The Creek Hotel, Peel, I O M
11th March 2006
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Fun In The Snow
With the 'hardly outdoor type'

In typically British fashion we'll begin with the weather. 
If anyone tells you it rained in their area on this Saturday, then they're lying.
There couldn't have been any left to land on other people
as it was all dropping in Peel.
Then it decided to add snow to the mix, but as Billy Connelly once said
" There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. "  
So I made sure I was appropriately dressed, as I sat in the van watching Jules struggle with the gear in the snow. He,He.

This must have been the noisiest gig yet. I was struggling to hear myself over the crowd. I think there must be a bylaw in Peel against ballads as the louder and harder the tunes the more everyone likes it.

I aired a couple of  new tunes tonight, a re-working of a rock track I used to play called Wanted Man and a brand new tune called Lift me up. This was supposed to have been a ballad, But ended up wobbling the back windows. 

It still surprises me even now the way that playing bars differs from clubs or festivals. When you play in a bar it's very much like setting up shop and doing a concert in someone's front room. Your the guest in their home, so to speak.
When a person walks onto the stage with a beer you think 'cheers mate'. When they've got an arm full you think 'bloody hell they must like me', but you have to laugh when you realise he was just looking for somewhere to sit and was put out that you'd nicked all the room with music gear. 

My favourite is the bloke that invariably walks onto the stage and says " I'm off home now, can I shake your hand?" I usually say "can you shake his hand, that guy there in the front row", and when he looks back confused I say
"It's just he's not using his to play this guitar!!". 

It's all good fun and........................

"It's character building" I said to Jules as I sat at the bar later. Then I added "and stop leaving the door open as you take the gear out".