Lausanne... I get the Swiss places mixed up a bit in my memory - the all seem to begin with 'L' and have lakes. If this is the one I'm thinking of then it was the one with the chandelier, the snowdrift, and the big empty hall.
We arrived (from somewhere!) the day before the show. A fantastic multi-coloured glass chandelier hung over the hotel reception area. I think it was called "The Grand Hotel." I like light fittings, so I particularly remember anything with a bit of flair. It was bitterly cold and I think I went out and bought some sheepskin slippers or mittens from a little market stall under the arched overlooking the lake. In the afternoon, Mark and I took a hire car and drove up the mountain looking for snow. After a while, and at a certain altitude, we found so much that the road literally disappeared into it - the snow being a couple of meters high. There's a photograph of it somewhere - in one of the old fanclub mags, I think.
In the evening we all went out with Janna, the promoter's wife, who was delightful and bought us dinner. Mark Lambelet, the promoter, was somewhere else with Ray Charles, and he showed up the following day. Unfortunately our show itself was sparsely attended, and I think Mr. Lambelet lost a lot of money. He was the perfect host however, and still took us out to dinner on the show day. The low attendance of the gig actually relaxed us somewhat, and I think it made for quite an interesting vibration here.
Of course, I could be wrong... maybe I'm thinking of Locarno... ... or was it Lucerne?..
Steve Hogarth
Track times from CD playback.
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