What Ezio has to say when he is on tour

The Duo Tour 2003, Germany

... written by John Rech from T42, Tour Manager and Support Band

If you have pictures from any of the gigs, please e-mail them to me.

Dudelange (L), Dec. 22nd

Back home. My daughter’s sleeping on my left arm while I’m trying to finish the diary with my right hand. She’s beautiful. What else do you expect from a loving father… This leg of the tour has been very tough for all of us. Autumn was a tough one, too, but winter beat any tour I’ve ever done. I’d love to thank you, the fans (many of whom have become friends) for making all these efforts worth. I love the Ezio fans and I really think they’re better than the best… I wish you a merry Christmas and that all your dreams and hopes will be fulfilled in 2004. Hope to see you again. Gotta go back to reality now, where my biggest dream is just opening an eye..

Den Bosch (NL), Dec. 21st

1. 1000 years
2. Wild side / Moon
3. Mermaid song
4. Alex
5. Everybody forgets sometimes
6. Waiting for too long
7. Last night in Utrecht blues
8. One more walk round the dance floor
9. Moonburn
10. 10.000 bars
11. The further we stretch & cowboy song
12. Angel song
13. Cancel today
14. Saxon street

A short drive and we arrived in Den Bosch to discover that the venue was in shopping area that was not accessible to cars, unless you had a special card. As the navigation was not much of a help and the phone at the venue seemed to face technical problems, we dropped Marcus in the centre and he came back with help. A 4 p.m. show is somehow strange, but ideal for us this time as we all drove home straight after the show. I was already back in Luxembourg by 9.40 p.m. Great. What should I think of this show? It would have been a great great great show without the annoying people at the bar that did really piss everyone off. This fact alone is a good reason to put entrance fees up, because, I think, that people who wanna see us are ready to pay a little bit more and therefore get a performance in a convenient surrounding. That doesn’t mean the club’s not suited. It really is. I loved it. And the lights were great. And the people that run it very welcoming. Hope, they’ll have us back. And you, the enjoying audience, will be there, too.

Funny moment of the gig: a guy reaching Booga a fricadelle during the set...

Utrecht (NL), Dec. 20th

We all met in Utrecht for the 2003’s final shows. The good news were encouraging presale figures and the feeling that our indie press girl had done some promotion, which can’t be said from our “record company”. If you’re a musician, don’t sign with Eagle Records. They suck and they don’t keep promises. Apart from Germany, where we got minor support, the representatives in the other countries did fuck all. So, we’re still trying to build up our audience the hard way: playing, playing, playing... Very tough, but our only chance.

1. Steal away
2. Everybody forgets sometimes
3. Waiting for too long
4. Freedom
5. Maybe sometimes & Van Morrison-Medley
6. 59 yards
7. 10.000 bars
8. Thin line
9. The further we stretch & cowboy song
10. Moonburn
11. Deeper
12. Cancel today
13. Sometimes I wish
14. Darkness
15. Cinderella
16. Go
17. Saxon street

Ok, first, I’ll tell you what we didn’t like:

• the food (why have a vegetarian substitute for meat if you can have real meat, aka Booga)
• the curfew (when it’s not because of the neighbours, but because of a disco...)

Apart from these 2 major points, everything was fine and the party after the show required all my skills to have everyone back at the hotel at a decent time...

Oh yeah, that slightly drug abusing and drunken guy was a pain in the ass as well, and had the privilege to be the only person I had thrown out on this tour… My only real moment of panic: Booga broke a string on the first solo and I thought I had a tough night waiting for me… But it all calmed down afterwards...

Had a nice conversation with a couple of friends later. Hope I could help out a little bit...

Berlin (D) to Luxembourg (L), Dec. 18th-20th

After a far too short night (the show ended very late), we all split. Ezio flew to Cambridge, Marcus drove home, Booga stayed for some Christmas shopping in Berlin and I flew to Luxembourg to spend 48 hours with my daughter and celebrate her first month. Needless to say, that the 2 of us really spent these 48 hours together. Almost every single minute. I missed her so much during this tour that I seriously wonder whether I should still go on tour in the next years... Don’t know yet, but she’s my biggest treasure and nothing can replace the time I can watch her grow up. And, I guess, nothing is worth it... Maybe, I can work out a compromise with my soul and love... Or maybe, this is my last tour diary... Don’t know yet. We’ll see...

Berlin (D), Dec. 17th

I’m sick of traffic jams. I don’t wanna drive anymore. Marcus had to help me out today. I’m just burnt out. During the journey, we watched Spinal Tap. Though it’s really funny, I think I’ve seen far funnier things in these almost 5 years I’m touring with the band. Somehow, it also prepared us for tonight’s meeting with the management. After all the screw-ups of these last weeks, there was a tough discussion floating in the air...

Well, the reality exceeded our imagination. After a 9 hours’ journey, a rushed set-up and sound check and a radio interview, we were just too exhausted for a big discussion... This exhaustion also became evident when the band hit the stage. Furthermore, after the Thai meal, Ezio felt sick, so that he had to take a break after 8 songs. The energy level was below 0. After explaining it to the audience, Ezio started with a very passionate and honest second set. We all laughed a lot and Ezio dedicated the show to Uli who had booked us for the last time as she decided to quit the Quasimodo by the end of this year... Good luck for your future plans, Uli. Our friends from Schöneiche had also found their way to the Quasimodo, which was closer than Rome, wasn’t it?

1. 10.000 bars
2. Cinderella
3. Wild side / Moon
4. Go
5. Tour blues
6. The further we stretch
7. Deeper
8. Thin line
9. One more walk round the dance floor
10. Everybody forgets sometimes
11. Waiting for too long
12. Angel song
13. Moonburn
14. Oranges
15. Mermaid song
16. Alex
17. If you wanna go
18. Cancel today
19. All for you
20. Saxon street
21. Just to talk to you again

Frankfurt (D), Dec. 16th

The journey back to the centre of Germany was really tough. Left at 9 in the morning to arrive at 5 in the afternoon. Traffic jams and the winter conditions made this trip and the tour in general a really tough one. It’s been a very long year and we all look forward to go home. As mentioned before, we’re all mentally and physically totally exhausted. I consider it as a minor miracle that we still can produce the show every night. With such passion and energy. Where the passion comes from, I can explain, it’s mainly a transcript of our feelings and the love of what we’re doing. But the energy??? Anyway, the Frankfurt show is to me the best I’ve seen on this leg of the tour. It was just fabulous. Just like the audience.

1. 10.000 bars
2. Cinderella
3. Waiting for too long
4. Mermaid song
5. Everybody forgets sometimes
6. If you wanna go
7. Angel song
8. Back on your own again
9. Deeper
10. Moonburn
11. Go
12. Shadow boxers
13. Thin line
14. The further we stretch
15. Cancel today
16. All for you
17. Saxon street

Salzburg (A), Dec. 15th

When we started this morning, we faced a huge traffic jam after only a couple of km. The radio told us to take a big detour to get to Munich. Snow, ice, storms... everything you don’t wanna face when you’re travelling was waiting for us. And we were already calculating whether to go straight to Frankfurt or just give it a try. Such a long journey to play a pub, with the huge physical and mental tiredness we all felt, seemed to be too much of a tribute this time. We decided we’d give it a try. Though the journey was really tough, the conditions improved and we made it as the traffic jam seemed to run away from us. Always slightly ahead... The Salzburg Rockhouse is great venue and the pub is a good way to introduce yourself to a new audience. If there’s one... The weather conditions having got worse with darkness, the snow and storm seemed to keep everyone in their nice cosy and warm sitting rooms. Can’t blame them... To walk out on stage to 40 people when the gig required a 1200 km journey is very tough. But the boys did it and it became a nice little 1 hour set. The headlining band, “Milk”, was not so much of a headliner. Nice people, nice pop, but I think they didn’t attract more than 2 souls. And that’s probably why most people left a couple of songs into their set. The promoter however has become a fan and will invite us back. This and those fans who travelled from far away in awful weather conditions made it worth the trip.

1. Wild side
2. Cinderella
3. 10.000 bars
4. Waiting for too long
5. Angel song
6. Everybody forgets sometimes
7. The further we stretch
8. Alex
9. Saxon street
10. One more walk round the dance floor

Ludwigsburg (D), Dec. 14th

Well... our instinct was right again. If you’re not able to promote a show, don’t do it. This was disrespectful towards the band and the fans. The reason why it became such an emotional, funny and deep performance was our love and respect for our fans. This indeed was a very unique experience and performance. But such a room (congress center) is not the right place for an Ezio gig. And the p.a. had the size of a monitoring system and the monitoring system the size of headphones. And this for a room that could easily hold a 2500 crowd... Shall I get started about how shitty some things were? Better not. Just know this: Never again. Everything around the gig wasn’t the way it should be. We made it happen for you. Only for you. Otherwise we would have left, 2 seconds after seeing the place and the p.a. and the backstage... Big thank you to the house crew who were innocent and helpful. Picture of the day? Probably Marcus in the fish bowl, trying to mix the concert like he was working in a studio, i.e. behind a window. 10.000 bars never fitted better than today. Anyway, my favourite song on this tour...

1. Strange way to make a living
2. Cinderella
3. 10.000 bars
4. Go
5. Alex
6. Everybody forgets sometimes
7. All for you
8. Deeper
9. Darkness
10. Mermaid song
11. Just to talk to you again
12. Thin line
13. The further we stretch
14. Cancel today
15. Angel song / Saxon street – Medley

Parma (I) to Ludwigsburg (D), Dec. 13th

Did some Christmas shopping and enjoyed a last Italian meal before starting a stupid and useless drive of 700 km. At least, that’s my opinion. If someone hadn’t fucked up before, we would have had logical drive to the North, but this is just ridiculous. As if it wasn’t hard enough. When we arrived at 23.30, we found a shity hotel not adapted to our requirements and contract. I hope the promoter won’t ask me how we feel... I might lose my usual and natural kindness... And this is just the top of the iceberg... I’m not mentioning bad promotion and other stuff that doesn’t belong here. I find this behaviour very disrespectful

Cavriago (I), Dec. 12th

Last gig of our Italian trip. The closest to Ezio’s home. And that means that family and friends are with us tonight. Strange night. It kicks off like hell (despite shity lights), but soon becomes a very emotional performance. We’re all very tired and the shows starting so late, combined with long journeys, are very demanding... We also took the opportunity to spend time with our Italian agent (a lovely man with a great hair cut), who’s done a great job. We have discussed this tour and the opportunities for the future and we’re very confident that we0ll be back in Italy pretty soon.

1. The further we stretch
2. Perfect
3. 1000 years
4. Deeper
5. Angel song
6. Waiting for too long
7. Everybody forgets sometimes
8. Moonburn
9. Alex
10. “so close to home” blues
11. Oranges
12. Shadow boxers
13. Cancel today
14. Sometimes I wish
15. Saxon street

Castillo Fiorentino (I), Dec. 11th

Got up quite early and drove to Toscana...

Castillo Fiorentino is a beautiful place. The old town with its little streets is just stunning. We had lunch at the Osteria Muzzicone. Antipasti, loads of it (ham, salami, pecorino...), a Fiorentini steak (1,5 kg) for Booga (who passed some over to us) and pasta for the remaining 3. Just great. Think we’d better skip dinner tonight... (added later: “we actually did...”) The hotel, a rural pension, is lovely. We share little flats.

The venue, the Velvet Underground, is located in the old town. We’ve been warned it might be a tough gig with loads of people talking... And the warning was absolutely accurate. It’s a club. Not a music club, just a club. Where people go, because there’s nowhere else to go... Ezio told me after the gig that the band would have been helpful tonight. And I answered him: “yeah, a cover band”. Hope you get the picture. If the 1st welcome was really a warm one, it strangely mutated in a weird mood in the evening. We all had felt this was the wrong place to be and with time passing by, we all found out that the instinct was right. Though the place was packed, we couldn’t have been anymore useless than a school band. Maybe that’s why we were given drink coupons... Anyway, to end it up: What a waste of time and energy. We all felt sorry for the 3 Germans who’d made the journey. If the view and the region were worth the trip, the gig surely wasn’t. As you guys out there are more interested in what we are doing than 95% of tonight’s audience, here’s the setlist:

1. Waiting for too long
2. 59 yards
3. Darkness
4. The further we stretch
5. Dyslexia / baby, please don’t go
6. Deeper
7. Wild side / Moon
8. Mermaid song
9. Angel song
10. Back on your own again
11. Thin line
12. Everybody forgets sometimes
13. Saxon street

And then we all fucked off... Tonight, we had 2 options:

1. fuck off straight away
2. just get through it

The boys decided to get through it. And believe me, this was a tough one. Very brave, if you ask me. Probably, the right thing to do. And were it only for the few people who did care. But, if I were to describe tonight’s performance in a few words, I’d say: “Austria, the revenge...” Guess, you know what I mean... Beautiful region though...

Roma (I), Dec. 10th

Today’s the non-meal day. Just a little bit something before the show. Spaghetti Carbonara... The drive was a killer. Up the mountain, down the mountain. Snow. Rain. Storm. Millions of cars. 560 km. And then we discover the hotel... if you can call it that way... Today’s motto becomes “close your eyes”... Then we drive into Roma... Started before rush-hour and finished straight in it... Traffic indications? Why the f... would somebody put those up... What a waste of time and space... Our navigation is just for the Alps and therefore useless around here. With the help of 20 people, loads of patience, a little bit of good sense and orientation and luck, we finally find the Big Mama. And that’s where I’m sitting now, writing the diary... How are we? Fine, but tired. This year’s tour has taken a heavy toll on us, but we still believe in what we’re doing, so we just go on... Would love to go home though. We all do. Christmas is something strange: you don’t really like it, but you’re affected by its presence and it calls you back home... Ok, gotta go now. Dinner is calling, too. Stronger than Christmas. I’ll write more later.

Milano (I), Dec. 9th

Ezio’s homecoming gig... Strange feeling for him... A certain insecurity regarding what language to use. I honestly love the mixture... 30 people in La Casa, but all ready to enjoy and listen... Nice little gig. Kipper from England and Bettina (& her friend) from Germany made a f... long journey to see this very intimate concert. Booga played very well tonight. Met Lorenzo, the Italian promoter. Seems to be a very nice man. And somebody to rely on when it comes to brek into a new territory. Roberto from La Casa wants us back. Good thing. No one said it’d be easy...

1. Angel song
2. Mermaid song
3. Thin line
4. Waiting for too long
5. Tuesday night
6. Wild side
7. Everybody forgets sometimes
8. 59 yards
9. Deeper
10. Moonburn
11. Cancel today
12. It’s fucked...
13. Sometimes I wish
14. The further we stretch
15. 10.000 bars (the homesick blues)
16. Saxon street

Drove back to Parma after the show. Completely tired as the Italian shows all start around 11 p.m. Gotta get up early tomorrow... and finish Artemis Fowl (I love children books...).

Parma (I), Dec. 7th-9th

Ok, the drive was a long one, but the dinner that followed was absolutely fantastic. Ezio’s brother took us out and he surely knows the place... We started with mixed antipasti (Parma ham, Parmesan cheese, bruschetta, Gorgonzola in honey...). Then as Primo, we had Tagliatteli with Culatella. And then we all went for different stuff: beef, lamb and goose. I won’t even describe the desserts... And the Grappa that beats all the Grappas I ever drank. Did I mention the wine? Sorry Worms, but THIS is the wine region (among others)

On the second day, we drove to Ezio’s village in the mountains and met some familiar people (that we all knew from many stories Ezio had told us). A journey back into his childhood... We skipped all meals (apart from a sandwich with Mortadella) to keep enough space for Ezio’s famous Pizza with fried fish & frutti di mare... Just great!!! And the desserts... We almost missed it as someone had tried to shoot Ezio with an air rifle...

Ezio’s brother had recommended us to try our hotel’s restaurant. What a great idea!!! Tortelli with pumpkin are just the best. Just before, we had started with different Polenta islands... The Secundi were a mixed plate... And the wine... Delicious... Since we had a show in the evening, we skipped the desserts... and went straight to bed... (at 2.30 p.m. – just to recover). I think we have perfectly adapted to local customs... I also think we’d better have a day without meal...

Pirmasens (D), Dec. 6th

Cold. That’s the best word to qualify tonight’s performance. Though there’s nothing bad to say about it, I felt like “coldness” had kinda found its way into the day, the people and especially the place... Damn, was it cold. Everyone needed a long time to warm up. Even Jordan, who’d come with her Mum, for her first Ezio concert. Must be a record... 17 days old... And I’m not mentioning the belly experiences... J. Anyway, being that close to home, made me wanna go back home with my family... And being that close to the Kammgarn made me wonder why... Good occasion to say hi to my friends from Kaiserslautern: Angelika, Marc... Which doesn’t mean that the great people in Pirmasens didn’t treat us well. They were very nice. Gotta point the Hotel Kunz, too. What a charming place. Those people know how to make you feel well... And the food... Great! For Germany... J (More to come on that subject...)

1. The further we stretch
2. Audio country song
3. Mermaid song
4. 10.000 bars (the homesick blues)
5. Back on your own again
6. Deeper
7. Everybody forgets sometimes
8. 59 yards
9. Moonburn
10. Sometimes I wish
11. Take me away
12. Cancel today
13. Thin line
14. Angel song
15. Go
16. The “Enzo Cover Band” Medley
17. Alex
18. If you want to go
19. Saxon street

Frankenthal (D), Dec. 5th

Hi there, I’ve joined the circus today. So it means your tour diary starts in Frankenthal. As most of you know, I’ve just become a dad and I couldn’t (didn’t want to) leave my 2 girls alone so shortly after the birth. And still, leaving was tough... Here’s tonight’s setlist:

1. All for you
2. Wild side / Moon
3. 10.000 bars (the homesick blues)
4. Steal away
5. Everybody forgets sometimes
6. Cannibal Waltz
7. Agony
8. 59 yards
9. One more walk round the dance floor
10. If you want to go
11. The further we stretch
12. The girl from Ipanema (featuring Barbara on vocals)
13. Angel song
14. Deeper
15. Cancel today
16. Stay with me
17. Go
18. Saxon street
19. Maybe sometimes (feat. Van Morisson medley)

To answer a question I’ve read on the forum, I think “all for you” & “10.000 bars” were the 2 songs they started the Wuppertal gig with. Both songs are about touring and playing music... Since this part of the tour has been placed under the motto “the alternative Ezio experience”, you can be sure that these Christmas dates will really provide some new songs as some very special moments as for ex. Barbara (not the one that fades away) joined the boys on stage for “Girl from Ipanema”. The “Cannibal Waltz” is about... Internet Menus... J My favourites were “If you want to go” and “Maybe sometimes”. Very emotional. By the way, thanx for being such a very attentive crowd. This was really appreciated. Nice to see our old promoting friends from Worms, too. And yeah, the red wine was ok...