Touring Tips from Transfer

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BERLIN seemed to fly by so fast. I was excited to meet back up with the tour after two days off. The catering was amazing and was the closest to a "home cooked" meal I had seen yet. We had a good show and got a great crowd response. Meeting the people at the merch table afterward, we were excited about the feedback from the German crowd, and the responses seemed to be very positive and genuine. After the show, we went out for drinks at the Astro Bar in East Berlin. The spot was recommended by our host for the evening because it was stumbling distance from our crash pad. Celebrating friend and faithful guitar tech Daniel's birthday, we wound up pretty smashed, which made for an extra long trip to Poznan, Poland, the next morning.

POLAND is quite a drastic change from Germany. It reminded me of what it feels like to drive from California into Mexico. Roads were bumpy, traffic was extremely sketchy, and the landscape was barren. We started to feel the difference once we saw prostitutes with fanny packs at the edge of every other dirt road as we drove past. Crazy scene.

Stopping at a truck stop was another awakening experience, as we got stared down by prostitutes, Polish truckers and odd-looking strangers who made weird noises while we walked through the fart smell of the mess hall. Jesus Christ, that was a bizarre experience. POZNAN, however was completely packed, with the most eager crowd we had seen yet.

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Having very little room to deal with onstage was a minor obstacle, but the crowd involvement was over the top and filled us up.

WARSAW proved to be another amazing show experience. People seemed so eager to hear something new and responded to the music right away.

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SIDE NOTE: They served hot dogs and a variety of mystery meats in the catering hall at each venue, and  the toilet paper was like fine-grit sandpaper. Also, the house sound techs were very agro … I wasn't sure if it was just how they communicated or if they were pissed, but the mood was tense.

We blew fuses in the keyboard and the power converters right before our soundcheck, so we half-expected to have a technical meltdown and made plans to adjust our set for the lack of keyboard power. Hats off to the White Lies crew for all their hard work and willingness to help the show go on. Can't do it without great support, and we are lucky to have it. Found the fuses and made it happen. Assessment: Polish crowds are amazing! We felt very fortunate to have such a warm response despite it being our first introduction to the country. We look forward to returning. Also, Lech beer is gooooooood.

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Split the show right after our set to get five hours of driving behind us in order to arrive in Prague with some sightseeing time.

PRAGUE: Where do I begin? Van got broken into, then broke down and stranded us for three days. (It's still not fixed). I think I need to take a deep breath before getting into this. More soon ...

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