenery. We picked up a police escort just in case there was any serious traffic but there really wasn't much of an issue there, at least until we pulled up to the venue gates and a large crowd spotted us in the cars and ran towards us brandishing tickets and cd's to be signed. The sheer numbers and the aggressive nature of the requests meant we had no choice but to move on into the venue. Often Mark will insist on stopping to sign a few things but any more than a dozen fans means this isn't realistic.



the backstage area



At 4500 feet above sea level, Hoyos del Espino is probably the most remote location on the entire tour. A beautiful festival setting for the final show, the weather was perfect, much cooler in the evening due to the altitude. The pre-show back stage atmosphere was joyous and fun, inevitably tinged with a little sorrow. We arrived in plenty of time to chat and hang out a little with Pieta and Bo who flew out here to support us for the last show. It was great to see them again and particularly nice to hear them play. John of course had never met them before.



As usual, I wandered around the backstage area with the camera but today there were many more opportunities than usual with the fantastic setting and so many crew, band, drivers etc. all in one area, it was a photo-feast. As the sun set and Peita Brown and Bo Ramsey took to the stage, a few of us took some time to take in their set.



I heard that Tim Hook had been reading the tour blog of Isaac Shabtay and had taken a plate of dinner down to him standing in his usual place right at the front of the barrier. Isaac often has difficulty getting to the venue and maybe today he hadn't eaten properly. Dan, John and I decided to go down and congratulate him on his remarkable, if not slightly odd feat of attending every single one of the 87 shows on this tour. Pete and Paul took him a drum head which had been signed by all the band as a memento. Isaac's blog can be viewed here.



A back stage montage...







Kevin, Paul, Pieta, Tim and Pete...



me with PC and Pete.



Pete and Alfie's backstage bar and grill. The now famous drinks tray that appears each night after Telegraph Road as Pete brings band refreshments on stage.



There were many goodbyes being said all evening but no real sadness that I could detect. Just a lot of smiles and laughter as we reflected upon a tour to remember. As our show-time approached, we realised that this was it...the last chance to say cheerio to anyone as we would be 'running' after the show.





One of the most remarkable aspects of this tour has been the fans. In every country we've visited, without exception the response to the music has been better than on any tour in the past. I often say that we must be doing something right but there's more to it than that. There has been a level of respect demonstrated by our audiences which I have never witnessed before. Prompted possibly by the camera policies over the past two tours, maybe a sign of a maturing relationship between artist and fan, I don't really know for sure. What I do know is that the smiling faces and the enthusiastic applause at the end of every show was something that everyone in this band will cherish for the rest of our lives..regardless of whether or not we do it again. (and just for the record, we all hope very much that we will)

...and what a place to end. Spain, a country which has captured the imagination of the world in recent weeks with their incredible and long overdue World Cup victory, a country not without its share of internal political and financial problems but with a resolute and proud people with many traditions admired worldwide. A country that will live for a long time in the hearts of everyone on the tour.

..adiós.

My thanks....

....to the many who have helped us on our travels from the air crews, ground crews, staff at airports tour-wide, the local caterers, crews and promotion teams, the security teams, hotel staff, local police etc. All in all, hundreds, maybe thousands of people whose kindness and professionalism made our going so much easier.

....to the drivers, an incredible team of guys and girls headed by Mannfred, Gunther and Bernie who apart from driving so beautifully (and swiftly) across Europe, made our time in the cars relaxing and fun.

....to the crew. As Mark told the audience during tonight's show, "thanks to the best crew in the world". To each and every crew member who in often very difficult circumstances, has contributed to making this the best of all tours. I get a sense that they have enjoyed it just as much as we have. What can you say about these guys? They really do make it all look so easy but trust me, it's not. The tight schedules, the sometimes unbearable conditions and the long, long hours. Honestly, I often wondered how on earth they do it and that's partly the reason I started a tour diary...it fascinates me. Yet every night without fail, the stage is always set impeccably, ready for another performance..only to be torn down at blistering pace and moved on once again to the next city or remote field. We all know who they are...read the diaries. A special thanks to Colin Barton our keyboard tech. What an amazing team.

...to the production office and management... Kevin Hopgood, Tim Hook, Pete Mackay and Paul Crockford. Four guys at the hub of every gig, the production office was always fun to visit as the humour and repertoire of these guys was never mediocre, but underneath the joking and the pranks, there lies a real united team of professionals that made sure everything was in place, and on time every day so that we could go onstage and do what we do.

...to a group of musicians and friends with whom it has been an absolute pleasure to share the stage, cars and plane with over the past five months. We've had so many laughs, so much enjoyment and fulfillment not to mention so many wonderful meals just about everywhere we've been. The after-show plane rides, late night gatherings and the early morning lobby calls have come and gone and I will miss them all.

And finally my thanks to the one man who has made all of this an incredible reality, who over the years has devoted much time, thought and commitment to improving the whole thing bit by bit, tour by tour. The difficulty of dealing with a serious back injury that could so easily have jeopardized the tour if it had happened to a man with any less backbone is testament to his strength of character, determination and above all, his generosity.  He has inspired everyone who has been involved and without doubt, enriched all of our lives,

..thank you Mark.