WE HAVE a chilled morning then take a 20-minute walk to the theatre to meet our pal Krista. She is theatre manager and producer there and we catch up over coffee.
It’s a nice day and we walk back via the supermarket then get the gear along to Philly Joe’s which is only five minutes’ walk form our apart-hotel.
Soundman Kristian is on hand and takes great care over my sound. Eva and Martha look after us very well and hen we chill in the green room.
I’m a little worried about numbers but no need to – the place is pretty full and it’s nice to see some familiar faces.
I have a grand time playing and the audience is amazing. After the show we get packed up and Krista and Martin help us back to our place and come in for drink. Fantastic evening and start to the Estonia section of the tour.
Krista and Martin help us back with the gear after the show
WE have to be out the apartment-hotel at 11am. Margaret did all the packing and sorting last night so there’s no panic.
After breakfast we go to the foyer and arrange a taxi to take us to the ferry port where we chill for an hour or so after checking in.
It’s a smooth, two-hour Baltic crossing to Tallinn where we fend off a pushy unofficial taxi driver. Another comes along and says he’s ‘official’ but turns out he’s not. He’s a nice guy and very helpful but nearly 50 euros for what I suspect is a 15-20 euro leaves a sour taste. We have too much stuff and are too tired to argue.
Our apartment is three floors up and there’s no lift. We bump onto a Scottish guy at the entrance who’s having problems unlocking his key safe – perhaps a result of too much to drink – and help him out then get to our place and chill for a while.
It’s after 7pm when we venture out into the old to find some dinner. The place we’d planned to go has a pretty poor and over-pried menu so we wander around a while and find a reasonably priced sports. Bar ≠ and unlikely place for a decent meal but we decided to give it a try.
We both order fillet steak at under 20 euro a pop. Expectations are low, but it turns out to be one the best and most enjoyable steaks I’ve ever had, regardless of cost.
Next stop is a 24-hour supermarket for some breakfast supplies then we pop into a rock/metal bar Bar Bar…a new location for the place – I played a show for them in another location pre-covid…and the owner, Mad, had previously promoted a show for me at a venue called Rockstars (sadly no longer there) which was one of my best and favourite shows ever!
We walk into the place and are immediately greeted like royalty! Mad isn’t around, but the other folks remember us!
Lunch and a great afternoon out in Helsinki with our pals Maiju and Miika
WE wake early then fall back to sleep. Suddenly it’s nearly midday! Our body clocks are pretty messed up.
A late breakfast, showers and we’re good to go – and meet our pals Maiju and Miika who are waiting for us outside the hotel.
We take a short walk to a place called Deli Beri in the city centre where Maiju treats us all to lunch then we sit, drink coffee and chat all afternoon. It’s really nice to catch up.
After saying cheerio Margaret and I have a wee wander about, pick up one stuff for dinner later and head back to our hotel were we’re happy to have a chilled evening. We’re off to Estonia tomorrow.
ANOTHER ‘recovery’ morning in the apartment in Lahti then we start gathering our stuff up.
There’s no strict time schedule today as we only need to get the train to Helsinki. We’re ready too go early afternoon and luckily the station is less than ten minutes walk form the apartment.
After an hour-long train ride we get into Helsinki’s and go to find our hotel. We’re here two nights.
We need to do some washing and the hotel has a laundry…but I only have the pair of jeans I’m wearing. And they need a wash so we take a walk to the shops and I find a pair of lightweight black baggies that I can use.
Our hotel room has a kitchen area so we pick up some stuff for dinner and when we get back Margaret takes all our stuff to the laundry.
ANOTHER long lie after a late one….and then I fix some bust strings on the Acoustasonic.
Tonight’s show isn’t far away but Ismo comes to pick us up at 3pm to take us to the house for a late lunch before we head to Pensuo.
It’s nice to see Suvi and the kids…and Ismo gets the grill going and cooks up a storm.
We have a lovely few hours then Ismo takes us to Pensuo where we load in to the Juke Joint…a kinda private venue run by the local ‘blues mafia’ 🙂
It’s an extra gig - a filler sorted by the mafia blues fans - and we’re not expecting much. We’ll, however wrong could we be - great people, great place and probably my favourite show of the tour so far!
First song, first video in Sastemala and these two walk right in front of Margaret to snap a selfie!
OUR body clocks are kinda messed up with the hospital carry on and the late nights…and I’m buggered when I wake up even though it’s nearly midday!
After my now routine wander to the shop for breakfast stuff we catch up on stuff and then go a walk to the town centre. I forgot to bring an emergency jack-to-jack guitar cable in case my radio pack gives up…and it could also be handy if I need to connect my stomp box if a venue doesn’t;t have a spare DI box. We pick one up at the music store.
Ismo picks us up at 4pm for the 2-½-hour drive to Sastemala where venue owner Hannu greets us. We load in, set up and soundcheck then take out stuff to the dressing room before being sent to a nearby restaurant for a fantastic meal.
Ismo and I both have fun playing but it’s nearly 1am but he time we’re loaded out. I manage to stay awake and talk to Ismo the whole drive back…quite a drive after a show!
Ismo joins me for a song at the end of my set in Hammenlinna
ANOTHER long lie – well, more like a long sleep – dunno when I’m gonna start feeling like I’m getting back to full strength.
A wander too the shop and some breakfast then I get busy with some of the emails and social media stuff that’s been neglected a bit over the last few days. There’s also some video do download form the wee camera and phone from last night’s show.
Tonight Ismo and I play in Hammenlinna which is just over an hour’s drive from Lahti. Ismo pick us up and we hit the road.
After we get set up we’re given a fabulous meal. I tackle it carefully and enjoy what I eat. Most importantly, it stays down!
The place is pretty packed when Ismo takes the stage then there’s a short break before yours truly. Agin, I’m burst when I finish my set but it was still fun and everyone has a grand time.
It’s around 2am when Ismo drops us off…and I’m, ready for bed.
One of a bunch of images taken in Lahti by our pal Leif
WE SLEEP ‘til midday then I go out to find a shop and get some yoghurt and stuff for ‘breakfast’.
Tonight’s show is in town here in Lahti and Ismo’s not picking us up ‘til 6pm so we spend the entire day chilling, sleeping and trying to recuperate. I’m returning to eating slowly and carefully and have even downloaded a ‘slow down your eating’ hypnosis thing to try and re-educate myself not to eat so quickly. I always manage to slow down after the sickness bouts, but the change is short-lived. This time I want to try and make a permanent change to my fast eating habit.
It’s an easy load in at Virasto and the sound engineer, Atti, is on the ball – the venue staff are great too. Just me tonight, so I have to play two 45-minute sets which I can hopefully manage through.
There’s quite a few folks we know in or the show and all goes grand – although I am struggling physically toward the end of each set.
Ismo drops us back at the apartment and we go straight to crash.
Despite the multiple issues of the last day or two I make it to Tampere!
I’M AWAKE a few times during the night – I think it’s when the nurses come to change my drips etc. The vomitting and pain has gone. The opiate injection seems to have done a good job!
AT 7am a doctor comes to check me out and tells me I can be discharged. They call me a cab and I’m taken to the apart-hotel in Tikkurila – about 10k out of Helsinki. Margaret meets me at the door and we make a plan.
A late checkout of 1pm lets us get the train into Helsinki airport and collect the guitars, gear, bags etc from Finnair. Easy peasy – the staff have been amazing throughout.
We’re back in Tikkurila by 10am, set an alarm for just after midday and go to sleep.
At 1.30pm we jump on a train to Tampere and I doze most of the 2-½ our journey. Once there it’s a ten minute walk to Paapan Kapakka. We load in and have space to chill while we wait for Ismo.
After soundcheck we go to a local pizza place. Margaret and Ismo eat – I have a glass of coke. I effectively haven’t eaten anything since Sunday morning. Hope I can get through the show!
As it turns out the show goes well…a marathon stint for both Ismo and I who alternate half-hour sets for the duration.
We’re loaded out by 1am and then Ismo drives an hour-and-a-half to Lahti and drops us at the apartment in the centre of town.
MIRACULOUSLY feeling a lot better when I wake up. Phew. I don’t feel much like eating but mange some fruit and overnight oats.
Then it’s straight to the studio to prep and pack the gear. All stuff that would have normally been done yesterday…along with a rehearsal of some songs at least.
There’s a bunch of other stuff to catch up on while Margaret finishes off some of the other packing then we hit the road to the airport.
We are good time and I pick a salad while Margaret has a more adventurous meal before we wait at the gate. I start to feel a bit ‘not right’ before we board but there’s no way I’m giving up now.
Come take off, though, I can’t hold it anymore and fill a number of spew bags…Margaret buzzes and attendant who brings more and moves us to the vacant back row on the plane. Things go from bad to worse and it’s a pretty traumatic two-and-a-half hours.
I was aware of an announcement from the flight deck asking if there’s a doctor on board. Turns out there is and the flight staff are amazing. I get checked over, an injection in my arse and an ambulance is arranged to meet us at the plane. Fuck sake.
I’ve lost it a bit when we land but seems fire and rescue got me off the plane where border patrol, police and medics met us before were transferred to an ambulance on the tarmac. I’m hooked up to various machines, given IV fentanyl and we’re sped off to the hospital.
The fentanyl didn’t seem to work much. But there’s no waiting around at the hospital. Transferred to a bed, drips, bloods, doctor all within (I think) half an hour. Margaret has our hand luggage – Finnair is taking care of the guitars and checked bags – and the staff organised a cab to take her to our hotel. I think it’s around 1am.
Shortly after the nurse comes back with more IV anti-nausea and gives me an injection of some kind of opioid – half an hour later I’ve drifted off.
