DAY ONE (WELL, TWO) - BOSTON

Shouldn’t we be a little uncomfortable with the words ‘big business franchise’ and ‘the blues’ in the same sentence? Well, ‘House of Blues’ is a big business franchise that brings theme parks and music together. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great places, just a little false. You get the feeling that maybe one day they’ll do a spin-off called ‘Haunted House of Blues’. They’re now in most major cities in the US, and one has sprouted in the shadow of Fenway Park , home of the Red Sox.

It was a sweltering afternoon in Boston, a welcome heat for those of us who remember having real British summers in years past. Had the usual wait for soundcheck, and used the spare time to nip to the local Guitar Center, (another big business franchise that exists in most major cities – and yes, I know ‘Center’ irritates me too, it’s my stuffy British manner). Stocked up on picks, strings and spare leads, all for a fraction of the UK cost.

Gigtime rolled around, the stage was huge, the monitor mix was appalling, but I think we did a good job in the circumstances. One rehearsal, one gig, no major cock ups. Phew.

There was a ballgame on when we spilled out of the venue. Chaos. Fantastic family atmosphere though, people milling everywhere – a little like Sir Matt Busby way after a 7.30pm kick off, except without all the knobheads. Hailed an entertaining cabbie and had a potted history of Boston on our 3 mile, $20 ride back. He was well worth the extra cash. He explained that Berklee School Of Music (a huge icon for me as a kid) had the lowest level of graduations on account of most students getting jobs or contracts before even completing the course. "If I see a senior from there, I know they must SUCK as a player". Cab wisdom. Love it.
I’ll be sad to leave Boston, I love it here.