From Saturday November the 20th until Thursday December
the 2nd the Rubettes and Sailor toured Holland to celebrate their 30th
anniversary. I was asked to organise the merchandise for both bands during this
tour. I’ve taken the opportunity to write a special tour diary, which you can
read below. Hopefully you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Lucienne
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Saturday, November 20th
2004 Egmond aan Zee (hotel
Zuiderduin)
We had arranged at the hotel Zuiderduin at 18.00 to
have dinner with everyone. After all
it didn’t work out as planned. Sailor were already having their dinner and the
Rubettes hadn’t been spotted yet. Just when we finished our meal they came in
and I arranged the merchandise with Alan after the sound check.
Alan asked my brother Rob to help him unload the car.
As Nannette was not able to join this tour my sister Anita stepped in.
After two years of emails, I met Pascale, she drove all
the way from France to Egmond to see the band play and meet me.
After this we put our gear in the dressing room and
discussed all the details considering the merchandise with Alan.
During the show Rob took all the stuff to the table
where after the show the selling would take place. In the meantime Anita,
Pascale and I could enjoy the show.
I was very pleased that “After the gold rush”
and “Ooh La La” were back on the set list. The Fifties Medley sounded
great! After the drum act we went to the sales table to set up. Pascale had
brought some solo CD’s by John she wanted to sell, so she joined us.
After the show all the band members came to sign the
merchandise. This was a hectic time, but fun all the same. I had agreed with
Alan that during the tour I would take all the merchandise with me and bring it
along to the next gig. This meant that at the end of the evening we stuffed all
the bags and boxes in Rob’s car. It soon became clear to me that this
operation called for a better organisation on my part.
By the time I got home I was knackered; and to think
this had only been the first night! My head hit the pillow at 3.30 am….
Sunday, November 21st 2004
Vlaardingen (theater van
Vlaardingen)
Today was the first time that we were to see the band
perform in a theatre. It took us a bit of searching around the town to find the
venue, but we made it just in time for dinner. Some tour members were already at
the table, while others were still busy in the theatre. Dinner was being served
at little tables in the foyer. Mark and his girlfriend joined us at our table
and we had a good old natter during dinner.
After dinner it was time for the bands to sound check.
For the merchandise we had been provided with an enormous semi-circular
reception desk. We could see Sailor’s show on a little TV screen, although it
was hard to make out the details from such a long distance on that tiny screen.
When the Rubettes went on we went into the theatre to see a part of their show.
It was strange to see the audience seated during the show. Many people seemed to
find it difficult to remain seated; they were dancing on the spot! What struck
me was that everybody was silent during “After the Gold rush”. This
is a particularly well-suited song for a theatre.
As usual the band joined us after the show, only John
didn’t appear at first. It was rather busy when I spotted him, wrestling his
way through the crowd. Suddenly he dropped on all fours, crawling around and
barking like a dog. People looked down in surprise. John crawled under the desk
and stood up, causing lots of laughter. Many people wanted their picture taken
with the band and they were given ample opportunity for this.
When everybody was gone, John asked us if we had
received any complaints about a dog biting them in the leg. I answered that I
had heard someone screaming in terror. John walked away laughing.
Monday, November 22nd 2004
Arnhem (Musis Sacrum)
Anita and I had decided to spend the night at the hotel
this time because the next day we would have to drive all the way to the north
of the country. We checked in, threw our overnight bags in the room and made our
way back to the car. From the hotel lobby we spotted Alan, John and Mark walking
to their car, they had to wait for Mick, so we decided to drive on ahead. In
Arnhem the road we needed to take was closed down. We drove around in circles
and in the end it took us an hour to find Musis.
Upon our arrival we found everybody already at the
dinner table. Alan asked us in a surprised tone where we had been, as we had
left the hotel earlier then they had. They had even done the sound check while
we had been driving around! Rob was there too. He had dropped Nannette off at
the hospital in the nearby town of Zevenaar that afternoon. Because the Rubettes
didn’t have to be on stage before 22.00 pm, they all piled into Rob’s car
and went to the hospital to wish Nannette good luck. She had to undergo a major
operation the next day. At the hospital they sung her favourite song. Even Rob
had to admit that this was very moving.
Luckily they were back in time for the show. Before
playing “Tonight” Alan dedicated this song to Nannette. After the
show I spoke to Alan about their visit to Nannette. He said he thinks she is
being very brave and hopes the surgery will have the desired effect, as we all
do of course.
Note from Nannette: "Without my knowledge Rob had
arranged for the guys to come and visit me at the hospital that evening. You can
imagine my surprise when at 7.15 the door to my room opened and suddenly the
Rubettes where standing around my bed. Alan had brought me a T-shirt with
personal messages from all the boys written on it. We chatted for half an hour
and they sung “After the Gold rush” on my special request. When they
left there was a strange rustling sound and lots of white dresses disappearing
around corners.
The next day I went under anaesthetic singing “After
the Gold rush”. You can imagine what a wonderful sleep I had."
Tuesday, November 23rd 2004
Drachten ( de Lawei)
We had a bad nights’ sleep at the hotel. I was lucky
to catch three hours of decent rest. At breakfast Anita and I agreed that life
on the road is not an easy life. We were just about exhausted after just one
night, while the boys sleep in hotels for weeks on end.
John was talking to Grant (Sailor’s drummer), so we
left them in peace. When Mark spotted us he came over and asked how we were
feeling. I told him I don’t sleep well in a strange bed. Anita expressed her
respect for their lifestyle, but Mark said they are used to it by now.
To make sure we wouldn’t be the last ones to appear
at the dinner table again, we made sure to depart for Drachten well in time. We
reached de Lawei around 15.30. We had plenty of time to look around the theatre
and the staff were very co-operative in helping us to present the merchandise
nicely. When it was time for dinner the Rubettes hadn’t arrived yet. Later it
turned out they had gotten lost. At last they made their entrance at 19.30 and
they just had time for a quick bite in the artists foyer. Mark commented that
they had driven via Croatia. There was no time for a sound check, as Sailor had
to be on stage at 20.00. Alan had collected his wife from Schiphol Airport that
morning and he introduced her to us. She would join the tour for a couple of
days.
Because the doors to the theatre didn’t open from the
outside, I watched the show from the side of the stage. Anita stayed behind to
watch our gear. I was standing in the wings and had a good view on the band and
the audience. When John spotted me, he asked me if I would please get his towel
from the dressing room. When I had to go onstage to give him his towel they had
just started “Ooh La La”. Luckily all went well, because I would have
been likely to go flat on my face in the middle of the stage!
When they set in “Juke Box Jive” I knew the
end of the set was near, so I made my way back to Anita. While they played “Sugar
Baby Love” I realised they had done a shorter set than usual. Just as we
thought the audience would be leaving the theatre we heard the Soul Medley!
Another encore, this was a first for me. After the show the four of them joined
us for a signing session. John asked if we had heard from Nannette yet. But she
had had her surgery that afternoon and I hadn’t spoken to Rob yet. After
clearing up and loading up the car we went to say goodnight. John insisted on us
letting them know how Nannette was doing. I promised to call Rob and pass on all
the information on Thursday.
Thursday, November 25th 2004 Terneuzen
(Schelde theater)
Upon our arrival we couldn’t use the venue’s car
park, or so it seemed. I had parked my car somewhere as nearby as possible and
we just had to see how we would get all the gear to the theatre. It was quite a
long walk and we weren’t able to carry all the stuff at once. Luckily once
inside someone from the Schelde Theater was kind enough to open the gate for us,
so we could use the car park after all. That saved us a lot of walking back and
forth. We took the merchandise into the dressing room and after that we could
sit down for dinner. Sailor had already done their sound check and the Rubettes
were almost finished with theirs. A large dining table had been set up in
the foyer. Not quite large enough for everyone to eat at once, but as we
were all taking turns eating, it went fine. After dinner I spoke with John about
his solo CD’s and about his daughter Pia, who has also made some beautiful
CD’s. From this conversation it was obvious how proud John is of his daughter,
and rightly so!
Today Anita and I decided to go and see Sailor play.
After all these days we had not had the opportunity to see even a part of their
show; to be honest we didn’t even have a clue who did what! Of course there
was no time to see the whole show, but what we did see was good fun.
When the Rubettes went on we went back to the
auditorium, mostly because we don’t want to miss the slightest part of the
drum act. During dinner Anita had told Alan she knew the act by heart by now.
Alan had replied the act is just like a song.
When John wanted to warm up the audience with the
Gauranga mantra, Anita and I shouted out loudly with him. So loudly that we were
slightly embarrassed with ourselves, because we were the only ones joining in!
John said he heard something from the back, but he wanted everybody to join in.
Of course he succeeded in the end. During the act Alan’s drumstick broke in
two, which caused Mick to almost fall over laughing. John quickly handed Alan a
new stick, so they could continue the act. After the drum act Anita and I snuck
out of the auditorium to start setting up our table with the merchandise. After
the sales and signing session John stayed behind for a chat. We talked about the
drum act and I told him that we had shouted Gauranga at the top of our voices.
He looked at us in surprise and asked: “Was that YOU?” and doubled over with
laughter. He had heard someone calling out loudly from the back, but had had no
idea that it was us. He loved it!
When we had finished packing the car and were about to
leave, we spotted Alan’s car driving off…. in the wrong direction! I tried
to get his attention using light signals, but to no avail. The next day the
sound engineers told us that they had been overtaken three times by the Rubettes
on their way to the hotel. I never asked Alan at what time they had reached the
hotel…
Friday, November 26th 2004
Rijssen (discotheek Lucky)
Today Anita and I checked in to the hotel and went on
our way to the venue early, because we expected it to be busy on the road. And
indeed we got stuck in some traffic jams on the way. When we arrived at the
discotheque we were told that the bands were expected to arrive an hour later,
which meant that dinner would be an hour later as well. We used the extra time
folding our flyers. There was only one dressing room and that was too small to
even properly accommodate one band, let alone two. But this was the only place
in the building where the temperature was not close to freezing. We were really
shivering from the cold. When Sailor arrived we vacated the dressing room for
them and went to the grand café, which was closed down to the public to serve
as a dining/dressing room. We had just finished our meal when we spotted someone
walking around outside. It turned out to be Mick looking for the entrance to the
building. I showed him the way to the stage door and went to let him in.
In the grand café there was a large table where
everybody sat down for a chat. Mark told us that they had been sightseeing in
Amersfoort and wanted to take the bus back to the hotel. But the bus never
stopped anywhere near the hotel and before they knew what was going on they were
back in Amersfoort! They then took a cab back to the hotel.
Mick was wondering if cyclists were allowed to do
anything they wanted in the Dutch traffic. We explained that Dutch cyclists
think they are allowed to do as they please and behave like it, but there are
traffic rules they have to comply to.
We were able to see parts of both bands performances,
because our table was in the hall and we could see the stage from there. As
usual, both bands came to sign and chat with the audience afterwards. It is
great to see how enthusiastically the fans react when meeting their idols! When
we were leaving I suggested the Rubettes would follow us as we were going to the
hotel as well. Mick said all he needed was to be guided to the motorway. As soon
as we drove away from the disco, he was driving the wrong way. I slammed my horn
to make it clear that they could follow me. Once on the motorway they honked,
waved and overtook us with great speed. We never saw their car again until we
reached the hotel. They were probably sound asleep by then.
Saturday, November 27th 2004 Leeuwarden
( Muziekcentrum de Schaaf)
Luckily we slept a lot better in our hotel bed this
night. It was 9.30 when we woke up! That meant we had to hurry, because
breakfast was served until 10.30. So all we had time for was a quick shower.
After breakfast we checked out and drove to Amersfoort
to do some shopping. We were on our way back when we suddenly spotted the
Rubettes. We went over to them and said hello. Mark asked us if we had seen a
pizza restaurant somewhere because he fancied a pizza. NOT! He would not give up
and went on with his search. Anita and I had some lunch and went on our way to
Leeuwarden.
We had to search around quite a bit, because de Schaaf
is hidden away in a small alleyway. It is a nice place though.
In de Schaaf we met Grants’ wife Mich(elle).
She
came over from the UK to stay with us for the rest of the tour. The Rubettes
were nowhere to be seen yet. In the meantime we had dinner and saved something
for them in the fridge. Sailor had started their performance and Anita, Mich and
myself were watching the show, when Anita suddenly spotted Mick. We decided to
go to the dressing room to greet the boys. There was John and I asked him: “Do
I know you?”. He laughed and said I probably did, because we had met that
afternoon in Amersfoort and I had said hello to him then. I replied that I have
this habit of greeting complete strangers. John went along with the joke and
revealed that he is the drummer of a band called the Rubettes. I said the name
Rubettes ringed a bell and that might be the reason that his face looked
familiar to me. We were having lots of fun and when Mick walked in I told him he
looked familiar as well. Mick just looked baffled, because he had missed the
former part of the conversation. When the tour manager walked in John asked him
if he could make sure that he would hire some nice girls next time, because he
was being teased. At the same time he laughed his head off.
When the Rubettes went on Anita and I were in the
dressing room. We heard them set in “Foe Dee Oh Dee” and after
Alan singing two lines suddenly all we heard was the drums. We looked at each
other and said something must be wrong here. We rushed to the auditorium and
there we found out that all the fuses had blown and the stage was without power!
Alan, Mick and Mark left the stage while John entertained the audience with a
drum solo. But it took too long to solve the problem, so in the end John gave up
and left for the dressing room as well. We went to see them and found out that
this power problem had done nothing to spoil their good spirits. Alan just said
these things happen sometimes. He also told us that in some other countries the
band is supposed to just carry on playing when the power goes off. I was very
surprised to hear this and said it surely is impossible to play without power.
He agreed, but at the same time said that some promotors just don’t care. He
praised the Dutch for their understanding attitude and their patience to just
wait until the problem is solved.
After about ten minutes they could go back on stage. I
asked Mark if they would have to start all over again, but he said that they
would just skip the tune.
The audience was enthusiastic. After “Sugar Baby
Love” they played another encore: “Lucille”. This was to make
up for the time the audience had had to wait.
After the show and the signing session the guys finally
had their dinner.
Monday, November 29th 2004
Almere ( De Metropole)
By this time it had become kind of a game to guess
which of the bands arrived at the venue first. To our great surprise today the
Rubettes were first. John proudly announced it had only taken them three hours
to get there. I replied that they had done very well indeed, as Almere is only
one hour from the hotel. John laughed his head off.
After this funny interlude John asked for some boiling
water. Mark had caught a nasty cold and John had brought the ingredients for a
medicinal concoction. He had lemons, some ginger, cayenne pepper and honey with
him. He proceeded to slice the lemons and put them in a jug, together with the
ginger and pepper. He poured boiling water in the jug and finally added some
honey. Mark didn’t seem in the least bit interested. He felt so bad he was
prepared to give anything a try to relieve his symptoms. John asked the guys
from Sailor if they wanted to have some as well. Phil was feeling a bit under
the weather, so he was more than willing to have a glass. The others tried some
out of curiosity. The reactions were very varied, which caused a lot of laughter.
Anita and I were just curious how it tasted, so we just had a little taste. When
the sound engineers came in John asked them if they wanted a taste of his
special drink. They hadn’t seen what was in the jug. The first sip slapped
them in the middle of the face, as the cayenne pepper had made the brew
exceptionally spicy. After everybody had had a try, John was happy. This
occasion was a reason for Anita and me to have a long conversation with John
about alternative medicine and related subjects.
Mark got another full glass of the drink, as he was the
sick one after all. He did look rather pathetic. His throat was sore and he
wondered if he would be able to sing, “You’re the Reason Why”
that evening. During the gig we were in the auditorium for a while and when Mark
had finished singing, “You’re the Reason Why”, we gave each other a
satisfied look; John’s cure had worked! When we let Mark know afterwards that
he had done very well, he replied that during the show he gives himself
completely, but afterwards he is totally knackered. We can only hope he feels
better soon.
Tuesday, November 30th 2004 Kerkrade
(Parkstad theater)
Today was to be our longest journey. We had a terrible
time trying to find the theatre. In fact we didn’t find it at all! At one
point we spotted the van with the P.A. gear and just plonked our car besides it.
But I still don’t know today where the entrance to the theatre is… As we
came in it turned out that everybody had been searching for the place, even the
tour manager. We wondered which of the bands would be first to arrive. It turned
out to be Sailor. When they were sitting down for their dinner one of the
technicians asked Peter, the singer, how they had managed to find the theatre.
Peter drily replied, “We kidnapped a local”. It turned out they had asked
someone the way who had been kind enough to get in the car with them to show
them the way to the theatre. Peter smugly added the Rubettes would never be able
to find the place. Luckily he was wrong, because a short time later they came in
and could sit down for their dinner immediately.
During the show John showed his most clownesque
attitude once again. From behind his drum kit he made loads of silly remarks,
which made the audience roar with laughter.
As usual it was very busy at the merchandise table
after the show. People were excited to meet their former idols, talk to them and
even hug them! The band clearly had a good time as well. John couldn’t resist
calling out Gauranga at the top of his voice from time to time and he got a
great response!
Wednesday, December 1st 2004 Etten-Leur
(de Nobelaer)
As Anita and I arrived at the Nobelaer
we found out that the stage entrance could only be opened from the inside.
We were walking around the building to find a way in, when we saw Alan’s car
arrive. The guys asked us for the way in, but we could only reply we didn’t
know. We had tried all the doors to no avail. We decided to all give the front
entrance another try, when Mick was calling out to us. The stage door was opened
for us.
During dinner it struck me that this was the first time
that everybody was at the table at the same time. Right after dinner work had to
be done. Sailor was going off to do their sound check. We stayed behind at the
table with Alan for a coffee and a talk. He told us about his solo CD, his plans
for next year and the making of a DVD. He had planned to make a live DVD during
this tour, but this had proven financially impossible. This is bad luck, because
we had met with a lot of demand for a DVD at the merchandise table. Alan has not
given up his plans for the making of a DVD yet, so all hope isn’t lost.
As usual Alan wanted to check out our merchandise table.
Behind this table there was a life-size plastic horse. Alan worried what effect
this was going to have on John….
Sailor was about to go on stage and Anita and I wanted
to have our picture taken with them in their stage gear. This had to be done
before their act, because afterwards they always came to the table half-dressed.
At first we didn’t know what this was all about, as we had never seen the end
of their show. It turned out that they always perform a kind of strip act at the
end of their performance. The guys from Sailor didn’t mind at all posing with
us for our photo.
In the meantime Mick was telling us a hilarious story
about an encounter with a Dutch policeman that afternoon. This policeman had
seen Mick get out of their car that afternoon and came over to tell him he was
not allowed to park there. Mick had told him to speak to the driver about that.
The policeman said he had seen Mick get out of the car, so he must be the driver.
Mick insisted he wasn’t, but the policeman was sure he had seen Mick get out
on the driver’s side of the car. In the end Mick had told the copper that this
was a British car, with the steering wheel on the other side, this much to the
policeman’s’ embarrassment.
Before the Rubettes went on stage I wanted my picture
taken with them in their stage gear as well. As soon as the last Sailor
customers left and Sailor went back to the dressing room, Anita and I rushed to
the Rubettes’ dressing room. We made it just in time.
We went into the auditorium to see the first part of
the Rubettes’ show as we usually did. During “Baby I Know” Mick’s
guitar belt suddenly got loose on one side. Mick sings the solo part of this
song, so he is sure to have everybody’s full attention. He desperately tried
to keep his bass guitar in place by balancing it on his raised knee, but he was
clearly in trouble. Alan signalled to the stage technician what was wrong and
during the song they managed to attach the belt to the bass. All this didn’t
effect Mick’s’ playing at all, he only made one slight mistake with the
lyrics. Considering the situation I thought he handled it remarkably well.
When we were at the merchandise table after the show,
Alan’s fears came true. John spotted the horse and immediately started
whinnying loudly; he just can’t help himself sometimes… The audience echoed
his Gauranga mantra again.
When we had packed the car afterwards and Alan was also
about to leave, he asked if I have a CD player in my car. On my affirmative
reply he handed me a copy of his solo CD to play on the way home. He wanted to
know our opinions about it. Of course we played it. They are all soft songs and
we really enjoyed it. I must admit I prefer the English version, but that is due
to the fact that I don’t speak French. This means I can’t sing along, and
that is an absolute MUST for me, especially in the car. But the CD on the whole
is recommendable!
Thursday, December 2nd 2004
Roermond ( de Oranjerie)
It was with mixed feelings that we went on the road for
the last time today. It had been two hard weeks and our lives had been turned
upside down, but the idea that after tonight it would all be over, made me sad
all the same. Anita made me promise not to start crying when we had to say
goodbye to the bands.
But first we had to make it to Roermond in time. Sailor
had said the night before that it was our turn to be late this time and it
looked like they were going to have their way. The traffic was awful and it took
us over three hours to get to the venue. Upon our arrival I told Mich I had
developed a sudden dislike for the song “Traffic Jam”, which made her laugh.
We had a quick bite to eat and it struck me that Mark looked a lot better
tonight. He was also more talkative, a sign that he must be feeling better.
We didn’t get to see Sailor’s last performance,
although Anita and I did decide we MUST see the end of their show this time. It
was definitely worth it! After Sailor had signed all the sold merchandise and
the audience were back in the auditorium the guys thanked and kissed us
profusely for our help. They invited us back to their dressing room for a drink
after the show. Of course we went to say goodbye. They gave us a CD and a DVD
each, with personal messages from all the band members written on it. A very
kind gesture indeed.
Before this tour all we knew about Sailor were their
seventies hits. But during the past two weeks we got to know them as four nice
guys with a great sense of humour. We have really enjoyed selling their
merchandise. Who knows, we’ll meet again sometime. Ahoy Sailor!!!!!
In the meantime the Rubettes were onstage and we rushed
to go and see them play. What exactly went wrong we couldn’t make out, but
during the A Capella medley suddenly John and Mark doubled over with laughter.
It was infectious, because it wasn’t long before Alan and Mick joined in. But
of course the show must go on, so they pulled themselves together and went on
singing. All went well until Mark had to sing his solo part in “Happy Days”.
The wire fell out of his microphone and his voice at once became inaudible. He
burst out laughing once again. John tried to save the situation by sticking his
mike in Mark’s face, but it was too late. They both had a hopeless case of the
giggles! Mick and Alan joined in and the effect of the medley was totally spoilt.
In the end only Alan pulled himself together enough to sing on but the others
couldn’t produce a single note anymore. Luckily the audience could see the
funny side of the situation, some of them even joined in with the laughter. Alan
apologised for the chaos.
Sadly Anita and I had to leave to take our position at
the merchandise table. When we heard “Sugar Baby Love” we thought it
was over, but then we heard them sing the A Capella version of “Barbara Ann”.
Surely that was meant to make up for the earlier muck-up of the fifties medley.
By the sound of it this was enormously appreciated by the audience. After that
the band joined us for another hectic session. Again John shouted Gauranga at
the top of his voice and everybody joined in. Wonderful!
Afterwards we had to sort out the unsold merchandise
and hand it back to Alan. Mick saw us at work and came over to treat us to one
of his famous hugs to thank us for all our hard work. He is such a lovely lad!
After sorting out our business with Alan, all the gear
was loaded into a car and we all got ready to leave. We said goodbye to the tour
manager, the sound engineers and of course to the band members. Mark and Mick
were in the dressing room where we were hugged once again. Alan and John were
busy loading their car, so we went over to them to say our goodbyes. We hugged,
kissed and wished each other a safe journey. We were going home, but the
Rubettes had to go to Germany for a gig that weekend. I jokingly said that I
never thought I would have to admit that I was going to miss them, which made
John laugh. When Alan asked us if we would consider going on tour with them
again sometime, we didn’t have to think. The answer was a loud and clear
YESSSS!!
We got in the car and as we drove off Alan was driving
in front of us. On the motorway I overtook him and at the point where our ways
literally parted we drove side by side for as long as possible and we all waved.
Then we each went our separate ways…
I kept my promise to Anita; I didn’t cry. In fact on
the way back home we only laughed a lot about all the things we had been through
with the Rubettes and Sailor the past fortnight. The dry British sense of humour,
the co-operation and the fun we had. We have both enjoyed it immensely and
reached the conclusion that this had been an experience no one will be able to
take away from us. I can only say: Alan, John, Mick, Mark, Phil, Grant, Peter
and Rob, thank you all very much for this wonderful tour!
But of course our thanks also to the organisation of
this tour: Golden Classics, who have made it possible for us to be a part of it.
They were eleven great days. As far as we are concerned hopefully till the next
time!!!
Translation by Nannette