10-26-2006, 03:52 PM
I was bored today and looking at some old Hip pages - and came across this touring diary form The Hip's site written by Dave Powell.
If you are bored, it is a cool read from 1995:
Dave's Update from the Road (March 22, 1995)
All hail and greetings suckers... Have just returned from South By Southwest music conference, Austin, TX; many good
bands and one of the finest cities America has to offer. So anyway, this is meant to be a Canadian tour update. Little to
say except THANK YOU!!!! To all of you who came to the shows and made the last Canadian tour the most successful
tour of our lives. Highlights?...well, there are several.
Montreal Forum...last time I was at a concert at the Montreal Forum was Nov. '82 for Peter Gabriel; passed out as a result
of overindulgence (details unimportant). This time I was awake for the whole damn thing!!! As always, Montreal shows
are a landmark.
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto. What else can one say? One of the holiest concert shrines on the planet. Mystical, magical,
magnificent. Thank you, very much, Hip fans.
Edmonton...former home of The Great One... 'nuff said.
Vancouver, Pacific Coliseum... longest show of the tour (2 hours 4 minutes) and home to 70% of our touring personnel.
Surely, the finest crew that has ever toured Canada. Without their enormous sacrifices (on a daily basis) this last tour would
have been impossible. Give praise to those you do not know... Mike Frelone (tour accountant), Grant McAree
(production manager), Dean Roney (monitors), John B. Webster (video screen), not to mention the fulltime Hip crew:
Mark Vreeken (main sound engineer), Dan Cassar (lighting director) and Billy Ray (aka Dave Koster) and Pete
Tuepah--our tireless stage techs. Their hard work is the only reason we can muster up the energy to keep on rolling down
the road. But, of course, the true motivation for all of us lies with you, the fans. Not to sound like some two-faced lying
sack of shit, but, we will never be able to thank you enough, except to keep on playing, which we intend on doing.
Anyway, fellow suckers and those of you from the island of misfit toys (original home of The Hip), I now bid you
farewell. For tomorrow, the road calls again. Thankyouthankyouthankyou...Adios... D.P.
P.S. Details are sketchy at the moment but tour plans for Europe are coming along--Denmark & Holland (Pinkpop) in
early June and dates in Cologne and Hanover (third week of June or so) are likely. More to come on this soon.
Dave's Update from the Road (May 15, 1995)
Greetings and all hail...suckers. Finally, an update from the road. One as overdue as the Grand Canyon is wide. Anyway,
enough of that. Don't really know where to begin, as so much has happened in the last month. Our northeastern U.S.
shows were the best we've ever had in that part of America. Architecturally speaking, The Egg in Albany, N.Y., is one
of the stranger places we've played but, what a great building for a show! Ditto for the terrific theatre in Rochester, a really
nice venue, one that reminded us of the many theatres we played in '91 opening up for Eric Johnson. And of course, I
would be remiss to not mention our first ever arena show in the States, the soon to be demolished Odd in Buffalo. It
was nice to have the big screen and the big rig back in action. Much better than the ill-fated U. of B. gig back in the dark ages.
Buy the best and cry only once. And now we come to our present adventures. I suppose the most amazing thing about
touring with Page & Plant is how good Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are in concert. That and the fact that they are both
very nice people. As well, they have an extremely together crew who help make our gig as good as a half hour show can be.
Not alot of time on stage but, the shows have gone really well. No one has thrown anything at us or told us to fuck off
and the band have been playing like demons. We're in L.A. right now, with a few days off before our show at the House
of Blues and will probably use the time to get some ideas down on tape. There must be a studio around here somewhere...
We have four more shows with Page & Plant before we head off to Europe and when we return, Another Roadside
Attraction!!!! Pray for good weather, 'cause it's rain or shine! We hope you will all like the line-up, it's going to be a groove
filled show. Anyway, time for me to crawl off into the L.A. night. Until we meet again...adios DP.
Dave's Update from the Road (July 4, 1995)
Well, this would be the evening of July 4th. If you have never seen fireworks over the skies of a major American
city on this, their holiest of days, try to make the trip sometime. Because it is quite a blast. I haven't seen the July 1st
fireworks in Toronto for many years (if ever), but tonight's lightshow in Denver reminded me of the May 4th
fireworks at Ontario Place I used to see many years ago. Anyway, I digress. Here in Denver at Red Rocks for a show
with our good friends in Blues Traveler. Another Roadside Attraction is less than two weeks away and the BT guys
are really looking forward to seeing Canada in the summer. As for The Hip, well...WE ARE CHOMPING AT THE
BIT TO GET GOING!!!!!!!! This is going to be a killer ARA and we plan to steamroll across the nation with all our
friends in tow.
As for recent past events, does the name Rolling Stones ring a bell? And the real thing too, not celebrity lookalikes.
Their stage is quite enormous as is their presence, but they are definitely the four skinniest guys in rock!!! Quite nice
fellows as well, but what can one say? I mean, they are the Rolling fuckin' Stones and it was a surreal experience to be
on their stage in front of 40,000 people (at the very least) for a few nights. Well, one for the record books.
Before this July 4th show, we spent our Canada Day in the High Sierras in northern California. Had a great time at
the festival there and there were more than a few Canucks to share in the fun. And it looked just like Canada too,
well, B.C. anyway. But it was a great vibe, so if you are ever in the neighborhood of Bear Valley check it out, it's a cool
gig. Well, this is going to be a short note as we head off to the airport at 6:00 am tomorrow, Milwaukee Summerfest
awaits and then it's only a few short days until summer really begins for us. Until then amigos...adios DP.
Dave's Update from the Road (October 10, 1995)
... All hail and greetings to you the uncertain and ever watching. From within the glow of neon and under a Utah
sky come these notes of travel. Some six short hours ago we put the lights of Boise behind us and left Page & Plant
to scatter the masses. And so it goes on the road. A brief respite in San Fran with studio time and a chance to see the
Blue Angels scream overhead. A night at the Fillmore with the posters of a thousand bands staring down in quiet
approval. Yes, we have crossed west Texas and the New Mexico desert, first west then north and soon due east.
Back from the frontier and into the heartland of America. Missed another chance to get to Alcatraz... maybe next time.
It was hot in Irvine and so were the shows. Clocking in somewhere between 35-39 minutes long, the seven songs the
band plays gives them time to hit the groove without feeling rushed. We look forward to our first ever Utah play and
only a stones throw from the Great Salt Lake. New songs await these new cities (next after Salt Lake City: Ames Iowa,
birthplace of our sound engineer Mark Vreeken and a new territory) and we await the great cities of the east and the
jewel of the midwest, Chicago.
Now, the Morman night encroaches. Hope everyone in Canada had a good Thanksgiving.
Our best to all of you and to our country; we miss it. After this tour, the gates of songwriting will be pushed wide
open again and work on the next record will intensify. Of the new material I've heard let me just say there are
transcendental moments in one's life and mine are triggered by music as often as not. You can figure out the rest.
Never expect what you might expect, we are travelling a crooked road.
Music first always. Adios... DP
Dave's Year End Update (December 18, 1995)
Yuletide greetings, asylum seekers of tomorrow... Mental housekeeping time. My electronic masters have
instructed me to spill the beans on the last half of our last tour. Well, what can one say after unexpected
childbirth? After a speedy week at home, Paul and the rest of us headed back to our misadventures. Two
shows at the 9:30 in D.C. with all the mayhem associated with small rooms and the proximity of the F.B.I.
building, then back to the Page/Plant tour.
Our apologies to everyone that didn't know we had cancelled those Page/Plant shows in Ames, Chicago,
Detroit and Cleveland but, duty called. Apologies also to Pittsburgh, I promise we will play Pittsburgh...
eventually! Anyway the Page/Plant shows continued to be fun and are, of course, a blur to me now. Irving
Plaza was a blast and it had been such a long time since we'd actually played a real gig in New York. Not that
opening for Led Zeppelin isn't a real gig but you know what I mean. We also had way too much fun in NYC
as we were there for four or five days. Punishing, really. Presently, the band is in studio...conjuring. But I digress...
No specific timetable for a new release (greatest hits rumours are still rumours) but spring/summer '96 is a safe
bet. Have to wait until the days get longer. Touring plans ditto. I am second in the hockey pool, Gord Downie
is in first. Watch out for low flying barnswallows. Do I have too much time on my hands? Perhaps it's the
cough syrup. Anyway, I'm too far behind on my Xmas shopping to concentrate. Have a happy holiday season
and don't do anything stupid that will get you killed (i.e. rollerblading under the influence but that's another story).
Ho Ho Ho... DP
If you are bored, it is a cool read from 1995:
Dave's Update from the Road (March 22, 1995)
All hail and greetings suckers... Have just returned from South By Southwest music conference, Austin, TX; many good
bands and one of the finest cities America has to offer. So anyway, this is meant to be a Canadian tour update. Little to
say except THANK YOU!!!! To all of you who came to the shows and made the last Canadian tour the most successful
tour of our lives. Highlights?...well, there are several.
Montreal Forum...last time I was at a concert at the Montreal Forum was Nov. '82 for Peter Gabriel; passed out as a result
of overindulgence (details unimportant). This time I was awake for the whole damn thing!!! As always, Montreal shows
are a landmark.
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto. What else can one say? One of the holiest concert shrines on the planet. Mystical, magical,
magnificent. Thank you, very much, Hip fans.
Edmonton...former home of The Great One... 'nuff said.
Vancouver, Pacific Coliseum... longest show of the tour (2 hours 4 minutes) and home to 70% of our touring personnel.
Surely, the finest crew that has ever toured Canada. Without their enormous sacrifices (on a daily basis) this last tour would
have been impossible. Give praise to those you do not know... Mike Frelone (tour accountant), Grant McAree
(production manager), Dean Roney (monitors), John B. Webster (video screen), not to mention the fulltime Hip crew:
Mark Vreeken (main sound engineer), Dan Cassar (lighting director) and Billy Ray (aka Dave Koster) and Pete
Tuepah--our tireless stage techs. Their hard work is the only reason we can muster up the energy to keep on rolling down
the road. But, of course, the true motivation for all of us lies with you, the fans. Not to sound like some two-faced lying
sack of shit, but, we will never be able to thank you enough, except to keep on playing, which we intend on doing.
Anyway, fellow suckers and those of you from the island of misfit toys (original home of The Hip), I now bid you
farewell. For tomorrow, the road calls again. Thankyouthankyouthankyou...Adios... D.P.
P.S. Details are sketchy at the moment but tour plans for Europe are coming along--Denmark & Holland (Pinkpop) in
early June and dates in Cologne and Hanover (third week of June or so) are likely. More to come on this soon.
Dave's Update from the Road (May 15, 1995)
Greetings and all hail...suckers. Finally, an update from the road. One as overdue as the Grand Canyon is wide. Anyway,
enough of that. Don't really know where to begin, as so much has happened in the last month. Our northeastern U.S.
shows were the best we've ever had in that part of America. Architecturally speaking, The Egg in Albany, N.Y., is one
of the stranger places we've played but, what a great building for a show! Ditto for the terrific theatre in Rochester, a really
nice venue, one that reminded us of the many theatres we played in '91 opening up for Eric Johnson. And of course, I
would be remiss to not mention our first ever arena show in the States, the soon to be demolished Odd in Buffalo. It
was nice to have the big screen and the big rig back in action. Much better than the ill-fated U. of B. gig back in the dark ages.
Buy the best and cry only once. And now we come to our present adventures. I suppose the most amazing thing about
touring with Page & Plant is how good Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are in concert. That and the fact that they are both
very nice people. As well, they have an extremely together crew who help make our gig as good as a half hour show can be.
Not alot of time on stage but, the shows have gone really well. No one has thrown anything at us or told us to fuck off
and the band have been playing like demons. We're in L.A. right now, with a few days off before our show at the House
of Blues and will probably use the time to get some ideas down on tape. There must be a studio around here somewhere...
We have four more shows with Page & Plant before we head off to Europe and when we return, Another Roadside
Attraction!!!! Pray for good weather, 'cause it's rain or shine! We hope you will all like the line-up, it's going to be a groove
filled show. Anyway, time for me to crawl off into the L.A. night. Until we meet again...adios DP.
Dave's Update from the Road (July 4, 1995)
Well, this would be the evening of July 4th. If you have never seen fireworks over the skies of a major American
city on this, their holiest of days, try to make the trip sometime. Because it is quite a blast. I haven't seen the July 1st
fireworks in Toronto for many years (if ever), but tonight's lightshow in Denver reminded me of the May 4th
fireworks at Ontario Place I used to see many years ago. Anyway, I digress. Here in Denver at Red Rocks for a show
with our good friends in Blues Traveler. Another Roadside Attraction is less than two weeks away and the BT guys
are really looking forward to seeing Canada in the summer. As for The Hip, well...WE ARE CHOMPING AT THE
BIT TO GET GOING!!!!!!!! This is going to be a killer ARA and we plan to steamroll across the nation with all our
friends in tow.
As for recent past events, does the name Rolling Stones ring a bell? And the real thing too, not celebrity lookalikes.
Their stage is quite enormous as is their presence, but they are definitely the four skinniest guys in rock!!! Quite nice
fellows as well, but what can one say? I mean, they are the Rolling fuckin' Stones and it was a surreal experience to be
on their stage in front of 40,000 people (at the very least) for a few nights. Well, one for the record books.
Before this July 4th show, we spent our Canada Day in the High Sierras in northern California. Had a great time at
the festival there and there were more than a few Canucks to share in the fun. And it looked just like Canada too,
well, B.C. anyway. But it was a great vibe, so if you are ever in the neighborhood of Bear Valley check it out, it's a cool
gig. Well, this is going to be a short note as we head off to the airport at 6:00 am tomorrow, Milwaukee Summerfest
awaits and then it's only a few short days until summer really begins for us. Until then amigos...adios DP.
Dave's Update from the Road (October 10, 1995)
... All hail and greetings to you the uncertain and ever watching. From within the glow of neon and under a Utah
sky come these notes of travel. Some six short hours ago we put the lights of Boise behind us and left Page & Plant
to scatter the masses. And so it goes on the road. A brief respite in San Fran with studio time and a chance to see the
Blue Angels scream overhead. A night at the Fillmore with the posters of a thousand bands staring down in quiet
approval. Yes, we have crossed west Texas and the New Mexico desert, first west then north and soon due east.
Back from the frontier and into the heartland of America. Missed another chance to get to Alcatraz... maybe next time.
It was hot in Irvine and so were the shows. Clocking in somewhere between 35-39 minutes long, the seven songs the
band plays gives them time to hit the groove without feeling rushed. We look forward to our first ever Utah play and
only a stones throw from the Great Salt Lake. New songs await these new cities (next after Salt Lake City: Ames Iowa,
birthplace of our sound engineer Mark Vreeken and a new territory) and we await the great cities of the east and the
jewel of the midwest, Chicago.
Now, the Morman night encroaches. Hope everyone in Canada had a good Thanksgiving.
Our best to all of you and to our country; we miss it. After this tour, the gates of songwriting will be pushed wide
open again and work on the next record will intensify. Of the new material I've heard let me just say there are
transcendental moments in one's life and mine are triggered by music as often as not. You can figure out the rest.
Never expect what you might expect, we are travelling a crooked road.
Music first always. Adios... DP
Dave's Year End Update (December 18, 1995)
Yuletide greetings, asylum seekers of tomorrow... Mental housekeeping time. My electronic masters have
instructed me to spill the beans on the last half of our last tour. Well, what can one say after unexpected
childbirth? After a speedy week at home, Paul and the rest of us headed back to our misadventures. Two
shows at the 9:30 in D.C. with all the mayhem associated with small rooms and the proximity of the F.B.I.
building, then back to the Page/Plant tour.
Our apologies to everyone that didn't know we had cancelled those Page/Plant shows in Ames, Chicago,
Detroit and Cleveland but, duty called. Apologies also to Pittsburgh, I promise we will play Pittsburgh...
eventually! Anyway the Page/Plant shows continued to be fun and are, of course, a blur to me now. Irving
Plaza was a blast and it had been such a long time since we'd actually played a real gig in New York. Not that
opening for Led Zeppelin isn't a real gig but you know what I mean. We also had way too much fun in NYC
as we were there for four or five days. Punishing, really. Presently, the band is in studio...conjuring. But I digress...
No specific timetable for a new release (greatest hits rumours are still rumours) but spring/summer '96 is a safe
bet. Have to wait until the days get longer. Touring plans ditto. I am second in the hockey pool, Gord Downie
is in first. Watch out for low flying barnswallows. Do I have too much time on my hands? Perhaps it's the
cough syrup. Anyway, I'm too far behind on my Xmas shopping to concentrate. Have a happy holiday season
and don't do anything stupid that will get you killed (i.e. rollerblading under the influence but that's another story).
Ho Ho Ho... DP
"We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream"
Dana
