26 April 2014

Camel Tour 2014 - part five - that was the tour that was

click on photos to enlarge!




That was the tour that was. Here's a nice photo of the entire crew, the denizens of the big blue bus, posing outside the penultimate venue in Turin, Italy. From left to right: Jason Hart (progmaster general of the digital domains), Simon Grocott (backline amp and guitar duties and Tommy Cooper impersonations), Emma Edgar (unflappably expert tour manager), Derek Jones (brilliant lights in all senses of the words), Denis Clement (the multi-talented, multi-tasking man from Manawaukee), Derek Haggar (distinguished First Lieutenant of the Backline Territorials ATB and Bar), Ton Scherpenzeel (the dashing Dutchman, great keyboard player and our hero), Mike "Bunny" Warren (our prized and genial mixmaster general), Wing Commander Andrew Latimer (mentioned in despatches for exceptional guitar-playing under enemy fire), John "J-J" James (esteemed stage monitor mixmeister), Felicity Hall (our lady of the t-shirt boxes), and myself about whom I will say nothing.

the morning sun illuminates the curtains of my inner sanctum

But where did I leave off? It was overnight from Lisbon to Madrid. I awoke early to watch the entry into that great city and marvelled at the way our intrepid driver Craig managed to manoeuvre the long bus (and trailer) through the narrow streets. Then I noticed we were actually going around the same few blocks several times, waiting for the temporary parking space outside the theatre to be made available.


Madrid morning

The Teatro Nuevo Apolo is an old music hall type venue with original wood-panelled walls. It's quite narrow, only room for tiny side balconies but no boxes although you get the impression it would like to have had them. Two balconies above the stalls though and they were full of extremely enthusiastic attendees come the evening. We had a good time, again.


wood panelling
Teatro Nuevo Apolo

Before soundcheck I managed an hour's perambulation with Ton and Denis. Didn't quite make it to the Prado but who needs it when you have the shop windows around the Plaza de Tirso de Molina...

Happy Shop





This one was a very happy shop. Brightly coloured party dresses, original antique Chinese footsoldiers of the Imperial Guard, cheerful plastic flowers and some handy Bunny ears.


My Kind of Shop

This one was an excellent shop. Here you can stock up on 3-D Jesus posters, vampire capes, nylon flamenco dresses, false moustaches and get your Halloween window stickers in March already. What more do you want?


sad shop

This was a very sad shop window. To be honest I couldn't summon up the courage to venture inside. I regret it now of course. Perhaps I could have been of help. It obviously started out with the best intentions, seemingly offering a wide range of practical headgear, cute dolls and smiley flowers but something happened. Now I'll never know what it was. A family tragedy? Perhaps the owner became weighed down trying to keep up with the latest trends in hats? Perhaps he/she simply fell to the floor like the dummy head laid low by the final tartan trilby. There are so many stories we simply walk past without seeing.

And so to Barcelona...


early morning Barcelona from the bus



Another nice theatre called Barts. All nicely organised as in Madrid by Mr Robert Mills. Before sound check had time for a solitary amble to La Rambla and surrounding area and had an agreeable culinary experience in the market...





And then overnight again to Turin. Woke up to see the Italian Alps reflecting the early morning sun.


Good Morning



In Turin we played once again - last time was in 2000 or something like that - in a club called Hiroshima Mon Amour, named after the wonderful film made in 1959 by Alain Resnais  with a screenplay by Marguerite Duras, no less. Everybody would like to see that, here's a trailer. Anyway, it was a nice, fun, rock-club type gig (I like those), then it was off overnight to Vicenza, a very lovely town that was home to the great Renaissance architect, Andrea Palladio, several of whose edifices adorn the old town centre. Not least of these is the famous Teatro Olimpico, apparently the first enclosed theatre built. It has a fascinating raked stage with a trompe-l'oeil effect of streets retreating into the distance.


Stage of the Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza



Thanks be to Claudio Canova, our promoter in Vicenza, for giving me a swift tour of the city in the time available before sound-check, which luckily included an excellent pasta lunch in the piazza by the Basilica Palladio.


View of Vicenza from the Cathedral up in the hills

 
Piazza Basilico

Piazza Basilico

Teatro Oimpico

After savouring the sights (and the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli) of Vicenza, it was back to the soundcheck at the Teatro Comunale, a splendid-looking new theatre. The architect has to be congratulated on the sleek modern aesthetics of the building but it appears not enough thought was given to the acoustic properties of the concert hall. It was one of those places where not only was there a marked 500 millisecond delay audible from the stage but somehow the bass frequencies disappeared somewhere in the ether. But in the end the place filled up with enthusistic and friendly people who seemed to thoroughly enjoy it and so, as a matter of course, so did we. Thanks Vicenza.

Teatro Communale, Vicenza
Bunny explains to Andy about the sound problems

View from the mixing desk


Well, and so it all came to an end, our little tour. After Vicenza it was an epic journey back to the UK, jettisoning people at various stages on the route. Thanks to all who came to see us, thanks to our lovely crew. Looking forward to the next one. Just don't ask me when that might be. Cheerio!

Cheerio!

2 comments:

  1. So Nice from you, Colin, thanks for sharing. It amazes me always, to read so many short culture references. Seems to be one of your things? :-)

    I'm really glad to know everything did well, more or less :-)

    Thanks so much for your time after the shows, to meet people who also took time to feel joy with your music and presence.

    Please send out great heart gratitude, here we are at least 9 people who consider this moment as a reference, for happiness. From France with love.
    Have good rest, and good next!!!

    See you again, mister Bass on bass :-) :-) :-)

    Kind regards
    Alain and the «Ducept family» (including heart family, so wide...)

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  2. Hi Collin!
    Thank you very much for the above, and the previous chapters as well!
    I was in Teatro Comunale on the very first (or maybe second, as the astronomers like it) day of that spring to participate in the ultimate show of the tour. After some 1600+ km of driving from Gdansk, Poland, three quick "s" in the hotel, best Italian Pizza at Tony's... There we were, me and my wife, to see that spectaculous show. Sure, it wasn't possible not to notice the sound problems; I am sure not only bass frequencies were missing from time to time. But, guys, I must say, you were great! Despite all of that you played so magnificient set! A masterpiece! And the vocal side of the performance was perfect. Both you and Andy sounded incredibly in your parts! Just perfectly in the unisonous fragments, your different voices match each other so well! (My wife confirms, in fact, she poined that out, and she has a really good ear).
    I was really happy to see you on scene together again (last time at "Harbour" Tour in Warsaw... long ago... too long...) Was plannig to attend in Germany - somewhat closer... But coudn't come back home in time... When I finaly did...I checked the dates in the Net, then Teatro Comunale website.... Still there were tickets... That was really last minute decision, and after couple of days we were sitting in our car crossing Poland, Germany, Austria in one night. But it was definitely worth!
    I am sure you wouldn't remember, you've been so many times in Poland and you must have met too many people, but we met already long time ago. It was during your acoustic tournee in in 2000 I guess. I saw you in Bydgoszcz in 1999 (the "Outcast" tour) and again next year in Kuznia on acoustic performance. After the show I stood there next to the bar sipping my beer, when saw you approaching my position... and we start talking for while. I remember asking you about connections of "Outcast" album with J. Conrad prose... And remember having no time to answer your question regarding Conrad's position in people's mind in his country of origin... Someone approached you, saying you had to go... And so you left (...me there...:)
    Old story... Now I am again out to the sea, steering my ship (not the tall one, unfortunately) somewhre across the Southern Atlantic towards India, reading your blog in one tab, memorizing past enchantements... tracking World Cup semi in the other, admiring German's Blitzkrieg... All thanks to the Internet... Small world. Unlike the one in the Conrad's times...

    Hope to see you again, one day. Thanks one more time for great show. It was great to see Andy with you on stage again.

    Raising my glass to you from the other, wintery side of the globe, across the raging ocean. Stay warm. Stay safe. Stay well. Keep performing to bring joy, faith and hope to people's hearts in any part of the world.

    Cheers!
    Radek

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