Scandinavian Flu

Sandinavia in the Summer. Much warmer and interesting than the last time we came through, in wintertime. We actually did a show on a beach in Sweden. I caught a cold that started out as sneezing and grew into a full-blown chest cold with bronchitis tendencies. Feeling better now, but still have congestion and coughing fits.


Tuning on the Beach

In Allborg, we stayed at a hotel that oerlooked a beautiful bay. It rained on and off, but the view was amazing.

Hotel Window

Hotel Window 2

Heading into Bergen (Bryggen) Norway, we skirted a fjord with several mountains and numerous waterfalls.


Fjords of Bryggen

Fjords 2

Fjord 3

Waterfall

Downtown Bergen is a quaint old village square, with lots of shops and tourist-friendly attractions. The open market sold fresh whale, elk and reindeer. This statue could not seem to pose without a bird on his head, though I'm sure he would be mortified if he were alive, judging by his genteel outfit.


Holberg

Bryggen Downtown

Street Musicians

Hillside Homes Overlooking Square

Interesting to notice the difference in Pop Culutre interpretations. This looks like the result of a photo shoot were the director asked for a kid who was dressed in mid-90's hip-hop garb, playing the most un-Rock and Roll guitar ever produced - an Ovation - with his fingers place randomly on the fretboard. Ugh.

McDonald's Ad


Fountain Homes

The relaxed atmosphere in Scandinavia allows some young guy to dress up as "The King of Condoms", have a similarly dressed vassal with a silver plate of condoms, walk store-to-store offering free samples.


King of Condoms, with Vassal

Bob and I went walking to find some lunch, and ended up doing some shopping.


Britt on the Waterfront

He was kind enough to pose with goofy sunglasses, too.


Oh, But They're Weird and They're Wonderful...



...Gryffindor!

The Story So Far

The baggage arrived yesterday in Amsterdam. Huzzah!

All of the shows so far have been very good, Antwerp being especially excellent. We had a 12-hour bus trip from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Aalborg, Denmark last night and arrived here at 11:00 a.m. Nice hotel, but no AC, as is pretty common in Europe. The weather has been beautiful every day, and today is no exception. I don't think we'll need any AC, thankfully.

I've been too busy or had no access to affordable internet connections, so this post will kind of catch up to the present day.

Rehearsals in Nashville were very productive and some new gear made it's debut.


New Guitar World

George has been playing his Music Man basses exclusively and has a new StingRay for the U.S. leg.


George's New Bass


Kenny continues to amaze with his musicianship and professionalism.


World's Greatest Rock and Roll Drummer


Guitar Ace and all-around vibe-meister Billy Burnette has a new toy, too.


Billy's New Epiphone Casino


Luthier/entreprenuer Jeff Senn stopped by rehearsals to tweak a few guitars. Check out his link on this page for details of his stunning craftsmanship.


Bob and Jeff

We have a European Sound Crew for this leg. Daniel Taake is our Systems Tech. He is great and a fountain of knowledge about the history of beer. Being that he is German, I am not suprised.


Daniel Taake, AudioTech


Production Manager and Lighting Director Dave Davidian has things under control. Smooth sailing so far makes the time spent away from home and family bearable. Gigs are fun when someone like Dave is anticipating and handling the speed bumps.


Dave, Pre-Coffee

Touring would be a little more taxing if there were no Brits around. Keith Crabtree is our UK-based merchandise guy, and he's been great to hang with. Many years of road experience to tell stories about, including a 5-week tour of...Finland!


Keith Crabtree

It's so gorgeous out this morning that local girls are sunbathing in the park outside the hotel. Decorum...and de wedding ring...preclude further comment.


Warm Danish

This is the city of Aalborg, Denmark as seen from my balcony. Cool.


Aalborg, Denmark