 |  |
|
Winter 2007 - U.K./Europe (part one)
|
 I was awakened on Sunday morning, March 18th, by clanging bells and a wonderfully brisk late winter breeze blowing through my open hotel room windows at the comfortable Hotel Regent Contades in Strasbourg, France, located on the Rhine River. Ahhh! After joining Joan, her manager Mark Spector, tour manager Crook Stewart, audio engineer Jason Raboin, and band member Erik Della Penna for breakfast, I headed for a stroll along the scenic Rhine that winds toward the hear of this old worldly European city's town square that is dominated by a gothic cathedral that was constructed between 1277 and 1439 (two previous cathedrals located on the spot had been destroyed by fires). Jason had taken the same route. He entered the cathedral and later raved about the 15th century pipe organ that was magnificently playing as he sat inside the impressive structure with its lavish carvings and statuary. In my opinion, Strasbourg's cathedral arguably rivals Paris' Notre Dame as far as powerful and ornate structures go. Unfortunately, there wasn't much time for any of us to adequately explore the ancient Strasbourg streets, since we had arrived the day prior for a concert that night and would be departing soon for Ludres, France. On my way back to the hotel, a jogging Erik yelled a greeting from the other side of the Rhine. As I explored and marveled at this city's warm European charms, I promised myself that I would return someday! Breakfast conversation that morning had centered around the previous evening's sold out performance at Strasbourg's Salle Erasme, where 2000 people thrilled to Joan's powerful voice in her twelfth concert of a 22 city UK/European tour. Joan, Erik and the tour's other band member, Graham Maby, had just worked up a version of "Dans la Jungle," a moving French language song that brought the Strasbourg audience to its feet for an extended and exuberant mid-concert ovation! Joan would repeat the passionate song the next evening during a concert in Ludres (Nancy), France, where it received another appreciative audience reaction.
The group's time in the United Kingdom was dominated by cold, damp, blustery days that found Joan enjoying lots of indoor activities like shopping, so she could protect her voice from the harsh winter weather. One of our favorite bus drivers, Zippy, arrived with a magnificent tour bus to take Joan and her group around the U.K. and Europe. The distinctive, comfortable, double-decker bus features black and pink interior colors and is six feet longer than any other bus we've had! We are riding in comfort with two entertainment rooms, a kitchenette, a small office, lots of bunk space, and a marvelous suite for the tour's star. The tour's first show was in Edinburgh's Usher Hall, where an audience member yelled out a congratulations to Joan for her recent well-deserved honor as a 2007 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. As a special tribute to her Scottish audience, Joan performed the traditional folk favorite, "Henry Martin," from one of her classic, early Vanguard albums.
|
It is hard to believe that three weeks and 13 concerts have already vaporized in the hectic pace of a Joan Baez tour. The tour began on February 24th with rehearsals and a show in Joan's mother's hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland. On her flight from the U.S., Joan watched the film "The Queen," which brought her decades old composition, "Lady Di and I" to mind. She, Erik and Graham worked out an arrangement, and the song proved to be timeless and was well-received by the audiences where it was performed.
 By the time the tour group performed its third show at Coventry's Warwick Arts Center, Joan, Erik and Graham had worked out a stunning, traditional arrangement of the Carter Family favorite, "Gospel Ship." The wonderful hall's choir seats behind the stage had been sold to help fill the tremendous ticket demand, and from time to time Joan would turn to wave or bow to the audience members behind her. When she performed the a capella "Finlandia," she turned to the choir seats for the entire song - an appreciated and thoughtful gesture from the seasoned artist who will be celebrating her 50th anniversary of performing next year. During her band introductions Joan confessed that she truly loves both of them, as friends, fun people and great musicians.
The group had a wonderful day off in Oxford, England, where Erik's group Kill Henry Sugar went international, with their first performance outside the United States. Graham filled in for Erik's usual musical partner, Dean Sharenow, to maintain the group's duo format.
The U.K. concerts were becoming known as the "lost items" shows, since after trying to traverse several locked doors after a concert in Oxford, I set down my merchandise display case and left it behind. After the Nottingham show, Joan discovered that she had left her purse in the dressing room, complete with the passport she needed to fly to Germany after the following night's show in Cardiff, Wales. Thank goodness Joan's wonderful U.K. promoter, Mark Howes, saved the day on both occasions. Somehow he and Crook teamed up to assure the missing items arrived safely and just in the nick of time! Mark is one of those special folks we always look forward to seeing on the tour trail - both Joan and I were even more ecstatic to see him bearing our missing items!
|
Our Oxford hotel was located on the outskirts of the city, so I walked into town on a very pleasant late winter's day and passed numerous universities before I reached the main shopping district. At this show Joan introduced the newest addition to her repertoire, the moving Tom Waits composition "Day After Tomorrow." Everyone agreed that the song should be included in the shows. Joan's powerful, touching and compelling performance of the song was well received at Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall, and she continues to sing it at every show since.
|
The tour's seventh and last U.K. show was at St. David's Hall in Cardiff. Graham reminded Joan that pop singer Tom Jones is from Wales, and thought it would be appreciated if Joan sang Tom's hit "The Green Green Grass Of Home" for the audience that night. Since Joan had recorded the song on her David's Album release, she was very familiar with the country/western tune, and the song was successfully performed that evening.
|
While Joan and Jason headed to the tour's next city via air, the rest of us set out for a rather long bus and ferry boat ride to Mannheim, Germany. Mannheim, located between the Neckar and Rhine Rivers, found Joan roaming along this lovely city's streets and through its parks. She reached a bench along a canal, where she sat and relaxed, enjoying the trees and singing birds until the sky clouded over and forced her to head back to the hotel and protect her voice from the chilly winter winds that accompanied the clouds. Despite the cold winds, spring was showing up in Mannheim via flowers and blossoming trees. Mannheim was a shopping mecca for most of the group. Jason and Erik headed for a local shop to find Erik a stunning new stage persona in the form of an impressive gray suit. Joan pulled out some of her German language songs for her German audiences: "Wenn Unsere Bruder Kommen," "Sagt Mir Wo Die Blumen Sind" ("Where Have All The Flowers Gone"), "Kinder (Sind So Kleine Hande)," "Wozu Sind Kriege Da" were among those songs. She also started doing "Imagine" and "Here's To You" as part of some shows and had worked out an arrangement of "Let It Be" during soundchecks for possible future use.
The next show was in Dijon, France's Zenith, and offered the tour group an unusual two day break for relaxing. Joan and Jason went shopping for a tuxedo styled jacket that Joan had been looking for. They found one, along with a pile of other clothes to fill Joan's needs for the rest of the tour's shows. I strayed off on my own to catch the French language film, "La Mome" (a dramatization of the life of French singing legend Edith Piaf). Although I don't speak French, I was able to understand the film since it followed a biography of Ms. Piaf that I had recently read. Later, Crook and Jason found a favorite kabob restaurant, while Joan and I strayed to a nice French restaurant, and Graham and Erik enjoyed Italian food. The audiences in Dijon, Strasbourg and Ludres were entertained with Joan's French patter and French language songs like "A Tous Les Enfants," "Prendre Un Enfant," "Pauvre Rutebeuf," and " Manhattan-Kaboul," which Joan learned on last year's European tour. In Dijon she interjected a Tunisian song, "Jaria Hamouda" and the English language favorites of her French audiences, "Dona Dona," and her own anthemic cinematic composition "Here's To You." I found it very interesting that Joan started alternating "El Preso Numero Nueve," "Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word," "Joe Hill," and "Suzanne" from concert to concert, performing them sometimes with her band and at other times as solo gems.
After enjoying several days of lovely spring-like weather, heavy rain swept in during the Ludres visit and followed us throughout the 345 mile overnight drive to Bielefeld, Germany, where heavy snowfall forced Zippy to take an alternate route. Since I live in Arizona, I found it wonderful to relax in my snug bunk and watch the snow falling outside the porthole in the side of the bus. Despite the terrible weather, Zippy delivered us all safely to the Dormotel Bielefeld, where Crook ensured that we all had rooms that overlook the lovely city from our mountaintop lodging. ---End of Part One--- |
|
Photos from top to bottom:
|
|
|
| Return to Main Page
Latest News - Tour Schedule - Biographical Info - Discography - Lyrics - Band and Crew - Photo Gallery - Joan on the Internet - Links - Contacts
|