Here are a few things I learned on my most recent tour of Italy a few summers ago with the Thornetta Davis Band:
1) Don't buy a Blackberry charger at an airport (in Philly) for an international trip. Even with an adaptor and a transformer, it'll explode within an hour of use.
2) When in Italy, there is no avoiding the ubiquitous Autogrill.
3) Since you cannot escape the Autogrill, my advice is to either pack a lot of perishables for road trips or be prepared to choose from some really bad paninis.
4) Seriously. It's the only bad food to be found in the whole country.
5) Italian bees seem to be colorblind, as they frequently mistook the dark, dred locked hair of Black people with the brightly hued colors of actual FLOWERS!
6) Don't forget your swim trunks! You never know when you'll find yourself on a beautiful island with an equally beautiful pool...
7) While you're at it, don't forget to work out. Especially before a summer tour. You won't regret it.
8) As Einstein postulated, time is, indeed, relative. Particularly when concerning Italian sound crews. No matter when it's scheduled to start, soundcheck will be at least 45 minutes behind. Tack an additional 45 minutes if you're near a large body of water. And don't try to be purposefully late; you'll only push everything back. The only reason these affairs even pretend to end on time is because everyone needs to break for dinner.
9) There is, under ANY set of circumstances, never a time when it is okay to stand up and apply lip balm during the gig! You will get laughed at in the middle of the song and you will never live it down (you know who you are.)...
10) There is only one mission... (from Massimo)
All things considered, we had a great time on this tour. Thanks to Thorn, Phil, Rick, Mike, Massimo and Stefano for yet another memorable trip to (and through) Italia!
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