6 June 2006

4 cities, 3 shows, lots to say, lost for words...

The last 3 shows have all been amazing and all very different too.

The London show was something really special, and the Royal Albert Hall is an IMPRESSIVE venue. But aside from the venue's prestige, what made the gig significant was the fact that Frank had played there some 30 odd years ago and had eventually been "banned" from performing there again. The ZPZ show brought the music of Frank Zappa back to leave its mark yet again, leaving a very high benchmark for others to follow.

The audience loved every minute of it. This show also marked the second time the band performed the "Chunga's Revenge" duet with Frank's video. The audience seemed to like it a lot. I wonder how it makes people feel to see this video? Sometimes I expect to hear huge cheers and screams, but I think the audience probably feels the same as I do: just wanting to savor the moment in reverence.

Dublin provided a day off and we explored the streets of Dublin and enjoyed some fine meals together. Steve and I even went to see a movie and walked back to the hotel through a beautifully clear night as the locals spilled out of pubs in all directions.

The show in Vicar Street was also great - and hot! I'm not sure why they don't use the air conditioning in that venue. Is it so people will keep going to the bar? Hmmm.... Unfortunately, the venue was without internet connectivity, which was a little frustrating. I did manage to catch up on a bunch of photo editing from Belgium and London though. I'm trying to get those up for you shortly.

This morning we had a fly day with the Paris show in the evening. The airport was completely packed with people. It was a sight to be seen, and seemed like an awful lot of crap to go through for such a short flight. From the airport we headed directly to our hotel to drop off our bags, and then to the Zenith for soundcheck.

The show tonight was LONG. Dweezil added a few songs, and Terry was playing with the band again, so his sat was added to the selection that the band had been playing in his absence. I think the show began at 8:30, and the band came off stage at midnight.

The crowd was huge and the electricity in the air was something else. Their appreciation of the show was fervent and loud, and there were standing ovations a plenty.

Terry broke his kickdrum head during his set and so performed "Punky's Whips" on Joe's kit. With the kick repaired, Terry performed the Black Page #1 on his own kit again before Steve took the stage to join the band for #2. Speaking of "Punky's", I have to say that it's my favorite moment of Terry's set. When he gushes those words "oh Punky!" into the mic, it cracks me up every time.

I'm out of superlatives for the Paris show. It was the best show of the tour thus far. It's going to be hard to beat the passion, love and wild appreciation the band felt from the fine Parisians who came to the Zenith last night. Another highlight for me personally was riding back to our hotel in the van with Terry who told me the story of his audition for Frank. It's stuff like this that legends are made of.


Today, (6/6/06) is Steve Vai's birthday. We arrived in Athens this evening and all went out together for dinner at a wonderful rooftop restaurant with a close and spectacular view of the Parthenon. Food was amazing and company was awesome. Lots of old Frank stories were told by Steve and Dweezil. Joe had a healthy does of Zappa vault trivia to share, as well as some amazing stories about original tapes of "Peaches en Regalia" and the way the track is edited together. Being on tour and getting to witness (and capture for prosperity) the greatness of all these musicians on stage every night is an incredible privilege - but making the experience even more valuable and memorable is soaking in the stories and wisdom of those who were fortunate to work with and know Frank, and who have had rich careers working in the music business ever since.

It's 2:30 am here now, and I'm off to bed before getting up to work on the ZPZ site now that I have a laptop again.

The show later today will be the last show that Terry is unable to make due to his double booking. The venue sounds interesting - it's open air and by the sea. It was also used for the recent Olympics.

Talk to ya tomorrow,

Mikey
Zappa.com Webmeister

POSTED BY MIKEY AT 2006-06-06 18:14:32