A three town report

Saying goodbye and saying hello

Hello everyone,

I am in South Jersey, where I was raised, to visit my sister. I thought I would write a little recap of the last few days.Below is a picture of Michael Stipe and I saying goodbye in Covington, Kentucky. I loved our stay in Covington; it’s a friendly town and I was able to have grits and black coffee for breakfast. We were heading to Washington D.C. for our own concert at the Anthem. We had never played there but I would return anytime. The people were great, the layout is advantageous to all 2,500 people and the acoustics were the best we have experienced in awhile. We were all really happy when we walked off the stage. If anything, reluctant to say goodbye.

Michael in our crew shirt

Normally we don’t have visuals, any special effects at all. But I decided to show images for certain songs and though I don’t always see them, I could feel their impact. Below is Lenny Kaye and I during My Blakean Year, with images of William Blake. I borrowed it from our friend Karen’s Instagram @slugshots30. She always takes great shots of the band and the surrounding town we’re playing in.

Our tour manager Andrew Burns supplied the shots below. The first from Peaceable Kingdom, the second at concert’s end. The use of visuals places a nice element of art and photography through the night. It was nice to see William Burroughs shot of Allen Ginsburg as I recited Footnote to Howl, and the late Tom Verlaine’s face during his song Guiding Light. I plan to explore the possibility of more visuals in the future.

The painting Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks

Saying goodbye

Then I boarded the train at the beautiful Washington D.C. train station. I love riding in a train. Often I do very good editing on a train but it was a relatively short ride, so I mostly day dreamed. I was thinking about childhood, remembering the many adventures with my siblings. When I came upstairs at the station in Philadelphia my sister Linda was waiting for me, with her beautiful smile.

Two happy sisters

Passing through Delaware

Now I am happily taking walks, drinking coffee and reminiscing, which actually means a lot of laughter and a few tears of remembrance for our brother Todd and our parents. But all in all a happy visit. It is raining lightly, it’s been a good couple of days.

I will be home tomorrow, trying my Smithposium cap for size….Hope everyone is doing well. This has been a very simple message but at times that can be the best of things. Like a dandelion, or a snowflake or a melody that drifts from the air into our ear then just disappears.