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Euro Tour Blog part three - April / May 2013

As I'm travelling in the tour bus now on the UK leg of the tour, the fun memories of Europe come flooding back...

We left sunshine in Bologna for rain in Leipzig, but it was an equally fascinating place. We joined photographer friends Angela and Maurizio Vicedomini on a visit to St Thomas church where Bach played and also to the Bach museum. I felt like a kid in a candy store, pressing buttons and hearing each instrument playing one Bach piece after another. listening to his Well Tempered Clavier I wondered what a Bad Tempered Clavier would be like...

The following morning a group of us joined Christian Gerhardts of the German Genesis fanclub for a trip to a huge memorial built to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon. The long climb was well worth it for the fantastic aerial view of Leipzig.

The gig was powerful with a fabulous audience. This exciting pattern was to continue throughout Germany. The band's performance continued to get ever tighter...

Thanks to Angela and Maurizio, we reached Stuttgart in time for a radio interview before the show, and then the next day on to Munich. Christian Gerhardts and friends joined us again to explore the city. Atmospheric centre with Gothic spires and turrets - a real sense of those fairy tales of old. Great to have Ray Wilson join us on stage that night.

Having travelled with Martin Duimel to Mainz, we would have loved to explore this once Ancient Roman stronghold but interviews beckoned along with the show... It was great to see my son Oliver, who joined us here. Jo and I then enjoyed catching up with him over lunch by a canal in sunny Oberhausen.

And finally on to Hamburg, where the Beatles came of age and honed their craft. Jo, Oliver and I visited the docks and I noticed similarities with Liverpool, which I'm actually approaching as I write this blog!

From Paris to Hamburg, it's been a great adventure. Extraordinary changes in weather, exciting audiences, as well as a sense of electricity in the air around us with lighting and visuals turning it all into a particularly dynamic experience.

A big thanks to the band, Hackett team and everyone who helped along the way, as well as the agents and all the promotors.

And so this tour now continues the momentum as we speed through Blighty...