The tour begins...

We pulled in to JFK airport and the shananagans began quickly. We had engaged in considerable deliberation over the best way to pack and had concluded that we would stuff as much as we could into one big suitcase. When I travel I check my big electronics case which is unfortunately over weight (one of these days I’ll figure out how to lose ten pounds) and my tuba which comes just under the allotted fifty pounds. So right off the bat I pay one over weight fee and a second bag fee. I carry on to the plane a bunch of pedals and my mixing board in a bag and usually a second bag with my computer and other assorted things. Steve was bringing a bag and a small suitcase to put in the overhead with his clothes. The big question revolved around the cymbal bag which he claimed he could carry on and gate check thereby avoiding being charged for it. The snare drum and the cymbal stand and his mixer and cables and the cds and the power transformer and some other odds and ends were left. Should we cram them all into one big case and pay the overweight fee or should we split stuff in two and have Steve check two items and pay for an extra bag. The overweight fee and the bag fee were equal so we went with the overweight figuring that if we didn’t get away with the gate check of the cymbal bag the fee for a third bag is astronomical. Amazingly everything worked according to plan although the suitcase was actually too heavy and we had to put the power transformer in Steve’s clothes suitcase. We flew into Paris no problem and all the baggage made it fine. We found the car rental place and I realized that in my stupidity I had reserved the car for rental the day before we got there. Fortunately the woman at the counter dealt with my stupidity well and we were on our way. The new gps worked like a charm and we drove through the night to Roma. The drive was pretty exhausting but went with few hitches. We arrived in Rome late morning and I decided to check and make sure all the equipment was working before we crashed out. My first attempt at cranking up the new power transformer (There was no way to test it when I got it) resulted in a loud explosion. Actually my first attempt was a complete failure but I quickly figured out that not all the outlets where we were worked. Fortunately is was just the fuse that had shattered and I had two more fuses with me. I popped in the second one, readjusted the settings on the transformer and plugged in and once again there was a popping sound. Fuse number two was done. I put in the third and last fuse and this time nothing happened at all. Fortunately after some panic I realized we had blown the fuse to the outlet. We fixed that and all was well. I plugged in all my equipment and miraculously everything worked perfectly. That never happens when I fly. At the very least something always comes unplugged. Steve and I walked around a bit and then found a couch at Forte Fanfulla (what we thought was the venue but it was actually right down the street. An annex of sorts.) where we promptly crashed hard and deep. So deep that we actually slept through a book reading which started up well after we had fallen asleep. We woke up and took our stuff down the block to the venue and set everything up. We ate dinner and by that time it was almost time to play the show. I was starting to feel quite strange which at first I thought was just a lack of proper sleep but then I started to feel like maybe I needed to throw up. I rarely vomit but I have had food poisoning a few times and I was thinking that was what was going on. It was almost show time though and though I felt like throwing up I didn’t know if I was ready. I wretched a couple times outside the club and went back inside and played the set. By the end of the show I was getting dizzy and was desperately trying to both not puke and not pass out. We played drowning (a song written for Steve Mackay) last and I felt like I was really channeling the vibe of the song as I furiously kept from falling apart. We played The Triumph of Delusion last and I immediately left the bar, walked out to the car and threw up all the crap I’d eaten over the last 24 hours or so. The volume was quite impressive. I immediately felt better but completely weak and exhausted. I went back in, packed up my stuff, told Steve I’d be out in the car and fell deliriously asleep. Steve stayed and sold cds and schmoozed with our hosts. Thank goodness I had him with me. I woke up confused in the car at about 5 in the morning and Andrea (the promoter) took us to his apartment to crash. I woke up still exhausted the next day and completely unable to eat. Steve grabbed a bite with Andrea at Fanfulla and then we loaded up the car to drive to Pisa for a show. I could tell Steve didn’t want to leave. These were really good people and the weather was beautiful and he was going through that thing on the road where you’ve had a great time and you wish you could just stay and do all the wonderful things people in that given place are telling you about and share all the wonderful times with them that you could have if only you could stay longer. Unfortunately there’s always another show to get to. I had to be the bad guy and end it all so we got in the car and started driving to Pisa where hopefully another adventure awaits. Preferably one that doesn’t involve me getting sick. By the way, Italy is not the place to get food poisoning. There’s too much tempting food everywhere you go.
The drive to Pisa was pretty easy until the last kilometer or so. There was simply no way to get to the club and the streets around it are incredibly confusing. After an hour of driving in circles I finally got out and walked to the venue and got the sound man (fonico in Italian) Eduardo to come drive us closer. When we got to the venue I sat down for a moment and broke through the chair which reminded me that last time I was here I busted the seat of the toilet (it’s still broken). Is that a sign I need to lose weight? I’m gonna wrap up here because we are about to play a show for what is, at this point, two people. Se va…