JUNE 6TH AND 7TH – NASHVILLE TO SCHAAN, LIECHTENSTEIN:

Departed at 10:30 am today to JFK and then on to Zurich, Switzerland to attend the “Country and BBQ Festival” in Schaan, Liechtenstein.  I have Ben and Noel Haggard performing but their flights were routed through Dublin so I won’t see them until we all arrive in Zurich.

No issues getting out of Nashville and we arrived JFK on time.  I had a 6 hour layover, so went to the Lounge and worked non-stop.  Got a lot done, too.  We boarded on time and it’s one of the “older” aircraft with absolutely no where to store any items in the seat and the overhead is super small.  We taxied out on time but came to a sudden stop.  The pilot came on and said that for some reason, a Korean Airlines jet crossed the runway right in front of us and we narrowly missed a collision.  Not a great start.  We had to wait for someone to come out and push us back so that we wouldn’t hit the aircraft.  That took over 30 minutes, so we left late.

I watched one movie – the one with Julia Roberts and her son is a drug addict – while the meal was served.  Then I was able to sleep for about 3 hours before landing.  Ben and Noel’s flight was late leaving Dublin so they didn’t arrive until about an hour after I arrived.  But it took me so long to clear the Immigration line that I only had to wait for about 20 minutes.

All our bags arrived and our “hosts” met us outside baggage claim for the 1 ½ hour drive to Triesenberg, Liechtenstein.  It is a TINY village but situated in a beautiful village.  The hotel is nice and the food is outstanding.  We had a really quick lunch then, Ben, Noel, Joe and I were driven to the local radio station about 20 minutes from the hotel for an interview.

We were all supposed to go to the festival at 7:45 pm and have dinner there but I asked the promoter if we could just eat at the hotel and not go to the festival tonight.  We are all so tired and we have to leave for sound check tomorrow at 8:30 am because the doors open early for the Festival.  He agreed and we had an outstanding meal at the hotel.  American Young performed tonight and I really wanted to see them and their new 4 month old baby – Jesse – but was just too tired because they didn’t perform until 10:15 pm.  Fortunately they will still be here tomorrow.

The weather is “cool” but it’s raining tonight and supposed to turn colder tomorrow.  I didn’t do a very good job of packing this time.  I forgot my sunglasses and some of my medicine.  Not sure there is going to be a store in this village where I can purchase sunglasses but plan to look tomorrow.

Been a long day, so I’m going to bed now!   More tomorrow…..

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 8TH – PERFORMANCE AT COUNTRY & BBQ FESTIVAL – SCHAAN, LIECHTENSTEIN:

It started raining last night and continued through early morning.  The temperature dropped significantly as well.  We all met for breakfast between 7:30-8:00 am and then drove back down the hill to Schaan.  I forgot to mention that our hotel is in Triesenberg Malbum and is at the top of the mountain.  The roads leading up to it are switchback curves the entire 25 minute drive.  Normally, if I sit in the front seat, I don’t have any problem with nausea.  But, our driver was very proud that the car he was driving had 560 horsepower and he passed everything on the road from the airport to the hotel yesterday.  Not only was it dangerous since the roads are so narrow, it made me incredibly nauseous.  We had a friendly “chat” about the driving and thankfully everything has been fine since.

The venue is in a “town square”.  The exterior is surrounded by sort of a “western” village with a sheriff’s office, saloon, etc.  There is a big BBQ chuckwagon at one end that provides the food for the attendees.  The actual “stage” and audience area has a permanent “roof” and then the interior wall is actually a building which houses the dressing rooms.  It’s a very “cool” setup and can accommodate around 800-1,000 depending upon how many tables and benches they set up.  The promoter said he has people coming all the way from Denmark and Sweden and a few other countries to see Ben and Noel.  I met “Anna” who is taking care of us while we are at the venue.  All the backline we requested was provided and the band was very happy with everything.

I was standing and talking to Franz and Patrick (our two promoters) when Ben sang his first song at sound check.  Both of them showed me their arms because they had “chill bumps” all over them.  Patrick even showed me his leg because he said the “chill bumps” went all the way to his toes.   Ben is truly an incredible entertainer and you can tell he’s “Merle’s son”.  Noel is just as talented and looks so much like Merle.  Sound check ended exactly on time and we made the trip back up the mountain to the hotel.  We have all afternoon “off” and will go back to the venue at 8 pm for dinner, a Meet and Greet and performance.  The curfew is at 12 midnight.

We had another incredible meal at the hotel for lunch.  When I walked in after sound check, the staff was eating at one of the tables and they had a bowl of something that looked delicious.  I asked what it was and they said it was sort of like dumplings but with a cheese that is only available in this area.  I asked if I could have that for lunch and they agreed.  I made everyone in our group take a bite of it and we all agreed it was fantastic.  Probably had 5,000 calories in my portion but it was worth it!

Kristy and Todd were having lunch at the same time and I finally got to meet their new baby – Jesse!  They live a couple of miles from me in Nashville and we have been unable to get together in the 5 months since he has been born.  He is an absolute “doll” and such a good baby!  Also glad we ran into them because they warned me that there would be “cowboys” tonight shooting guns with “blanks” in them.  I’m especially glad to be forewarned about that after all my trips to Iraq and Afghanistan. Might be embarrassing if I went facedown on the floor when I heard the shots being fired.

I was able to work for hours this afternoon and get quite a bit done.  Maybe tomorrow it will be a slow day for “email”.   I’m trying to find somewhere that we can go that isn’t too far way but “scenic” for the group!

Liechtenstein is a very “wealthy” country and people want to live here because of the extremely low taxes.  I learned that:

·         You cannot move to Liechtenstein unless you marry a “local”

·         There is a “lottery” where someone wins a Green Card

·         You must have a minimum of $1 million dollars to open a bank account but they are not allowed to accept money from Americans at this time

I had an epiphany as I was contemplating walking down to the Sports Shop to see if they had any sunglasses.  I knew they would be the smaller sports “wrap-around” style and I didn’t want to pay a fortune for something I would only wear when I jog.  That’s when I remembered that I brought my jogging shoes with me and there was a pair of sunglasses in the shoe!  I also found a “spare” of the medicine I thought I had forgotten to bring with me.  Problems resolved.

We left for the venue at 8 pm and went upstairs to have dinner. It was barbeque that was being served to the fans attending.  All types of meat – brisket, ribs, burgers, pulled pork, etc.   It was good – very “American” — but we have been spoiled by the exceptional food at the hotel.

There was a short “Meet and Greet” at the backstage area just prior to the performance.  My friends from Switzerland – Heidy, Brigitte and Markus – got a chance to meet Ben and Noel and take photos with them.  There was an elderly gentleman in his 80’s there with Parkinson’s disease.  His daughter said he has everything ever released by Merle and she felt he was living for the moment when he got to meet Ben and Noel.  They spent quite a few minutes talking to him.  Noel told him that he looks just like his dad and Ben sings just like his dad so he was getting the whole package.  The band took the stage at around 10:40 pm and just rocked the place until 12:15 am, ending with two encores.  Everyone connected to the festival was very happy with the attendance and the performance and were asking “how they were going to top the show next year”.  It was also a great start to our short tour for the guys to have such a wonderful experience on stage at the first concert.

There was an “after party” at a nightclub about 5 minutes from the venue and we all went there at around 1 am.   I only stayed for a few minutes and then rode back to the hotel with Todd and their musicians. We had most of the band’s equipment in our vehicle so Todd and his musician helped me get it in the hotel and into Joe’s room.  Got in bed by 3:30 am but I think some of my guys didn’t make it back until around 5 am!

Special thanks to everyone working at the festival – Franz, Patrick, Aida, Kurt, Anna and all the amazing female drivers we had.   So glad I got to see the festival “firsthand”.  And, working with the nicest guys – Ben, Noel, Joe, Toby and Eddy – makes this “job” seem more like a fun vacation.  We have several days “off” before performing a private acoustic show at the hotel on Wednesday night and then flying to the Faroe Islands on Thursday.

Jude

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 9TH – DAY OFF IN LIECHTENSTEIN:

I would have been happy to sleep through breakfast hours this morning but wanted to see Kristy before she left at noon.  She joined me at breakfast a few minutes after I sat down.  But, it was just her and no little Jesse.  He and Todd were sleeping and I’m sure Todd appreciated Jesse’s thoughtfulness since we got in so late!

I came back to the room with the intention of working out with my bands but got involved with answering email and it was late afternoon before I got in my workout.  I walked about a block into the little village.  There is nothing there except for hotels and one shop that sells ladies ski wear and some local souvenirs.  I was surprised that she was open today because today is “Whitsun” and Monday is “Whit Monday”.  It is a religious holiday celebrating the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s disciples.  Some countries celebrate Whit Week.  Even when it’s not a holiday, most shops in Europe are closed all day on Sundays.

I did manage to take some great photos and get back to the room in time to shower and meet the guys for dinner.  We were supposed to meet at 6 pm but most of the guys fell asleep from being up so late last night and the fact that it was raining.  Franz and his girlfriend Isabella were having dinner and came in to talk with us after their meal.  We sat around and talked until after 9 pm and then I think everyone was going to make an “early” night of it.

Tomorrow is another day off but we are going to the music store “down the mountain” so we can borrow some acoustic guitars for the private performance at the hotel on Wednesday night.   I’m going to try to get in bed before midnight!

Jude