Lou Reed Tour Diary (April-May 1996) Remember, we have a batch of photos from this tour (and others) here. Thursday 4 April So here we are. 5 weeks on the road ahead of us - the first major tour we have undertaken. Our tour manager Wiff (real name, the somewhat less intriguing Mark Smith), picks us up in Dublin and we drive to Dun Laoghaire for the ferry to Holyhead. We are all pretty quiet - one of the hardest parts of being in the band is leaving our families behind, but we are excited at what lies ahead. I mean, we are touring with Lou Reed for christs sake- if you had asked us collectively, who we would most like to tour with, Lou would have been close to the top of the list. From the deck, we watch Dublin disappear in the early evening gloom, and stock up on beer for the journey ahead. Friday 5 April - London The opening show, Shepherds Bush Empire, London. A low key start, it has the feel of a warm-up gig. Still, it is a complete sell-out -before the gig we pass the ticket touts outside, and business is brisk. We play our allotted half hour slot -it goes OK -its an audience of die-hards and they are here to see Lou and Lou only. As we make our way to the dressing room, there is a small group of people outside, waiting. Lou Reed turns and introduces himself and his band -and it becomes apparent he was waiting there for that very reason. A real nice touch. I cannot recall one band that we have supported, taking the time to do this. The disappointment of the gig evaporates at that very moment. There is a small after-show party which we attend - Salman Rushdie is there, no more that 10 feet away. I wonder at the wisdom at being in such close proximity, and shuffle away, a safe distance. Saturday 6 April We are picked up this morning by Barry, our bus driver for the next 5 weeks, and are introduced to our first proper tour bus. This bus can sleep up to 16 people, there are 2 TVs and videos, kitchen facilities, the works. Barry outlines the golden rules, paying particular reference to the toilet arrangements. There are toilet facilities on board, but they are to be used sparingly and wisely. The five band members share the bus with Liam, our roadie and resident grumpy bastard, Tony, a sophisticated English gentleman who also happens to be a lighting technician, Paul our sound man, and Wiff, tour manager, who maps out our every step for the next 5 weeks. Wiff and Tony, the two English members of the party, don't really get the Irish sense of humour, and things that we find hilarious can elicit puzzled stares from the two guys. Of course, we feed on this, and Tony becomes the butt of many a joke -sometimes I wonder if this will scar him in any way, as he seems to take some of it the wrong way. Sunday 7 April - Hamburg It's Hamburg, and a trip down the Reeperbahn; Jesus, this place is seedy beyond belief. There are characters on this strip that look like they walked straight out of a Velvet Underground song. The gig itself goes well -the audience seem much more open and appreciative, after London. We watch a bit of Lou's show - he plays 3 hours each night and his band are shit-hot - he has played with the same guys for years. They are serious session musicians and everything is played with absolute precision. Don't think we will ever get to play like that and I am not sure if I would want to. Monday 8 April - Leeds We leave the tour briefly (day off) to fly to Leeds to do a show that is broadcast live on Radio 1. The presence of Terrorvision on the bill means the place is filled with indie kids - the gig is hot and sweaty and we have flown all this way for a 20 minute slot. Somebody, somewhere thought it was a good idea. Wednesday 10 April - Stockholm We are in Stockholm, a place I have always wanted to see, yet a schedule of interviews means we see little other than the hotel room and the venue. The gig itself sees us play to an audience filled with blue eyed blondes -a stereotype, I know, but a wander through the crowd after our show confirms this. Lou is sounding pretty good tonight, some of the Velvets stuff he plays gets a rapturous response. We have now played with 3 of the 4 original Velvets lineup. Mo Tucker and Sterling Morrison played Dublin some years before and we supported them. Mo was very sweet, and Sterling was an absolute gentleman. John Cale, you are next up. Thursday 11 April - Copenhagen Copenhagen, a nine hour bus and ferry journey. We arrive early morning, and check into a hotel, to break the monotony of sleeping on the bus. Sleeping on the bus takes a lot of getting used to. The bunks are impossibly narrow, with about 12 inches headroom above. I imagine it is the closest thing to sleeping in a coffin, and if you are claustrophobic, it is not the place to be. Our hotel, as we discover later on, is smack bang in the middle of the red light district. From here, a pattern emerges -almost every hotel we stay in is in a red light district. The thought begins to form that perhaps Europe is one big red light district, or else our management have booked us in the cheapest accommodation possible. Later that night, Myles and I witness a live silhouetted, sex show with two prostitutes and a client in the hotel across the way. The gig itself went well - we have been to Copenhagen a couple of times and the Sony reps here like the band and work hard to get the name around. It's a day off tomorrow - a trip to the Tivoli is planned, and more interviews. Saturday 13 April - Cologne Cologne today, the usual rushed soundcheck. If we get 15 minutes we are lucky, but we are not complaining. Lou's tour party were a little stand offish at first - for the main acts crew, the support band are usually a pain in the arse, but we do our best to fit in, and not get too hung up on the shitty side of being the support act. The gig is fine - 'We don't need' seems to really click with all the audiences so far. Afterwards, as we eat our meals in catering, I hear the opening chords of 'Sweet Jane' and think life does not get better than this. Later, Myles and I head out for a few drinks, come back to the hotel and spend 45 minute trying to tune our guitars, with the intention of writing a song. We give up, but see the funny side. Sunday 14 April - Munich Munich, or the little bit of Munich we see is grim and industrial. Lous' roadie, Armando is beginning to warm to us a little and he seems to get on well with Liam, which is an achievement itself. Both of them are big guys who take their job seriously, and take no shit, but there seems to be a grudging respect. A journalist and a photographer from Melody Maker join us on the bus afterwards. We are interviewed separately, a feather boa is produced, and things get a little camp, but the photographer is pretty happy with himself. Fearghal must be a dream for these guys, so refreshing compared to the drab indie sourpusses that fill the pages of the weekly music mags. Let me entertain you, indeed. Monday 15 April - Zurich We arrive in Zurich, early morning, clear and bright. The travelling and routine can bring out the worst in you. There is a tendency to focus on minor things and blow them out of all proportions. There is unhappiness within the band that the daily allowance is not enough to cover phone calls home in addition to other essentials. We confront Wiff about this, but he is having none of it. Wiff becomes public enemy number one, but he is just the scapegoat for the tour madness that is setting in.We visit the grave of James Joyce, do some interviews, play our show and it is off to Milan. Tuesday 16 April - Milan A day off in Milan and we get to explore. Its nice to have time to look around. It is Myles birthday. The record company rep brings us out to dinner, to a beautiful restaurant. We set about burning a hole in his credit card with a vengeance. The wine is flowing, Tony, our resident English gent will not stop going on about how good the gnocci gorgonzola is, and someone orders swordfish. Afterwards, we pile back on to the bus, pissed, someone falls down the stairs to a chorus of laughter, and Myles is subjected to a ten minute rendition of 'Miles Ahead' by the Who in honour of his birthday. The fact that we only know one line of this song gives this rendition a vaguely menacing feel. Sleep comes easy tonight. Wednesday 17 April - Milan Milan -2000 capacity, we play, still suffering from the effects of the night before. On to a nightclub afterwards, the Italian Sony are generous hosts, and the nightclub is filled with beautiful people and .us. A 4 hour journey to Florence awaits. Thursday 18 April - Florence Florence is beautiful. We do a bit of sightseeing, accompanied by Tony, who is beginning to relax and understand the humour a little more. He treats us to a lesson in the art of seduction -his technique, on paper looks like it will never work. Approach a beautiful girl on the street (wearing your official tour laminate, of course) pay her some outrageous compliment, and invite her along to the show. He does this 5 times, and incredibly, two have accepted. We are impressed. Tony is a cad, but a lovable cad and we relax with a pizza in a typical Italian square in the warm, mid afternoon sun. In keeping with the rest of this place, the venue, Teatro Verdi is a beautiful theatre, and it feels almost sinful to play rock music in such a stunning setting. We see little of Lou after the shows, we are always travelling through the night, and Lou keeps to himself. He always says hello when we see him backstage, asking how things are going. But we recognise that 'hanging out' is probably not something that appeals much to him anymore. Friday 19 April - Somewhere in France A 650 mile, 22 hour bus journey to Bourges, France is next. It's the simpsons, alan partridge, teenage fanclub, Elvis Costello all the way. Saturday 20 April - Bourges Bourges is a rocking gig -France has always been good for us and this is just the antidote, as spirits were low after the long journey. We are drinking a lot to quell the boredom, and this inevitably leads to feeling sorry for yourself when thoughts stray to home. The tour is going well, but this audience is probably not the type of audience that we are going to really make an impact on. They are a lot older, and very much there to see Lou. But, I would not swap places with another band for anything in the world -this is one for the grandchildren, alright. Monday 22 April - Madrid Madrid in front of 6000 - we go down pretty well and retire to the car park for a game of football. This is becoming a regular thing - even those members of the party who rarely have kicked a ball in their life, join in. Something different - something that does not involve the endless cycle, the routine. More interviews today - we got the sense Sony Spain don't see us as much of a priority. Don't see much of Madrid, but watch nearly all of the Lou show. He is tremendous tonight, and the crowd lap it up. Every night there are extended solos (including a drum solo) as Lou introduces the band. The Madrid crowd go apeshit for this kind of thing, which is somewhat worrying. Tuesday 23 April - Oviedo Today, we play in a bullfighting ring in Ovieda -the smell of death is everywhere and thoughts stray to Hemmingways 'Death in the afternoon'. Alright, that might be a slight exaggeration but there is a strong smell of something, and it ain't pleasant. It's a cold evening by the time we take the stage early evening, and by the time we leave, the place is full and we have played a good show. 9000 people attend -Spain is obviously a big territory for Lou Reed. It's back to France tomorrow. Wednesday 24 April - Toulouse Its Toulouse, lazy day off, drinking wine from plastic cups on the steps of the bus. Today its Liams turn to take a slagging - every morning, on waking up, we have to negotiate a huge leg that blocks our path down the narrow corridor between bunks. Leg of Liam. Liam is a big, imposing guy, but his bark is worse than his bite. Tony and himself bicker like two old ladies, a sideshow well worth seeing. Thursday 25 April - Toulouse Toulouse, the Palais des Sports, 4600 people -possibly, our best yet. The set is getting really tight, and France just feels like the right place for Whipping Boy. Friday 26 April - Grenoble Grenoble, not much to report- 8 hours to get here and 8 hours on to Paris. Saturday 27 April - Paris Today we perform live on the biggest rock music TV show in France. Lou and Elvis Costello also perform. During the soundcheck, Lou and Elvis are rehearsing a song they are doing on the show together. There is a little bit of tension -Lou stamps his authority by asking Elvis to turn down his guitar, and for a moment, it looks like a clash of egos is on the cards. But Elvis remains very cool, and things pass off without incident. Before the show, I am more nervous than I have ever been in my life. Never get nervous before a gig, but this goes out to millions and Lou Reed and Elvis Costello are playing on the same show. We do "We don't need" and it goes well -the sense of relief is immense. Fearghal is interviewed afterwards on the couch with Lou who says some very nice things about the band. After the show we go for dinner and everyone is in great form. We are then brought on a midnight drive around Paris, a sightseeing trip. Gig tomorrow - still on a high from the TV show. Sunday 28 April - Paris On the way in to the soundcheck at the Zenith, Lou stops Myles, sings the chorus of 'We Don't Need' and says that 'if that song is not a hit I don't know what is'. Paris is a great show; we have been here for an in-store gig and the French label are really behind us, so the crowd response is good. Afterwards, we drink wine back on the hotel balcony, and Lou Reed's monitor guy, Tom joins us. He tells us stories that would make your hair stand on end. Just the usual tour stories -but stuff that never, ever happens to us. Tomorrow, we bid farewell to France with some great memories. Sunday 29 April - Brussels Brussels, a day off, but loads of press. We are in danger of talking ourselves to death, such is the number of interviews we have done in the last few months. I personally don't mind them, but sometimes you are just not in the mood, and today is one of those days. Monday 30 April - Brussels Forest National, Brussels, nice venue - the gig was OK - crowd were not the warmest we have encountered. Thoughts are beginning to stray home, as we are back in Dublin in a couple of days. Football in the carpark afterwards - while the gear is loaded, and on to Rotterdam. Wednesday May 1 - Rotterdam Playing the Ahoy Arena. I associate the Ahoy with the band Simple Minds and 'stadium rock' - I think they did a live album here. It shows the scale of this tour. It's a fantastic venue -and I felt a real buzz at playing here. At the soundcheck, we ask Lous bass player "Can you hear the drums, Fernando?" Fernando replies in all seriousness that he can, obviously not an Abba fan. Its moments of such juvenile humour that keep you going on a tour like this. Afterwards, watched Lou Reed play from the sidestage area -it is such a privilege to see him play at such close quarters. He plays over 3 hours each night and looks like he was born to do this. So many great songs, so many of them such an influence on all of us in forming a band and doing what we do now. We are nearing the end of the tour now, and I want to really make the most of the days left on tour. Thursday May 2 - Dublin Its bye bye to the tour bus and onto a small splitter bus for the remainder of the tour. Will miss it, but not too much. It was beginning to feel and smell a little too lived in. It's nice to get home and see the family for a few days. Saturday 4 May - Dublin The Point Depot holds 8500 and we are really looking forward to playing our home show. Everything is set up for the best show of the tour, but guess what? It's a big disappointment. When we go on, there can be no more that 300 present, and by the time our half hour slot is finished, there is maybe 1000 there. It looks like Lou has over stretched himself here -its under half full when he takes the stage. Afterwards, some of Lou Reeds crew look for advice on where to go for a night out - we don't join them but head home, a little deflated after what has been a bit of an anti-climax. Monday 6 May - Manchester Before the show, we watch Lou play pool against Fernando, his bass player. Lou wins, but Fernando looks like he had a little in reserve - beating the main man was probably not such a great idea so he took the sensible option. The show is good, the Apollo is full and the crowd are noisy and rowdy. We drive back to London straight after the show and stay in the 'legendary' Columbia hotel - one of those places where chucking a TV out the window is almost mandatory. We choose the more sedate option of drinking all night in the hotel bar, talking nonsense and admiring the patience of the night staff. Wednesday 8 May - London Wembley Arena, capacity 14000, the biggest venue of the tour. First thing we do on arriving, is play football inside the venue, its not the stadium but it is close enough. This place is absolutely massive, but like Dublin, its nowhere near full by the time Lou plays, and we play to an almost empty venue. Before hand, in an attempt to take the piss, we get a crowd noise sound up on our keyboard, and walk onstage to this. Loud, synthetic, cheers come from the PA -we play and get out of there. It was a brave decision going for a venue this size, but it is pretty dead out there and one we all want to forget. Friday 10 May - Glasgow Just two shows left, and first up it is the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, the complete opposite of Wembley Arena. It holds 1900 approx, and it is an absolutely brilliant gig. We go down well, but Lou goes down a storm and looks like he is really enjoying himself. The place is crammed, and its hot and sweaty in there but it all makes for one of the shows of the tour. Afterwards we talk about the last show tomorrow, and what we could do to mark the occasion. Someone suggests dressing up as women from the time we get up in the morning, right through to playing the show itself. There are a worrying number of enthusiastic responses to this idea - I think by the time we wake up and the effects of the drink have worn off, this idea will be canned. Saturday 11 May - Birmingham Fearghal, Colm, Wiff and Killian arrive down for breakfast dressed as women - its all very Rocky Horror Picture show, but pre-breakfast, on an empty stomach, it's a little bit much to take. Myles and I chicken out, with a promise we will do something else for the show. Colm looks like Norman Bates mother, Killian looks like this is not the first time he has done this, Fearghal is wearing a stunning little black number, and Wiff, what can I say about Wiff? From the waist up, it is all bomber jackets, serious tour manager at work. From the waist town, it is pure St Trinians, short (very short) skirt, black tights and legs that go all the way up to his ears. On the trip to Birmingham, Wiff gets out to buy petrol in a service station, dressed like this. Encouraged by this, the others follow to buy some junk food. They look a sight, but it is a great laugh. At the venue we pass Lou, and he looks at us, puzzled. The thought occurs that maybe he thinks we are taking the piss out of the whole 'Walk on the wild side' thing, but hey, it's the last night and its just a bit of a laugh. We play the show looking like this (Myles and I wear cling film wrapped around our heads - pretty cowardly, I know) and the crowd don't know what to make of it all. But it goes down well - Birmingham will forever remember us as that transvestite band that supported Lou Reed. We watch Lou for the final time - it is sad in some ways that we have reached the end; it has been a fantastic experience. After the show, we go to Lous' dressing room to thank him - we have a photo taken and he signs our tour itinerary: " To a great bunch of guys - Lou Reed". We say our goodbyes to the crew - they are now off with Lou to the States for the US leg of the tour. For us, it is back onto the bus to reminisce; who knows where it will go from here? Someone sticks on the video "Ed Wood" for the journey to Holyhead, the bus falls silent and I sleep and dream of a man whose life was saved by Rock and Roll. Diary by Paul Page of Whipping Boy.