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FRIDAY,
JUNE 30TH (CAN’T BELIEVE JUNE IS GONE!!!)
Got up early and ran 5 miles. You cannot believe how great it
felt to be outside running again. The hotel where we stayed outside of Paris
was the WORST for any type of exercise….no gym within driving distance and only
about 2 minutes of sidewalks. Then I would have had to run in the street and
risk getting hit by one of the kamikaze drivers! So, it was rubber bands or
jogging in place in my room…BORING. The weather here is fabulous, so the run
was very therapeutic! We went over for sound check and everything was fine
except the sound company brought the wrong keyboard. They said they would have
the right one there by show time since Becky was unable to play that one and the
girls would not have been able to perform. The sound company purchased a NEW
keyboard, so everything is fine. Only other problem was getting water to the
stage but that is always a problem at this event. No one realizes how much
water the entertainers need in order to stay hydrated.
The girls came back to the hotel and did a quick interview. I know the
journalist and he really does his homework and asks interesting questions. For a
while it was like “stump the band”!!! The girls had a couple of hours to go
shopping and I ran into them buying LOTS OF CHOCOLATE! Evidently Germany won
their game in the World Soccer Cup today and there are lots of happy people
racing around town blowing their horns.
We all had a great dinner at the hotel and then went over for a quick radio
interview. We don’t go to the venue until midnight and they perform at 1 am!
After signing autographs, it will be around 3 am or later when we get back to
the hotel!
Their show was great but a lot of the crowd left because the shows ran late and
the girls didn’t take the stage until almost 1:30 am. They gave a very high
energy performance and rocked the place though. Then signed autographs for
about 30 minutes and we departed for the hotel! Got in bed at 4 am.
SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2006
Got in another great run in fabulous weather before starting the
“work day” Carlene Carter and her group arrived before 1 pm from Sweden. They
performed there last night and only got a couple of hours sleep before flying
here. Danni Leigh drove in and arrived at around 1:30. Spent all afternoon
going back and forth to the venue getting Carlene and Danni to their sound
checks. Then everyone went over for a press conference prior to the concerts
beginning tonight.
The festival promoters are very happy. This is the 13th Anniversary
for them and they have the biggest crowd ever! They have already filled up all
the parking space for the buses and are having to look for other options. Should
be a wild crowd tonight!
After the press conference, I got Cowboy Crush ready to go on stage and then
helped set up their merchandise. They have this one big, heavy suitcase filled
with t-shirts, cds, etc., and we had it stored behind the stage. Someone had
opened it up and when I picked it up, everything fell out in the dirt! Found
out their road manager was the culprit!
Cowboy Crush did another awesome show and signed autographs for a long time
tonight. Danni Leigh was definitely welcomed back with open arms and she also
sold a lot of merch. There was a guy in the audience who came up and proposed
to his girlfriend on the stage. We tried to talk him out of it, but he was
convince she would accept. She did. But, if she had spoken English, I would
have had her trick him.
J
This is the very first time it has ever SOLD OUT. I have never seen so many
people in the tent in my life. And when Carlene took the stage, it was like
when Elvis performed. The crowd noise was deafening. She performed for 90
minutes and definitely proved that she is “BACK”. She has had a very tough time
these past few years but has now fallen in love with and married a truly great
man. We are all so happy for her. And, I recommended Scott Olson – the guy
who does my Japan festival and several other events for me – as her tour manager
this trip. They love him. As I knew they would!
So, we depart by bus (10 hour drive!!!) to Italy tomorrow – we being me and
Cowboy Crush. Three shows for our troops deployed to Vicenca, Naples and Camp
Darby. Really looking forward to it!
Jude
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