TUESDAY, AUGUST 9TH:
Got in another great workout in the hotel gym. We grabbed a cup of coffee and then checked in for our flight to Denmark. When I checked in, I specifically asked the ticket agent if my seat was bulkhead. He assured me that it was not. It was! I am definitely jinxed. And, it was that seat that sticks out in the middle of the aisle with no partition in front of it. I got trampled by the passengers as they were boarding.
Short flight, thank goodness, to Copenhagen. We are staying at the Hilton at the airport and it is a really nice hotel. Connected to the airport by a walkway so it is very convenient. We took the express train into town and this one was much less expensive than the Sweden express train. Both took about the same amount of time. The man taking the tickets was very rude and said we should have had our ticket “stamped” at a machine before we boarded. Said he should charge us 500 Kroners. I told him that no one mentioned this when we purchased the ticket!
Copenhagen is beautiful. I’ve driven past Tivoli Gardens many times but never got to go inside. This time, we took a double decker bus tour around the city. At one point, we got off the bus to take a photo of the Little Mermaid. After we took the shot, Patricia and I looked at each other and said, “That looked like an Angel, not a Mermaid”. So, we asked our driver and of course, we had taken a photo of the wrong statute. But, we still had time to take the right photo.
We didn’t arrive in Copenhagen in time to do much of anything before shops started closing. We did go into one clothing store and I bought a pair of pants and belt. Then we went to Tivoli Gardens and just walked around. The landscaping is fabulous and there are little mini-concerts everywhere. This is the 200th Birthday of Hans Christian Anderson, so the entire city is celebrating. They have put down these “white footprints” that you are supposed to follow to see various exhibitions about him. But someone has also put down “fake” footprints to get people to follow them and then they end up in some porn shop. Denmark is the “sex change capitol” of the world. There is even an “Erotica Museum” in Copenhagen..
We left Tivoli and went into a restaurant that was recommended in our tour book. But when we sat down, NONE of the items on the menu in the tour book were on the restaurants menu. There was nothing on the menu that either of us wanted, so we left and walked all the way to the end of the shopping street and found a nice restaurant down there. Got back to the hotel at around 11 pm but I had to stay up and answer emails until 1 am. Of course, this hotel has a fabulous gym that I won’t get to use and breakfast was included with the room rate – also won’t get to eat before I leave tomorrow morning.
Patricia and I said our goodbyes tonight. It’s amazing that we are still so much alike. We were best friends from 7th through 12th grades and never once had an argument. She still looks the “same” as way back then and we still have so much in common. She’s staying over to sightsee again on Wednesday and part of Thursday before flying back to Stockholm to fly home.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10TH:
Up really early to get over to the airport and get checked in for the 40 minute PROP plane flight to Billund. Didn’t realize I had to take a bus to the Domestic Terminal, so I didn’t have long to wait at the gate for boarding. But, I realized that Pam Tillis’s group only had one hour to make the connection AND they had to clear passport control. A few of the guys came through quickly but I was afraid Pam and the other guys were going to miss the plane. They actually held the plane for them until they got on board. Very unusual. It was a little bumpy but not too bad.
Landed in Billund and the big tour bus and drive with a sign who was supposed to meet us was no where to be seen. Instead, there was a little tiny 13 passenger bus with a tiny little trailer on the back. The trailer was not even one of those that had a door in the back and opened up. It was just a little “shell” type trailer. Of course, everything wouldn’t fit in it and the driver started cramming things in the seats. I KNEW our promoter would never send something like this to pick us up. I called her and she was furious. The bus company finally brought another bus, only it was full of people! When I questioned them, they said that they had to go drop them off at “Legoland” (right behind the Billund airport. We finally got the bus and started the trip to Silkeborg.
Silkeborg is a beautiful little town right on the water. Lots fo great shops and restaurants. Several of Pam’s group took naps before walking in to the towns. I got on email and took care of lots of that and then walked into town to find something to eat. Our hotel is really nice and it is UNUSUALLY COLD here. Go figure!
Suzy Bogguss and her husband arrived here on Monday and have just been doing a little sightseeing. Her band arrived this afternoon and The Bellamy Brothers and Becky Hobbs come in tomorrow.
Jude
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11TH:
“TODAY” was the big day. After SIX WEEKS of “inactivity”, I got to JOG. I was a really good girl and waited my 6 weeks just like the doctor ordered. He said I could try it after 6 weeks and “let pain be my guide”. It was really cool and misting rain, but I was NOT going to be deterred. Took off down towards the water and was very “cautious” with the foot that has the broken toe. It didn’t really hurt until I was 25 minutes from the hotel. Of course, that was half-way and too late for me to turn back. So, I toughed it out and made sure I landed on the “inside” of my right foot. I jogged across this little “walking bridge” and found maize of trails in the woods. There were bikers and joggers all in there but I decided NOT to run in there. I knew I would get so turned around and lost and never come back out. But being able to job again was so awesome. It was definitely better than …..dessert! J
Back to the hotel and over to the venue for Pam’s sound check and then Suzy’s sound check. It has been misting rain all day today. But, tonight’s show is a “private” event for people who have been a member of the Scandinavian Country Music Club for 10 years or more. This is either their 20th or 25th anniversary for the festival. The Bellamys and Becky Hobbs arrived right on time at the hotel. Becky was “diverted” from Detroit to Nashville because her plane was late leaving Detroit to Nashville. She thought it was going to be another nightmare trip like the one to Sweden a few weeks ago. With Northwest Airlines threatening a mechanics strike, I have a feeling we are going to have a really hard time getting home to Nashville.
We had a little press conference and the audience asked some very controversial questions about the music business in the U.S. and the CMA Awards being moved to NYC. At least they didn’t ask what Suzy and Pam thought of the Dixie Chicks remarks! I’ve been walking back and forth between the venue and the hotel and it’s a very confusing route through some gardens. I stayed lost most of the time – in the rain, of course!
Had dinner with the Bellamys and Becky and then bolted to the show. The audience has “guns”and they shoot off “blanks” all during the show. There are big signs warning the entertainers that this is going to happen. It’s pretty unnerving. But, the only time it bothers me is when I’m in Iraq! J
Suzy had them teach her how to say “This is fun” in Danish and she practiced and practiced. Then after her show, I told her that she really said, “I have nice boobs”. She was horrified until I told her I was just kidding. I remember Pam Tillis practicing saying “Let That Pony Run” (one of her songs) in Japanese. She went out on stage and said in perfect Japanese – My next song will be “Set that spider Free”. The audience had this “blank” look on their faces.
Going to be another “short” night for me tonight. Each artist signs autographs after their shows and these people show up with 10-15 cds for them to sign. I think they have the very first albums that Suzy and Pam recorded!
Both shows were really awesome! Audience and buyer could not have been happier.
I’ve been getting emails all day today about the 4 Star General who was relieved of his duties for having an affair. He was in Bosnia when I was going over there on a regular basis and I remember him WELL!
Two more shows tomorrow….
Jude
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12TH:
Got my FIVE hours of sleep last night and went running AGAIN this morning. Tucker, the Bellamys’ drummer, said he would run with me. So, against my better judgment, we did five miles. Probably not the smartest thing to put that much strain on the toe, but oh, it felt so good otherwise. It’s still really cold and rainy here. Even colder than yesterday.
I walked downtown with Howard and David’s wives so we could buy fleece. Of course, it’s supposed to be hot in Germany tomorrow. Bellamys and Becky had a press conference and it was pretty much the same “controversial” questions that Pam and Suzy were asked. But everyone handled it well and we won’t have another “Dixie Chicks Scandal” in the media tomorrow. J
Suzy Bogguss and her guys and Pam Tillis departed today. Pam’s musicians are still here and they depart on Saturday. Becky Hobbs performs first tonight. Then the Bellamys perform and we leave after they sign autographs for Germany. Supposed to be a bus with 12 bunks in it but you NEVER know. I called the buyer in Germany to make 100% SURE that the bus was a sleeper bus with 12 bunks. He said, “yes yes, of course”. Didn’t want a bus with seats to show up to transport us overnight to Germany since we have a show tomorrow night. We have horror stories about buses in foreign countries. I’m anxious to see what it looks like! It will take about 5 hours to drive from Silkeborg, Denmark to Kiel, Germany. Show in Germany tomorrow night, then bus all night to Holland and do the LAST show there on Sunday. HOME ON MONDAY…for a couple of weeks anyway.
Becky Hobbs and the Bellamys both had awesome shows. There was a huge crowd and they all purchased cds after the shows. Getting the Belllamys through the crowd to the autograph booth was like escorting “Elvis”. The audience started lining up and buying their cds TWO HOURS before the end of the show! The promoter and her husband at this festival are absolutely FIRST CLASS. I never have to worry about everything being handled properly. It is such a JOY to work with people like this. Makes my life so much easier and makes for some very happy entertainers.
I kept calling the hotel to see if the bus had arrived, but as of 11:30 pm it had not arrived. Going back to the hotel to “wait” for him.
Jude