- No tour books.
- No laminates. No tour dates on the back of the non existent laminate.
- No tour manager. The tour was advanced by someone and then someone else actually did the real work. Usually the guy doing the real work finds out that they guy who did the advancing didn't quite think of everything, or anything. Confusion sets in. Resentment runs amok. The tour becomes a free for all with no one in charge. At crucial times I will step up and resolve a situation and make a decision about a tour manager related matter, but I only do that so everyone will shut the fuck up. I don't want to or enjoy stepping on anyone's toes, but sometimes someone has to do something. Someone who has not consumed half a bottle of Jack.
- Shitty tour bus. See my diagram What you cant see, though I have made mention of it, is the disgusting smell that makes me nauseous thinking about it. Cheap UK tour busses simply suck. Forget about the extras like a working stereo and television. Say hello to a small cramped bunk with a light aimed at the back of my neck. Not that I needed light cause my bunk was so small that I could not even hold a paperback book in front of me to read at night. There was also a lack of electrical outlets making it an issue for some to keep their phone/computer charged.
- Racist asshole bus driver. Driver while sitting in restaurant in Spain asks waitress for meat. He wants a steak. Proceeds to make bull horns on top of his head with hands and rudely asks waitress(who speaks limited English) for meat...Torro. To which the waitress responds that she does not know where the bull fights are. There are a dozen more incidents like that.
- Very limited internet access. Now I know there are some on this tour that needed to get on line to see how many new friends they have made I need to get on line for other reasons. Being without email for even a day is a bother.
- Drunks. Drunks in all shapes and forms. Everywhere. Every country. Every venue. Everyone on the tour but myself. I am not anti drunk, far from it. But I have had enough.
- Chinese food. Moso Moso in Manchester is fantastic. If you enjoy Chinese food and are in Manchester I highly recommend it. Even though curry mile is just down the road and an excellent Indian meal can be had there I still choose Moso Moso. Sheffield also had a great Chinese restaurant. These were the only 2 decent meals to be had. The rest of the tour was filled with kebabs, pizza and crap food from services. At least in Germany you can get a decent hot dog at a services. In the UK you can get a pickle and mayo sandwich on white bread.
- The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao Spain.
- How about a day off every now and then. And drive/fly days are not days off. 7 shows in a row is simply no good. It's no good for the band and no good for me. A no win situation.
And now a word from our sponsor
I am sitting here thinking about the tour that I have just finished.
