Please Release Me?

5/22, 11:30pm: As it’s been a while since I’ve added an entry here, I thought I would take a moment to put thoughts to paper (as it were).

While the past few weeks have been extremely enjoyable - with great shows & experiences in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Detroit, Louisville, and Cleveland (where I write this now) - I am filled with a sense of foreboding. I wanted this new entry to be light, hopefully funny, and filled with some of the joy I felt playing in such great cities with such great and talented people. (Not to mention describing the euphoria of flying 1st class for the first time in my life! It'll have to wait.) We have a long leg of the tour coming up which will take us to parts of Southeast Asia that, quite frankly, have me very concerned. Therefore, I’m afraid this will be short on merriment.

Took a look at a U.S. Government travel warning for Indonesia - one of our destinations - and it’s more than a little scary. I can’t help but wonder if this has been taken into consideration by the people behind the planning of this tour. I love playing music and I am excited at the prospect of visiting interesting places. I’m also grateful for having the opportunity to share the stage with such a dynamic performer. Must I risk my health, or worse, my life, to bring “Please Release Me” to the people of Jakarta? Even more to the point; is it smart to do so and why do I feel I’m the only one asking these questions? Would the people who booked this trip make the same trip themselves? I wonder. I can’t think of a time when I’ve been more ambivalent about going somewhere.

When one encounters these kinds of questions, dilemmas, quandaries, etc., the usual responses of “You’ve gotta live your life!”, or “Life’s too short to go through life worrying about these things.”, or, the old favorite “If you give in to fear, they win!” is generously offered by friends & acquaintances alike. Well shit man, when does common sense get a turn at sitting in the front seat?! My uneasiness is equaled only by my anger over the recklessness of it all.

Finally, and on a more upbeat note, I feel such a closeness to many of my bandmates as well as others within the EH crew & staff. I’m hoping - no, I’m counting - on that very closeness and mutual concern for one another to get us through this in good spirits and in good health. If I must do this, I can’t think of better people I’d rather have at my side.

Guess, that’s all. We go home tomorrow morning for a much-needed 10-12 days off. During that time I have some gigs, appointments to keep, friends & loved ones to be with and I’m going to cherish every minute of it all.

Until next time...
--Adam