Breakfast In Spain - Roger Hodgson and Supertramp website

Thurday, 18th, 2002: The day has finally arrived.

Barcelona, 9:00 a.m.

I meet Miguel Angel Candela at his house. We have in front of us more than 500 kms (300 miles) to reach Benidorm where Supertramp is starting the ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD tour.

Although the highway, it's a long road but we are well provided with CD's and tapes so we can listen to some music. At the same time, Jose Antonio Alvarez is leaving Granada, in the south of Spain. He has already some miles so we will probably meet at the same time around the bullring in Benidorm.

I've been looking for some city maps in the Internet and we finally arrive there safely around 3:00 pm. Bullring is a bullring. But that one does not seems to be a really big one. Full of posters announcing the concert (actually, the city is really full of giant posters...). We go to get the tickets and they say us it's nearly sold out. They wait for 9000 people.

We are able to see the stage, everything seems to be ready....so we decide to go and eat something in a Bar in front of the main entrance.

When we are having coffee we see the band arriving. First the musicians and later Rick. Well, at least they are in the city so it's going to be fine.
We can hear the sound check from outside...with a first surprise hearing something that's similar to "Give a Little Bit"...who is singing?

The show starts at 9:00 p.m. and the doors are open one hour and a half before. We reach the front line but after the first hundred people goes in nothing more happens...everything is nearly empty. We can hardly believe...9000 people?? There are 900 maximum. And the same until 20 minutes ago when people begin arriving. At 9:00 p.m. it's absolutely full.

The stage is a normal one. We can see there is a full video screen, not the little one of 97. Rick's wurlitzer, a grand piano, drums and percussion. Everything's ready.

At 9:15 "School" harmonica leads us to the beginning and the concert begins. I'm not a musical expert so I will not say if the bass is OK or percussion is bad...I don't know at all...but I can say everything sounds fantastic..specially drums.

"Slow Motion" live is really interesting and the same with "10th Avenue...". Piano solo in "AMW" is more or less the same we have in IWTBOT but the surprise comes after. Jesse Siebenberg performs a really nice version of Roger Hodgson's "Give a Little Bit"...I would prefer Roger but this is what we have...I won't make any comments because it's something really hard for me..but I'm there to listen so this is what I'm doing.

The show finishes with "Crime of The Century", as always, with a slightly different video version. It has been fantastic. Sorry for my short comment on the concert itself, but I can not remember too much about specific feelings. I use to sing everysong and try to live the moment so I use to forget....

Curiousity: I've been in a lot of Supertramp concerts. It's the first time I see Rick introducing John.

As a summary. I modestly think it's a better performance than in 97.

Then, at 2:00 in the morning we drive back to Barcelona and I'm going to bed at 7:30 a.m. when the rest of the people goes to work.

I'm happy...the tour has begun.

Rate: between 8 and 9 from my modest musical point of view.
Rate: 15/10 from my "fanatical" point of view

Jordi Sabater