18th June 2007 - Wallsee / Lower Austria

"............... Too long a space Of intervening darkness has thine eye To traverse: thou hast therefore widely err’d In thy imagining." so piercing through the gross And gloomy atmosphere, as more and more We near’d toward the brink, mine error fled And fear came o’er me. Dante Alighieri: the divine comedy; inferno: canto XXXI

first day on board, scorching heat and the concert ship is a single chaos. instruments and amplifiers stand between lights, projectors, welding equipment, food and clothing bags. work is going on wherever you look. and i don't mean the wiring up of the stage, or the installation of loudspeakers and spotlights. no, the stage as such, the heart of the journey, is not ready yet. balou, my technical director is not someone who is easily thrown off track, but even he has an unsteady look on his face and his lips are pursed together. now it's about keeping your nerve. i'd like to sit at the bow with the bottle of schnaps i've brought with me and get drunk - but that would be counterproductive - it would make me even more emotional; or would let loose an exaggerated sense of fate. no, i must get through it with my eyes open. subdued happiness, leaving home had never been so difficult. concerns here and there. my son is doing his exams and i have my own personal final examinations. with the setting of the sun comes the first cooling and relaxation. the night brings tiredness and release with sleep.