CMA SUMMIT – LONDON, ENGLAND
THURSDAY, MARCH 13TH AND FRIDAY, MARCH 14TH – NASHVILLE TO LONDON:
Strange to be flying alone and not meeting up with any entertainers when I arrive Europe. I’m off to the CMA Summit in London and then next week will fly to Zurich and meet the Bellamys for performances. I was NOT looking forward to flying since they have not determined what happened to that Malaysia airliner. I flew Delta through Atlanta and all my flights were on time. The plane from Atlanta to London was unlike any I’ve flown in the Delta fleet. Business/First had 1 seat by the window, 2 seats in the middle and then another seat by the window. When I got on board, there was already a really LARGE man sitting in 1 D – the row in front of me. He had taken all my overhead space in the bin over my seat so I had to look for space farther back. I could not find the remote for the TV. I looked everywhere – even checked the In Flight Magazine. Nothing. I asked a flight attendant who didn’t have a clue and informed me that there must not be one. DUH! Finally I asked the male flight attendant and he reached down to the very back of the console under my left elbow and raised a piece that opened a small compartment with the remote in it.
I don’t like the short 7-8 hour flights because there’s not enough time to eat, watch a movie, work, and sleep. I did watch “The Family” while I ate my meal (recommended by Lindsey). It was pretty good. Slept for 2 hours and then they were serving breakfast – which I did NOT have since we had just eaten dinner a couple of hours ago. The flight attendants were very nice but never once came around after the meal service to see if we needed anything to drink or otherwise.
We landed early and I breezed through Immigration because business class passengers get to use the Fast Track Lane. My bags were already on the belt when I reached Baggage Claim. The driver for the car service I had hired called to say he would be waiting in front of W. H. Smith. I told him I was walking that way and he informed me that he wasn’t even there and would be there in maybe 15 minutes. Thirty minutes later, he arrived and I was NOT happy. Then it was 1 hour and 40 minutes from the airport to the hotel – not 1 hour like the car company had informed me.
We pulled up at the hotel only to see workmen on the steps replacing the carpet on the stairs to the front door. Instead of driving down the side of the hotel as instructed, the driver got my bags out and we had to roll them to the side entrance. It was about 9:30 am by that time and there weren’t any rooms ready that early. I went into the restaurant and had breakfast (which is included with the room rate). But, since I didn’t have a room number, I had to pay cash for the meal. Ran into Rick Murray and Sarah Trahern (new CMA Director) and her husband Wayne at breakfast. Sat and talked to Rick for quite a while and then checked on my room. Of course, as soon as I had paid for breakfast, my room became available.
The room is very nice but really, really small. No way to open both suitcases on the floor. Bathroom is probably biggest area of all. But the INTERNET is free and works GREAT. Important things. I raised the blinds to discover I am looking at a brick wall…incentive to not spend any time in my room. I checked with the agent from WME who was supposed to meet me at the hotel at 3:30 pm. He had a conflict and can’t come today, so I took a 2 hour nap – much needed and appreciated. Then I tackled email until 7:30 pm when I needed to leave for the Songwriters Session. Ran into Rick again and we rode over together. Our seats were in the nosebleed section and we didn’t have backstage access. Rick sent a text to Martina McBride’s tour manager and we walked downstairs to the bar and spent the rest of the evening standing and watching the show from there. It was over at around 10:30 pm and then we were supposed to meet everyone from CMA to get a ride back to the hotel in their shuttle. We waited and waited and no one met us or answered any of our text messages. Finally we walked outside, found a “bus” and asked if it was the CMA shuttle to the Mercure. It was so we got on and waited for everyone else. It was almost midnight before we arrived back at the hotel.
I spend most of my afternoon fighting to get the Craig Morgan tour to Afghanistan this May “approved”. Why would I have to fight for this, you ask? Very long, stupid story. Hopefully with the assistance of the USO and a very dear friend who is a General in Afghanistan, this will be resolved next week.
Going to bed and will hopefully have tickets to see Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Dixie Chicks and Zac Brown Band perform tomorrow. Kjell from Norway comes in tomorrow as well. The hotel has a health club which is under renovation. They have a deal with the club next door but they will not accept cash for payment and only accept UK credit cards. Lovely! Maybe it will be warm enough to run outside!
Jude
SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2014 – FIRST CONCERT IN LONDON:
I forgot to mention the names of the “songwriters” on last night’s show – Bob DiPero and Brett James both with multiple #1 hits for top entertainers, the legendary Martina McBride and a hot, new duo called Striking Matches. It was a great, highly entertaining show.
Most of the attendees flew in on American Airlines and most of them were stuck in Chicago for 12 hours or more due to weather or mechanical. Martina’s group were re-routed through Canada on Air Canada and the airlines lost ALL their luggage (18 bags) and all their equipment. Her tour manager said she was performing in the same clothes she flew in last night. Gotta say, she looked fantastic. I never look that good when I fly….okay, has nothing to do with when I fly…I never look that fantastic period. J He was scrambling trying to find guitars, pedal steel, etc. so they could perform today. Of course, she is the first act on at 4:45 pm!
I had a quick breakfast and then headed out for a run in perfect weather. I knew I would get lost and I did. Made it into the center of town and thought I was checking all my landmarks when I made turns. But, I couldn’t find the way back to the hotel. I finally gave up and asked and I was only a couple of blocks away.
Showered and then worked for a while. Decided to try to walk into town and have lunch and hopefully not get lost. I found a great café – The Green Café and had a really good omelet. Of course I WANTED the waffles that they are famous for. Bought a few souvenirs for the twins and headed back. A couple of young guys walked beside me and offered me a drink of their beer. I politely refused but then one of them started pestering me. I told him I don’t like beer and would throw up all over his shoes if I drank even one sip. He continued to walk with me and ask questions but I had to repeat every thing 3 or 4 times because he didn’t understand my accent and had been drinking too much. I did learn that they are Italian. His friend was very quiet, seemed to be embarrassed for his buddy. I used him as the interpreter several times. Right before I had to turn to go to my hotel, the guy asked me if I wanted to “go with them to kill a pork”. At least that’s what I thought he said. He asked if I knew what that was and I admitted I wasn’t familiar with the term. He said, “I show you” and I’m thinking this is going somewhere dark! Instead he said, “you take a knife like this and stick it in the pork’s neck. Or you can use a gun if you prefer.” I thanked him for the offer to attend what I am sure would have been very entertaining but told him I had to leave for the country music concerts — a term he never understood. J
I now have tickets compliments of CMA for tonight’s show. Martina McBride starts at 4:45 pm, then Dierks Bentley, The Dixie Chicks and the Zac Brown Band. I spoke with Kjell and thought he would probably arrive in time to see Dierks and the rest of the lineup but knew we would miss Martina. Unfortunately, he arrived much later than anticipated and we got to the venue just as the Dixie Chicks were leaving the stage! I’m sure I’ll hear from my Facebook friends about what wonderful performances I missed on the first three acts. L
Zac Brown Band was awesome and had the whole place floor on their feet. It was a totally sold out show which is awesome for country music. They were a little too “rock” for my promoter’s audience in Norway, so we left before their set ended and went to dinner before the set ended.
Really looking forward to seeing all four sets tomorrow – Chris Young, The Band Perry, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley. I’ve seen shows by everyone except The Band Perry.
Supposed to be another beautiful day tomorrow so I’m going to bed and will get up and jog once again tomorrow morning since I don’t have “gym” access. Checking now to make sure the gym is open at my hotels in Zurich. J
Jude
SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2014 – SECOND AND LAST CONCERT IN LONDON:
Last night we decided to eat at one of the restaurants at the venue and made the bad decision to go into a “Mexican” restaurant. Now I KNOW from my many trips to England that the only food I am going to like is Indian. Kjell got the enchiladas and said they were good. However, I ordered Sea Bass (in a MEXICAN Restaurant – stupid decision on my part) and broccoli with a side salad. Barely edible. Tip – if you go to a Mexican restaurant, order Mexican food. If you go to a steakhouse, order steak. I was just trying to stick with my Adkins diet.
Another beautiful morning and I ran my 3 miles before breakfast. The restaurant was a mad house…packed with people and about ¼ as many servers as they needed. By the time Kjell joined me, it had calmed down a little. It had taken me 20 minutes to get a cup of coffee! And it is the worst coffee I think I have had overseas. Very, very black and strong and no matter how much cream or sweetener you add, it’s still bitter.
There are always things in foreign countries that we Americans find baffling. One such item is the fact that when I purchased a bottle of water at the venue, they open it and throw away the bottle cap. I WANT my bottle cap. I may not drink it all immediately but without the cap, can’t stick it in my purse for later on. I purchased a bottle of water for myself at the songwriters session Friday night and a beer for Rick. They overfilled the glass and the beer ran down the sides of the glass. I asked for a napkin and was told they do not have napkins! As we stood and watched the show, guys with rolls of paper towels on their hands were walking around tearing off pieces and constantly wiping the floor. Rick commented that they must not have mops either. J
After showering, I walked downtown. Was concerned that anything would be open on a Sunday but it was bustling! I found the “Market” and that was amazing….booths and booths of everything imaginable and then at the end, food booths serving food of every type. Stopped into Marks and Morgan and bought some cheese and nuts and then a huge bookstore and got the twins a couple of cute books about London. Saw Rick and Jeff out front of the hotel when I returned and met The Band Perry as they were leaving for the venue.
Barely had time to change and meet Kjell in the lobby to go over to the O2. Chris Young was going on at 4:15 pm and I didn’t want to be late. Kjell said traffic was blocked up for miles when he was walking back from downtown so we decided to take the Metro. Didn’t realize it was going to be so “slow” though and we were late getting there. I had to pick up tickets and passes from Will Call that Earl with The Band Perry had left for me. When I opened the envelope, there were only backstage passes – no tickets. I tried to reach Earl but knew he was busy getting ready for their show. Tried to reach Bobbi, too. I finally asked the security guard if I HAD to have a ticket to get in or would just the backstage pass work. He told me I must have a ticket and to go back to the Will Call desk because they should have included tickets with the passes. I did and the guy was like, “Oh silly me. Don’t know how I overlooked that”. ARGHHHHH. Chris was supposed to perform until 5:00 pm so we RAN all the way to the seats. He was singing his last song when we got there. L
Band Perry was next and their show was high energy times 10. Kjell was most impressed with the shoes Kimberly was wearing on stage….tall black boots with about 5 inch stiletto heels. I swear she could pass for Jolie Edwards’ (Jolie and the Wanted) younger sister. Her performance reminded me so much of the energy Jolie always had on stage. Audience loved them.
We went backstage for the “Meet and Greet” which was actually just Earl’s way of getting me back. But he was busy loading out their equipment so Rascal Flatts could go on stage so we stood in line to meet them. I wanted Kjell to meet them since I had already met them this afternoon. We moved to the very back of the line just in case Earl came in before it was over. He did but had to leave again so we stayed in the line and Kjell got to meet them. Spent some time with Earl – who has lost 25 pounds and looks GREAT. He is such a sweetheart and seems to love working for The Band Perry. And they work ALL the time. Also said hello to Kevin with Brad Paisley and Jan was there with Rascal Flatts. It was a great time backstage, thanks to Earl.
We walked out just as Rascal Flatts was finishing their set. Audience was going crazy for them, too. We stood at the side of the stage and talked to Bob DiPiero and his wife during the “break” and then went to find out seats. Albi found me and we talked for a few minutes, too. Will see him again tomorrow at the Summit.
Brad Paisley was the closing act and as usual, just brought down the house. Kjell was especially impressed with his performance. Brad brought Chris back out for one song and The Band Perry for one song with him. It was a spectacular evening of entertainment.
Kjell and I made the BAD decision to eat at one of the venue restaurants again because we were afraid everything would be closed that late on a Sunday night in Greenwich. But, almost all the restaurants at the venue were closed as well. We settled on Fridays. I had chicken fajitas (without any of the “good” stuff like a tortilla!) and at least it was edible…not good but better than last night.
Since we had a roundtrip Metro ticket, we decided to take the Metro back. BIG mistake! No problem on the first leg but when we had to change to another line, the last train had already left! There were no Taxi’s anywhere. We couldn’t believe a city the size of London closes down so early. It wasn’t even midnight. Kjell was finally able to find us a taxi and we got back to the hotel at around 12:30 am.
I know that everyone thinks the hotel is horrible from my first road report. The room is actually very nice – nice furniture, comfortable bed, good layout and the bathroom is exceptional. It’s just “small” like a NYC hotel room and of course the view sucks. I could have asked for another room but I like being on the 1st floor because I can walk the stairs to the lobby.
Have to get up really early tomorrow for the Summit. Have I mentioned that I HATE speaking in public???? J
Jude
MONDAY, MARCH 17TH, 2014 – CMA SUMMIT IN LONDON:
Another beautiful day but no time to jog. Three hours sleep, work out with bands in the room, shower, quick breakfast and we’re off to the O2 for the “Summit”. When I got to the lobby, my dear friend Tracy from the USO was there waiting to take The Band Perry to Lakenheath Air Force Base for their show. So I not only got to say hello to her but saw Earl and the band again as they were leaving. I wanted so badly to go with them. L
I am as nervous as a cat about having to speak!
The Summit was really a good gathering. Thankfully, my panel was the first one up so I didn’t have to “suffer” all day. As far as I know, I didn’t “fumble” anything. After that, I really enjoyed the rest of the day. Got to see so many friends from around the world that I met years ago. Kjell and I met Dwight Yoakam’s manager which was good because we have a date with him at the end of July. We had lunch at the venue and I sat with Kjell, Albi, and some dear friends from the UK. It was a great lunch except for the food. First, there was a “beet root salad”. I HATE beets, so couldn’t eat that. Then the choice was steak or pasta. I already knew how tough the steak would be but since I can’t have pasta on Atkins, I had no option but to select steak. They didn’t even give us a steak knife – as IF it was tender enough to cut with a fork. It was unbelievably tough and rare. So, only a few bits before my jaws were too sore to chew anymore. They brought me French fries with the steak but of course, I couldn’t have those either. I asked them to bring me some vegetables and got a bowl of tomatoes. J
We had more panels after lunch and a great acoustic performance by Bob DiPierao. Then took buses over to BBC TV/Radio for a cocktail reception and Brad Paisley singer/songwriter taping. It was 5:30 by then and the taping was supposed to start by 7 pm. There was plenty to drink but nothing to eat at the reception and nowhere to buy dinner. At around 7:30 pm, they started bringing around hors de oeuvres. I was starving, so ate the “top” off them and threw away the bread but only had 3. The taping started very late but it was awesome. Brad had some of the top songwriters on stage with him. He was humorous as usual and the time passed quickly.
We took buses back to the hotel and fortunately the restaurant was still open for dinner. I had baked cheese, pork chop, and creamed spinach. Everything was good except the pork chop. Cooked beyond recognition and impossible to chew. Ah well…my last lunch/dinner in the UK.
I leave for Zurich early tomorrow morning. More tomorrow!
Jude
TUESDAY, MARCH 18TH – LONDON TO ZURICH:
What a day! Went to bed at 3 am and got up at 6 am. Showered and a quick breakfast. The car service was supposed to be there at 8 am but arrived at 7:30 am – probably because I complained to the company manager about him being late picking me up. At least he didn’t try to injure me in retaliation on the drive to the airport. Kjell doesn’t depart until late evening so he gets a day of sightseeing in London. Last night when we were driving back from the BBC, we passed the London Bridge. I’ve seen it at night before but it is truly breath-taking seeing it with the lights on it.
About 30 minutes before we arrived at the airport, the driver’s phone kept ringing but he didn’t answer it. He finally did and I could hear a very upset man on the other end. He was mad because the driver wasn’t at the airport to pick him up. The driver told him that he had checked the flight arrival and went to Terminal 5 but that was the wrong terminal. He said he would come to his terminal and be there in about 5 minutes! Maybe that’s what he did the day he was late picking me up, too! It was at least 30 minutes before he even dropped me off. I won’t use that company again.
My flight is on KLM and I had to connect through Amsterdam. Scored some great souvenirs at the gift shop in London. Both of my flights were on time and not at all crowded. Luggage arrived in Zurich with me but with a broken zipper on one of the compartments! Will have to duct tape it for the flight home. Never travel anywhere without your duct tape. J
I love staying at the Zurich Radisson. It’s the hotel that is connected to the Airport and Train Station. There is MAJOR construction at the airport and I had to walk outside instead of through a walkway to get to the Radisson. Was winding around and around through barricades and asking people where to go. I finally made it and the guy at the front desk said I did NOT have to go outside to access the hotel. I am going to scope it out before the Bellamys arrived.
Got checked into my room and the first thing I always do is connect to the internet. I never unpack until I am sure I can connect. I’ve stayed at the Radisson many times and knew they have great, free internet. I logged on and checked a couple of flights on the Delta and Expedia sites. Then I tried to log on to check my AOL. It BLOCKED me. I tried everything. The IT guy from hotel came to my room and tried and called the hotel server. Everyone was stumped. I walked over to the airport and purchased internet to see if I could log on. No problem! We worked on it until 8 pm and I told the front desk I had to check out. I moved to the Sheraton Four Points where I would have moved to on Thursday when the Bellamys arrive anyway. Internet logged on to AOL the first try. Crazy that it wouldn’t connect at the Radisson.
Ordered room service, talked to my son on Skype and the twins on Facetime. Been working for hours and hope to go to bed soon. Iris is coming over tomorrow and we’re having dinner at this really cool sushi bar!
Jude