Hello from Munich!

Basically the only thing anyone knew about Munchen was that they are famous for their beer gardens. SO we had to go to one. Fabulous! Here's some pics to summarize our experience. We went to the Haufbrauhaus. Hysterical. Notice how much food and FUN we had! And notice the outfits the band was wearing.









The pic above may very well become my new desktop wallpaper... ha! - DAve

---

I forgot to mention that when we were wallking to dinner we passed this church-like structure. I looked up at it and felt strangely like I had been there before. Daron said, “oh, that’s the glockenspiel” and I was thinking, “of course I know that, I’ve been here before”. But then I thought logically and realized there’s no way I could have ever been here before. And when we entered the Haufbrauhaus a few minutes later I had the same feeling of, oh, I’ve been here before. Honestly, it’s like a memory from childhood long ago. I don’t have a question in my mind that I’ve been there, I just can’t remember who with or when. WEIRD!

Somewhere over Switzerland (Sunday May 29th 4:55 PM)

I had to pull out the computer to comment on the delicious meal we just ate on Lufthansa Airlines. This is the first flight we have been in business class, which meant we got to spend time in the lounge at the airport before boarding; where they serve nuts and cookies and all kinds of drinks (I woke myself up there with two strong cups of hot tea since we got to bed around 5AM last night). On the plane we were given some salty gourmet almonds with a beverage of our choice while we waited for the meal to be prepared. When it came out my eyes feasted on the large plate of mixed greens topped with salmon and diced peppers. A small bottle of oil and vinegar came with it, which I poured over the salad and later used as a dip for the hot roll. I consumed every leaf. That was really the best part, but Ill continue so you can really get a feeling of the whole meal I experienced on this flight. The main course was either veal scaloppini or pasta. I asked for the pasta, but so did everyone else before me, so I was given the veal and a pasta from coach. From the amount of times they asked me if the pasta was ok, I gathered that it was vastly different from what the business class passengers were served. I ate the spinach and tomato and mushrooms off of the veal, and added some of the oil and vinegar from the salad to the pasta. And I just realized how much I’ve typed about the details of a single meal. I recommend not reading this section! But Ill go ahead and finish. So, for dessert was one of my favorites, Flan! With fresh oranges slices and that tasty caramel sauce. Oh! Lovely. And tonight hopefully well be going to a beer garden. Traditional German (Munich) experience. Supposedly there are accordions and German dancing and the whole thing. I'll be sure to practice my PROST which means cheers in German!

Love!

Luci

Oh! The pilot just came on to announce that to the left of the plane is the city of Geneva (that’s where I am sitting) and to the right are the Alps. Geneva looks a bit hazy. Hopefully that means it’s hot down there!

Lisbon, Portugal (Saturday May 28, 6:35 PM)

Wow, what a totally different world it is! Amazing.

As I type, a Moby song has just come on the radio. Yes one that we play every night and will play tonight. We are going on at 1:50 AM and will be finished at 3:30. That is serious late-night partying, and I think it’s typical of the Portuguese from what I hear or at least of this festival. Things are going well. Belgium was so beautiful that I have decided I must go back there and spend some time in the greater country. We left really early this morning after a late and wild show last night, so I’m totally tired. But the Belgian fans were absolutely amazing! We shot a live-concert DVD last night with them and they were the greatest! There was one of those moments in the show last night, which it seems every band aspires to achieve. At one point during Lift Me Up it was as if the energy of the band and crowd aligned in one moment of pure synchronicity. We were playing and singing with everything we had, and I opened my eyes (I usually do most of that song with my eyes closed, it is so intense) and the entire 6000-member crowd was jumping with hands in the air, timed perfectly to our thundering rhythms and belted words. For an instant it seemed as if the whole universe was united in music and motion and nothing else existed. The band was discussing it after the show and we all agreed that that was an absolutely unforgettable moment and quite possibly the best we have had so far on tour! Exhilaration would be a gross understatement. (Now Madonna is on the radio, hmm)

8:30 PM

The phone rang and I had to jump up to be ready for dinner in 10 minutes. Now I’m back. We went to a vegan restaurant that was served buffet style. It was, get this, the best meal I have had so far on this tour! And it was vegan!! Everything!!! Even the chocolate cake and mango mousse for dessert! The chef was especially excited to be serving us they opened the restaurant early to accommodate us. He described in detail the types of dishes on the buffet and even served us a specialty from the kitchen. He had prepared a special mushroom pate with 3 tall red and green spaghetti noodles standing up in the center and told us it was called the Lift Me Up. Ha! How cute!! I love passionate and friendly chefs! Then he insisted on bringing all types of desserts to our table for our sampling. When Moby asked for the check he brought a canister to him, and inside was not the check but a camera! The chef explained that the meal was on him and would Moby take some pictures? So we did. I grabbed my camera and shot a few too.

We invited the chef and staff to the show tonight, and left very full and very happy. Ahhh. Wonderful dining = happy living. Wish us luck tonight! It’s supposed to be 20,000 people! (now if only I can find some internet around here to post this up!)

Love you!

Luci

Brussels

Hi! Here it is hot and heavenly. Out hotel has a rooftop pool and sundeck and that’s where I spent my day off! I did dearly desire to discover the delights of Brussels Old Town, but I could not tear myself from the 30th floor sundeck of paradise!



While I was lying on a lounge chair writing in my journal, I couldn’t help but overhear these delightful British accents sitting to my right. We started chatting after quite some time and to my complete excitement they were the musicians for the European Tour of the musical Mama Mia! I told them I had wanted to see that musical for quite some time and never made it. So they invited me! The show was so much fun. You know how embarrassingly into-it I get when I see cheesy musicals. I was completely inspired. The first person I had met on the sundeck was the keyboard player, ha, so before the show he showed me how they have things set up and some of the music. It’s a sightreading gig, but still looked so much fun! And I had met a few of the actors so I was watching for them in the different scenes! Wow, I have to say it was all right up my alley! So, it is inspiring to meet other musicians, expecially touring ones, and compare stories. We had lots of conversations comparing our totally different touring lifestyles. I would have invited them to come to our show tonight, but of course they were working! Oh well. Tonight they are filming it for a DVD I think, so I will make sure I get a copy of it whenever it comes out!

Travelling is fun! Music is fun! Life is fun!

Love you!
Luci

Offenbach

There is a composer called Offenbach, I wonder if he is from here. I used to be in love with one of his pieces from Orpheus and Eurydice. I can’t recall the name right now… SO, I woke up and hopped off the bus this morning at noon and was greeted by a shining and hot sun! What a welcome sight. Everywhere we’ve been has been cloudy and cold so far. It is nice to actually feel a May day. So, what did I want to do? Go for a walk of course, but not to an old shopping center or anything which was recommended to me. I thought, wouldn’t it be just absolutely perfect if there were some kind of park nearby where I could go sit and write in my journal and take in nature and the sun and life. I went behind the venue and walked down a small pathway under some trees. When I emerged past the branches, what lay before me? A perfect natural oasis bursting with green and life! In front of me was a mammoth weeping willow tree, and a paved pathway.




I went onward, and as I walked it got more and more perfectly beautiful, as if whatever peaceful, lovely thought my mind could conceive, it suddenly existed! A babbling brook appeared to the side of the walkway, providing tranquil sounds of flowing water. A bird called from a tree above me with a song so melodic I could have sung along. Across the grassy area, that was dotted with white and yellow flowers, another bird answered back. I took a turn off the main path and found small houses with big back-yard gardens. People were out working actively on their tomatoes and plants. I slipped into a more wooded area and discovered a dried up river bed that must’ve fed into the brook or perhaps helped control floodwaters. A mallard duck swooped in front of me and landed in the little bit of water remaining giving a quaa. It was truly tranquillity. I intended to write in my journal on a fallen tree I had spotted, but a friendly German man and his son invaded my nature and insisted on trying to communicate with me in many languages, none of which either of us understood. I made my way back to the venue, grabbing a picture or two, and now I am revelling in the memory. Ahhhhh, I think this lifestyle works for me!

Love, Luci

LA Show Summary (to the best of my memory)

The lights dimmed and the crowd went wild. MY WEAKNESS could be heard throughout the Wiltern. Backstage we were doing our final stretches as the low bass on the track kicked in. I waited with my eyes closed as this now familiar excitement surged through me. We walked on just before FIND MY BABY blared from the speakers, and in seconds we were rolling! The feel on stage was especially tight and the vibes coming from the audience were huge. I felt my body slip into the sweet rhythms of Moby’s music and everything became a pulsing flow.

Overall the show was really amazing. On stage we felt an especially strong energy, like each one of us was really giving everything. And the intensity we felt from the audience was powerful, as if they were pouring everything back at us! These factors combined created a live atmosphere that was truly unforgettable! It was a special show and a special night.

Many moments stand out in my mind, including Laura’s soulful belting of NATURAL BLUES, the audience becoming a wave of motion on GO, and Moby’s suspended cry on NEXT IS THE E. But perhaps the most memorable part in this show for me was when the audience burst into euphoric oblivion on FEELING SO REAL. Thousands of people with arms in the air under bright yellow lights all moving as a single entity – it took my breath away.

The LA show, though one of many, was a beautiful experience. Now the shows are coming quickly, almost every night. Each has its own unique life fed from the dynamics of both the performers and the audience. It all seems to come down to energy, and Moby really knows how to put that forth! I would venture to say that any Moby show is a memorable experience, but the LA show was a stellar combination of energy and passion, one I will surely never forget!

- Luci

Hello From Hamburg!

Germany!

So yesterday we were in Koln, as the Germans say, or Cologne as we Americans say it. Interesting how other countries get pronunciations so incorrect! Well, things are going very well. The show last night was really fun, very adoring German fans! It makes such a difference! Before the show I went exploring the old town of Cologne. There was a beautiful cathedral built sometime in the 1200s and not completed until 1880! That’s 600 years to build! And think how the technology has changed since it was begun. This is a picture of my view from where I sat to take it all in. Notice the colorful glass at the top! It was beautiful.



Then I explored the shopping nearby, which was very dull. There were about 7 or 8 shops that kept repeating themselves every 2 or 3 blocks. Rather uninteresting, but amazing to see how many people were out shopping on a Monday afternoon! This is a picture of a bathroom I had to pay 50 cents to use, and it didn’t even have a toilet seat!!! That black is just paint.



Finally I ventured down to the ancient Rhine River - though isn’t any river technically ancient! It was beautiful and here is a shot of some trees and the Rhine. You can just make out a garbage barge...



Oh, there’s so much more to write about. I will try to include more later, but now it is time for sound check!!

Love!
Luci

Luxembourg

Wow! We just finished the Luxembourg show. Amazing!!! Let me tell you about these fans! They were like puppy dogs eating up every morsel we threw to them. If Daron clapped, everyone clapped. If Moby put his hands in the air, everyone put their hands in the air. During Walk on the Wild side, Moby said, instead of and Laura and Luci sing, he said, and You and Luci sing (Laura wasnt there). So, I pointed to them while singing the doot-doo-doots, and EVERYONE started pointing! HAAA! I felt like we were leading a 1500 person music therapy session with the best possible participants! Too much fun. Yes, as I was putting on make-up over the lava lamp that lit the dressing room I was informed that Laura was under the weather and wasnt going to perform tonight. Smaller show. SO, not only was the crowd FUN, I was quite engaged throughout, trying to coordinate myself to remember how the set went without Laura. But it was fun!

The secret garden, downtown Luxembourg.



Our London show was the biggest one yet (indoors). 6000 people, and the stage was huge. It was a little weird being so far apart from each other, and I think all of us felt the distance. BUT it was a huge success and the first show they recorded live in the trucks outside, so it has been put down for posterity. Ahh, I still love London and had a marvelous day on Portobello Road, shopping in the outdoor market. Got some new stage shoes Keep your eyes pealed for their first sighting, haha!!!
;)

Love you all!
Luci
Off we go to Amsterdam!

Comments

OK - I've tweaked the comments a bit. Now when you click to leave a comment a new window comes up and allows you to submit a new comment and view all comments for that post. This doesn't include any posts made before today, however. If you want to view any of those, click the time link ("posted at") at the bottom of each post. That'll take you to the entry's own unique page and the old comments will be at the bottom. Hopefully this won't be an inconvenience for anyone - I just got tired of seeing all those "posted by Anonymous" comments. If you've got any feedback, shoot me an e-mail at uga2000dave at gmail dot com.

Thanks,

- DAve

Wednesday. Birmingham. Morning.

I love England! We had a big show last night in Manchester! (which I did manage to sleep after, hooray!) And the craziest thing happened! Moby introduced me unexpectedly in the middle of the set and asked, didn’t I train classically on piano, and would I mind serenading the audience while he disappeared for a moment - to the bathroom! OH. In the 5 seconds I had to invent what I was going to do, I considered doing something technically challenging that would intrigue the classical listener, but then these were Moby fans, NOT Mozart fans (although I have to commend the high quality of musicianship of Moby’s fans, and that they appreciate a full range of musical styles as demonstrated in our concerts). So I chose something they all would recognize, Fur Elise, and I made it a little silly and fun by the end (deviated from the printed notes). They seemed to love it, and after the show some Mancunians (that’s what people from Manchester are called) were commenting to me about the brilliance (ha!) of the performance. I guessed it worked?, but it caught me so off guard. Next time Scott and I discussed doing Axel-F, although Moby hopes he won’t have to disappear like that very often. What crazy stuff! I must go check out the city of Birmingham now! Since I woke up we’ve been parked underground, and I haven’t seen the light of day! Weird, I am off!

Love!!!!
Luci

Awake

But isn’t Scotland at night nice?!

So, I haven’t really recovered well from the jet lag. It’s been two days and I feel like I have a sleep disorder. As I lay awake last night from 1:24 (I went to sleep just after midnight) till sometime after 4:00 possibly closer to 5:00 (because for a very long period of time I decided I would not look at the clock anymore) I understood why the sleep drug market is doing so well; I solved the problem of how to bring enlightenment to the entire world (although I remember only half of it this morning); I counted sheep, Scottish livestock, and even numbers; I focused on my breathing; and in between all of these maneuvers I still managed to repeatedly recount every detail of every event that had happened to me in the past 3 days.

Hhhh. Now it is 2:03 AM, and I am up. Everyone else is asleep but Moby and me. We’re in a new bus, another double decker. Moby has a plan to stay up until 6:00, but I am surely going to try to fade away before then. Hhhh. SO, how’s it going? The show tonight in Glasgow (#1 on the official European tour) was hot! Awesome. They loved it. We are playing to slightly bigger crowds on this leg of the tour so tonight was about 3000 I think. So, I love Scotland. Why? ONE of the many reasons, is that it stays sunny until 10PM this time of year, and it starts getting sunny at 3AM. I met a man, I believe he was the promoter for the venue tonight, who was straight out of Braveheart. He had the long ratty hair, the beard, the stature, and the voice of the wholly unabashed passion of Scottishness! Picture a Scottsman in your mind and you will see this man! Ah! I tried to video him speaking on my little camera, but I don’t think it turned out. Ooo. Off we are to Manchester. Should be fun! Can’t wait. This is really amazing. More to come!

Love,
Luci

California Love

Melissa and I were lucky enough to spend some time with Luci while she was touring in California. We attended the L.A. and San Diego shows, as well as her performance on Jay Leno. I could write my own “Ode to Luci” or rave incessantly about her spectacular performance, remarkable talent and rare beauty, but it doesn’t seem necessary at this point. I don’t think I could even do her justice.

Melissa and I had a wonderful time with her.

Family & friends, rest assured that Luci is in good hands. We were able to spend time with Moby, the band & crew, and were impressed with them all. Her new “family” is comprised of an interesting, intelligent and friendly group of people. If you haven’t visited Luci on tour yet, I’d highly advise it. But if you go to Europe, please don’t tell me because I’ll be entirely too jealous! (insert sigh here) Love you Luci!!!

Love,
Julie

Some pics...

The Wiltern in L.A.- it was sold out! Melissa and I lost the directions (okay, I lost them) and we almost missed the show. Luci was amazing, of course. And that guy named Moby wasn’t too bad either :)



The girls dine at the Mexican joint down the street from the 4th and B, the San Diego venue.



Julie & Luci. Luc had a pre-show margarita. Good for the vocal chords, I swear.



Melissa did Luci’s hair and make-up for the San Diego show. We took over the tour bus with our girly antics. Poor Moby had no where to get changed for his own concert! We finally surrendered the back room and moved to the tiny tour bus bathroom for Luci’s finishing touches.



Julie & Moby on the bus—the four of us were having an interesting conversation to say the least...



Luci- Attack by hairspray. That happens when you’re famous.



Scott, the drummer, and Melissa lounge around back-stage waiting for the show to start.

The Boulder Show: Featuring Luci

I had the pleasure of attending the Moby concert in Boulder, Colorado, during the period of time where Luci was covering for Laura who had gotten sick and had to leave the tour for a few shows to recover. I wanted to post my account of her performance so her friends and family could experience the excitement that I felt seeing Luci take the spotlight!

So, it was Saturday night and the show was on in just under an hour. Picture the scene: a snowy Boulder Colorado night, (yeah, it WAS the last day of April), we had just finished an organic dinner, and awaited the van that was to pick us up to take us to the show. Luci admitted to me that she was getting a little hoarse and feared her voice would not be up to the task that night. Her great fear, of course, was that she would not live up to her own expectations of excellence. Her doubts were mostly curbed by an overall optimism. All the tea she drank over the last two days hopefully soothed her throat. I knew, as does anyone who knows Luci, that she was going to do just fine and deliver.

As the skies of snowy Boulder began to darken, the band (and I) hopped into the trusty van and headed over to the Fox. Luci did not seem nervous at all by this point. Clearly, she had grown accustomed to these shows and to top shelf performances in front of writhing masses of music fandom. For me, I got the inside peek.

Luci wore a stylish black dress and wore her hair back in a pony tail. I never saw her new stage persona and thought she looked incredibly hot. I brought a camcorder and she asked me to record her performance so she could learn from it. No problem, I thought, the battery was charged and ready to go.

So we left.

The van pulled around to the back of the Fox and the back door popped open. A large bouncer waved us in as we all exited the van. As I walked into the back stage area, another bouncer was motioning toward the stage. Behind him, I could see some of the thousand eager faces staring and pointing as ‘the band arrived’. As Moby, Luci, Daron and Scott slipped back stage I veered down and into the crowd. I got some weird looks for sure. It dawned on me only THEN that I was not just visiting Luci this time, but I was now in the front ranks of a full blown Moby concert. The MC came out and addressed the mob.

“How is everybody doing tonight?”
(College-town madness and cheering ensued)

“Well, you are all in for something special tonight. As most of you all know,” he continued, “This particular artist does not typically play at venues this intimate. But he’s here and he’s doing it for you all!”
(Again the wild cheering)

A few moments later, the lights went out and ambient music set tone. It was electric and moody and promised to escalate soon. The excitement in the crowd buzzed. I, following my instructions from Luci, fired up my camcorder and aimed it in the dark at the corner of the stage where I knew the keyboards were waiting. To my absolute dismay, one of the bouncers restricted me from filming. Apparently, I needed a ‘Video Pass’. Everyone with the band was busy and I could not secure permission to film. Sorry everybody!

I was ushered back to the V.I.P. area, a cozy space on the upper level equipped with a beer tub girl and full liquor bar. Now I could see the stage. Below me, thousands of bodies crammed the building in anticipation.

Finally, the laser lights and spotlights swept across the stage and the crowds cheered. Music, loud Moby music, filled the Fox from all speakers. Luci was on the right side (my right) of the stage behind Moby. She was jamming behind her keyboards! On some songs Moby would race up to her in the heat of the music and he would pound out music on the bottom keyboard while she continued to play the top one.

For the third song, the Fox went dark. Three laser spotlights focused on Luci alone. She began to sing the opening lyrics to ‘Natural Blues’. The song is one of Moby’s most popular so the place went up for grabs. Now I have listened to this particular song a THOUSAND times long before Luci ever met Moby, it is a VERY familiar song to me and most of America. So there I was, listening to one of my favorite songs, being performed by Luci herself, with Moby singing backup vocals, the crowds reacting in a frenzy and all of it was ‘on tour’. It was like a fantasy. I mean it was MY friend Luci up there, the Luci I knew! She was singing all by herself for a few moments and as I watched I felt like I was seeing a tiny glimpse of the future for her. She looked so good and sang so well, in fact, she sounded better than I have ever heard her sing before. It was like someone dropped a grand piano on top of me. I do not remember being as proud of anyone as I was of Luci that night.

Through the rest of the concert, she sang back up vocal in about 85 % of the songs and lead vocals in about 7 or 8 songs. And the show was GREAT! Moby projected a lot of energy and the crowds never tired. Some bands do not do well when they play live, but I thought THIS band actually sounded better.

Just before the last song of the show, I heard somebody from the crowd yell, “I love you Luci!” How about that? Moby commented to the audience that she must have quite a few fans by this point. Luci is no longer a stranger anymore.

After some commotion, Luci finally found me after the show. She was all smiles. For me it was like an affirmation, a ‘now I know” type of moment. I was really blown away. For anyone who has not yet been able to get out and see Luci perform I recommend getting a move on! You will not be disappointed. I must stop typing!

Way to go Luci! Keep it up!

-Doug

San Francisco, y'all!

Oh wow. What can I say about San Francisco! I never imagined what this city would be like. I mean, I know the songs, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, and “Are You Going to San Francisco, Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair”, two songs I honestly love, but I didn’t understand really what they were trying to say - - - - - I now DO! Wow, what an amazing day I’ve had. I really really wanted to go see the redwoods, but unfortunately the tour was going to take an hour too long. SO, I took the cable car, just like Rice-A-Roni, up many very steep hills to the Fisherman’s Wharf. There I found some shops (where I actually bought a coat! because it has been cold everywhere lately), some piers with all types of ships, and one of the highlights of my day, the seals!



I don’t know if you have ever pondered seals before, but they’re just like humans! Well, except that they have no arms, and they make loud ‘ahooouugh ahooouugh’ sounds, and they’re brown and furry - okay they’re nothing like humans, but I saw such humanlike QUALITIES in them. As I watched this one 10’ by 12’ floating dock loaded with more than 16 full sized seals, I found many humanly hysterical things. One big guy started howling because he was too crammed in. A sleeping one rolled over to see what was happening, and bumped into a woman who was not ready to be aroused from her nap. She began to beat him with her flipper. He barred his teeth at her. She barred back. Then they fell asleep on top of each other. Meanwhile a younger guy who had been swimming plopped up on the other side of the dock and landed on a feisty geriatric. This was not a laughing matter, clearly, when old Geri raised up and hooooweled, barring his teeth and beating the young guy until he fell back into the water. Young guy wasn’t defeated however, and plopped up again, only barely brushing the geriatric who had already fallen back asleep, but this time landed on a woman who also seemed perturbed that he attempt to ruin her beauty rest. She beat him a while, howled and showed teeth, but let him stay on, and in seconds they were cuddling asleep. It kind of reminded me of some of our family vacations.

I left the seals and found the bicycle rental place. They advertised taking a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge, cruising down a hill into Sausalito, and riding a ferry back across the bay. I realized I’d have to hurry if I were to make it back in time for sound check, so I asked how long that trip would be. He said I should be back in an hour and 45 minutes. Oh, no problem. I had easily 3 hours to spare. I went for it.


It was an unusually clear day, bright and beautiful, so that there wasn’t even any smog/fog clouding the bridge. I thought to myself, “ahh, what a great idea this is”. That was also while I was riding on flat city streets. But the wind started blowing as soon as I passed the piers, and it was blowing so hard in my face that I had to downshift to be able to pedal. And this was on flat land, let me say again. I had forgotten which muscles were used to bicycle, and I realized these muscles had forgotten me too! I began making stops along the way, pretending to need to take photos, but really needing to breathe and get control of my heart rate. In an HOUR I was still nowhere near the bridge. I kept going, and out of nowhere there was a ramp, well, the map called it a ramp but it was more like a wall. I pedaled approximately 10 feet up and had to stop and walk the bike. But I made it LOOK like I wanted to take pictures as other shrink-wrapped cyclists whizzed by. This hill luckily went back down, and then I found more flat land. It wasn’t until I almost totally reached the bridge where I realized I was in trouble.

There was a fort right under the bridge, and because I hadn’t seen any road going up to the bridge so far, I started imagining there might be some kind of elevator to lift me up the many stories to its lovely red roadway. After circling the fort, I realized I had missed the turn. Retracing my steps was only mildly up-hill. It made sense that I hadn’t seen the turn because it was basically a paved mountain path (shared by cyclists and motorists alike) going straight UP the side of a mountain. Oh, I had come so far, I couldn’t give up now! I went for it, despite losing sensation in my legs, heart, and lungs. ;) Honestly, I stopped every few pedals, it was so straight up. I made it to the top of that mountain, only to find another! But it was ok, the bridge was in sight! And close sight at this point!



The numbness in my legs made it easy for me to ascend the last hill, and suddenly, THERE I WAS! On top of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was truly exhilarating!! I didn’t even notice the mild incline as I aimed across it. To my right was the city of San Francisco, straight ahead of me were volcanic looking mountain islands, and to my left was the Pacific Ocean. The first time I have ever seen the Pacific Ocean with my naked eyes! How utterly breathtaking! The pain, the burn, it was WORTH IT! (As I knew it would be all along!)



I rode halfway across before turning around. Needless to say, it had taken me an hour and 45 minutes to get to the bridge! The ride back was a piece of cake, thanks to the wind at my back, the many downward sloping hills, and the loss of feeling in both my legs. When I returned the bike, I knew there was going to be trouble tomorrow when I nearly collapsed stepping down a curb. I treated myself to a crab roll (which I ate when we got to sound check) and a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cone, which I ate waiting in line for the cable car. Ahh, what a beautiful and rewarding day! I think I could leave my heart in San Francisco...

Love,
Luci!

Luci On Leno

Moby and the gang will be on Jay Leno Monday night, May 9th. Mark your calendars, put it in your Palm Pilot, write it on your hand, whatever.

- DAve

The Sushi Ruffians

from left to right:
Dan - lighting designer
John Pennington - Front of house mix
Dave - guitar tech
Greg - lighting tech
Glen - merchandise
Spike - sound tech
Ali - tour manager

Word, A Word

Here I sit in the Vancouver dressing room of the Commodore music club. I just finished a workout of Budokon, an exercise DVD I bought in Kansas City. It requires no weights and is mostly yoga and kicking. Very aggressive the second part, and very invigorating! As I breathe heavily, let me describe the sushi experience we had last night. 8 of us went to the acclaimed sushi restaurant, I can’t remember its name. And the way you order is select from the chef-special menu, your price range. $50, $75, $100, or #100+. The guys raved about the food so much that by ordering time all 8 of us somehow easily agreed to the $100+ menu. WHAT? When the first course, tuna tataki, came out I realized that it was probably a good idea to have chosen the most expensive menu option. HEAVENLY raw fish in my mouth! We had 7 separate courses brought out to us, some cooked, some raw, all small tastes of what was more to come. At the end of the 7th course they took away our plates and said ice cream was next. Some of us were still hungry (me included) and ordered MORE sushi on top of the 100+ special. The spicy tuna roll was without a doubt the best one I have ever tasted. Finally the ice cream came, and then the bill. But I haven’t mentioned the amount of Sake our table consumed throughout the course - or I should say courses of the meal. They brought out sake in giant bamboo bottles inside of giant bamboo chillers non-stop, often two at a time. For 8 people, the bill was only pennies short of $1600. Now, this is in Canadian dollars. But, to this day, that was the most expensive meal I have ever paid for in my lifetime. Ahh, the joys of fine Japanese cuisine!

Tonight is the last show we’re doing without Laura. Finally the “family” will be back together tomorrow. I have to admit I am liking this family more and more. It is so amazing how well we all get along and how fun it is to spend time with everyone. I can bet most tours aren’t as well-meshed, friend-wise, as this one. Lucky us!

So, I have always been eager to contribute to the evolution of life, like to the evolution of music, and the evolution of psychology, and even the evolution of humanity. I have read a new book that really shakes up our old traditional perspectives by forcing us to see beyond the things we have always been told. The title is, Tomorrow’s God, by Neale Walsch, and it basically brings to surface how we are so caught up in the details of religion that we can barely see the truth of spirituality anymore. I am quite excited that another person has had many of the exact same thoughts as I have written about in my diaries over the years, so I’d love to discuss this book with anyone who chooses to read it!

Enough! I think I’ll go catch Buck 65’s show tonight!

Love!
Luci

Hello from Portland!

We flew here today from Boulder, CO where they were having a healthy snowstorm. About a foot and a half fell just before and while we were there. That would have normally totally appealed to me, but I packed a weekend bag in Vegas, basing the weather on the temperature there (which was about 80), so I was more than slightly underdressed.





Friday night I used one of my shirts as a scarf. Saturday I bought a stocking hat at the army navy surplus store. Hmmm. The mountains were beautiful. I am including a few pictures of our travels since we’ve reached the west.



Laura is still sick (has been since Detroit excluding the Chicago show), and so I am doing a bit more singing! I’m actually starting to feel good about doing it, and I feel like I am getting better every night, even despite my throat feeling tired. We had a blast in Vegas (which was right after Salt Lake City). But honestly, I cannot really get into the Vegas lifestyle. It seems so fake, so unnatural, so moneymoneymoney. You know? And I’m certainly not a gambler. But our rooms at the Hard Rock were fantastic! Giant flat screen TVs. Wow! And a little balcony. That’s where I took the Las Vegas night shot. I admit an impressive skyline.



Then to Boulder, as you know was cold. But beautiful. There my throat was actually really hurting, and I had a drink that Moby and Daron recommended called “Mr. Clean” which was fresh squeezed ginger, garlic, carrot, celery, juices and cayenne pepper. You wonder how I was able to swallow it? Barely, but I will tell you that afterwards my throat felt much better and I think that was my strongest performance yet. WoW! There IS something to this fresh juice craze, although it’s not necessarily the taste...

Ok! Wish us luck in Portland. Tonight we drive to Vancouver, and tomorrow lots of us are going out for sushi at a restaurant that people I met in NY told me about long ago. I’m excited! I’ll come back with a full report!



Love!
Luci

Minneapolis...



Moby signs a prosthetic leg(!)