july 2001 - the diary

Tuesday 17th

This is it - I'm off to see the Blake Babies! The flight from Denmark to NYC is split in two by making a short stop on Iceland, which is nearly midways. All in all it will take me just under 9 hours to get from Copenhagen to JFK. I guess that will be enough time to go through what my expectations for the following days might be.

I can't help thinking back to less than a year ago when I went to see 6 Juliana shows, after having waited almost 7 years for a chance to see her live. Back then I didn't set my expectations too high. Who could tell what her voice would be like in real life, was the band any good, and wasn't there something lacking on her latest recordings? As you might have read elsewhere I was simply overwhelmed with those shows - a truly amazing experience!

This time around it has to do with the Blake Babies, and that does make a difference in many ways. I do appreciate a lot of the Blake Babies material. There's a great youthful "let loose" attitude and a lot of energy present on the early recordings. I can also pick some pretty good songs from "God Bless...", although I, like many others, have been a bit disappointed by the long term value of this record. All in all, when it comes to the songs, I must admit that I don't put the Blake Babies material in the same category as Juliana's solo stuff - but then again that is a category that she shares with no one else.

On the other hand I have great respect for what the Blake's have meant for Juliana's career. And of course there is a lot of signs that this could very well be their last shows ever, so the "last chance to see" factor is certainly there too. Another thing that is different this time around is that I have had the chance to listen to a lot of recent live recordings, so I know pretty much what material to expect.

On the approach to JFK a big thunderstorm breaks out, and we have to go round one more time. Things work out better the second time, and I get through all the "wait in line" procedures pretty fast. Getting out in the open air I realize that the weather is exactly as could be expected - hot and humid. The staff at Budget manages to spend what feels like forever with all the formalities before I finally get the keys to a gray Kia, which takes me safely to a Motel 6 in Piscataway, something like 40 miles south of NYC. A room with a bed - what a nice place to pass out!

 

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