Tours seem to have some magical appeal to me. Playing music every night with the same band is great. Seeing new places, although sometimes you're only getting a little glimpse, is neat. But when you spend all day travelling, changing trains and hailing cabs you want to pack lightly.
In 2003 I had a tour of Europe with my quartet. I was living in New York and I had bought brand spanking new pants at the Gap before departure and washed them and all. To keep luggage to a minimum I usually wear a pair of jeans while travelling and then have a couple of pants in my suitcase for performing in. This time however, I decided not to wear my jeans during the flight because the tiny metal buttons on the pockets triggered the alarm at the security gate. Unfortunately my bassist Matt Pavolka spilled coffee on me during the flight. (read more…)
