Monday
and Tuesday, 3rd and 4th April
We
are off today but rather than stay in
New York City, prudence dictates that
we head down to Washington D.C. for
tomorrow night’s gig at Georgetown
University. Tonight is the final of
the NCAA college basketball tournament
so what better way to spend the last
waning days of Battlefield Bevvy week
than by going to J. Paul’s in
Georgetown for oysters, followed by
a main course of martinis: “Yum
Yum and put me in a big ol’jar
of Formaldihide.”
On Tuesday night we play in Gaston Hall
and in attendance are a number of Scottish
Politicians: Alec Salmond, father of
the house George Reid and various others.
Also here tonight are Alonso Diaz, who
heads the American Asturian society
and Dr, Nancy Groce: An eminent folklorist
at the Smithsonian and our cultural
attaché in D.C. Stewart and his
University staff are all helpful and
generous and after the concert we attend
a reception before heading to the Vaults?
For Country and Western night: There
isn’t quite enough on the radio.
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When Irish eyes are smiling... |
It
was in this town that the classic film
“The Exorcist” was made and
no night in Georgetown would be complete
without some exorcist-related japes so
Sean and Alasdair are only to happy to
oblige, ably assisted by Mark who was
looking after us.
The
final portion of this tour takes us to
the midwest – America’s Ukraine.
We are in luck as the weather is breaking
and the expansive fields are much more
inviting in the sunshine than the usual
ice that we encounter at this time of
year, and this makes the sizeable drives
to come easier and more enjoyable.
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Our first stop is the University of
Wisconsin at Eau Claire on the banks
of the Chippewa river. This is our fifth
University so far so we are all feeling
real smart. While in town, Sean manages
to get his frets dressed – ooh
matron – by local luthier, Gordy
Bischoff.
On
the way to this concert at the Schofield
Auditorium, Alan and I are tuned in
to a radio discussion concerning news
and the media. The host of this conversation
is talking about the “Oprahfication”
of television news. Though its meaning
is self-evident, we have never before
heard this word and can only ponder
as to what other items of the furniture
of the world could also be “Oprahfied”:
Perhaps the Inland Revenue, the Hell’s
Angels, even Battlefield Band could
benefit from a wee bit of “Oprahfication”.
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| Armed
with our newfound education, it is off to
Grand Rapids, Minnesota – birthplace
of Judy Garland. Grand Rapids lies in Northern
Minnesota, not far from the frontier with
Canada and when we arrive at our hotel,
we are confronted with a sign instructing
a rule I have never before met: NO
HOCKEY STICKS ALLOWED IN HOTEL. One
can but assume this to be some sort of anti-Canadian
measure. In any event, we accomplish a super
gig at the Reif Center without even the
faintest hint of a hockey stick. |
Ahem...
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Saturday,
8th April.
Tonight
we are playing in Rochester Minnesota,
Home of the Mayo Clinic: Indeed our hotel
stands just opposite. The last time we
played here, we shared a floor with the
entourage of King Hussain while he was
being attended to. I would like to think
that he told the folk back in Jordan that
the Batties were staying of the same floor
but somehow I doubt it.
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The
concert at the Mayo Civic Center is great
and we are lucky to be playing here at
the end of the tour so that we can spend
the gig money on a couple of new hearts
and at least one new liver – last
week was pretty hard going. Strangely
enough, in a town where there is so much
trade in human flesh, there exists no
place to get anything to eat after eleven
o’clock at night. Someone with a
sharp business brain could surely put
two and two together and capitalise on
this situation. Hmm…
Sunday, 9th April. The Cedar Cultural
Center is an old favourite situated Near
the University of Minnesota’s medical
center in downtown Minneapolis. This is
a glorious neighbourhood peppered with
theatres, shops, and some great restaurants
and bars. Behind the cedar stands a Wester
Hailles-esque tower block full of East
Africans and as such, much of the local
cuisine caters to them: Great food and
coffee.
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Before
the gig this afternoon, Alasdair and I
head over to St Paul for an afternoon
singing concert with Daithi
Sproule of Altan fame. We
later hear that Mark O’Conner was
also playing in Minneapolis. If that is
not enough the two night’s before
us saw the Cedar play host to Tom Russell
on the Friday and the mighty Tenariwen
from Mali on the Saturday. This is very
impressive not only for the Cedar, which
is run mostly by volunteers, but also
for the twin cities as a whole.
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| Monday,
10th April
We
must leave Minnesota and make our way
to the penultimate concert of this tour
in Madison, Wisconsin: The state capital
– though not before a brief stop
at the Spam
Museum in Austin Minnesota
in order to get a couple of wigs for Alan.
It
is a beautiful day, which is just as well
for there are mass protests in more than
100 cities around the United States against
a proposed bill, which will further criminalize
Illegal Aliens.
|
'16
500 feet of Spam Nirvana'
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| The
Capital Theatre is a newly restored vaudeville
theatre and as such is stunning architecturally.
The crew are also real pros and the concert
is a breeze. After the show we sample
a few drams and some pool at a few of
the many hostelries around our hotel.
The University of Wisconsin has here in
Madison its main campus and I discover
from the Badger
Herald that Playboy magazine
has named the University of Wisconsin
its number 1 “party school”.
I was never aware that Playboy was the
arbiter of such matters but I suppose
it makes sense.
There
is, however, a bit of a stusshy locally
as the local Delta Epsilon fraternity
appeared in this tome of American style
alongside ”19 naked or scantily
clad UW women”. A spokesman
said, ”From what I understand of
the image itself, it doesn’t represent
what Greek life at UW Madison is all about.”
Our night out was never so exciting but
it was a Monday.
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| Tuesday,11th
April
Our
final appearance in this U.S. tour takes
us to the Lodge in Bettendorf, Iowa. This
is near the Illinois border, not far from
the Mississippi river. The Lodge is a
stunning piece of Americana: A sort of
Austrian Brigadoon.
Tonight’s
concert is a benefit for the local Highland
games and Joe Nobling and his mob make
us very welcome. We are staying upstairs
from the gig tonight which is a luxury,
especially on this, the final night.
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Wednesday,
12th April It
is always with some disbelief that begin
our journey home after a month long tour.
Today’s epic journey sees us take
the curiously titled “Ronald Reagan
Memorial Highway”, which takes us
to Chicago and then eventually home (Apparently
he lived in Illinois as a boy.)
For
those who do not know, Ronald Reagan was
a great American Patriot who in the 1950’s
protected us from the filthy clutches
of communism by delivering to Senator
Macarthy’s infamous witch hunt,
any of his colleagues in Hollywood who
might have possessed Un-American leanings
(some would say they merely possessed
more talent than he; we couldn’t
possibly comment). As well as being a
great comrade of former Prime Minister
Thatcher, Mr. Reagan is often credited
for leading the way for the current U.S.
administration.
Watch the speed limit boys.
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click here to get back to the tour diary archive
Photos
were taken by various people, one of whom may, or may not,
have been Rob Van Sante.
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