Date
  Title
  Another fine day...
  Thank you..
  Dream Weekend
  Opening Night
  Vegas Baby!
  REO ROCKS!
  Thank you, Survivor...
  On the road--OFFICIALLY!
  The Today Show Odyssey
  Another Day in the Life
  Last night at Pine Knob...
  The Day After Springfield, MO
  Morning in Minnesota...
  Land spreading out so far and wide...
  Pursuing perfection in the prairie...
  Thinkin' of Lincoln
  On the road...
  Smiles, Hemlock and Magic...
  Psyche Delicacies...
  Roll Them Bones...
  The road to 47...
  Helplessly Hopped...
  Laughing at land mines
  Happy, nappy people...
  Delawareness
  Jumpin' & Jivin' in Jersey Baby...
  Another day in STYX...
  Konocti to Canada...
  Benjamin Orr...
  North Bay newcomers...
  North Bay to Quebec City...
  A rite of passage...
  Train kept a'rollin'...
  That voodoo that we do...
  Day off in Munich...
  Last day in Germany
  London today, LA tomorrow ...
  Looking at you from Lowell
     

10/14/00 - North Bay to Quebec City...

Bonjour mes amis,

STYX est a Quebec!

Actually we are about 30 miles from Quebec City. We left North Bay last night and have been driving all night through the rain. Billy, Bobalou and Gail are all driving together and have been keeping each other company on the radio through the night. It's been pretty bumpy most of the way. At one point, on a two lane highway there was a head on collision between a car and a big truck so we had to turn around and take a detour down a rural route until we could get back on course. We can't complain. Those folks had a lot rougher night than we could ever imagine.

Last night in North Bay it was a loud and rockin' love fest. The ice was on the floor (covered of course), and because the weather was unseasonably mild, there was a thin surreal layer of fog in the dressing room, which was filled with hockey and other sports memorabilia from the last 50 years. Photos of Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey with local hockey stars, a letter from Joe Garagiola in honor of the coach who was having a school named after him, etc. A shrine to the history of the building and the town we were about to play. Although we had never been there, we were clearly not strangers. We were united in the music, and from note one, the enthusiasm was palpable. We were right at home and these fans needed no coaxing to get up on their feet, to clap their hands in time and to take over the vocals on any given chorus. These were our people.

During one of the softer passages, I noticed in my monitor the sound of some outside radio interference, so I switched from my green Taylor acoustic to my natural maple and that seemed to clear it up. In the switch, Jimmy mentioned that we were near a NORAD facility and I knew that we might be in for some more fun with all the wireless gear we so depend upon. And then I forgot about it and went on with the show. In the middle of "Sing For The Day" where the band stops for a second and I strum the acoustic, leading into the synth solo, somebody over at NORAD must have been keying some super potent microwave signal to somewhere because suddenly my sweet 12-string sounded like incoming fire from a cloaked Klingon battleship hovering above the stage. All by my lonesome out there, I could see that the guys were searching for a way to cover me and JY even began to pick up the slack but rather than pretend this wasn't happening, I waved to everyone to stop! I ran to stage left and Jimmy handed me the guitar he had in his hand, my black Tele, and I ran back into position (by now Lawrence was playing Keystone Cops piano music). Well, the Telecaster failed too! Back to stage left I ran again, to the sound of Lawrence's Keystone Cops piano, and now Jimmy had the green Taylor 12-string ready to go. Back I ran to center stage and voila! No more NORAD interference and on we went with "SFTD." It was so much fun to see the band handle it this way, and I have to say it will be something that I will always remember about last night. The audience was cracking up, and let's face it, who doesn't want to see how their favorite band handles these kinds of things. That is what performing live is all about. Hats off to the boys in the band!

The reverence for our more progressive material here in Canada is heartwarming. It reminds me of how we first came to love the fans here, being in partnership with them as we played this music that we both shared such an affection for. "Brave New World," "Suite Madame Blue," and Lawrence's "A Criminal Mind" among others were held in such esteem by the audience that we could not help but share in the enthusiasm. And our prediction that North Bay would be a winner was dead on correct. When you have a slam dunk like last night, it erases any road fatigue, any other nonmusical distractions from the day and even makes you forget you haven't seen your own bed in a wile. It is the thing that makes you want to do it again and again and again. NORAD notwithstanding, we look forward to standing on that stage in North Bay again soon.

Now we are approaching Quebec City and our weary drivers are in that giddy, goofy mood you get in after a long night with no sleep. This is a show in itself. Everyone is up now and we are looking for the hotel. The banter on the CB radio is hilarious. Life is good.

Tonight is a significant landmark occasion. In this very building here in Quebec City in 1997, Lawrence Gowan performed before us and got the same overwhelming response we were used to getting with the entire band and our full blown production, and he was all by himself with just his piano. It was where we first met. Little did we know we would be returning to the scene of the crime, all wearing the same colors and saluting the same freak flag. This will be our 185th show with Lawrence as a member and we look forward to this special night with us and our fans.

With only today and tomorrow left of our Canadian tour, we are feeling a little sad that it is almost over. Sad that we don't have another dozen opportunities like last night or Montreal, to add to our book of memories. Next time... After looking forward to this Canadian run for months, it will soon be history and we will be on the plane to Germany. But it ain't over yet, so let's save the good-byes for after Toronto tomorrow night.

Tonight, Quebec City!

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