Hard Knocks Tour June 2011

Hard Knocks Tour 2011 End of June Update 

Hope you all are well!  Greetings from Nick Milo on a bright and sunny June day, near an Austrian alpine lake.

The first leg of the summer tour is already completed!  It's been a great start, although our schedule has been crazy and complex with its varied destinations.  Joe continues to maintain the highest soulful consistency, and the band, too, never dips below a certain level of joyful noise. This tour we have a small but mighty crew, some seasoned veterans and some new, fine additions all.  The only way to keep a schedule like this one is to sometimes fly charter, especially when we have to travel and perform on the same day.  Certain days, all of it conspires to create a feeling of being abducted by a tornado. Yet, without fail, the moment Joe takes the stage, from the first pumping piano strains of Hitchcock Railway, the music makes sense out of our disrupted routines— the erratic daily grind, the chaos of sleep deprivation and being far, sometimes very far, away from home.

The tour began in Dubai, the most faraway place, in many ways...

The surreal streets with their rows and rows of gleaming skyscrapers, invoked something recently constructed like a movie set.

I heard the Princess of Morocco came to our show in Rabat, but she didn't come backstage to hang! :-(  

Can somebody please point her out in this photo?:

(Photo: Fimpel)

Some friends who came to the Moroccan show said it was the best night of their lives!  They like to exaggerate, I think, but they were really happy!

Moroccan Sunset from my hotel room...

After Dubai and Morocco, the next stop was Sophia, Bulgaria and into the Balkans— Serbia, Slovakia and Croatia, before heading to Budapest and Vienna.

This was a sweet email from a fan in Belgrade, Serbia:

"BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!


HURRICANE 'COCKER AND THE BAND' HIT BELGRADE YESTERDAY NIGHT! REPORTS SAY THAT THE ROOF WAS TAKEN OFF OF BELGRADE ARENA DUE TO STRENGTH OF ENORMOUSLY GOOD VIBES AND GREAT ENERGY! :-)))))))))))))))"

Some folks save up for that special trip and may only do it once in their lifetime.  We travel to dozens of countries in the course of a couple months, and one has to make an effort to see any of it, given the schedule.

(Photo: Fimpel)

After an all night drive from Bratislava, Slovakia, sleeping on the bus, it's "Good morning, Zagreb, Croatia!" Here a view out of the hotel room window, before a shower, breakfast and a walk to the old city, out in the distance... (After the show that night, we traveled again to find us in the morning in Vienna.)

Waiting to board a flight, Mike and I decide whether we are awake yet...

(Photo: Fimpel)

But after many years of traveling and playing music, the real essence of the place is in the people, and the friendships forged. This is an immeasurable treasure.  Music crosses borders, translates into all languages, and opens the doors of the heart. To this end, the World is truly a Small Town.

(Photo: Fimpel)

Yes, my album with Rocky Maffit, "All The Lost Angels" is still forthcoming.  Thanks for your patience.  I'm tired of talking about it, but I will, and incessantly, when it is available.  Can't wait for you to hear it!  Please, stay tuned.

The Hard Knocks summer tour continues until August 20th.  The second leg begins at the Bospop Festival in Holland, one of the largest festivals in Europe, on July 8th. Please check Cocker.com for the general itinerary. Milomon.com has past updates posted on the "What's New" page.  

More updates with stories and photos, coming soon.

Thanks for Listening.

Nick

PS, As always, if you would like to be taken off this Update list, just send a quick reply to that effect and it will be done. No stress!

And, thanks, Norbert Fimpel (sax, percussion and all-around ambassador of good-will) for the extra photos where noted.