I woke up on the bus, in my bunk. Looked at my watch — it was a little after 9 — I’d gotten my 8 hours, so it was time to see what’s up and where we are. I look out the bus window and see that it’s raining, so no biking today. I change out of my pajamas. Keith is sitting in the bus lounge nursing a tea. I join him and retrieve email from the bus wi-fi. Most of the band probably bailed out — got off the bus — at 4am or so, when we rolled by the hotel last night. I slept through all that — my bag is, I imagine, already in my hotel room.
A few minutes later I’m in the venue, I’ve used the toilet, and I’ve got a Herald Tribune that’s 3 days old. I’m sitting in what will be the crew catering area as Belgian guys wheel lighting rigs and large road cases off the trucks and into the areas of the venue where they’ll be needed. An espresso machine has been plugged in, so within minutes I’m caffeinated. I have an orange that I had tossed in my backpack from Düsseldorf last night, so I am fine for the moment.
If it weren’t pissing down rain outside, I’d bike to the hotel — which is probably less than a mile away — but today I might wait for the runner who is out dropping off our dirty white laundry.
We have our own cooks (!) on this part of the European leg, which sounds luxurious but it’s actually cost-effective. We typically get charged handsomely by local venues and promoters for catering, so it really doesn’t cost us more to bring our own folks, with their stoves, grills and teacups in road cases. The smell of bacon begins to waft around the building and up to the dressing rooms, and those working on stage can probably smell it too. The crew wanders in and out of the room, grabbing a tea or a coffee and eyeing the progress of the English breakfast fixings.
Later, at the hotel, I am drawn to the window by a noisy racket issuing from a double-decker Purim-mobile cranking out disco Klezmer, as a group of kids with yarmulkes and payos gyrate on the open top. Men in Hasidic garb scoot by on bicycles — some with kids in costume in tow.
There are inviolate bike lanes everywhere. In the central square the bike routes are delineated by silver bumps with embossed bike logos.
