SOCKS

For me and I think a large proportion of the band, today was a slow day. Exertions of the past few nights take an inevitable toll and every now and then there comes a day like today. Everything seems to move a little slower, traffic seems heavier, my bag seems heavier, the sunlight – once we cruise above the cloud base – is brighter, there are long periods of silence in the cars and there is extensive napping. Like all days however, the ultimate goal is to be ready for the show and this is what the band are focussed on doing. The 45 minute flight down to Indianapolis from Midway (still busy) brought with it a one hour time difference. I considered this a ‘time loan’ as we would be returning to Chicago after-show. I didn’t adjust my watch.

Man of many socks. Steve Bond, our illustrious catering coordinator is the bearer of an array of brightly coloured football socks. Each day he has a new pair on display as he greets us upon arrival outside the venue. I think this new-found religion is a result of an injury he sustained towards the end of the European leg (no pun intended), Steve received a gash which needed careful treatment which included the donning of long socks.

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The Murat theatre is themed after Islamic temples found in the Middle East and Egypt. Features of the building include stained-glass windows, terra cotta trim, minarets, and brown and yellow brick banding. A 208-foot tall tower is at the southeast corner. An addition to the temple was designed to blend with the existing structure. Amazingly, the Egyptian-themed auditorium had already been planned before the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, which coincided with the opening of the venue. We arrived to find the crew busily dealing with a few noise/radio issues on some of the guitars. A few of us took further naps before soundcheck. With the soundcheck completed it was time for a quick look at today’s bain-marie selection. Not amazing but there were some fillets of Salmon which were ok. Thankfully we learned that Debbie was planning a Rib-fest on the plane back to Chicago after show. Most of us dined in accordance with this.

Show time was upon us all too soon and we were ready and up for it. Another fantastic theatre audience further cementing our belief that this is our best US tour ever. Once again, we stood at the front of the stage to a standing ovation which genuinely moved us all. But with waiting ribs on the plane, we were in the cars like a shot and on the tarmac within 15 minutes and soon tucking into Indy Ribs. The curried beans with bacon were the star attraction though. A couple of glasses of Pinot Noir from Rhys vineyards and it was all I could do to stay awake on the ride back into Chicago for our final night at the lovely Peninsula.

I loved this little gift from the Peninsula maids when I returned to the room this evening. They insist on coiling all my cables quite irritating as they end up with kinks – only today they bow-tied them. Sweet.

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The sound system ready to go with NHT’s and the Spaced 360…

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Today’s Track of the Day is Lady Eleanor – Lindesfarne (in honour of guitarist Simon Cowe who sadly died on 30th September