munich – december 11
i am the last one to wake up finally. no hangover, but crumpled a bit anyway. it’s the usual grey bleakness out the little bunk window. we are at the old fire works club, which is more commune then venue.
we get taken to the bavarian radio interview and i just bring the girls, but i am uninspired in playing for some reason. cannot get it together. maybe playing a piano version of “stranded pearl” was not a great idea.
but the vibe is good there and we hang out amongst the old neumans a long tim.
on the way back, i convince the taxi, who is from ethiopia, to stop and let me pick up a good bottle of scotch for the captian of the bus.
its starting to snow on the ride back.
then the show commences.
it is absolutely the best set of music i have been privy to be part of. it was a stunning evening of performance. we played like men about to die. it was that good. we played like men celebrating life. that unbelievably good. man, we were great. if one gig could be the next live record, then we got it.
absolutely stunning.
the end.
outside its still snowing.
the silence and the beauty of it staggers me nicely.
i handed out some christmas gifts to those about to leave before the rest of us head to spain in the morrow by plane. the bus was snug and warm and the chatter of children like band yippity ensued even while we all got bunked. it was family, but the kind only found when nestled in constant motion.
just before dawn, steve left and momma lonna too.
i said my hugs goodbye and then crawled back to bunk.
a couple hours later we are alive again and heading to the airport in the white landscape. sarah still rides along, but will stay in munich an extra day before heading 25 hours back to australia.
we will disembark the mothership in a few minutes and attempt to make sense of our luggage and airport fling.
the end again.
- – - — — —
the plane has left way too late to make our connection in mallorca (which is ironically the city of the absolute worst gig we ever played 5 years ago). i don’t see how we will make it to the festival in barcelona on time. certainly our luggage with the wires and pedals won’t make it. too much de-icing in munich.
anyhow … i leave the row of us with all the band sleeping. i head back to the very last row of the plane. its empty and offers a fine view of the alps as we skirt them magnificently poking out of the clouds and freshly fe=resh snowly coated.
when that scene is over i fish out the ipod gift from zurich. the reward bestowed from a wonder gig there.
i set it on shuffle, and take to typing on this machine.
when i look out the window next, the pyrenees are weighin in to out do the alp scene. they stand spectacularly. i am listening to a variety of things. otis span among them, who was one of the first piano influences of me as a youngun. when the mountains come into view sparkling in the combined atmospheres and crowned with snows, rainer surprisingly comes on the shuffled ipod from zurich. it is fitting and it fits. he is up here and offering me a view of what he might get to see, which is only severely heavenly.