Rock and Roll Scripture: Soon we’ll be away from here, step on the gas and wipe that tear away The Beatles

Penultimate gig and, honestly, I’m ready to be done. To be sustainable for any period of time I would have to structure a tour a little differently. Exhausting work, summoning up the commitment, night after night, gig after gig. I don’t think it helps that we’ve been playing the same sets (with a couple oddities thrown in for good measure), and I’d likely changed that approach first – maybe have 8-10 groups of 4-6 conceptually or tonally similar songs and mix them up. Ultimately, anything to break up this grind.

Even writing feels difficult right now. I mostly want to sleep and wake with no obligations for a couple days (at least) – I need to recharge. Funny – isn’t this supposed to be a vacation? Is it normal to want a break from your vacation?

I may publish this as is, or I may go back and edit it to include other pertinent details – the police check point on the way back from the gig, for example – I guess you’ll know when I do… In any event, here’s the set lists:

Set one

1. Black Money
2. Ballad of the Parted Ones
3. Gibsonton, FLA
4. No Place for the Lonely
5. Into Nothing
6. Out of Time
7. The Girl with Jesus in Her Eyes
8. Cry for Home
9. Hark the Heart and the Arrow
10. I Am Carrying a Mournful Tune

Set two

Solo acoustic

1. Seeds I’ve Sown (for Nadia et al)
2. Deportee (with Tabea)

The Trio

1. Country Lines
2. Red Moshannon
3. Little Magnolia
4. Jealous Kind
5. Jacqueline
6. Tijuana Line
7. Broken Heart Tattoo
8. I Want You (B. Dylan)
9. The Last Goodbye

Encore one

1. St Augustine (with Tabea)
2. I Still Miss Someone (with Tabea)

Encore two

1. Dead Flowers

We had time today to go for a hike in the Alps above Filtzbach and it felt great to get out of performer mode for a few short hours. There are pictures from our hike – ridiculous, completely fake-looking pictures – and I’ll likely post them when we get back. That little taste of simple tourism, however, is making it very hard to get up for the gig tonight.

Rock and Roll Scripture: It’s the last night of our tour, we’re gonna rock you through the roof just wait and see The Stray Cats

Tonight we play our last gig of the tour, and then the mad rush to the airport in the morning. Before I know it I’ll be on a plane home, where S waits for me, bless her heart. Thank you for making room for this in our lives together, sweetie – it’s hard, unsettling work but ultimately the experience is awesome.