Just a few memories of Croatia to belatedly share...
After a horribly early flight, we arrived in sunny Dubrovnik late on the Sunday morning and, having decided to stay at the Excelsior (whose centenary was celebrated by BF's gig), we got to the hotel around 12.30. As there was no check-in before 14.00, we took little persuading to investigate chilled beer & wine on the sunlit terrace, almost bumping into BF in the process...
He was giving an interview in the restaurant, then in the bar area, prior to a brief photo shoot just behind us on the terrace. He was looking fairly relaxed, so all seemed to bode well for the next day's gig.
We were able to rendezvous with J.O'B in the lovely old town area on both Sunday & Monday afternoons, catching most of the soundcheck on the latter day. By then the weather had taken a decidedly grey turn and we'd already had a brief thundery shower during breakfast.
The soundcheck, directed by Colin Good, involved the whole band minus BF and lasted around an hour. Open air gigs must be a bit of a nightmare; quite apart from the weather, the acoustics would have been affected by the stage location in the city square, surrounded by tall buildings. Additionally, trombonist Malcolm Earle Smith was unavailable and his deputy (Geoff or Jeff Hughes) would have been unfamiliar with the arrangements.
Then, around 20.40, less than an hour before the scheduled start of the gig, the heavens opened and we had a violent thunder storm! The heavy rain lasted for almost an hour and we felt sure that the show would be postponed or, more likely, cancelled.
But the crew did a terrific job of getting plastic sheeting over instruments and amplifiers and most of the stage floor; despite power problems and residual health & safety concerns, the band took to the stage around 22.40 to the relieved applause of the soggy audience. The crowd was probably smaller than expected because of the downpour, but that enabled J.O'B, Mrs Smudge & myself to get a good central spot about four rows back.
The orchestra knocked out Do The Strand with some gusto, followed by Avalon & Virginia Plain, Slave To Love having been dropped from the original setlist as a result of the delay. Richard White (bass sax & curved clarinet) & Enrico Tommaso were on particularly good form.
BF emerged to rapturous applause for Reason Or Rhyme, which moved seamlessly from jazz to rock at its midpoint when Cherisse's pounding drums entered the fray. This song is fast becoming a fan favourite and rightly so, IMHO.
Same Old Blues featured some fine slide guitar (much in the style of its composer, the late J.J. Cale) from Martin Wheatley, before a brooding, funky take on Re-Make/Re-Model (mid 70s solo version) and a typically crackling bowl through Tom Thumb's Blues. The BF harmonica was, as usual, well to the fore during Tom Thumb, trading licks with Ollie's increasingly assured guitar-work; shared stage time with the likes of Spedding, Manzanera & Hubbard seems to have given Ollie greater confidence to complement his undoubted talent.
The pace eased off for Oh Yeah & NYC, before Heaven's Door built it up again, ready for a romp through Can't Let Go, which was my personal highlight of the show. Jealous Guy was as well received as ever, although the absence of Shar & Michelle meant that the stratosphere wasn't as threatened as it sometimes is by the vocals at the end.
The delayed start resulted in the omission of I Thought & This Island Earth from the scheduled setlist; the wet stage would in any event have meant Jodie & Bobbie risking life & limb if they had attempted a charleston during the former!
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes led to a nice, punchy rendition of Casanova, during which the rain started to fall again. Don't Stop The Dance is starting to feel a little overplayed IMHO, but not so the (entirely apt!) Hard Rain which followed.
I wasn't sure if the elements would win the day at that point, but BF gamely treated us to Let's Stick Together and, when even the band seemed unsure if that would be that, Hold On I'm Coming. The rousing cheers of the soaked audience persuaded BF to round off the set, as scheduled, with a full tilt Editions Of You.
Although 75 mins was a slightly shorter set than originally planned, BF & the band (not to mention the crew) deserve huge credit for putting on a good show and retaining their humour despite the inclement weather and a few technical difficulties. Our hosts were clearly delighted that things went as well as they did.
After a 10 min stroll back up the hill to the Excelsior and a quick change into some dry clothes, we were invited for a drink in the band room, where the musicians & Studio One staff were very friendly & welcoming.
J.O'B finally agreed to let us go to bed just before 04.00 (he could almost have gone directly to the airport, whereas we were staying an extra night) and we duly overslept and missed breakfast on Tuesday! However, a day of bright sunshine and a short boat trip made up for it and rounded off a nice mini-break.
So, things seem to be gearing up nicely for the indoor shows in Oct & Nov. While the cold & damp air in Dubrovnik probably didn't help BF's voice, he'd sounded in fine fettle at Glastonbury & Hyde Park. I'm already looking forward to the London & Brighton shows and to reading about those which precede them.
(P.S. I can reassure Windswept2 that the chances of me ever being found embedded at a Tory Party Conference are even lower than those of me winning a Euromillions rollover!
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