What A Body! (Of water...)

JUNE 27, 2005
Z7
PRATTELN, SWITZERLAND
EUROPEAN TOUR


Photo: George Packer

Hello Friends,

This was us about three hours ago as we made our way from Zurich a little more than an hour from the Italian border. I'm not even sure of the name of this glacier fed mountain lake but it will be a long time before any of us forget just how beautiful it was. The sheer vertical cliffs, the turquoise water and the rich green trees were enough to intoxicate even the most cynical road dog. We drank in the wonderment of it all as long as we could before hopping back on the bus to make the rest of the trip, stopping at a truck stop with what has to be one of the best views of any truck stop on this planet-the jagged wall of the Alps looming like gigantic tent tops over us tiny ants looking for snacks and souvenirs.

Last night at the show located close to Basil, just outside Zurich, the heat was stifling as we and every other living being did our best not to sweat, looking for any cool place to hang out before getting dressed for the show. But when that time came, suddenly the heat became our friend. We accept the fact that we will be perspiring when we perform. Even in the cooler months it's just what happens, the same way tennis players do wen they play. So we went with it, letting our muscles relax in the heat and leaning into perhaps the most energetic show of the tour so far. It was show number 5 of our final six in a row. You might think that we'd get tired and burnt after this many shows and all the traveling, but just the opposite happens. We are so legged up, so focused and have gotten so much constant cardio workout as a result, we are like a finely tuned engine that's been adjusted and tweaked after every race and in near perfect running condition. It was a bad hair night, but for every other aspect it was pure joy.

We can't wait to wrap it all up with show number six tonight. Not only is it the end of the run, it's also the end of the tour as well as it being our first time to perform in Italy.

As the incomparable Steve Marriott said in Humble Pie's version of "I Don't Need No Doctor," "It's been a gas, baby. It's been a gas!!!

TS


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Previously published on Styxworld.com on or about the date mentioned.