“Do we have a bus? . . . yes, we have a bus.”

October 24, 2007, 1:00 p.m.

We have just arrived at the Paradisio Club in downtown Amsterdam. It is converted old church that has been doing shows for years, and is a very professional operation. The club will stay open until 5:00 tomorrow morning, playing live and recorded rave music. Tesla starts at 9:30 tonight, however our equipment hasn’t arrived from Japan yet, and won’t be here until three o’clock. So the most I can do it set up the “backline.” Since the guys are endorsed by various manufactures we have drums and amplifiers provided by the manufacturers, gratis. The bass gear is brand new and still in the boxes.

Earlier I met Gary, our Australian bus driver who has arrived with a European double decker tour bus. It has twelve bunks and a lounge on top, and a kitchen, lounge and bathroom on the bottom. The guys don’t like the double deckers because of the sway they make during turns.

A couple of rules on a tour bus: 1) only #1 in the bathroom, all else is reserved for truck stops, clubs, and hotel rooms; 2) be on the bus on time or the driver will leave an “oil spot” (a person left in the parking lot of the truck stop.) Before departing, the tour manager (Static) will do a count and, if all 11 people are present, when the driver asks, “Do we have a bus?” he will respond, “We have a bus.”

At sound check, Brian’s main Tobacco Gibson Thunderbird bass (the one on the albums) is having intermittent problems. I will tune up the pink (it was supposed to be red) Thunderbird (normally tuned to “dropped D” tuning), to standard tuning for tonight just in case.

Also, met Joe the Merch guy, who just flew in from Jersey to help Sherman out. Now there is 11 people on the bus. Eleven stinking rock and rollers. This bus will be a rollin’ Petri dish.