We had a 4 a.m. wake-up call (yikes!), and we were picked up at 5. When we got to NBC in Rockefeller Center, we went inside to the artists' area. I hung up my garment bag, made some tea, and BOOM, it was time for sound check. We went to the stage area, which was outside, and it was misty, raining lightly and cold-ish. We kept having to wipe the rain off our chairs and the equipment, and we wondered if it would start raining harder. We ran "How Sweet It Is," "Copperline," "Fourth of July" (a new song) and "You Can Close Your Eyes" two times each for camera angles and sound.

Even at that hour, around 6 a.m., there were a few hundred people on hand to watch. I was "comatose" because of lack of sleep, but I did get a chance to meet some people in the crowd, and that was really fun. Then we went to makeup and wardrobe, after which the band (Jimmy Johnson/bass, Clifford Carter/keyboards, Russ Kunkel/drums, Luis Conte/percussion, Bob Mann/guitar, Walt Fowler/trumpet, and Lou Marini/saxophone) and the singers (Arnold McCuller, Valerie Carter, Kate Markowitz and me) got a short chance to visit with each other and the makeup and wardrobe staff. I even saw a young woman on the wardrobe staff who I remembered from the 1976-77 Saturday Night Live shows I did. She remembered me as well, and she knows Eugene and Fran Lee, who were the SNL costumers and also did costumes for Dude, the show I did on Broadway.

When we came back out to the stage, the audience, which at this point was probably about 800 people, was very enthusiastic and friendly, waving and cheering. James was interviewed by Matt Lauer, but it was hard for us (singers) to hear what he was saying, because we had our ear monitors (which muffle sound) in, and he was miked for TV. We performed all four songs, even though they didn't broadcast "You Can Close Your Eyes."

It was nice to see so many fans of James'. A few people noticed that I'd cut my hair shorter since the last time they'd seen me perform with James, and that was the first thing they said to me, which was funny.

Naturally, I didn't see the live broadcast when it aired that morning, but, strangely enough, that night, having left the TV on, I woke up at around 3 a.m., and guess what was on? We were! They were showing "How Sweet It Is" in a replay on MSNBC. That was a funny coincidence, and it was nice to see at least part of the show. By the way, Matt and Katie and Ann and Al are really kind and look great.

I didn't have much time in New York, but I visited St. Patrick's Cathedral and saw some old friends, including Phillip Ballou, who has sung with James off and on over the years. I've worked with Phillip for so many years, and he's on several of my solo recordings, including "The Right Way" and "Revelations" from Expectations Of Love. Phillip had just worked on Luther Vandross' new recording.

When I first got to New York on Thursday, the day before the show, I ran around looking for a narrow belt and some tea, but I couldn't find the right belt. Finally, thanks to Doug Yowell, I found EXACTLY the one I was looking for at Bloomingdales -- the day AFTER the show, unfortunately. Oh well. (You know, you've GOT to have that perfect belt.)

I also stopped in for a late lunch at my very favorite Japanese restaurant, and I bumped into Katrese Barnes, who I knew by name from when she used to sing with Carly Simon. She's also sung with Sting and is now the keyboard player in the Saturday Night Live band. That was coincidental enough, but then I looked to my right, and there was Alan Ruben. Alan not only played trumpet on some of my recordings with my old group Rosie, but he is also the guy who played at our Y2K New Year's Eve show with James in North Carolina. It's such a small world, isn't it?? Katrice and I talked about being background vocalists and the sometimes-frustrating state of the music business, but we both agreed that we're happy when we're working.

While I'm working on the JT tour, I'm also writing some lyrics and poems. Here's one of them, that may or may not turn into a song:

"SOONER OR LATER"

Sooner or later
Somebody's gonna live forever
And they'll get all the toys
It may be a girl, it may be a boy
Sooner or later, Christmas won't come
And happy birthday won't be sung
Sooner or later

Time goes so slow
We must begin to breathe
And begin to be honest
About all that we need
Sooner or later
The planets will come crashing
So all the cash you are stashing
Won't be good, can't be kept
Sooner or later it will not matter
You won't win even if you stack the deck

Grandma always told me to wash behind my ears
She never told me nothin',
Nothin' 'bout all these fears
Mama always told me, she said, "Always follow your heart"
But she never told me nothin' 'bout
Keeping all your apples in one cart

Sooner or later I'll understand the Bible
And I won't question whether it's legal
Even if I'm sued for libel
Sooner or later,
Somebody's gonna live forever
Just them and all their toys
It may be a girl... or... it may be a boy
Sooner or later there will be another gender
And a car with an unbreakable fender...
With nobody to drive it away
Sooner or later... on judgment day

Sooner or later

The first concert of the tour is tomorrow!

After our Today Show appearance, I traveled from New York City to Palm Beach, where we would have two more rehearsals and then the first show of the tour. My trip to West Palm was really nice, although my back was hurting from carrying all my luggage everywhere. We didn't get our tour bus (where I can now leave most of my stuff) until the day of the first concert.

I was so hoping for sun in Florida, because it had rained during most of our 14 days of rehearsal. But it was raining when I got there, and it rained the next day too. So much for getting a tan.

We had a day off, so I took a walk and found an area that reminded me of Venice Beach in Los Angeles. I had a hot dog and soda there and looked around. In another area, I found some amazing antique stores, including one with a photo of Perry Como, who, sadly, had passed away in Florida a few weeks before. Though I didn't realize it until after I bought it, the picture was autographed "To Judy," which is my late sister's name. I loved him, especially his Christmas music. I even brought one of his Christmas CDs on the road with me, because I like to listen to Christmas music in the summer.

I also visited friends in Miami, and I traveled there on this European-style commuter train. Very civilized. VERY slammin'!

The next day was our first tech rehearsal, where we saw the set for the first time. I remember thinking, "Wow, it's really different from what we've had in the past!" It's quite theatrical and reminds me of what I was used to when I performed in the musical Dude on Broadway.

Thanks to clearer skies, I was finally able to get some sun, and I had several really peaceful mornings. I also started feeling signs that lyrics and songs were going to start coming -- it's always that way when I'm on the road. The dynamic of singing with James also contributes to this. I've written probably ten or twelve poems or lyrics already, some of which will become songs.

THE FIRST CONCERT
June 1 -Mars Music Amphitheater, West Palm Beach

It was unbelievably hot and humid on the day of our first show. The afternoon was clear, but I had noticed on the Weather Channel that there was a storm across the coast. It must have shifted direction, because during sound check it was sunny one minute, and in five minutes time it was dark and cold. In another ten minutes, there was literally a baby hurricane. Even though I grew up in the country, I have never seen thunder and chain lightning like this. It sounded like CRACK!!! CRACK!!! CRACK!!! CRACK!!! The winds had to have been blowing at least 50 miles per hour, and there was debris all over the set.

Fortunately, that passed (although it did rain a little during the concert), and the show began. I was very nervous and anxious, but I also felt great. My energy level was very high, I was happy to be doing what I was doing, and it all felt right. I saw a row of palm trees above the crowd that had a biblical feeling, and I took that as a good sign. I felt it was a good show -- tight, almost like a mid-tour show. The crowd was warm and wonderful -- really sweet and really great.

Along with the great feelings I'm having about performing, I also realize that it's hard work and a real challenge as I get less or more and more or less sleep. Between the time we spend on the bus and the time we spend in hotels, it's a real challenge to get enough rest on the road, and I have to work at getting back on track. It's like you have two "sleep jars," and you take three cookies from one jar (on the bus) and one or two from another (in the hotel), which, when "eaten" add up to the equivalent of a good night's serious sleep.

The humidity is great for my voice, but talking too much is dangerous for my vocal chords. And, leaving the hotel room air conditioning on too high -- or even at all -- is rough on my throat. I must pace myself.

TAMPA
June 2 - Ice Palace

I was excited about being in Tampa, because I was anticipating the arrival at the show of a special visitor, Lynn Pitney, who was in my group Rosie back in the '70s. I had not seen her in at least two years, so it was great to get together, and she brought me some retro/antique shirts and ties. She was, as I have been, very happy about the renewed interest in our two Rosie albums (Better Late Than Never and Last Dance), which have both been reissued on CD. I did most of Rosie's lead vocals, but Lynn did lead on "There's a Song In It Somewhere," and she and I discussed how cool it is that this song is included in a special Japanese compilation album called Light Mellow, issued last year. (My demo version of "You Bring Me Joy" is also on that compilation.)

The Ice Palace is an indoor arena, so there was no problem with rain, and we wore warmer clothes. But it's air conditioned, which meant we had to keep our throats warm. The crowd in Tampa was really rocking. I am really enjoying singing "A Junkie's Lament" -- it's beautiful.

NORTH CAROLINA
June 6 - 9 - Arnold McCuller's Show, Charlotte and Raleigh

Arnold McCuller had planned a solo show of his own for June 7 in Charlotte, and he'd asked me to sing background vocals for him with Kate Markowitz. We got to Charlotte on June 6 and had a day off from the JT show, but we rehearsed for Arnold's gig that night. Besides Kate and me, Arnold had asked Clifford Carter to play keyboards, Bob Mann to play guitar and Luis Conte to play percussion. Tom Kuhn (bass) and Ray Mitchell (drums), two local musicians, also joined us.

We performed at the Neighborhood Theatre, which has about 400 seats, and the place was packed. James came, and so did Valerie Carter. Kate and I sang with Arnold on many songs, including James' "Slow Burning Love" and "First Day of May," Bonnie Raitt's "Nick of Time," and "You Can't Go Back," to name a few. Arnold was very calm, and he did a great job,

I knew I'd be singing backgrounds for this show a long time ago, but Arnold had asked me much more recently if I'd sing a song by myself. Although I've performed over and over as a background vocalist (including recently with Jackie DeShannon at the Whiskey in L.A.) -- and I sang two songs with Arnold at a solo show he did last fall --it's been ten years since I've performed live by myself.

When he introduced me, Arnold talked about how long we've known each other, and he mentioned how we visited Charlotte when we were in the Hair touring company in 1971 and 1972. What he said about how long we've been performing together was sweet. I sang "Take a Look" from my Missin' Twenty Grand album, and Clifford and Bob played piano and guitar for me.

I was really nervous, but it went well -- it was even fluid! The mic was really clear, and the room sounded good. I was able to do things with my voice that I haven't done in a long time. The crowd was receptive and warm, and as the song went on, I got into a groove. So even though I hadn't performed solo in a long time, I guess when you've been doing this for so long, it comes back from somewhere.

Kate did a great job when she sang one of her songs, "Love in the Ruins." I especially love the bridge of that song. It reminds me of another killer song of hers called "A Girl Can Dream (Can't She?)" that I hope to record one day.

The JT shows we did in Charlotte and Raleigh each had a great vibe of their own. The crowds responded really well to James, and they roared every time he mentioned "Carolina" (in both "Carolina In My Mind" and "Raised Up Family"). We did "Carolina In My Mind" a second time during the show for an encore.

I had a chance to meet up with a friend of mine from my hometown, and it was the first time I'd seen him since June 5, 1965. Thirty-six years is a long time, but we still recognized each other. We talked about the small country town where we grew up, and it wasn't as emotional as I'd anticipated. The harder part came after he left when I thought about his sister, who was close friends with my older sister, Judy. Since Judy passed not all that long ago, it was tough for me. When I ran back to the wardrobe trunk to change, it REALLY got to me. But, happily, it was short-lived, and I was able to get focused on why I am here -- to sing!

All in all, it's getting nicer with each day, though sometimes I wake up on the wrong side of the bed -- or, should I say, the wrong side of the bus. I'm sleeping more, losing weight, walking a lot, and drinking lots of fluids. We must water the flowers -- and ourselves too! My new motto is, "keep hydrated or you're gonna get migrated."

I wrote these words the night before we performed on the Today Show in New York.

"RE-ENTRY"

There are boy-men that knit and crochet
And sell coffee for yarn money
Val wrote "Cook With Honey"
I got a bug in my tummy
It's hard as you grow older
And you have sang so many songs
You forget which version of you
That needs to belong

See the sun
Don't be so cynical
See the sun, David
And laugh a little
But I am hurting, "I miss mama," I say
Sun says, "You fool"
It's a new day
And I have to shine all damn day
And it's work for me too up here
With Jupiter and its sway these days

Dusty sang, "I Don't Wanna Hear It Anymore"
And now she's up and gone, with
Me still here, the ultimate clown
Standing in the mirror lip-synching to her song
Laura too, now she was stoned
She was stoned, souled and picnicked
How can it be true
That our white soul mamas
From Britain and the Bronx
Had to leave us cryin' -- here, crying on our knees
Needing to hear more
Wondering 'bout all their dreams

These old hotel rooms are alive
Alive with the spirits of every guest
You stare at the wall
You lay there and pray for rest

Twenty nine floors is flying, ya know
It's too far up for me to go
But it's all just re-entry
To be one of the family crowd
It's hard to stand up straight some days
And it's a battle to stay proud

But when you hear the music
And when you hear that strum
You realize it's all a gift
Not given to everyone

So I don't question every mornin'
And I can't question every night
To know the biggest answer...
What is wrong and who is right

And I will sing 'til music leaves me
Sitting in the cold
And I will write 'til pencils run out of trees
And the earth cracks open and unfolds
From a yearning I cannot unload

One day I'm gonna fly to Rome
And tell the Pope I'm brave
'Til then, I'll stay on wheels --
Auto car or roller skate
I think for me, my life right now
Is pretty much tailor made
Cause most of my re-entry
Is more than 90 degrees in the shade

David's next report will be posted on Monday, July 2

BALTIMORE
June 10 and 11

After our two North Carolina shows, we wound up in Baltimore with a day off before the June 11 concert. I went shopping at a mall, and I bumped into James there -- we practically walked into each other because I was concentrating on my "to do" list.

I've been having lots of interesting experiences during my shopping expeditions. I've been just blown away at the nice people I've been meeting, especially in the stores. Every time I go to a mall, in whatever city we're in, I always seem to run into other people from the band or the crew. In Atlanta, our tour manager told me he'd seen my 1990 Soldiers on the Moon CD featured in a new super-CD player that was being demonstrated in a stereo store nearby. That was unusual because this CD is hard to find in the U.S. (most people buy it these days from my web site).

The Banana Republic and Abercrombie & Fitch in Charlotte were both slammin' (and so was the J. Crew in Tyson's Corner a few days later). I'm finding clothes in stores on the road that are so much more colorful and hipper than what you can find in L.A. There are things -- like soft denim and sailor-type styles -- that they haven't made in many years. Abercrombie has such cool stuff -- you walk in and your mouth just drops open. The sales are great, too!

I enjoyed being in Baltimore, where we've performed with James many times. I have good memories of Baltimore from when Arnold and I did Hair there, and I also remember seeing a very, very young Bernadette Peters there in a musical called WC, about W.C. Fields.

The show at Merriweather Post Pavilion felt like an excellent, high-energy show, really rocking. The crowd seemed to like the new songs.

I've had a chance to meet some of James' fans before many of the shows. They tell me how much they love James and how they've listened to him forever. Sometimes they say that they enjoy our (background vocalists) singing, and sometimes they stop to shake my hand, or they smile and wave. Sometimes they come up and say, "Oh my God, is it really you?" and other times they're too shy to say more than, "Hi David!" They really DO call you by name (ha ha). People have said really nice things about my web site, which makes me feel good.

VIRGINIA BEACH
June 12

At our next stop, Virginia Beach, I discovered that the Edgar Cayce Center, where I'd always wanted to visit, was nearby. I'd first heard of Edgar Cayce, the legendary psychic, prophet and visionary, from a cab driver in Houston during my very first tour with James in 1977, and I've followed his writings ever since. His main books are There Is A River and The Edgar Cayce Remedies.

The Center, which has books, CDs and other things that you can't find anywhere else, was amazing. The lady at the front desk told me there were usually many people in the prayer/meditation room, but at that moment it was empty. I went upstairs and got to go in there alone with no other energy but mine. I felt pretty blissed out for the rest of the day and into the evening for the show.

The backstage area at the Virginia Beach venue, Verizon Amphitheater, was very confusing because it was hard to judge how long it would take to get from the dressing room to the stage. But while I was finding my way around, I discovered some incredible art pieces hung on the backstage walls made by a class of 5th graders in the area. They were brilliant and intense pictures of crucifixes woven into quilt panels framed under beautiful gold glass. They reminded me of the squares my grandmother had made in 1922 from my mother's and aunt's dresses, squares she had never put together into a quilt. My late sister, Judy, and I had intended to make pillows out of them, but never did. I had forgotten about it until I found them just before I left for this tour. Seeing the schoolchildren's' pictures backstage made me feel very emotional.

NEW YORK
June 13 - 15

We returned to New York (having been there for the Today Show just before the tour began), and one of the first things that happened there was that I ran into drummer Steve Gadd on the street at Broadway and 59th. Steve and I have both worked with James, although never at the same time, but he and I used to jam together many years ago at a club in Manhattan called Mikell's. I have not seen Steve for about 24 years, and he doesn't live in New York City, so it was SUCH a coincidence, one of many, many amazing coincidences that I've experienced during this tour.

I've met so many wonderful people over the last few weeks: Stephen at Abercrombie; Jordan at Banana Republic; Helen, a beautiful Iranian woman; Billy, the American Indian young man who worked at one of the venues; Robert, whose organization for the homeless is very deep to me and inspired me to write a new song; Cesar from Chile; Ray, the driver who helped me so much; and Gianni, a five-and-a-half-year-old from Rome visiting his grandmother who was attending his very first concert; and many, many others..

The two New York concerts, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, had their ups and downs. Mercury was in retrograde, and the power went down during one song on the first night. But the audience seemed enthusiastic, and as I walked out the stage door after the first show with Val, Kate, Luis and Walt, there was a crowd that cheered us, saying "great show!"

I'm enjoying "You've Got A Friend" -- it always feels great to sing it. In fact, I've been hearing it EVERYWHERE -- on the radio, when I'm on hold on the phone, even on the Muzak in stores. I'm also loving doing "Shed A Little Light." It's an incredibly difficult song to sing because I use my chest (low) voice and my false (high) voice. I have to switch back and forth. But I found a place in the song, in a part of the chorus when Kate and Arnold sing, where I can add some small harmony lines without getting in anyone's way. It's a creative feeling to find those places, and those are the moments I wait for.

I also love hearing the horns in "Ananas." And, can I share a little secret wish? I want James to add Manfred Mann's "Doo Wah Diddy" to our set. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

BREAK
June 16 - 28

After New York, we did one night in Bristow, Virginia, near Washington, DC, and then we had an almost two-week break that is just winding up as I'm writing this. I got to spend some wonderful time with my family, and I also went through my old stamp collection, lots of photos, and letters from pen pals I had when I was a kid.

In my stamp collection, I found a postcard from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair that had been sent to my grandfather, and some stamps from the 1800s. The old photos brought back lots of memories, as did my pen pal letters. Seeing them made me think that today, with the Internet, it's much more common -- and easier -- to communicate with people all over the world. When I was growing up on a farm in the country, it was much more unusual to correspond with people outside the U.S., but I had pen pals in Nigeria, Israel, England and Japan. I found several letters from my Nigerian pen pal, Achos Otudoh, who I corresponded with from 1961 to 1964. One in particular, was incredibly moving. It was written in 1964, and he was describing his and his country's reactions to President Kennedy's assassination. It made me very sad to read it, especially because not much more than a year later, he was killed in his country's civil war.

All in all, going through the letters and other things took me on a pretty heavy journey through the past.

This time off has gone very quickly, but I'm so grateful for the time I had with my neices and nephews. I even got to see one of my nephews get a hit at his little league game.

My creative spell is not slowing down -- I'm still writing a lot, and it's very overwhelming at times. But I'm happy to be writing again.

I wrote this one [below] on June 1 walking back to the hotel after buying a pair of shoes. I just got an idea for a song, and it was coming too fast for me to make it back to my room, so I stopped, sat down on a bench, and wrote it on the only paper available -- the cardboard box that my shoes came in.

PLEASE NOTE!!!!! THIS POEM CONTAINS EXPLICIT LYRICS

"WHY DID YOU SAY I LOVE YOU"

Why did you have to say the word
When you didn't even wanna make it to spring
Let alone forever or a year
It's just a toy, a wind-up heart, and a plaything
Why did you have to give me candy
Then tell me that the sugar store had shut down
Now I am here stuck on this sticky-sweet street, wearing a frown

I do not say I love you to someone
Then go 'round just shootin' my load
I said it was for the long haul, buster
But now you speak in Morse code

And you were talking babies and adoption 'cause it was cool
Hell, you can't even care for yourself or me
Don't you see it, don't you see?

You can't remember your raincoat, your yellow slicker
You rooster-red cocksucker
Out running lines in too deep a-water
Till you are going to capsize
But it can't be on my dimes
Or my time -- together we are slime

So take your car, your cigarettes and your gloom
I'm going back to the painter inside me
And my canvas has no room for two
For that matter not even for you

I finally see that freedom has always worked for me
With me and my religion, trying to set the chillens' free
Let's park this train, this car, this ship
Up high there, high on that highest cliff
And sit there 'till we piss our pants
Make a laundry list
And chant toilet paper chants

But even then you'd leave me and I would have followed you
Long ago, but not now, not today, not ever
Never anymore
Why did you have to say I love you, when you really meant get lost
There's just too much water under our bridge
And somehow we couldn't pay love's cost

Now how can a Christian fool like me
Fall for a prince as beautiful as you
Never learning that love's lesson's should all be learned in reverse
Hearts lined up like the Motor-Town Revue

So I am giving you fair warning
But not a threat or anything. If I love you
I must let you go free, just like that sucker they call Sting

Why did you have to say I love you
Why did ya have to kiss me on the lips
You damn near set off my erector set
In the shape of a Viking ship
And so I paddle and I row and I paddle my little boat
As I float here trying so hard to still sing the world's highest note

And I still want my tummy to disappear
And it must be by August twentieth of this year
Fifty-three and climbin'.... and sixty in six short years
So hit those paints and brushes and water down like lushes
I'm gonna find some guy that gushes
And please leave me the hell alone
Why did you have to say I love you
Then go and leave me in your no-parking zone
You even disconnected the phone
So now I'm free to roam

Why did you have to say I love you
You should have saved it for yourself
Cause loving your own body is the equivalent of fabulous wealth
Why did you go and say I love you then leave me on the shelf
My friend, I hope you are happy with somebody else.

David's next report will be posted on Monday, July 16