JBC 20th Anniversary Tour Travelogue - Day 5-6
June 12-13, 2002 - read Brian's full tour report here

Day 5 was mostly travel. The day began with a phone call booking the band for a second gig in Belgium...rock! We got on the road at a fairly reasonable hour, Baerbel kissed us all good luck, and we were on our way.

Everyone was still a bit weary from the night before, not to mention getting up at an unGodly hour to watch football. The drive was long, but we reached Nüremberg in about 6 hours or so. The initial plan was to go straight on to Munich, but Pat's judgment at Nüremberg (pun intended) was to stay the night and pick up the additional two hours or so the next day.

The hotel we stayed at was French, and had all of the modern conveniences of a plastic room with a mattress on the floor. Indeed, we got onto the elevator, which promptly trapped us until Owen smartly came to look for us. Good thing, too...for we know what happens when you leave a Fish too long in an elevator (don't we?)...Also, no phones in the room (hence, no internet connection, hence no report...QED)

I enjoyed a much needed shower and a good night's sleep, and in the morning, we had breakfast outside a small cafe. We again took to the autobahn, arriving in Munich mid-afternoon.

After setting up, the band did a rehearsal (since they hadn't had one...even prior to the Hamburg gig) and really tightened up. By soundcheck they were in the groove, and well looking forward to the show.

The club owner prepared dinner for all, after which I went for a stroll. Former JBC alum Peter 'No Show' Crouch turned up, to everyone's delight. I ran merchandise before and after the show, and once again got to be 'JBC answer man', a job I am uniquely suited for. Pat decided that I was in charge of 'Public relations', and was pleased with the number of CDs that sold...so I am earning my keep.

The show itself was great: a nice club, a good audience, and the band was keen to play. Crouchy even got up (after a chant of 'Crou-chy, Crou-chy') and played on 'Zombie Love'. Three or four of the people that I sold CDs to hadn't heard of the band before, so that itself speaks to the performance.

Tonight we are all flopping in one big room over the club... Beds strewn about the floor, slumber party style. In the morning, the band plans to go to the pub to watch more football. (The good thing about not being into sports is, you get to sleep in.) Then we make our way back to Nuremburg for the show there. No cheap French hotel tomorrow though, an old friend of Owen's will be putting us up.

So to bed, to dream of windmills off the autobahn and breakfast strudel. Mmmmm.