Nice, Juan les Pins

We enjoyed a day off in Nice. As per usual we headed off to the best restaurant we could find. On our way her came across this sweet merry go round which Tracy and Joe had to ride on the way back. We ended the evening with ice cream of course. The next day we drove an hour to Juan les Pins. This is the view off the back of the stage. Very pretty!

Monte Carlo

Last show of the tour! We made it. It was a bittersweet ending. Not much hoopla. A few bottles of champagne and toasts. Last pictures and exchanges of e-mails and phone numbers. Lot's of "hey when you're in town call me". It was a strange venue, a casino. With tables set up and folks eating dinner. We apparently were a fill in for an ailing Issac Hayes. Regardless we did another great show, said our fairwells and headed to our rooms to figure out how in the world we would get everything into our bags. I had a 5am lobby call the next morning to head back home to my adoring animals. I was very grateful to have spent the summer touring some of the prettiest places and playing innovative music. Thanks again Tracy!

The Blue Balls Festival

Today I got up and had coffee at Starbucks :) then Graeme (our tour manager) and I rented a peddle boat and cruised out into Lake Luzern. What a lovely way to see the city. after we were far enough out I jumped into the cool refreshing water for a swim. We peddled back as a wild wind blew in an awsome thunderstorm. Under the awning of yet another English pub we ate sandwiches and drank cold beer while the warm summer rain rain soaked the streets. Later that night we rocked the house to another sold out crowd. I got to take a peek at Angelique Kidjo's concert just one floor below us. She had so much energy.

Lucerne, Switzerland

We arrived in the afternoon to this charming town. Our hotel view was awesome overlooking Lake Lucerne and the harbor. There was music everywhere and vendors hawking thier wares. The general feeling was very festive and warm. Our hotel was a hub of activity especially at night. It rivaled even the wildest NAMM show hotel parties. Tonite Tracy hosted a band/crew dinner to thank everyone for their participation on the tour. A very nice thing to do.

Poupet Festival/St Malo

I loved this festival. Set in the woods near the Swiss border in France, it had multiple stages and so many different things to see during the day. Clowns, actors, talented roving musicians, mechanical birds, an eastern European gypsy wagon exhibit. An entire kids section. we played to one of the largest audiences of the tour that night. around 50,000. Afterwards Tracy and the band including several bodyguards went out into the crowd to check it all out. I decided to grab some great looking mid eastern food from an interesting food booth. The next day I paid for it with food poisoning. yuck!

Deauville, France

Our bus rolled in around 4:30 am and this was the view out my window. The ocean was just across the street so i strolled the boardwalk which looked a bit like Newport Beach and got homesick again. I had a little meltdown at soundcheck but pulled it together.

Basel, Switzerland

We saw some really nice places on this tour but this town was very friendly! The highlight for was drifting down the Rhine river with Quinn with our newly acquired, bright orange, water proof sacks which we could only purchase at one place on the river. We discovered that, of course, after we'd walked a mile up the river to the starting place. So we walked back, got our bags, then walked up river again. Did I mention it was the hottest day in Europe? You see you need the bags to put your clothes, shoes and other items in while you drift down the river. The current is deceptively strong so then the bag, which inflates after you seal it, acts as a buoy to hang onto. The river embraces you as you ride down under the bridges and past all the historic buildings. We even past a nakey beach. All men so I guess it's a gay nakey beach. I tried not to look but well...I did. Anyway, we rode about a mile and half before making our way to the edge of the river and back into the city streets, clothes safely dry in our cool new bags.

Lucca, Italy