|
16.02.2005 -
Hi
everyone, what I am about to say may sound familiar or make you think
I am repeating myself but I am going to go ahead and say it anyway
because it’s true: This is the most exciting leg of any tour I have
ever done with Sting on many levels. See what I mean? I am sounding
like a scratched record I know but I am also so blessed to be feeling
this way. Perhaps in all reality it’s not getting any better but isn’t
it wonderful or aren’t I lucky to be feeling this way? Here we go
again.
It’s 2am here
in London as I write this. Wife and baby are safely asleep upstairs
(something I have wanted to say for a long time) and I am completely
jet-lagged on Australian time having arrived yesterday morning. I
never should have had that long siesta in the afternoon. This is
always a good time to write or think because one is closer to the
subconscious, having only recently been asleep. I often write music
first thing in the morning for the same reasons. It’s a strange thing
coming off tour because it always makes me wonder where did I get the
energy to do all that? The answer I think is comparable to being a
marathon runner. You hit the 'wall' and then just keep going until
it’s over without giving up. Once you cross that line you just fall
into a heap or mumble nonsense and are unable even to walk. Many of us
have seen images like that in the Olympics. It’s always fascinated me.
Some of us may also have seen another image explaining where I ‘am’
now. Do you remember watching astronauts coming back from space on the
Apollo missions? They always used to put them in the little trailer
thing and they would peer out of the window waving at their wives and
children until such a moment deemed appropriate for them to enter
earth’s atmosphere. I can identify with that.
I am now about
to make a bold statement: Japan has been my favourite country on this
tour. And I mean the whole "Sacred Love" tour. I just love the place
and its people. I was incredibly well treated and ok, I am quite well
known there and have some nice fans (Hi Manami, Adusa, Michiyo, Harumi
and everyone else) who always give me and my family nice gifts. The
audiences in Japan are very different to anywhere else because they
react more on the inside than the outside. As a performer one is
either receptive to this or not. I am. Doing a concert in Japan is
more like a recital than a show. They are really listening in a
profound way. If they like you they show their appreciation very
warmly at the end of a show. If they don’t (luckily this didn’t happen
to us) I imagine they would politely clap and bid you farewell. I had
a great experience there because I also did other work outside of the
'day job'. I made an appearance with Julia Fordham at the Blue Note in
Tokyo. (She is the artist I was working with when I first met Sting
and the one I made my first two tours in Japan with in 88 and 89...
for you trivia heads). I also worked closely with Kaori Muraji for her
‘recital’ in Tokyo which meant me staying an extra day while the band
party moved to Hong Kong. She is an incredible guitarist and musician.
Her skill kind of makes me sick in a way. Her technique is so well
backed up with feeling, emotion and... bitch! Anyway we had a great
experience rehearsing for this. We also did many interviews for
Japanese magazines (watch out for them) as I did on my own. The
Japanese love instrumental music more than anywhere else I have been.
It’s actually important to them. It’s everything to me so it’s not
wonder we are matched. Thank you Japan for a wonderful time. I’ll be
back!
I have
developed an obsession for Snickers bars. What a discovery! I eat one
a day and cherish the moment. They have become my friend or victim.
Maybe even prey. They are never safe if in the same room as me. Should
there be one that thinks it’s lucky hiding there in the mini bar
fridge because I have gone to sleep it would be wrong because the
middle of the night is when I will find it... when it least expects
it. Actually, a Snickers bar should feel more like a rabbit sharing a
cage with a python; paralysed with fear, waiting for the inevitable
kill to be done with.
My next
favourite stop on this leg was Seoul, Korea. What a gem! Once again I
moonlighted with my own ‘cause’ and did two shows there. I am going to
go out and say that the second one was the most fulfilling solo show I
have done to date. The set worked perfectly and everything I went for
worked. I was in control of my tone (always the priority), Neil was on
top form (yes he flew all the way from London for these shows!), Jason
and Rhani were too, the audience couldn’t have been better, my mood
was great, and I couldn’t have scripted it any better if you gave me
all the time in the world. It’s funny how these things can happen
without warning. This is when all those hours of practice really pay
off. Being musically fit puts you in a position to do what you want. I
was mobbed after the show by the fans. I had no idea I was that known
in Korea. Amazing warmth from the fans there. I will never forget the
experience. Sting’s shows were great there too. The audience went nuts
when I did the opening phrase of Shape of my Heart and stayed nuts for
the rest of the song. I couldn’t believe it. This gave Sting and I a
lot of confidence in the song. But inside I always knew this would go
down well and couldn’t understand why we didn’t do it earlier in the
tour. I gave him a bit of an arrogant ‘I told you so’ look. Korea is a
place I would love to return to.
India: People
say you either love it or hate it. Guess which category I fall under?
You’re right. I didn’t want to leave. The audiences there were
amazing. Doing a show in India is more of an event than a concert. The
buzz before during and after them is hard for me to put in words. They
are the best singers of any audience we have had. They are beautiful
people and made us feel incredibly welcome. Sting and I took a day out
to Veranasa and the Ganges river. We were met by his American friend
Shyamandas (or that’s what he’s now called). He was our guide. He went
on a trip (a trip...) there in the seventies and never looked back. He
had this look that it might be too late to go home. India will do that
to you if you are not careful. He reminded me of the Dennis Hopper
character in "Apocalypse Now". Spoke the language, knew the customs,
body language, wore the clothes etc. He had this look of someone who’d
been seduced by a place and I was in danger of doing the same. The day
out we had felt more like a month. I have never seen so much activity
in a single day. Everyone was doing something and I saw so much life
and even death. It made me think they are not that different and that
life is just your physicality or your consciousness. I could write
about this for pages and pages but trust me, the experience was
unforgettable. It made me think about my insignificance on the planet.
When I pass away everything will carry on. Everything I saw there had
the look of a potential award winning National Geographic photograph.
I will return.
Doing some of
these solo shows made me think of something. Doing a show is a bit
like going on a first date with someone or that’s what I want it to
feel like. There will be nerves involved to make it exciting. Mistakes
will be made like knocking over a glass (bum notes in my case) or
saying the wrong thing (saying the wrong thing in my case). There will
be awkward silences. White lies will be told and stories exaggerated.
It’s about making that connection and wanting it to work. Once you get
going it becomes easier to communicate and the confidence builds up.
Then a moment of magic and understanding will come and it will be
bliss from then on. Like on any date it is better to ask questions
than to talk about yourself. In a way this is what I try and do,
sometimes successfully, sometimes not. I want the audience to think
not about my world but their own. The tunes I write don’t have
solutions. They are filled with questions. I hope this makes sense.
Like on a good date the feeling can stay with you for a while and make
you smile and in love. Question: Which is more significant to you, the
act or the memory of an important event in your lives (bearing in mind
the memory can last much longer?)
The "Sacred Love" tour is over. It does feel like the end although it
isn’t because the Broken Music tour starts in a few weeks. Incredibly,
and once again, I am the only survivor of this reshuffle. Sting wants
me in his four piece band. It’s a miracle we are still working
together. Marriages don’t last this long. One of the reasons we are
still together is because we are still growing and willing to learn. I
feel we both recognise the importance of being apart and our
obligation to use the time learning new styles and going on new
experiences. This way when we see each other there are always new
stories to tell, pictures to show and newer and deeper connections to
be made. Almost like going on that first date as mentioned above. We
have this still and it is exciting. But I am beginning to feel like
the old sofa in the band. Not very chic but not quite dated. Yet. He
can’t or will not get rid of me. One day I will end up in that garage
sale and find a new owner or end up in the kid’s room. I love working
with Sting because every day is always a new journey. He, like I just
takes it a day at a time and sees every show as the most important of
all. This works for us. I look at him before we go on stage and feel
this bond. It’s quite profound.
I am signing
off now but first I would like to thank Billy (our tour manager) who
has made this another very comfortable and easy tour. The band who I
love and always will. The crew for making all the gear work and being
so positive and supportive every day. Sting for creating this role I
am in and allowing me to be the one to play it. My children for
allowing me to indulge myself with my music and for being who they
are. Thank you J S Bach for being my tour companion and teacher. I
want to thank every one of you for making this journey with me. You
have been great companions and I feel that I have made a new best
friend. Finally, I want to thank my wife and Pablito for supporting me
in every way imaginable.
Now I can do
another thing I have been dreaming of. See with my own eyes that
mother and child are sleeping peacefully.
I love you
all,
More blogs >> |