Provincial towns you jog 'round

Strasbourg-Regensburg, June 22

One day beyond the autobahn and we’re were right back on it for a 4-hour ride to Regensburg, north and slightly west of Munich, in the heart of Bavaria.

Regensburg is a lovely medieval town on the banks of the Danube as the river flows eastward out of Germany and into Austria. Dating back when the Romans ruled the area, the town grew rapidly from the 6th century on. It was an important city in the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-17th to early 19th centuries. It’s the living embodiment of preserved medieval charm. It’s filled with students and stylish vacationers.

It’s also a got-damned pain in the ass place to be driving a van.

Narrow, curved streets, most of them going one-way then leaving you with no outlet. Clearly designed to confuse and repel marauding forces and rock bands in vans.

Parking issues aside, we had a blast. The folks promoting the show did a great job getting people out, and the crowd were fabulous and enthusiastic. They took wonderful care of us. After the our show they kept the bar open so we could watch the US v Portugal World Cup match. And they put us up in a hostel just down the street. The Mono Bar staff were incredibly cool and gracious.

The space is super-small, we barely fit. Knowing that we had to keep volume down, and this being the 3rd show in 3 nights, plus the vibe of the people and the room, we had a great show.

We opened with a dreamy Race to Mars and then kept a nice pace going for the next 40 minutes and 7 songs. By now we’re hitting the changes and tempos. The drones are getting more interesting. I found a space where I could focus on changing rhythmic patterns ever-so-slightly every 12-16 bars. I found new ways to move through the long drones and add to what the others were playing, filling in spaces, supporting when needed…when things click like they did in Regensburg it does produce a certain euphoria. It’s easy to give yourself over to the moment of playing, knowing you’re locked into what’s happening all around. A sublime show, our favorite yet of the tour.

Regensburg set list:
Race to Mars
Duck and Cover
Mountain
Wired
Illuminate
Black and White
Day for Night
Slowboat