We started today in a cab at 6am & spent the rest of it on a series of connecting trains to get from last night’s show in Hefei to where we are now in Zhengzhou. To be honest, I don’t know where we are any more – muddling the names of hard-to-pronounce-and-remember cities and towns – and losing complete sense of direction. I asked Tom, our tour manager, today – we’re apparently right smack in the middle of China.

Last night’s show was classic, small disasters – one after the other. Train delays meant were late to the venue for sound-check – which was almost a complete debarcle. We had about 1 minute to change out of stinky travel clothes into stinky stage clothes, scrambling pants & shirts off by the side of stage.

Shot from the stage – last night in Hefei, China.

Then the show kicked off…  It’s the first time we’ve ever started the set 4 times. The first re-start after the power cut out half way through the first song, then again (after a 10 minute break) when the power cut out half way through the second song. Then again half way through the third (another break). The whole thing started to feel like a black comedy & that we’d just have to leave the stage.

We started the third song again after the third 10 minute break and actually got all the way through. And finally all the way through the set. It was a great lesson about not giving up. By the end of the set, the kids were going nuts, ripping shirts off, dancing & pumping fists in the air. They’d come especially to see us & waited patiently until we got ourselves through some pretty dodgy power issues. We all felt great when we finally stepped off stage, an honour to play for this great little crowd (I really needed a drink).

We’ve got a couple of days off before the next show, which is right next to our hotel here.

Checkya tomorrow,
Fires out.