We’re Here!! 

Well after almost 24 hours of travel we have arrived in London by way of Amsterdam. Busses, 2 planes, a large sprinter van and security checkpoints and more security checkpoints and a long wait at London Heathrow airport with our work visas. The officer introduced us to the other officers as AC/DC. Okay it could have been… ( hmmm I was going to pick another band and I would have offended someone I like so choose your own answer and insert it here)________________________. Finally outside and waiting for our sprinter van. When it arrived our great driver, Stuart, pulled into a “busses only” lane. He got out and opened the back and no sooner had he done that than another security guard came over and told him had to move and was not allowed to load us in there no mater what!! As Stuart complained that he didn’t know how to get to the other section the guard grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to a vantage spot in front of the van to show him how to get out and around to the other section. We quickly loaded the van and hopped in and Stuart came back and we drove away! Off to the Hotel Lilly. Cute small rooms ( had to open my suitcase on the bed). In the room trying not to fall asleep and falling asleep quite by accident. You want to make sure you stay up so you can adjust to the time change better. I woke up with a start and wondered where I was for a second. Not unusual these days I am wondering where I am quite often. Hah! After leaving the hotel looking for someplace to change my US dollars for British Pounds for and amazing mark up fee, then met up with my amazing niece her her equally amazing husband. Amazing! Such a great time in a pub, a coffee shop, a vegan restaurant, and another pub talking about high school education, The Beatles, Howlin Wolf, family mythology, and how the bird called a swift leaves the nest as a juvenile and then spends 3 years never touching anything solid. Wow…flying, eating, sleeping, and…we’ll…you get the picture. Made me think of being a touring musician. They are both brilliant and spectacular human beings. Check out their music….Morning Bride…and Mark’s site to raise funds to save birds….Just Giving

Great show in London then crawl through Heathrow Airport to get to Germany and…….”The Bus”….dun dun Dunnnnn…….

Getting Ready for the Tour 

It has been at least 20 some odd years since I have done a tour of more than 10 days. There was the J Geils tour a few years ago. Crazy and fun. Sort of being in a musical sitcom. So much fun and filled with the unexpected. Like the time when Kid Rock came to sing in Detroit or Keith Richards showed  up to hang out. Fenway Park with Aerosmith and me trying to run interference for Peter to use the catwalk.

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I don’t expect to get shot at like the time in Belfast 1980. Out in the street. Snipers and English soldiers.  As it happened..I walked out of the back of the theater and my Bandmates were waving at me like crazy from the bus. So what should I do? A tap dance of course. Just then a hand slammed me up againt the building. An English soldier said..”Trying to get yourself killed mate?” Didn’t know he was talking about a sniper not my bad dancing!

Playing in a monsoon outdoors in Tokyo 1981. Rain was coming down like crazy. Playing my guitar on the song Seven Days, I realized I hadn’t died, so I decided to step out from the covering into the deluge much to the delight of the 50,000 people in the audience that were equally as wet!

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I didn’t pay much attention to certain logistical things on the Joe Cocker Tours in the 70’s and early 80’s. I was just having a ball and showing up where I needed to be. If it wasn’t flying, soundchecking, or performing, I was out and about seeing the sights!  Michael Lang and I once rented a Maserati to drive up to the Maserati factory in Modena, Italy. We were cruising along doing about 190 KPH ( about 120 MPH )  when Michael looked in the rear view mirror, said “woah!”, pulled more to the side as a red Ferrari passed us like we were standing still!  Nice factory though!

So off I go. Let’s see…clothes, suitcase, passport..umm…umm…I better make a list. Better still I’ll send and email to my son and daughter who have been doing many world tours in the past few years! They’ll know what I should do!!  Hah…

Any thoughts anyone else?          Stay tuned for the Tour!  OY!

Mitch Cort Guitar small

Here We Go 

Well I am off on a tour of Europe and hoping I make it back . HAHA .

Mad Dogs Unchained. 18 cities in 23 days!! Now that might have been ok when I was 23 but now….we’ll see.

Keep coming back to see photos and pictures!

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