Austin, TX. January 26, 2001 - Now that I've had a few days to put out all the fires, I though y'all might be interested in a recap of the time I spent with the band on the road at the start of the tour.

Austin, TX. Day 1 - We left from the studio on Thursday afternoon. The bus, with the equipment trailer behind, was wedged down the very narrow driveway in front and it's positioning should have clued me in on what a great driver came with it. The bus the band has this tour is the nicest any of us had ever seen.

It has two living areas with separate TV systems with video and a satellite system. The satellite TV system has a dome on the top with a rotating dish which tracks the satellite as the bus moves. It had over a 100 stations, the most important of which was CNN Financial so that Billy Maddox could keep tabs on the market. It sleeps 12 in bunks which have their own mini TVs. We had nine without counting the driver so it really wasn't all that crowded. The interior is all beautiful wood and reminded me most of a really nice yacht. It's great that Joe sent them out in such luxury, especially since they are going to be out for quite awhile.

We made our drive to El Paso under somewhat frightening conditions since there was a snow warning out for part of our route. While we did see a few flakes, we had a safe and comfortable ride with only and interesting stop at a truck stop in Van Horn to break the trip.

The people at the truck stop found us quite interesting and several nodded knowingly when I told them Eric was BB King. I have several interesting photos from this stop we should have up soon.

Day 2: In El Paso, David (Eric's Tour Manager) realized that we had left without lanyards for our laminated tour passes and bus keys. Having already walked to the border and back, I volunteered to show him some shops I thought we might find some in. After trying a few places, we found a store that had some with three different sayings on them - I Love Jesus, I Love Mexico, and Titanic. David was reticent to buy these, but, after my reassurance that the guys had a sense of humor, we bought one Titanic for EJ and I Love Mexico models for the rest of us. Be sure to comment on these when you see the guys. ;-)

The club we played uses a toxic waste/Area 51 motif, thoroughly appropriate for a band named Alien Love Child I thought. After a sound check made difficult due to the fact Eric had started the tour sick with a chest cold, we went and had dinner a couple of blocks from the club. We had trouble getting back to the club on time because the entire staff had to get autographs from Eric before we could leave. For the number of autographs he signed they should have given him a free meal...

The concert was packed and the band played well under the circumstance that Eric was having trouble singing due to his cold.

It was the same basic play list that has been posted from other later shows.

After the usual autographs being signed by Eric after the gig, we made the short four hour drive to Santa Fe.

Sante Fe, NM. Day 3: Scenes of sleep starved people stumbling around a huge rambling open air hotel in the snow follow. Here, we find out that Billy is really sick. So sick, that there is serious consideration to canceling the gig. Trooper that he is, Billy decides he will try his best. We drive into the facility to find it is on the campus of the New Mexico School for the Deaf. A number of comments are made about the appropriateness of this fact.

Sound check is very, very tense. There is a horrendous buzz that is about 80db whenever EJ plugs in a Strat. We take every circuit in the house down one by one and still can't isolate the problem. (As we bring up one circuit breaker a huge puff of smoke comes out of the lighting board and we all fear that we have fried it. - It was OK thank God.) It looks as if the only answer is for Eric to play the gig with just the SG and 335, something that does not make Eric happy at all.

After some dynamite Chinese food, brought in because we have no time to leave the venue, Eric decides to try it one more time. Low and behold it's a miracle! While there is still a buzz, it's not something he can't play over. Stage time! The concert is tense to say the least.

It's a close race between Eric destroying his vocal cords all together and Billy falling off the drum stool unconscious. At the least I figured, we would have to throw a towel over Billy at the end and lead him from the stage like they do James Brown.

Well, they played great! Billy has had better nights, but I doubt no one in the crowd could have realized how sick he was. Eric smiled and played his heart out while doing his best to hit the high notes. I was so proud of them. They pulled it off under battle conditions.

After the show we all crawled in our bunks and got a fairly good nights rest on the ten hour drive to Scottsdale.

Scottsdale, AZ. Day Four - We had the day off here and some of us saw a touch of the town, while others just R & R'd. Eric and I searched down every possible lozenge and remedy for a bad throat.

Scottsdale, AZ. Day Five - The next day we go over to a local radio station (93.3 KDKB) to do a live broadcast. We run late and have only time for one song. The radio station is very nice and the people really kind. Because of the way it is set up though, the band is unable to hear what it is going to sound like until they go live.

I remember shuddering at the thought when I hear this. They do Zenland and we have no idea of what it sounds like out there in the real world. Chris played straight into the board in place of using an amp. When we get to the club, the crew tell us it sounded like Chris was the lead instrument, I guess somewhat like Morphine... Win a few... however, thankfully they followed it up with a live cut off the "Live and Beyond" album which gave the real live.

The Cajun Club is quite nice. Long and narrow with a New Orleans motif and very nice bars etc. This is where we meet up with the Derek Trucks Band. First thing that happens is I run into a list member who is kind enough to take me on an errand. Always nice to see a list member.

As I walk in wearing a Sun Ra T-shirt, a young blond haired kid walks up to me and compliments me on the T-shirt. He talks to me very knowledgeably about Sun Ra, who is evidently one of his idols, and then introduces himself as Derek Trucks. I, of course, am highly impressed that he knows so much about such avant-garde jazz musicians as Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, and others. I had never heard him play but I have a real interest now.

Because of a Scottsdale noise ordinance, the sound check can't start until five. Eric takes his scheduled amount of time but this means that Derek's band gets about a 30 minute sound check. Derek goes on and I find his band is great. The members are all excellent and Derek himself is one of the best slide players I have ever seen. He is really one of the best young guitarists around. I look forward to seeing him age and mature musically.

I am floored when I go out into the crowd and find a couple flying two mics from a twelve foot boom into a DAT. I question Derek's road manager about this and find out they allow audio taping at their gigs. This I think is going to be a problem.

Low and behold when I ask the couple if they are going to take down their rig before Eric goes on, I am met with a quite direct no, they are not going to bring it down as they have permission from the club. This causes quite a spirited discussion about the fact the club has no right to give such permission. Finally they agree and pack up.

Eric plays and the band does their best performance so far, with perhaps the best version of Spanish Castle Magic I've ever heard him do.

Next it's hugs, handshakes, and final photos before I leave with an old friend and they head for San Diego.

I want to thank Eric and my wife, Kowecha, for giving me a wonderful birthday present, this trip. Also I would like to thank Billy, Chris, Richard Mullen (Sound Master), David Weese (Tour Manager), Jeff Van Zant (Guitar Tech), Ed Hughes (Roadie Extrordinaire), Everett LaFrancois (Lighting Tech), and Phil Daniel (Driver) for making me so welcome.

Best wishes, Park