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10/20/2005: "AUKLAND - SEPT 22"

SEPT 22 2005

Woke up on time. Made it to the radio on time. Good medley of AAAA, ring of fire and hey jude.
Got back to the hotel to call in to another radio station on time.
All in all bizarrely on time.

The day seems perfect out there.

Time to wrap it around you.

Tonight will be the first gig.

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I am racked with lag prior to gigdom.
It works out better over in Europe I suppose.
There when it is gig time, it is still 9 hours earlier back home, so the mornings are rough but the evenings are cake.

Here, it is all twisted a bit the other way. The mornings are no problem, since it is 5 hours ahead back home, although its always yesterday there, when evening hits
things get tricky.

So the average gig time will mean about 3 in the mornig back home.

Not great.

Anyhow. It works out. The crowd numbers about 150 or so, and aukland was thought to be the lightest turnout of the rest of the shows.

The folks in the crowd are as delightful as hoped.
Some long time fans. All ages.
Some 23 year olds that were calling out for songs from op8, and some folks my age or older that have followed things over the years. A good blend.

The pub was good conductivity. In the next room earlier in the day was the real deal. A whole different slice of life. Working mans happy hour, which is not all that happy, just not work. Slabs of meat get given away for lottery fun.

I liked it in there.

Anyhow… back in gig land, all went well.

I never know before hand.
Never know what the fingers will remind me of.
What songs will come to mind.
What humor will drip from the mic.
If the passion of the song will muster up the gusto and deliver itself irregardless of me getting in the way.

And worse, if I will play too many notes on the piano.

That is the problem with digital pianos, you cannot get lost in the sustaining of overtones. There are none. No sustenance. The fingers want to keep moving and get to where they were headed in the first place. But on a real piano, it resembles more this life chosen. The road getting there is often far more impressive then the destination. The middle of the song more satisfying then the end of it.

So.

The men were sincere. The women were a comfort.

The sound was clear I think.

The delivery was accurate enough.

At the end I brought up the opening band to jam some.

Then end with the Arizona Amp and Alternator rock opera with Ring of Fire and Hey Jude tossed in for good luck.

The night ends and back at the hotel about 1:30.

The full on thrusting rain has given way to the sediment of sleep.

Hurricane rita is about to pound texas. Way stronger then Katrina, and the sad shredding of n’orleans.

Sleep overtakes.

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