3rd March:
Arrived at Chicago airport after the 8 and a half hour flight from the UK, and met with our US crew and bus driver. We went for our first American burger and then drove on the tour bus to Green Bay, for a night of relaxation before the technical day tomorrow.
4th March: Green Bay Technical Day:
The band and crew went to the venue in the morning, but I stayed in the hotel, as there was nothing for me to do, lucky me.
I went to the venue in the afternoon, to do some interviews for up and coming shows, and it was freezing walking there, looks like we have brought the snow from the UK!!
We finished late at the venue, went for a meal and some drinks, and off to bed.
5th March : Show Day, Meyer Theatre, Green Bay:
To say that we were all nervous would be an understatement. When it’s a new territory there is always an extra edge that motivates everyone a little more. The theatre held around 1000 people, and was packed (I had been on local breakfast TV that morning, so that seemed to sell the last remaining tickets). When the lights went down, a cheer went up, much to our relief.
And for the next two hours the audience and the band had a great time.
A big thanks to Matt and all the staff at the Meyer Theatre for looking after us for the two days that we were there, it was a great way to start.
6th March : Day Off : Joliet:
Spent the day just chilling out, and adjusting to the time difference. Billy went to the mall with Steve, Marty and Andy and had a Chinese back massage to straighten him up, he was in a bit of pain but still manages to provide a thumbs up for the picture gallery.
7th March : Rialto Square Theatre , Joliet:
This was one of the most stunning theatres that I have ever seen.
The inside was very Romanesque, marble and statues everywhere, wouldn’t have looked out of place next to the Coliseum. This was a busy show, and the people of Joliet were ready to go from the beginning.
All the songs went down well, except for “Radio Ga Ga ”, turns out it isn’t as well known over here. Have to remove it from the set.
Highlight of the show so far seems to be “Fat Bottomed Girls “.
8th March : Raue Centre For The Arts, Crystal Lake :
The audience for this one were more of a sit down and watch audience for the first half. Found out tonight that “I Want to Break Free” had a kind of mixed reception, I think this song is not so popular over here, but we’ll soldier on with it regardless. Second half, again for “Fat” they were up boogying, this song must have been huge over here!!!
The signing session after the show is a great success, and the feedback has been very positive. Long may it continue.
Marty was taken to the local ER after the show, as he had been suffering intense back pain for a while, and was in agony all through the show. He had a CT scan and it turns out that the pain was caused by kidney stones. Ouch!!! THE SHOW DOES GO ON !!!!
9th March : Schuster Performing Arts Centre, Dayton:
Starting to get into the groove with the tour now, sleeping on the bus and waking up in a new town everyday is a bit confusing.
The people of Dayton don’t seem to need much encouragement to have a good time, they just went for it. By the time we got to “Somebody to Love”, they were almost as loud as me!!!
Quite a queue at the signing session tonight, and lots of lovely comments, we seem to be doing something right!!!
10th March: Day Off, St. Louis:
And so begins our long trek across country to Aspen, Colorado, with a few stops on the way.
We arrived in the morning, and checked into a hotel, which we would stay in until 11pm, then back on the bus for the overnight trip, seems to work best this way, but is damn confusing when you wake up!!
The hotel was lovely, and had all the facilities required, i.e. gym, swimming pool.
St. Louis is host to the largest memorial in the USA. The Gateway To The West Arch which lies beside the Mississippi river. A few of the lads did the sightseeing thing and went up it for a view of the city. Then all aboard the Bus of Rock !!
11th March : Day Off , Salina :
Another day of hotel check in, laundry, sightseeing, gym, pool and chilling out before jumping back on the bus and travelling on again. Can you see a pattern forming? It’s a long way to Aspen!!
12th March : Day Off, Denver :
Nice hotel, nice place. Went out for dinner in the evening with the guys, went to some bars, and managed to lose $400 on the way back to the hotel, beautiful !!!!!!!
13th March : Day Off, Denver :
Not in the best of moods, obviously. Went with Bill to the mall, had some lunch, went to the gym and stayed in on the night. Only popped out for dinner with Bill, and found $20 in the street, every cloud ………
14th March : Day Off, Denver :
This was our last day here, before finishing the marathon drive across country. Everyone has enjoyed there time here, and I hope that we can come back here and play next time. And also, not lose any money!!
15th March : Wheeler Opera House , Aspen :
What a beautiful place!!
As soon as we all got off the bus, we went exploring this lovely ski resort.
I went shopping, and the just walked about to soak up the atmosphere of the place. Nothing prepares you for walking around in such high altitude, let alone performing in it.
Just before the show started the technical manager of the venue said to us that there was oxygen tanks at the side of the stage if we needed it, and we just laughed, 10 minutes into the show, it was a different matter!!
I have never performed a more physically demanding show, where all of your energy seems to disappear so quickly. Luckily, the audience were in party mood, and that kept us rocking on. One of my favourite nights of the tour so far, and a good night’s sleep was had by all……..
16th March : Villar Centre For Arts, Beaver Creek :
Another show in the mountains, this time higher than Aspen (4440 ft. higher to be exact), and again, oxygen tanks were our best friends.
This one didn’t seem to be as tough as the night before, must have acclimatised. Another fantastic crowd, these mountain people really know how to have a good time!!
17th March : Day Off, North Platte :
Day of rest for everyone. Todd, Davie, Jon, Billy and Steve went bowling, and Marty, Andy and I stayed in the hotel and chilled.
18th March : Day Off, Des Moines :
Nothing exciting to report, just everybody hanging out and relaxing, with a bit of retail therapy thrown in for good measure.
19th March : Grand Theatre, Wassau :
A show day, thank God!! There is only so much that you can do with your days off.
Nice theatre, and nice audience, very receptive. The feedback after the show again was great, and again the venue appear to want us back, which is great.
20th March : The Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls :
We’re all getting into the groove of the tour now, and the songs are sounding really tight. The guys are all on in ear monitors, which is helping them hear everything better where as I’m still on good old front monitors!!
Great show tonight, both audience and band had a thoroughly good time.
21st March : Day Off, Davenport :
Another day of rest for everyone.
22nd March : Cincinnati Arts Association, Cincinnati :
This show was rockin’.
When the lights went down, the crowd went nuts, this is now the best response of the tour. Prove this is a small world, a couple in the front row were from Crewe, in the UK, and had seen us there last year. They were visiting a friend in town, and came along, and seemed to be having a damn good time.
This show also had the biggest queue at the signing session afterwards, there was about 200 people waiting, which was great. I was out front for a while!!!
Went out to a bar with Bill and Larry, and was there until 2am. Bill had a shot on a mechanical bull in the bar, and was quickly thrown off, great fun!!!
23rd March : Day Off, Cincinnati :
Our second day off here. We all took the day at a slower pace, as we were all out the night before. Just did a bit of sightseeing, had dinner, and then got on the bus for the journey to Newport News.
24th March : Day Off, Newport News :
Checked into the hotel, and just lazed about for a bit. Went to the hotel pool and gym in the afternoon with Bill, and went for dinner. Early night.
25th March : Ferguson Centre For The Arts, Newport News :
This venue was in the grounds of the local college, which was beautiful. All the buildings on campus had a colonial look to them, and in the sunshine, it was a nice place to walk around.
The show itself was good fun. For a midweek show the audience were very geared up. There were a lot of students from the college in the audience, and they were really having a good time. There was another massive queue at the signing session, they just seem to be getting longer and longer. Low point of the day: bought myself a little toy helicopter that flies before this show, took it out in to the theatre foyer, and managed to crash it into a pillar. Not happy.
26th March : The Lexingon Opera House, Lexington :
Day two of five in a row. Arrived in the morning, and went to the local TV studio to be a guest on the daily afternoon show, which went really well.
Went for dinner in a restaurant across from the venue, and they had created “One Night Of Queen” cocktails for us, which was a nice touch.
Had lots of fun during this show, partly because I had a massive set of side fill speakers which were loud, and secondly we had one of the loudest audiences on the tour. Wonderful.
27th March : Indiana University Auditorium, Bloomington :
Show three of five in a row.
This show was in the grounds of Indiana University, this week seems to be turning into uni. week !! In the front row of this show were four enthusiastic girls who were wearing white t shirts spelling out the letters QUE&E, I asked them why there was no N to complete the word QUEEN, and they told me that their friend was still in class, so I took her t shirt, and told them that I would give it to her when she turned up. She turned up during the guitar solo, only to find Marty wearing her shirt. Gave it back to her after the song, and they, as well as the rest of the audience, had a great time.
28th March : Niswonger Performing Arts Centre For The Performing Arts, Van Wert :
This venue was attached to the local high school, which was on spring break.
The audience at the beginning seemed a bit reserved, clapping along and quietly getting into it. By the second half, and “Fat Bottomed Girls”,
they were on their feet rocking away. A big crowd at the signing session, including some high school kids, who had made their own Queen t shirts also, and were incredibly hyper, but really nice.
29th March: EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall, Akron :
Was up early to do a live breakfast interview for a show next week, and had to get it together really quickly, mornings are not my strong point !!
Was felling a bit tired before the show, but when the lights went down at the beginning the adrenaline took over.
Everything felt really tight on stage, which made for a good show.
Highlight of the night, getting a girl form the audience onstage to sing “We Will Rock You”, spontaneous and fun.
30th March: Day Off, Westbury, Long Island :
Had a lie in on the bus, then checked into the hotel and chilled out for the day. Met with Andy, Steve & Bill for a late lunch, and went out later with Bill for a couple of drinks, then off to bed.
31st March: Day Off, Westbury :
All the guys went into New York today on a sightseeing trip, but I decided to have a day in the hotel, and some ME time. Did my favourite hobby, watched TV all day !!!
1st April: Westbury, Day Off :
Met up with some of the boys for lunch. They were all felling a little fragile after their New York drinkathon. Went out with Bill for dinner, and then just went back and watched TV and powered down.
2nd April : North Fork Theatre, Westbury :
Show one of five.
This venue was in the round, but we were set up in a semi-circle.
Was a bit weird at first, because the audience were all around, but got used to it after a couple of songs. They were a nice audience for a midweek show, quietly responsive at first, and built up at the end. Nice comments from the signing session, people hoping that we come back.
3rd April: Proctor's Theatre, Schenectady:
Another beautiful old theatre, which Bill and I explored in the afternoon.
Another good house for this one, and an audience who warmed up nicely as the show progressed, and were on their feet again by “Fat Bottomed Girls”.
Nice fed back at the signing session, another big crowd.
4th April: Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford:
A dull dismal night outside, but a great night inside. The show almost got of to a bad start when I completely forgot which town I was in Luckily Gary the monitor engineer wrote it on a piece of paper and showed me it. I think the crowd noticed my confusion!!
The crowd tonight are now winning the “loudest audience on the tour” award. They were so loud at the end that I couldn't here my monitors. Funniest moment of the night, was when a drunk women who was on her husband's shoulders, fell forward onto the stage face first, and jumped up, and started dancing, hilarious.
5th April: Community Arts Centre, Williamsport:
Day didn't start well for me, as I had food poisoning, contracted from some dodgy fast food the day before, so I was staving myself, and of course sods law, the catering was excellent.
Did the show running on empty, luckily the crowd were excellent, and that helped me along. Looked forward to going to bed on the bus.
6th April: University for The Arts, Buffalo:
Weather's starting to pick up, as this day was sunny. Went to Niagara Falls with Billy, Jon, Dave, Steve and Andy. which was great. Got some good pictures, and then we went back to the venue. Went for a run around the university campus with Todd and Marty, and then did the sound check.
The show was great, as half the audience seemed to be students, and they were loud and excitable. A cool day and night.
7th April: Day Off, New York:
Finally, in the Big Apple!!!
Was up at 5am, because my mobile phone provider called about my account, to which I told them it was early morning here, and to take a running jump!!
Sat with Gary the bus driver at the front of the bus, as we drove into Manhattan.
Met up with Todd, his Dad Stuart, and Simon from APA (the agency who booked the shows in the US) for dinner, then went out to a club with a live band playing, and met up with Steve, Andy, Jon and Dave in there. And a good night was had by all.
8th April: Filmore East, New York:
The show in the city that never sleeps. The venue was more like a night club setting than a theatre, and was all standing. The crowd were incredibly excitable, especially the front row, who I thought were going to end up onstage with me. Marty's wife Anne, and Bill's wife Hazel were over for this show, and they seemed to enjoy themselves.
Went to the most exclusive club in NY after the show, with the boys, Stuart and the staff from APA, which was chilled and good fun.
9th April: Day Off, New York:
Went shopping and sightseeing with Andy in the afternoon, and then we both met up with Steve, Marty and Todd for dinner.
Before we left NY (which was 1am), Steve & I decided to go the Empire State Building, and when we got there, we were told by the lady at the bottom that visibility at the top was zero, so we didn't go up, bummer!!
10th April: Capitol Centre For The Arts, Concord:
Got off the bus reasonably early (11am), and went to Gold's Gym with Marty for a workout, which really set me up for the day. Went a little wander about the town before the show, took some pictures, and then went back to get ready for the show. The show was sponsored by the local rock radio station, 95.7, and one of the DJ's warmed up the crowd, and then introduced us.
Good house and great audience. Ended up with a lot of people at the front of the stage for the second half, and they were all singing their hearts out.
11th April: FM Kirby Centre, Wilkes Barre:
This is turning into one of the wildest weeks, in regards to audience reaction, of the tour.
These guys were ready and willing before the lights even went down, shouting and whooping with excitement. As soon as the intro started, they were off, and they just got louder and louder. Funniest moment of the night, was when a woman in the audience shouted at me to take off my pants, (trousers for our European readers) to which I replied “ladies first”, and she did. I then had the audience and crew shout to me to take mine off, but being a little more modest than her, I went behind the curtain, and took mine off and put hers on. God they were tight!! During “Bo Rhap”, she ended up on stage in my pants dancing which was hilarious. After the show was over we swapped back, and she went off into the night, drunk, but happy. Funny night indeed!!
12th April: State Theatre, New Brunswick:
Just when you thought an audience couldn't be beaten for sheer volume, another one comes along even louder.
Had to have my monitors turned up onstage for this one, as these guys were beating me for volume.
By the time we got to “Rock You”, they were as loud as the PA.
Another long queue at the signing session. I was there so long that by the time I got backstage, the only case left onstage was my costume trunk.
13th April: Keswick Theatre, Glenside:
Show four of four.
After the sound check, met a lovely lady called Janis, who was the Bar Manager at the venue, and a massive Queen fan. She had made a cocktail for the night to commemorate the show, it was called a “Bohemian Raspberry”, and it was really nice. Great show, great audience, tired singer. Day off tomorrow, Yee Haa!!
14th April: Day Off, Harrisburg:
Got off the bus at 12pm, met Andy and Marty, and went to “Gold’s Gym” fo a workout. Came back to the hotel, and headed straight for the pool, which was empty, and stayed in there for a while. Met with the guys later for dinner, and just went back to my room to power down. Day over.
15th April: Sunoco Performance Theatre, Harrisburg:
Early rise for me this morning, as I was a guest on the local rock radio station at 9:15 am, not a good time for me, but the interview was fun.
Arrived at the venue at 1pm and went exploring. The venue has an IMAX cinema and a science centre attached, so I went to have a look and take some pictures. The show itself was Good. With it being a Tuesday evening, the audience were a bit more quietly conserved, but once I said to forget that it was the beginning of the week , and to pretend that it was still the weekend, they went for it. Funniest moment of the night was when I invited two girls who had been on the reception desk of our hotel onstage. They came on, and danced their socks off, great fun!!
16th April: State Theatre, Easton:
One of the coolest days of the tour. Got of the bus at midday, went into the venue, had lunch, and went sightseeing with Marty and Andy.
Easton was one of three places where the Deceleration Of Independence was signed (not being great at history, I didn't know this),took some pictures in the main street of the town, and headed in the direction of the Delaware Bridge. On the way there we saw Larry Holme's Ringside Bar, owned by the former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. We went in for a beer, and the barman said that the champ wasn't there, but to come back later. So after soundcheck, Billy and I went back to the bar, and he was there!!!
He happily posed for pictures with us, and we were so thrilled, as the photos show. The show was sold out, and the audience were ready to have fun. It turns out that this show had sold out a couple of months ago, so we knew that we would have a good night, and we did. They all seem to have a great time, and so did we. The queue for the signing session started in the hall, and ended in the foyer. Again great feedback, and a lot of happy people.
17th April: Paramount Theatre, Charlottesville:
Another beautiful sunny day when I stepped of the bus. Went into the venue, and then went to the gym with Marty. The gym had a rooftop pool, so after the workout we went up to lounge about in the sun for a bit, before doing a bit of sightseeing and then returning to the venue.
The show went really well tonight. It wasn't a sellout, but the audience made their presence well and truly felt. They were really into the show, and were great fun, as one couple who I had teased about turning up late and having to buy everyone a drink as punishment, went and bought me a drink. The drink was very much appreciated, as the heat onstage was unreal.
There was a group of young kids in the front row, who were incredibly hyper, and were rocking away the whole time. I met them after the show and signed their t shirts and tickets, and they were very happy.
18th April: Day Off: Santee, South Carolina:
Ah, Heat!!
Not much happened today. Todd, Jon and Steve went golfing, and then joined the rest of us around the hotel pool. We left here at 11pm to travel on to Florida. Oh, and Billy bought a straw cowboy hat!!!!
19th April: King Centre For The Performing Arts, Melbourne:
Hello Florida !!
Got off the bus to be greeted by a wall of heat, which felt so good after the snow and rain at the beginning of the tour. had to go and buy some shorts, as I had made a schoolboy error, and forgot to pack any!!
We were all outside for most of the day, sunbathing, messing around with a football, and generally chilling out before the show.
The show itself was a good one. The venue was packed, and there seemed to be a lot of die hard Queen fans in the crowd, They were into it by song three.
At the interval, I met John Walsh, host of Fox's “Americas Most Wanted”. He had brought his son to the show, who was a massive Queen fan, and they both said that they enjoyed the show.
We stayed in Melbourne after the show, and went to a bar next to our hotel, where a band were playing, and stayed there till closing time. Then a few of us went into the hotel hot tub, and then onto the beach at 3am. Lots of fun.
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GARY MULLEN'S TOUR BLOG