ALONZA'S TOUR DIARY - MARCH 3rd 2008

Hotel-Bus-Gig-Bus-Hotel-Bus-Gig-Bus-Hotel-Bus-Gig-Bus-Hotel-Bus-Gig... and so on

Sorry it's been so long since our last field report, lethargy has overcome the camp and we are exploring a theory that suggests touring actually lowers ones IQ (making it difficult to operate technical equipment like this computer). Printed above is a synopsis of our tour activity since the last blog in Bologna...

O.K we're not that cynical and jaded yet but we're working on it.

Turin 23rd February

I'm not going to mention the fact that Wales beat Italy 46-8 because this is a blog about a rock 'n' roll band and not about the finest Rugby team in the world. It would be inappropriate to rattle on about the spectacular performance or the unique playing style of the Welsh Rugby team and therefore I shall not talk of Welsh Rugby again... WELSH RUGBY, O.K that's it.

Turin is a beautiful city full of charm and classical decay, unfortunately we are a good way from the centre of Turin and the only decay around us is of the social kind. We are to play in a circus style big top set up in what we are told is the biggest open junky park in Europe. By day it all seems quite pleasant (ignoring the lawn of used needles) but as mist and darkness descends it looks more like a scene from Dawn of the Dead. Groups of shadowy figures stumble around some with belts hanging off their arms, others indiscernible from the piles of litter strewn everywhere, the sound of distant moaning can be heard and all of this lit by the seediest neon street lighting available. Pauli went for a walk earlier in the day and on returning we had to lock him in the bus toilet for fear he had been bitten by one of them. After a quarantine period of a couple of hours and a lot of protesting we were fairly confident he was telling the truth and had not in fact turned into a Zombie.

During sound check it was hard not to play in time with the echo but we are assured this will disappear when the audience arrives. The audience does arrive, the intro music goes on and indeed the echo has calmed down however one of the Italian crew has pulled the power on the lighting rig and we launch into the first song of the set in complete darkness. Oh Italy, we love you, what you lack in technical specifications and organisational skills you more than make up for in good food and old world charm.

The lights did eventually come on although our lighting guy Mark is still being treated for shock.

On to Milan tomorrow for a live T.V show this could be very interesting so stay tuned for the next report from Brigadier Bowers-Broadbent.