Australia So Far

SYDNEY:
My dear dear friend Anni Lindner stayed with me all three nights that we were there. The band and crew quickly fell in love with her. Mark has a friend with a sailboat and so most of the band went for a 'three hour tour' of Sydney Harbor, basking in the ozone free sun, and getting a description of each neighborhood we were sailing past. Anni and I went out to lunch and caught up. We had about one whole year to cover in three days and boy did we make a valiant effort to cover all our bases.

Met the band in the lobby and off we went in a van straight to the stage door of the Sydney Opera House. The inside is laid out like a seashell, coiling around itself until you get to the stairs that lead up to the stage. In many ways, the actual house reminds me a lot of the San Francisco Opera House. It has a larger capacity and taller ceilings but it looks quite similar. From the first moment I stepped on stage to the last second of the final performance, I was constantly aware that this was perhaps my only opportunity to standing on that stage. As Jessica said to me on the phone, the majority of the human race will not get the chance to perform there. Its certainly not a guarantee. I don't think I could have been any more conscious of that. After the first show, I turned to David and said "thank God we get to do it all again tomorrow."

After both shows we went to an outdoor bar aptly called Opera Bar just outside the venue. We sat drinking in the view of the bridge and SOH and sipping our cocktails. Anni and I chatted away until the bartenders kicked us out.

Oh boy - just about to board a plane. More when we arrive in Brisbane.