TOUR DIARY
BY THE KING DIAMOND MANAGER

Friday 2

Matt Thompson arrived today at the Copenhagen Airport. Following a peaceful flight he caught up on sleep and enjoyed the city, being here for the first time.

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Saturday 3

Andy & Mike Wead arrived from Sweden during the day and eventually they all got together with Hal Patino for a night on town.

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Sunday 4

Load in of equipment and the first band rehearsal took place, getting a lot of new equipment checked out.

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Monday 5 – 8

Daily band rehearsals - King arrived from Texas.

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Friday 9

We moved to a larger rehearsal facility in order to get the stage setting in place. The crew has now arrived and everyone is looking forward to actually get going.

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Saturday 10

The last and final rehearsal. All went rather well. The truck arrived and we met our driver for the tour – the gear was loaded, and the tour was basically running as the truck left our rehearsal facility towards Stockholm-Sweden.

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Sunday 11

Band and crew call at 6AM for bus drive to Stockholm where we boarded the Silja ferry line at 16:30 for a 17:00 departure. It’s a rather pleasant ferry ride and we all had time to wind down and get to talk outside the rehearsal environment

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Monday 12  

The ferry arrived in Helsinki – Finland around 9AM and we were met by our second bus, and started to travel towards St. Petersburg, Russia with the truck following closely. 4 hours later we arrived at the border. Crossing was not as bad as you might expect for Russia, but the truck driver was held up for ages, waiting for processing of the declaration papers, assisted by a promoter representative.  We left the border area several hours later, and drove for another 4 hours on bumpy roads. The hotel was situated right on Nevsky Square. A huge ugly, but impressive building.  We checked into the hotel and went out looking for food. I must admit that I ended up on the team going for an Italian restaurant which could have been in New York. I do make an effort of eating local food, but just didn’t pay attention to what was going on; tried to compensate with a bottle of local ‘Champagne’ which was rather enjoyable. Back to hit the bar and later on the beds.

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Tuesday 13

Show day #1.  ST PETERSBURG RUSSIA

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Breakfast in an impressive hall. Very different food together with the traditional items.  Harpist playing classical music live.  Band had a press meeting which was very well attended, with both TV and written press. From there we went to the hall which is called Jubileyniy Palace – a complex of sports halls, where we were to go for the small arena, which in fact is a ice hockey arena. Our crew had arrived, stage was set-up, light and PA was up, and in general all looked very well, except for the fact that the truck could not be unloaded. Officials had to break the sealing of the truck, and there was no way of finding out when they would get around to visit us. We knew that if it got later that 7PM it would be a cancellation and feared the worst – we needed to leave on time as well to make the next show in Helsinki. We were lucky; the truck could be opened at 16:00 hours and with a delay of 3 hrs the crew started to unload and set up our production. A few hours later all was running as planned, and 2.500 – 3.000 fans filled the arena. While a local band warmed up, we were under some pressure of getting on stage earlier than possible, but the fact of timing made it impossible.  Finally at 9:30 King Diamond hit he stage for the first time on the 2001 Europe tour and performed an impressive 1½ hrs set for a cheering crowd. This was a very special night and we hope to be able to come back and do more Russian shows in the future. A few glitches in the local planning made King wait for several minutes in the freezing cold, before he finally got into a car to take him to the hotel. Not a healthy experience when sweat soaked and steaming. Even less pleasant to find that the bottles of drinking water had been removed from the car, leaving him dehydrated for the 15 min drive though the amazingly huge city to the hot shower back at the hotel. At the arena we packed up in a record breaking 1hr 10min and eventually made it back to the hotel to pick up King and then drove back towards Finland.  Still keeping up the legendary bureaucracy of the Stalin period of communism, we were stopped for passport and visa control no less than 3 times before finally reaching the border crossing area. I was informed that our truck had made it ‘out’ ½ hour earlier. 

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We got stuck for an hour behind a Russian tourist bus going to Finland, but finally made it to Helsinki at 11 in the morning of :

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Wednesday 14

Show day #2.  HELSINKI – FINLAND Tavastia Club.

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Checked in at the hotel and relaxed for a few hours before the load-in at 13:00. The  day went  by, really fast, and the Norwegian opening band of viking metallers “Einherjer” showed up for sound check. It was a Sold Out  show and had been so already a week ago. The club packed to limit was a perfect return to Finland where we have not been for a couple of years. We met a couple of the guys of Babylon Whores, who supported on the recent US tour, and we can report that they are doing well and making babies.

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Thursday 15 

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A travel day. We boarded the Silja line ferry in Helsinki at 16:00 and had a good afternoon and evening on the boat. It a great place to relax, not much more to do but eat and drink, and eventually go to sleep…to wake up in the morning for arrival at Stockholm harbor at 9AM.

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Friday 16

Show day #3 STOCKHOLM – SWEDEN. Fryshuset – Arenan

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The tour bus was waiting for us when we de-boarded the ferry, and took us to the central city of Stockholm. We’re now on a real tour bus and have allocated bunks, and are ready to start the tour for real. The other support band for the first leg of the tour, Danish trash rockers “Konkhra” arrived and got their gear in position. This was a homecoming show for Mike Wead, and it became a lesson in true rock and metal. The Arena is a great venue and we packed some 1.900 people there, who got treated to an explosive show following the first day off on the boat. At 3am we were moving towards Oslo, all happy campers at sleep on the bus.

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Saturday 17

Show day #4 OSLO - NORWAY Rockefellar Club

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We arrived kind early, and had to wait for 1½hours before we were finally allowed inside. A generous treat of brunch was waiting for us, including Norwegian smoked salmon and large fresh un-peeled shrimps. Stage was set up at a steady pace and the routines of a show day set in.  We packed a solid crowd of Norwegian fans, who hadn’t seen King Diamond since 1990, and we’re now sure we can always get back to Oslo. My personal experience of the day happened, when Matt Thompson and I went out to dine at a Japanese restaurant and discovered the rare dish of raw marinated whale meat. You just don’t get that at many places anymore ! ! !

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Sunday 18  

Show day #5 GOTHENBURG – SWEDEN. Kaaren

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 Another homecoming show ( for Andy ) despite a somewhat disappointing turn out. It was a Sunday and probably not the most exciting night to go out for a metal show, but we’d expected a little more of rocking Gothenburg. Friends and family took up a major part of the hospitality area following the show, and a couple of hours went by before we got out of the hall.

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Monday 19

Show day #6 MALMÖ – SWEDEN .Kulturbolaget ( K.B.)

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When we arrived it was beginning to snow and during load-in it continued. It was rather un expected after the days before w. clear sky and sun. The audience for the show was not one of our largest crowds, but nevertheless enjoyed the performance on the rather small stage. Following the show we spend a couple of hours on the bus before turning in, snow still falling, and warnings of even more snow in Copenhagen

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Tuesday 20 

Show day #7 COPENHAGEN – DENMARK Amar’Bi

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I left Malmoe in the early hours of the morning and went by train on the newly build bridge to Denmark, to check up on business in the office. At 13:00 we commenced load in at the venue which is a converted cinema theater without chairs, and now used as a music hall. As yet another home coming show, we expected a serious number of guests, and had to section off, a part of the balcony for that sole purpose. At this point we had to call for Doctor Rock to take a closer look at King’s throat. He was starting to develop an infection following the cold he’d been exposed to on the first show, and harsh medicine was dispensed together with a prescription of penicillin. The show was a huge success, and the after show hang out was extensive.

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Wednesday 21 

Show day #8 AARHUS – DENMARK Train

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A few ours drive took us to the north of Denmark for our first ever performance in that area. My first task was to visit the local pharmacy, where I pulled the number 666 in the waiting line for prescriptions pick-up. This was surely the right stuff for King and amazingly enough we were close to a sell out here, where fans apparently had waited for a longtime to see the band. At 3 am we left the north, moving straight south – Scandinavia was over.

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Thursday 22

DAY OFF in Holland.  

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King isn’t feeling too well, with the throat infection at its peak, and we are concerned about the show tomorrow.

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Friday 23

Show day #8 ZAANDAM – HOLLAND De Kade

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We loaded in at 13:00 as per schedule in pouring rain; but only 45 min later we had to stop and start returning boxes to the truck. King would not be able to sing, and it was a matter of getting well as fast as possible, in order not to cause further damage. It was decided to work on re-scheduling the show at the end of the tour. It’s always disappointing to call a cancellation, but sometimes it’s just necessary. Band and crew went out to an Indian restaurant, for a nice dinner which somehow relieved the tension and bad mood a cancellation always bring.

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Saturday 24

Show day #9 TILBURG – HOLLAND

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King appeared to be in a slightly improved shape and had decided to go for a show. In the middle of the day we loaded in and were impressed by the great venue. It’s apparently a newly build concert hall, based on the original plans of the previous ‘Noorderligt’.   We had arranged a small Meet ‘n’ Greet backstage prior to the show, but unfortunately for the fans it didn’t quite turn out as expected, as we decided to spare King the private conversations and let him concentrate on the show.  As anyone who have had a throat infection or even a common cold will know it’s not pleasant to talk and even less pleasant to attempt to sing, but after a couple of songs; King’s voice became remarkable better, of course aided by extraordinary work at the mixing console. The show was really well packed, and despite the illness of King I believe the fans left with a good feeling.  As we packed up; the venue, which is in fact a complex of halls, slowly transformed to a huge disco, and the central city of Tilburg, which is an exclusive pedestrian area, seemed more and more like a holiday resort in Spain, with drunk and screaming people in the streets and pubs.

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Sunday 25

Show day #10 ANTWERPEN  – BELGIUM  ( Hof Ter Loo )

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Another great venue, but with a slightly smaller audience. Again we had to skip the Meet ‘n’ Greet with King, and of course apologize to the fans who had expected to meet him. Voice is in improving shape under the influence of penicillin, and thoughts are that we will be able to carry on with the next two shows before a day off again is in sight. We had to leave in the middle of the night, in order to make the ferry for England. Some time was wasted, waiting for the ferry to leave, and most of us were asleep when the bus drove on the ferry. I never even heard about it, only woke up somewhere in London, when we pulled up in from of the hotel around 10 in the morning of….

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Monday 26^th

Show day #11 LONDON  – ENGLAND  ( London Astoria 2 )

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All of us could not check in right away, but with most people sleeping on the bus it didn’t make much difference. At 13:00 we arrived at the club, which is dead center downtown London. Heavy traffic and parking restrictions made it hard for us, and the busses had to leave and park elsewhere. The truck got unloaded relatively quickly, and a major task of unpacking in the alley by the loading door commenced. Club is in 2^nd floor basement, a nice place, but hard for the loading crew. Eventually it was all in place but the small stage made it necessary to cut down on some of the stage props and decorations. We have not played with King Diamond in England since back in 1987 so it was an interesting test performance, and the audience made it fully worth the effort. We should be able to get back to more shows in England, once we hit the road in Europe next year.

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Tuesday 27

Show day #12  LILLE  – FRANCE  ( Le Splendid )

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We had to leave early, and tried to get a full English breakfast, but the service was too slow for that, in the old fashioned restaurant, and some of us had to leave without. Slept most of the way, and once again didn’t even see the ferry. Arrived in Lille with a 2 hour delay, which wasn’t really a problem, since truck driver and crew are a perfectly tuned machinery. All equipment had been unloaded and positioned in the right places for set up. The real challenge was the fact that some idiots in France apparently have decided to introduce a decibel limit, which all clubs have to adhere to. In other words, don’t play loud music. This had been kept a secret for us ‘till now. We had to extend the sound check in order to find out if we were even able to keep under the limit.  Problem is that the meter is controlling the entire system, and actually cut off the PA for first 10, then 20 seconds, and finally cut it off permanently. Sound technicians worked hard on getting the volume down to the acceptable limit, ( for reasons beyond my comprehension it is not just a matter of turning down the volume ) and after a troublesome sound check we decided to give it a try rather than cancel the show. The show therefore became a bit less ‘heavy’ than you would normally expect, ( a far from ‘Splendid’ experience), but hopefully the French fans know that’s the way their useless politicians want them to experience rock music, and don’t blame it on us. Someone once said France is a leading cultural country – they obviously don’t know what they’re talking about

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Wednesday 28  

Travel Day

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Another day with some rest. We had nothing to do but sit on the bus driving to Nürenberg in the eastern part of Germany where we parked up for the night. Managed to find an Indian Restaurant, good and OK, but not on level with the one in Haarlem.

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Thursday 29

Showday #13  CZECH REPUBLIC – PRAGUE  (Palace Akropolis)

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Got up and away, crossed the border out of the EEC and entered eastern Europe. Due to the current diseases we were all told to step out of the bus and walk through a desinfection shoe bath. The madness is spreading more rapidly than the foot & mouth disease – you simply have to see this to believe it. Arriving in Prague, we once again found all our equipment loaded into the Akropolis Club, which at a capacity of 700 had been Sold Out over a week ago. Both opening bands got a great reception, and we were certainly greeted by the fans, like we were national heroes. Following the show we drove towards Poland, fully loaded with beer and real drink beverages. At the time of border crossing, everyone had gone to sleep, and we avoided the cleansing process at the border, when John “the bus driver” announced that we were too drunk to even get out of our beds. He had collected our passports and we crossed smoothly into Poland, waking up shortly before arrival in Krakow.

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Friday 30

Showday #14  KRAKOW – POLAND (Klub 38)

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It was a beautiful sunny day, and Krakow is a really nice old classic style east European city. The show was at the university campus ground, and fans gathered around the club already at 2 O’Clock. While Prague had been a sold out show, Krakow made up for it  With a totally crazy crowd of 7-800 fans packing the main room in front of the stage and all indoor stairways and catwalks. Only thanks to a seriously dangerous looking security team did this not go all overboard. I don’t think anyone got hurt, but it surely was a rough movement out on the floor; but then again – that’s the way you like it !

It was the last night with openers Einherjer from Norway and Konkhra from Denmark, and we managed to get a quick photo shoot together, as well as a noisy farewell party in the hotel bar. Both bands left us and headed north – we went to bed and prepared for our southbound journey.

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SETLIST

Out from Asylum

Welcome Home

The invisible Guests

Voodoo

Sarah's Night

Sleepless Nights

Upon the Cross

Follow the Wolf

The House of God

Black Devil

Help!

The Eye of teh Witch

Burn

Candle

Dressed in white

Funeral

Abigail

The Black Horsemen

Family Ghost 

No Presents for Christmas

Peace of Mind