TOUR DIARY: London, Bloody London

Last night was probably my favorite London gig yet. We played The Islington, a cool club in a neighborhood I've gotten to know well over my past trips to town. If you've seen me live recently, it features prominently in a story I tell about replacing a lost guitar strap. Anyway, it was a treat to see familiar faces in the crowd (shout out to the Light of Day supporters!) and to hear folks singing along with all the words in another foreign country.

I got up early this morning and took the tube down to Tower Hill. We've been blessed with such un-U.K. weather over here that I really didn't know what to make of the sunshine. It cast a beautiful glow onto the Thames and bathed the Tower Bridge in light, so I just sat back and soaked it in until lobby call back at the hotel.

Tonight's gig is in Witney, a small town not too far from London. I took my traditional walk about town before soundcheck and spotted an interesting looking record shop called Rapture, so I poked my head in and started rifling through the CDs. The owner stepped out from behind the counter and said, "It's up front." I was confused, and he told me again, "We've got it up front." So I looked over towards where he was pointing and spotted a display of my record. I was blown away and continue to be so grateful for independent stores like Rapture that promote the record and help spread the word about our shows, especially in towns like this where I've never visited. Just about soundcheck time here, and once we make it through this gig we'll get two whole days off!