20.56
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton.
Hospitality…
Alex Assumes The Roadie Position…
And there it was, right at the beginning of the Soundscapes set - the flash. As if to test its destructive efficacy & give the photographer a dummy run, the first flash went off just before the Soundscaper walked onstage, while at stage side right collecting himself.
A day of pain & hassle. A sleepless night with throat pain set to Excruciate! Excruciate! A visit to Bredonborough surgery this morning, and gargling a garlic & ginger brew recommended by the Slinky Minx, one practised in the art of throat protection & recovery.
Front Door Collection by Alex & John was set for 13.00. A call from DGM HQ at noon warned me that the hire van had announced its retirement from Soundscape duty - Penzance was quite far enough, it claimed – and died. Alex & John changed it for an unsuitable but working model: that is, one which moved forward when a gear was engaged. A&J left Salisbury at 14.00 & arrived in Bredonborough at 16.15.
An hour to get to Wolverhampton & an hour driving around the city centre looking for Wulfrun Hall. It should be easy to find a major venue in a city centre; in the dark, in rush hour, it is not easy to manoeuvre around an English city centre. We arrived late, John & Alex setting up the SV I.2 remarkably quickly albeit with an Eventide 3000 non-functioning. We carry a spare for just this reason.
Throat pain this evening continues to be excruciating, so great that 30 minutes was all I could manage onstage. A supportive audience in a standing hall.
23.03 Back to a very cold but welcoming Bredonborough. The replacement van has 3 seats at the front. This is not acceptable for long drives, such as we are facing. Tomorrow morning Alex & John are aiming to find a van with a second row of seating.
A&J have both been heroes today. John is pretty worn, but even in the worse situations, he never panics. In this John is exceptional: whatever the alarming news & however terrifying the situation, John holds the centre & gets the job done.
"With commitment, all the rules change."
