Hamburg, Germany & Holland - March 2001Tuesday March 6--New York
Snowing hard all day but melting when it hits the ground-ending just in time for my KLM flight to Amsterdam and then on to Hamburg. Mostly empty plane-everyone has escaped town hoping to miss the threat of a major blizzard. I get a whole row to myself of 3 empty seats and sleep for much of the flight.
Thursday March 8--Hamburg
This is my first LJM show in Germany (I had played here once in Mannheim with Leni Stern.) Nice small club called Lola-great P.A. run by a soundperson named Trixie. NDR--the German equivalent of NPR in the U.S. is recording the show for later broadcast throughout Germany. Warm crowd-a line across the front of the stage of friendly faces all holding those large oversized German beer glasses. How did I end up here you ask--A German fan named Sancho Panzer wrote me a letter after seeing something about me in Performing Songwriter magazine. He had known about me through my songwriting credits and from my earlier albums (now out-of-print hopefully!) We stayed in touch and he connected me with a German promoter who saw my show in New York.
When they saw that I was playing in Holland they lined up an opening slot for me as the support act for another New Yorker, Gary Lucas. Gary co-wrote the song "Grace" on Jeff Buckley's debut album and was a member of Captain Beefheart's band.
Had a day free in Hamburg and got to see the club where the Beatles had played in their early days. Stayed in the Bergedorf section of town which is a beautiful old neighborhood with old mansions and trees and was so quiet that compared to New York it was eerie. Hanging out with the Germans talking world politics. Everyone should be required to travel and live in foreign countries. How else can you know how the rest of the world sees things-or for that matter to gain a perspective on how we see things. P.S. The American 'No Smoking' concept hasn't yet hit Europe. Very tough on a singer's voice.
set list:
1. Richie 2. Folksinger 3. Long Drag Off A Cigarette 4. I Love To Wake Up In New Orleans 5. Why's Your Skin So White 6. Chain Link Fence 7. I Love To Watch A Woman Dance 8. Nobody's Girl 9. Love Is Everything 10. Just My Imagination 11.(encore) Love Is A Ruthless Thing
Friday, March 9
Drove to Utrecht, Holland (maybe 4 hours) with Sancho and the German promoter Stefan. No speed limit on the autobahn! Telling stories and listening to great music. Beautiful countryside-long green fields-rows of bare winter trees. It is mild-almost Spring weather and the flowers are staring to pop through. We check in to The Hotel Smits in Utrecht and walk to dinner through the cobblestone streets of the old part of the city. Lots of shops along the canals-really magic. The Dutch seem to not believe in window shades and you can see in to the most charming apartments along the water-makes you feel like, yeah, this is a place I could live! Postcard perfect lifestyle-old buildings restored-lots of cafes, record shops, restaurants, outdoor and indoor markets-everything you need in walking distance.
In many ways, Utrecht is my hometown in Holland. It is where it all stared for me here. I ran into my friend, Leo Kramer-long story short, Leo used to manage a record shop here, found my "Vibrolux" CD-sold around 500 copies out that one store-brought me over for a concert at a venue here called Tivoli-hooked me up with a Dutch label who put Vibrolux out in Holland and brought me over for a tour with my trio-and the rest-well it's history-mine at least-and all the richer I am for it (in spirit anyway.)
Saturday, March 10--Vredenburg--Utrecht
Showtime! The Blue Highways Festival--mostly Americana acts from Austin & Nashville--Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Buddy Miller, Dave Alvin , etc. Two stages in one beautiful hall--lots of cool music--a great time for me on and off stage--warm enthusiastic crowd--lots of friends and fans floating around.
set list:
1. Richie 2. Folksinger 3. Nobody's Girl 4. I Love To Wake Up In New Orleans 5. Chain Link Fence 6. Why's Your Skin So White 7. I Love To Watch A Woman Dance 8. Love Is A Ruthless Thing 9. Love Is Everything 10.Just My Imagination
