PORTLAND
September 15

Michael Landau, who's a great guitarist, joined the tour in Portland (our first show after a two-week vacation break), replacing Bob Mann, who had prior commitments. Michael was part of James' band in the early 1990s, including on the LIVE album. I miss Bob, but we've had the best of both "guitarist" worlds on this tour -- they're both such great players. Michael plays especially nicely on "Raised Up Family" and "Ananas."

Portland was warmer than usual, and we had sunny and beautiful days. I loved the hotel we stayed in -- the rooms are really nice. It's old and elegant, and they've redone it so well. I went to my favorite English tea place, which used to be called the British Tea Gardens. It's now called Details, but it still has great tea and good food. It also has a nice patio in the back that is one of the most peaceful places, and I enjoyed that. There's great antique shopping in Portland, but we weren't there long enough for me to get to any of it. I did get together with my friend Steven, and it was great to see him, although I was sorry I missed seeing his wife, Tricia.

All of us in the band were lucky that we all got back together and made it to Portland on time, given what had happened on September 11. At the show, the audience was especially warm and responsive. It seemed as though they were really feeling the songs, and I felt as though they were completely in sync with us.

SEATTLE
September 16

Suddenly, Seattle! I always think of so many friends from my days in Hair who either lived in Seattle or still live there now, especially Charlie Irwin and Joann Harris. But we were in the city so briefly that I don't have much to say about it other than that the venue was practically underneath the Space Needle. And that I've never seen a city with SO MUCH COFFEE.

MONTANA and IDAHO
September 18 - 20

Next we went to Bozeman, Montana and Sun Valley, Idaho, both of which are cities I've never played before. In Bozeman, the venue was on the campus of the university, and Sally Taylor joined us. During the concert, she sang her song "Sign of Rain," and again, as she did in Denver, on "You Can Close Your Eyes." It's a trip to see Sally as an adult because I remember her from the first tour I did with James in 1977 when she must have been about three years old.

The Sun Valley concert was a benefit for the Nature Conservancy of Idaho, and we performed at the foot of a ski run in front of the River Run Lodge, which looks like a beautiful Swiss chalet. It had been a nice warm day, but when the sun went down -- BAM! -- it became really chilly really fast. Luckily there were a lot of places to get hot tea between songs. Because of the small size of the venue, the audience was compact -- just several thousand people (as opposed to the 15,000 or 20,000 we've been playing for), but everybody was so grateful we were there, and they kept thanking us for doing a show in their town. Sally again sang "Sign of Rain," but instead of us all singing "Not Fade Away" in the encore, Sally and James (and Arnold, Val, Kate and I) sang "Mockingbird." That was such a flashback to the "No Nukes" concert at Madison Square Garden in September 1979 when Arnold and I performed that same song with James and Carly (Sally's mother, of course). That night in Sun Valley, I remember thinking, "Wow, Sally's all grown up!"

The next day, we were all invited to a party that was held at Ernest Hemingway's home, where he did a lot of his writing and where he died. We got to tour the house, which was wonderful. One of the most impressive things was seeing his typewriter on a kind of a high table, which had no chair. He apparently stood up when he typed (because of back trouble) and looked out his window with this gorgeous view of the mountains. [see photo below].

It was interesting to see the house as he had left it, including his magazine collection (a lot of LIFE and LOOK and outdoor magazines) and private book collection. I also noticed a tiny sketch, about 4 x 6, of a drawing made for him, or of him, by Pablo Picasso next to a big fireplace. There was a lot of late 50s and early 60s furniture in excellent condition. It was a beautifully built house, and it had a interesting ventilation system, which consisted of rectangular "doors" above each window with screens behind them that could be pulled open to allow cool air in.

On the bus ride to Salt Lake City, we got to see a copy of the Japanese video that was filmed at our two Chicago shows, and it looked and sounded nice. It was about 70 minutes long, so it seems that they didn't use the entire show. The video contained some really funny backstage footage taken during intermission when we were getting ready for the second set. There are shots of us doing random things like ironing, stretching, vocalizing, eating, changing clothes and pre-show stuff like that. It was cute.

SALT LAKE CITY
September 21

After we arrived in Salt Lake City, I had a McDonald's attack (I HAD to have a chicken sandwich), and some locals told me there was one "down there and to the right." So, at 10 p.m., I went off to find it. "Down there and to the right" turned out to be a two-mile walk, but I didn't care because it was a really pretty night, kind of breezy and cool.

I remember sitting in the McDonald's, and it seemed so nice because it was such an ordinary "everyday man"-kind of thing to do. I don't know, really, how to describe that feeling, but it was one of those moments in time when you sort of settle down into people watching and you can kind of forget for a minute that you're on the road and how tough that (offstage) life can be. Instead of being in a fancy hotel or restaurant, it was so comforting to be with regular folks, kids and senior citizens. It made the food taste extra good because the vibe was right. People are so fascinating to watch, and I love that. It felt so good. I could have been home in L.A. or home where I grew up. For that moment, I wasn't a musician on the road, and I remember feeling very safe.

I did get to shop a little in Salt Lake. I stocked up on hair conditioner, toothpaste and all that jazz. I saw the Mormon Temple, which is really pretty, and had breakfast and lunch in this GREAT coffee shop, which has been there since around 1922. I can't remember the name of the place, but I think it started with an "L." And I had a WONDERFUL cup of tea at a Borders overlooking the Temple. It was a little surreal, sipping tea and looking out at the Temple, which is so huge and has so many people visiting it. At the show that night, my friend Christine Gordon's mother and brother came, and it was great to see them.

RENO
September 22

Reno was super dry, which is a challenge on the throat. But it was fun playing the slots, and I won a little. That was Sally's last show with us, and it was sad to see her leave.

There's a special treat from Arnold McCuller at the end of this "Tales from the Road," after the following poem that I just wrote over tea with the sun shining into my hotel window.

"OH, OCTOBER"

…It's a blur of credit cards, luggage straps
Sad good-byes and half hellos…
The music makes me mellow
My age is older, I'm not a "very young" fellow

Now I know how mama felt when she said
Davy, be thankful that you're young…
As buildings fall and people fly
Out windows like they're flung

I miss the cold cow pastures
And the walking with shivering teeth
A distant deer rifle or shotgun sound
Was the loudest thing I'd hear or see

Winter brought the coldest daze
And the hope for eternal spring
And my knob on my Victrola
Turned way up to hear Ronnie Spector sing

…and the school bus in the mornings
At six and fifty-five (6:55), five minutes to
Seven is way too early - you don't even
Know if you're alive at that time - and
The ride to school in the snow -
Freezing - sleeting - whirling wind would blow
To dust myself off at 8:50 in time for
9:00 a.m. and board and chalk - how much do you know?
And "My, how you've grown"

It wasn't too chic
But it wasn't shabby
My mind was hungry for
All the words that would have me…
And my legs ran so fast
And I jumped so high
And I hid all the tears
You'd have seen me cry

So I'm crying now, I'm just catchin' up
There's too many tears in this green tea cup
It's awful, it's warful, it's not even understood
…and if you have an answer, please tell me,
I wish you would

Oh, October, what can you bring
That can ease the pain of September?
I know your autumn leaves
Will change to beautiful colors
But even they know, and they'll remember

Oh, October, you could have never known
What August didn't even hint… but
There's a light so bright
In my window this morning, that
I'm blinded and I have to squint

Oh, it feels so warm, this beautiful sun
Like someone's arms were around me all last night
Of course once again it was just my pillow
That I was holding onto so tight

…at least I'm here today
Alive on this crazy planet
September has taught me about thankfulness
And to take not-anything for granted

Oh, October… 10/4/01

A THOUSAND WORDS…

…aka Arnold's Kodak moment.

Maestro, drum roll, please. Ladies and gentlemen… it's time for our featured visitor, my fellow background vocalist and good friend, Arnold, who has prepared a special "McCuller Montage." I think you'll enjoy these photos from the tour, especially Arnold's inimitable captions.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: Arnold posing with Barbarella in Albuquerque under God's open sky.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: JT doing a successful water taste test. He knew Naya from Volvic from Evian! WEBMASTER'S NOTE: for additional explanation of this photo, see Sally Taylor's Web Site Road Diary (toward the end of the September 18 entry)

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: JT doing his daily facial exercises. It's what keeps him young.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: Singers (and Kate) misbehaving during sound check.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: The view from the top of Red Rocks, another amazing place.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: Lou Marini, always handsome, even surrounded by red rocks.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: Bob Mann [right], we love you! With Paris (video crew), Russ and Donnie the drum tech [behind Jimmy Johnson].

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: Singers from behind. Our better side.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: Sally [Taylor] with the biggest smile! With Cliff [Clifford Carter] and Mikey [Michael Landau].

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: This is the home of Ernest Hemingway, and this is where he wrote standing because of a bad back.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: "Chef Whale" with his little tool!

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE ARNOLD'S CAPTION: Me posing as the chef with the real "Chef Whale"

David's next report will be posted on Monday, October 29.

The format for Clifford's "guest appearance" here is a Q&A. My webmaster posed a few questions to him about the tour that he answered in late August. Following Clifford's comments, you'll find my second-to-last "Tales From the Road" from the "James Taylor Pull Over Summer Tour."

Wednesday, August 29
Santa Fe, New Mexico

QUESTION: HOW IS THIS TOUR DIFFERENT FROM PAST TOURS?

One of the ways it's different is that we've never traveled with horns before, and this year we have Walt Fowler on trumpet and Lou Marini on sax. Even though we had done a few "one-offs" with horns, like the Millennium gig in North Carolina, we've never done a full tour with them. We've also never had a full tour with a percussionist, although Luis Conte did a few shows with us back in 1998.

So musically, there are different things going on. We had to integrate the horns and the percussion into the music. When we showed up at rehearsal last May, there were only a few charts written for horns, so we had to come up with those parts. The horn players contributed their ideas, I contributed mine, other band members' gave theirs, and, of course, James had his own ideas. It was kind of like "horn charts by committee."

Walt Fowler plays the trumpet with one hand, and he plays a third horn line -- a harmony part to the sax -- on synthesizer with the other hand. It's as if he's playing a third horn line. He also plays a second keyboard part in "That's Why I'm Here" and in "Copperline," and string parts in "Frozen Man." He's basically doubling as a keyboard player and playing some stuff I used to play when we had Don Grolnick in the band.

IS THAT UNUSUAL FOR A HORN PLAYER TO PLAY KEYBOARDS TOO?

Ever since I was in college, I have learned that on planet earth there are world-class woodwind and brass players who can sit down and play piano or keyboards better than me.

There are other things that are different on this tour. We're used to having five people on the bus besides the driver. Now we have eight people on the bus, plus the driver, so space -- the final frontier -- is allocated differently. But fortunately, everybody knows how to respect each other and we have fun.

I've gotten the reputation for sitting in the same place in the bus lounge after the gig every single night. We have a ritual where we watch ESPN Sports Center highlights, before it turns into watching a movie, and then conversation. Someone pointed out to me that "this is where Clifford sits." I didn't even notice I was doing that.

It's actually the first full-length U.S. tour that Russ Kunkel has played since I've been in the band.

Having new members in the band and participating in directing them and sculpting what they do makes me feel that I'm kind of feeling what it must have been like for Don in 1990 when Jimmy Johnson and Mike Landau and I joined the band, and there was this new chapter. That chapter ended up being a pretty lengthy one. When I realized how this situation was similar to when I joined the band, I again thought of Don and, in a sense, continued to look toward his style of leadership to learn how to conduct myself in a similar situation. And that's pretty powerful. So the "Grolnick tutelage" continues.

Having Luis, who is Cuban, on the tour certainly makes me think of Carlos Vega's spirit because they grew up on the same island.

It took a while to ramp into this and to find a groove for this ensemble. While the music was always at a high level, I thought that by the second month we hit a stride where the concerts were consistently good and we were really listening to each other and starting to breathe together. And I was again reminded that even though we're playing a lot of tunes that we've played before, it's still great. We can still find a way to be in the moment and play this beautiful music.

WHAT DO YOU DO ON THE ROAD WHEN YOU'RE NOT PERFORMING?

Earlier in the tour, I was trying to work on some music in my hotel rooms because I brought along a hard disk recorder, keyboard (synthesizer), microphone, speakers and sub woofers. I have some separate gear that I take with me into the hotels that has nothing to do with what I play on stage. The reason I was working on the music is because when this tour is over, I want to do some recording in order to try and get another solo project out, hopefully next year. So I am writing and trying to demo these songs to try and get a feel for where they're at.

I have more technology in my room than the Beatles had in the studio when they recorded Sgt. Pepper. I can burn CDs in my room! This is the first time I've ever been able to do that, especially while traveling. I was working on stuff I had written before the tour, and I started demo-ing those songs. And I was also trying to write some new stuff.

I was starting to break the ice and get some work done, but in early August, a pipe burst in my home when no one was there, and the house was destroyed by water damage, rendering it unlivable. Ever since then, I've had to spend a lot of time on the phone with insurance people, demolition people, and even piano technicians because my Steinway piano got severely damaged. It's been difficult. So, to answer your question, what I've been doing is eating, sleeping, playing James Taylor songs and orchestrating the resurrection of my home.

One of the things I do to keep my head above water -- pun intended -- is to play tennis with Bob Mann. In the past, we might have played as much as five days a week. We haven't had as much free time this tour, but today was like old times. We spent over two hours on the court at an incredible resort in Santa Fe. You just feel good to be alive and fortunate to have something like this be part of your job.

IT MUST BE DIFFICULT BEING AWAY FROM YOUR WIFE AND DAUGHTER FOR SO LONG

It's hard being away. My daughter will be seven soon. She's in camp, and we've had some breaks where I get to go home and see her. I talk to her on the phone, but it's hard. On the other hand, when I'm not on the road, I get to spend more time at home with her than an average dad with a nine-to-five job does.

WHAT SONGS HAVE YOU ENJOYED PLAYING THE MOST ON THIS TOUR?

Earlier in the tour we were playing "A Junkie's Lament," and to me that's such an amazing song. We'd never played it live before, and it's a great song, so it was one of my favorites to play.

Every tour, pretty much, we try to breathe new life into "Steamroller." This year's arrangement is different and a lot of fun. I have an organ solo, and it's got horn parts that didn't exist before, so it's a new groove, and it's fun to play. I really enjoy playing "Raised Up Family" -- I'm playing organ on that.

"Fourth of July" is a very sweet tune. I play very sparsely on it. It's got a beautiful lyric. It's another example of James being able to include things about everyday life along with more universal themes in the same lyric.

One of the most fun gigs we did was a private one-off in New Jersey. It wasn't the whole band, just Arnold on backup vocals and the rhythm section, no horns or percussion. The guy whose private show it was lived on a street called Taylor Street. There were about 200 people in the audience, and we were on a little bandstand just six inches off the ground. It was fun because I felt like I was doing the kind of gig I did when I started out playing at private parties in junior high school. But instead of playing Beatles and Rolling Stones songs, we were playing James Taylor songs.

HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO DO ANY OTHER GIGS DURING YOUR OFF TIME?

I flew home during one of the breaks to work on Patti Scialfa's record. My friend Steve Jordan and some guy named Bruce Springsteen -- you might have heard of him [laughs] -- are producing her record. I stayed at Bruce's house and we recorded during the day. I was overdubbing what Bruce, Steve and others had already played on the tracks.

ASIDE FROM PERFORMING, WHAT ARE THE HIGH POINTS OF BEING ON THE ROAD?

Steve Cropper, who wrote "Knock On Wood," sat in with us in Nashville. He was a really nice guy. It was a treat playing with somebody who has contributed to the foundation of the music that we love.

This gig is pretty high profile, so I get so see people who know we're coming to town. I have a wonderful cousin who's an artist, Steven Miller, and every time I play in the Raleigh area, he comes with his family. It was great seeing them.

When I was in Minneapolis, the phone rang, and a guy said, "Is this Clifford Carter?" When I said, "Yes," he said, "This is Gary O'Hagan." Gary was one of 11 kids, his brother Michael was in my grade, and we all went into junior high and high school together! I hadn't seen Gary in some 12 to 14 years, and we reconnected, He had read the interview with me on the James Taylor Online Web Site. He picked me up at the hotel, and we spent the day together. I met his wife and kids. His 19-year-old son is a pitcher on the Stanford baseball team that had recently gone to the finals of the college world series!

This happens at least once a tour, where somebody I know from my past resurfaces, they come to the gig, we stay in touch -- it's a wonderful thing.

DAVID'S "TALES FROM THE ROAD"
September 23 - October 5

I NEED YOUR GOLDEN GATED CITIES…

From Reno, we went to San Francisco where we stayed during the next three shows. That was fun, partly because I got to sleep in the same bed for almost a week. (At this stage of the tour, it's the little things that mean the most, ha ha.) After we got there, we had two days off, which I put to good use.

On Sunday, Arnold, his friend A.J., Clifford (Carter) and I went to Golden Gate Park for a benefit concert that featured Melissa Etheridge, Shelby Lynne, Macy Gray and Alanis Morissette, among others. Melissa was onstage as we arrived, with just her guitar, singing "Somebody Bring Me Some Water," and it sounded really good. Her set was just ending, and then Shelby Lynne came on. She was excellent and sang three new songs but cut her set short, which was disappointing. Evidently she was having sound difficulties. There was a large crowd, so it was probably impossible for her to see how much the crowd was enjoying her and how they wanted to hear more. Daytime concerts are always hard. I missed not hearing things off her Grammy-winning record, I Am Shelby Lynne. But I am looking forward to her new album, which is coming out in less than two weeks. And, I also want to visit the past and buy her five or six earlier albums.

Macy Gray came on next with an unbelievably smooth transition for her very large band, and she did a hip thing. Instead of making the audience wait for the "big hit," she kicked off her set with a really understated, acoustical version of "I Try." Everybody was singing along -- people were ready to rock. Then she did a couple of new things from her album Sweet Baby.

Shortly after that, I left because I had plans for the evening -- a night at the "theah-tah" -- to see Lily Tomlin's one-woman show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. Although it was sold out, I lucked out and got a great seat. I'd seen this show many years ago, and it's always been one of my favorites. I love Lily -- she's the funniest person. She always makes me laugh no matter what. The show was very funny and touching.

As a side note, another reason I've always liked Lily -- aside from the "bonus points" she gets for being from Detroit -- is that when I had my 1970s group Rosie, my fellow members Lana and Lynn and I wrote her a fan letter, and she wrote us back.

I found a great little Italian pastry place that just killed me. I'm annoyed that I don't remember the name of it, but I do recall that they told me they have another place in Seattle. I also shopped at a Virgin Megastore and got a few CDs. It was nice to have a chance to walk around a lot, and I got some good exercise going up and down the hills. San Francisco was cool and chilly, typical for the city at that time of year.

On Tuesday, we drove to the Sacramento venue, which was actually in the VERY rural town of Marysville, complete with farm-like aromas drifting in as night fell.

Our show in Concord on Friday was next, followed on Saturday by Mountain View at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, where we've played many times before. That night, my friend Ann Huddleston, who I've known since we were in 7th grade, came to the concert with her husband, her daughter and her daughter's fiance. Ann's mother and my mother were best friends in high school. Ann and I both played trumpet (we were first and second chair) in the school orchestra and marching band for six years, until we were in 12th grade, and we used to take part in band competitions. I hadn't seen her since graduation in June of 1965. So many years have passed, but she still looked amazingly the same. Her husband was very sweet, and they seemed to have a great time. I got to show them our tour bus and visit with them before the show and during intermission. It was a nice reunion.

WELCOME ME HOME AGAIN…

After all these Northern California shows, we traveled down to Los Angeles, where I stayed for a few days and got to spend an afternoon with my sister. I hadn't seen her since April, so it made me really happy to be with her.

Then it was off to Phoenix, which was a painless ride, during which I watched Victor Victoria, one of my favorite movies (which I have seen at least 9,000 times on this tour alone), and Like Water for Chocolate. The Phoenix hotel was soooooooo spread out that I treated myself to room service. It was special, because when you ordered toast, they brought bread and an actual toaster so you could make it yourself. They even plugged it in!! I made toast with butter and strawberry jam, and it was like a little slice of home. And then, when I ordered breakfast the next day, the toaster reappeared -- this despite the fact that we had traveled to another city (San Diego) and were staying in a completely different hotel chain.

That morning in San Diego, the sun was shining in my window, and something about that triggered me to write "Oh October," the poem that was in my last "Tales From the Road," and another poem. The San Diego show was a good one.

SEE THE PIECES OF THE PICTURE REARRANGE THEMSELVES…

I can't believe the tour is almost over. I started thinking about all the songs we've sung this summer (and all the different hotel beds I've slept in), and all the songs we didn't sing. I remember early in the tour, James started singing "Mud Slide Slim" at some of the sound checks, and it just completely floored me. I thought to myself, "GOD, I wish we were doing that!" Recalling that, it reminded me of how much I loved performing "A Junkie's Lament" for much of the early part of the tour, and how disappointed I was when it disappeared from the set. But it has occurred to me that the audience response to that song was sometimes lukewarm, which may be part of the reason it didn't remain. It may be that a song like that isn't as familiar to audience members who want to hear songs they recognize.

It seems as though every tour has one or two songs that, for whatever reason, don't get to stay in the set. Given the number of songs James has written, it's just impossible to perform everything, especially when you're playing cities where they haven't seen him in a while -- or ever -- and they want to hear the hits. In truth, I really like the idea of seeing James do a solo acoustic set.

Also, there's a lot involved in making up a set list other than what people want to hear. You have to take into consideration things like a song's tone, its tempo and its overall vibe. You have to think about whether a song is in the right key or the wrong key, whether there are too many songs with background vocals, or not enough, whether there are too many solos of one instrument, those kinds of issues.

The thing is, you can't please everyone, but James makes a huge effort to do the best he can when making a set list. In the end, his choices are pretty much the songs I love to sing. And that's what I'll miss when the tour ends.

Tomorrow night [October 6] is our Hollywood Bowl show. I'm so excited!!

David's next -- and final -- 2001 report will be posted on Tuesday, November 13.

BOWLING Los Angeles, October 6 I woke up kind of early on Saturday morning, October 6, the day of our Hollywood Bowl show. I decided that it was going to be a long day, and I'd better have a really healthy breakfast. Enough

While I was there, I realized that I was feeling a little insecure about my attire for the show at the Bowl, which, after all is in Hollywood. Shortly thereafter, as I was driving down Melrose, I noticed that I was right near Aardvark, one of my favorite retro clothing stores. Even though it was early, they were open, and I found two great black shirts and an interesting white one. There was no question that one of the black shirts was perfect for the show. (I also wore it on the Tonight Show a few days later.)

I was nervous and excited about playing Los Angeles in general and also about performing at the Hollywood Bowl, where I'd never even been despite having lived in L.A., less than two miles from it, for 20 years. I was afraid of having Red Rocks flashbacks.

I had already been reassured that the dressing room walls were not made of rocks -- as they were in Colorado -- but I worried about getting motion sickness from odd angles and steep seats. Happily, it turned out to be a less dramatically arranged venue. It's bigger than Red Rocks with more than 17,000 seats that extend high up on a hill.

We had to be there just before 3 p.m. for the sound check -- an epic sound check, as it turned out. It took longer than usual because for some reason we had to work at getting a better mix in our earphones. We ran our usual test songs -- "Wandering," "Everyday," and parts of "Sun on the Moon" and "Shed A Little Light."

We also sang "Raised Up Family," which we don't usually do in sound check, and we ran it a couple of times. I was looking out into the thousands of empty seats, and I noticed someone about half-way up who appeared to be an adult. He was air drumming in perfect rhythm with the song, which was amazing to me. Since the song hasn't been recorded yet, it's unlikely that he would have heard it. And yet, for every single roll and every single lick, he was right there in funky, soulful, perfect time. He then began dancing to the music, and Arnold and I were both really struck by how visually remarkable he was. Hours later, I was getting some things out of my wardrobe trunk, and a young teenager who worked at the Bowl came in the room to talk with the stage manager. All of a sudden, I realized that this was the same person I'd seen in the seats doing this fantastic "performance" during our sound check. I spoke with him for a few minutes and found out he wants to be a drummer. It just blew me away that he was so young and yet so talented. He really had a profound effect on me.

After the sound check, we got new batteries for our power packs (as we do for every show), and suddenly it was time for dinner, which was served under a canopy beneath the Hollywood hills.

My niece Tina arrived early, so I got to visit with her and her entourage. Russ Titelman, who's producing James' next album, was at the sound check, and the whole evening was full of people I either knew or recognized. I had a lot of friends there including Michael Prozzo and his friend Ruth; Karon Bihari (I got great tour gifts for everyone from her La Dolce Vita Luxe store in West Hollywood); Zane Buzby and Conan Berkeley; Mitch Roberts, his sister Jody and her husband, David; another David -- David B., who helped with my new Expectations of Love CD; Libby H.; and my friend Laura (wearing her Hollywood Bowl "hat") and her husband, Hugh.

It was great to see former JT bandmates Lee Sklar, Clarence McDonald, Rosemary Butler and Dorian Holley, and some famous faces ranging from Matthew Perry, Sela Ward, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Guest, Caroline Rhea, and Vonda Shepherd to Brad Cole, who plays keyboards for Phil Collins.

If you see Matthew Perry, DON'T tell him this story. Three or four days before the Bowl show, riding on the tour bus, we were watching a skit on a TV comedy show about a guy who never misses the Friends theme and who claps along with it at a specific point. I love the Friends theme (which my buddy and sometimes-songwriting-partner Allee Willis wrote), and I admitted to James, Arnold, Kate and Val that I love that "clap-along" moment in it, and that I absolutely must clap along with it too. They were hysterical and razzed me about it mercilessly. So, here we were, just a few days later at the Hollywood Bowl, and who is sitting in something like the eighth row but MATTHEW P!! I'm thinking, "Oh my God, I'm going to completely bust out giggling at the memory of the 'clap-along' incident on the bus." If Kate, for example, had looked over and clapped her hands at me, I would have been on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. But luckily neither James nor the other singers noticed him until later, and I was safe.

It was surprisingly chilly for an early October Los Angeles night, and it took a while to settle into the groove of the weather and all the industry people who were there. But in the end, it was a fun show. At intermission and after the show, I talked to Dorian and Lee and Clarence and Rosemary, who looked great. I hadn't seen Clarence since 1977, my very first tour with JT. I also spoke with Vonda, which was nice because although I've known her for a long time, I hadn't really seen her since her success with the Ally McBeal music. I said that it was good to see someone with such substantial background singer credits breaking through. My most pleasant memory of the evening was meeting Caroline Rhea, who is SO, SO hilarious and was so sweet and nice. She really seemed to appreciate the show and all of our voices. We talked about her taking over the Rosie O'Donnell Show and how funny I think she is on Hollywood Squares.

We stayed in L.A. on Sunday and Monday, and on Tuesday, we did the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, singing "Shed A Little Light." It was business as usual at NBC.

I woke up one night a few days later with the TV still on, and it was right in the middle of a replay of the show, right in the middle of our song. That was a funny irony, because this same thing happened in New York after we did the Today Show just before the tour started.

BAKING
Bakersfield, October 10
Irvine, October 12
Las Vegas, October 13

Our next concert, in Bakersfield, had a great audience. No Buck Owens sightings, but my special guests were Jennifer and Jeannie Wertz (and their boyfriends), daughters of Gary Wertz, another Michigan high school chum and one of my best childhood friends. It was great to see them and how they had grown. After another day off, we had our second-to-last show, in lovely Irvine, and I felt good about the way it sounded.

Las Vegas was our last stop, and we stayed at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. I was really happy to have Jordan Burton and his friend as my guests at the show, which was in the hotel's arena. I had met him in Charlotte earlier in the tour at Banana Republic where he helped me pick out some great stage clothes. I was glad he was able to make it to Vegas. He goes to school in Utah, but I had been unable to get him tickets to the Salt Lake City show.

I also got a nice surprise message on my hotel room voice mail from my friend Sylvia St. James, who was working with the Mandalay Bay House of Blues Gospel Brunch. I was able to get her a ticket to our concert at the last minute. Right after the show, she left to drive back to L.A. to do the Sunday morning House of Blues Gospel Brunch there. It was ironic that she got in touch with me, because when we were playing New York in July and I was working on my gospel recording project with Phil Ballou, he and I had discussed her. We were thinking of contacting her about having Phil possibly work with her on the Gospel Brunch. It was nice to see her, and I'll always be grateful to Sylvia for introducing me to the great guitarist Osamu Kitajima, who played on several songs on my Missin' Twenty Grand album.

Since this was the final show of the tour, James told the audience that it was our last night together. He mentioned how we'd been out for five months, and he thanked all of us and the crew. We would all be departing in different directions after the show -- James was headed east and I was headed west on the tour bus that night. So, my last few seconds with him were brief -- they came right after the bow following "You Can Close Your Eyes." A hug and a quick "goodbye."

BOWING OUT Los Angeles, October 14 and beyond... That's always the hardest part about a tour ending. The schedule goes on for so long, and then abruptly it's over. You run from the stage onto the bus, hop into your bunk as you're driven home, and suddenly you're back to a life that you haven't lived for six months. (I really hadn't stayed in my apartment since May 2.)

Your house is full of suitcases, piles of mail and all the stuff you bought while you were on the road. (One of my friends wondered if I really needed to have done all that shopping, and I insisted that I did need all 17 pairs of shorts.) You're sleeping in your own bed, and when you wake up you don't know for a second where you are. You're out of sugar for your tea. You have to buy bread and milk. The cable's disconnected. The water guy didn't make the latest delivery. The piano is incredibly dusty. And every time you pick up the phone, you dial "9" for an outside line.

But it's a mixture of feelings… because it is my own bed. And my own phone. And my friends, and my favorite places, and my routines. And my own piano -- and maybe I haven't forgotten how to play my favorite song.

I'm sad the tour is over, and it's hard to make the transition, but I'm happy to be home.

David

"RE-ENTRY, PART 2"
October 12, 2001

I was sittin' at the counter
Having steak and eggs this morning
Worried about the news
And all its warning
I was feeling a little fearful
Coming near the end
Two more shows to do together
It's silly to pretend
I'm sad it's over soon
But I can start to clean my room
And my room is huge
And full of stuff
Good stuff bad stuff my stuff
Soon it'll be turkey stuff
My God, now November is
Looking me right square in the face
I went home to sit and look for a day
And it took time to flip the calendar's page
A page for May, a page for June
One for July and August and September too
And now October is here so fast
I wish I could slow it down
To make it last
But it's two more shows, then
Go for home -- go for broke
Life is no joke
The news today scares the hell out of me
And my steak and eggs somehow made a fool of me I see
When a boy from the boulevard
Walked in and asked for hot water and crackers
I thought he was hung over, I didn't realize
It was "food" he was after
The waiter was gracious like
He'd seen his face before, and he said
He comes in each morning, he
Works the streets real hard
And it made me so sad 'cause there I sat
Eating like a kingfish -- watching my tummy grow, hoping it flat
It's a life long battle like the race from the paddle
A battle for business for him and a battle for sanity for me
It's a tearful thing -- this kid --
He's hustling honestly
He's sellin' his body, and me I'm sellin' my voice
I'm just a higher paid hustler
He's made the opposite choice
It really got to me this morning
With it all ending it makes me cry
It's kind of like you're afraid to live,
But you're more afraid to finally die --
Die
So it's body wares for sale
And the best that we can do
Is to clean up the clutter
And that's what keeps me true
To sit down and have a dinner
With myself and a pot of tea
Would be such a pleasure
It would be a luxury
But once again I tell you
All my plans and the new apartment fell through
I guess I have to deal with the mess
And the start over,
Start anew
But I know I will always remember
When my work starts to slow down
There's a boy sittin' at the counter with crackers and water lookin' for work
On the boulevard in this town

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Apologies and thanks for understanding to everyone for whom I couldn't arrange tickets, particularly in the larger cities.

Thanks to everyone for your wonderful comments, letters and emails about the site and "Tales from the Road," for all the ASK DAVID questions (I promise to answer more soon), for your photos for our FAN PHOTOS page, and for coming out to see us all summer. It has meant a lot to me.

Special thanks to Clifford, Kate and Arnold for their "guest tales," to Ken Forse (for all the safe miles), to Seth Goldman (for great ears) and to Barbara, Gary and James for a great tour. And to my webmaster for our collaboration and for all of her attention to "d -- tales."

Watch for David's new "Tales from Home," which will appear periodically on our site.