On Board the ETB

LOCATION: Your Guess is as Good as Ours (Somewhere in Austria), on board the European Touring Bus

Travelers:
Grethe, Norway
Stian, Norway
Gitte, Germany
Carlos, Mexico City
Omar, Mexico City
Johann, Sweden
Petter, Sweden
Monica, USA (Sacramento)
Jason ‘Touring Van’, Canada (Vancouver)
Barbara, London via Italy
Me, USA (NYC)
The Bus Driver

All I can say is this wasn’t what I signed up for. It was nothing like I had imagined. It failed my expectations. It was, in fact, one of THE coolest, most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had traveling.

Our journey began in Pistoia, right after the show in Duomo Square. Barbara and I met with Gitte at the Square and walked over to the bus. Once there, I saw Jason, of Touring Van fame. I was excited he’d be on the bus because I’d wanted to meet him for some time and wanted to chat with him about all his experiences. He wasn’t listed on the original block of travelers for this leg, so it was a nice surprise. When I got on the bus, we were told we had to stow away our backpacks in the storage part on the bottom of the bus, so I just got out what I needed for the night and happily said goodbye to my backpack for a bit. It was immediately apparent that those on board were some of the nicest, most genuine fans around. They were all concerned about the newbies’ well-being and comfort, and went out of their way to show us around. I had no idea if I’d get a bed or not, but Grethe insisted that everyone got a bed. Gitte showed us where the free beds were and told us we could change the sheets, since they had fresh linen waiting for us (this type of service was better than many I’d had at actual hotels!)

There wasn’t much to settle in; I’d be sleeping in the same clothes I’d worn all day (yes, correct) and only had to change my sheets and pillowcase. I threw down my darling sleeping blanket, which ended up amusing nearly everyone on board, and then went to the downstairs lounge area to meet everyone else.

There was Monica from Sacramento, who was in heaven because she caught Ed’s tambourine after many failed attempts back home. Unbeknownst to us, we would end up becoming quite close throughout the upcoming days. There was Jason, who seemed to be friends with just about everyone; there were the Swedes, two beautiful boys (both on the inside and outside) fresh out of school that were traveling Europe following the band and like a few of us, would only be on board for two nights. Carlos and Omar were also there all the way from Mexico City. They had been on board for a few nights and would continue on. Then there were the regulars....Stian,Gitte and Grethe. Grethe and Stian were the ones who had coordinated everything and Gitte had been on board from the very beginning and would continue on to the very end. And then there was me: sitting amidst a group of individuals from all over the world having a hard time believing I was actually on route to the Czech Republic on a huge bus filled with Pearl Jam fans.

We all chatted for a while, and the guys were trying to convince Omar that the only cure for a hoarse throat would be their friend Johnny Walker. Whether he believed it or not, Omar downed the damn thing. I don’t know if it was a hardcore faith in the bottle or if its proven that the stuff really works, but his voice steadily began improving. Johann was partaking in the Johnny Walker cleansing and although he is 20, he looks like he’s 16, so it was really weird to see him smoking and drinking with the others. Ahhh, Sweden. Stian brought out his camera and requested that Barbara sing a song only for me. We thought it’d be ideal for her to give me a little piece of home and sing New York, New York. No one knew the lyrics, so I had to write some of them down for her. Of course, by this time I was so tired I was seeing things so I could barely remember them myself. Nonetheless, we have great footage of Barbara belting out New York, New York much to everyone’s amusement. That girl is electric! Its non-stop for her; the entire time I was with her, I didn’t see her in a bad mood and didn’t get any type of negativity from her - everything is possible in Barbara’s eyes! Poor Petter was having a difficult time adjusting to the motion of the bus (as was I) and I don’t suppose the Johnny he, too, was drinking, helped his condition. He passed out cold right there on the couch. We popped in a bootleg video of Benaroya Hall, and one by one, we began to fade. I had been up for 24 hours, so I had to say goodnight and go up to my bunk bed. By the way, I never slept in bunk beds before this trip, and Bern was my first time at the hostel. Yes, I am 30 and have said ‘bunk beds’ and ‘hostel’ in the same sentence. I snuggled into my bed, got in my sleeping blanket, turned off my light and pulled the drapes. I was out in no time, and to be honest, it was the first time all trip that I got a really, REALLY good night’s sleep. Who would have thought?

I slept for a good eight hours, and at around noon, our bus stopped and pulled into an area for truckers and travelers. Because of regulations, our driver was required to pull over and sleep for a number of hours before getting on the road again. A lot of us got out of bed, and went over to the bathrooms and showers so we could freshen up. Stian, Grethe and Gitte had this thing down. There wasn’t one day that they didn’t shower or freshen up. Every time they’d pull in somewhere, they’d know exactly where to go to shower and eat - they were the best guides! Jason and I headed out together, and when we first got to the station, we swore we were in Germany. It wasn’t until he, Monica and I were having breakfast that we learned we were somewhere in Austria. See? I can check that off my list, too.

We were to wait there until 8pm, and the rest of the day was filled with a lot of eating, getting to know each other and a small, yet innocent act of vandalism (more on that later).Jason had his video camera and I told him about my plans to create a publication on Pearl Jam fans. He was excited because he’s been wanting to do a documentary on touring fans and thought it’d be great if we kept in touch to do something jointly. We headed outside in the afternoon to interview Monica. He asked her some questions and then I had some time to talk to her alone. We had such an awesome conversation as we sat on two rocks far removed from everyone else, and she told me why she loved this band. I’ll save her words for another entry or for something bigger, but if you can imagine two grown women crying over lyrics as they sit in the middle of nowhere in Austria, you pretty much have the whole picture.

Later in the day, we all sat on a lawn and ate and listened to some live shows. We spotted a Yield sign in the parking lot and we ALL had the same idea in mind. Barbara happened to have black tape on her, and we headed over to the sign to liven it up a little. She managed to perfectly inscribe ‘Yield’ on the sign as I took pictures and Jason recorded it. Afterwards, we all took turns posing beneath it and it was hilarious! We really had every intention of taking it off, but we thought it’d be cool to leave it on. It was just tape, after all.

It was time to head off and we were shocked that the day went by as quickly as it did. Most of us headed to the upstairs lounge and popped Lisbon Night 2 into the stereo. Johann took out his video camera and we all took turns telling our story and what we were thinking about the tour. Carlos played a little ‘parting ways’ on the guitar and then we just chatted and continued bonding all night. I guess you had to have been there to really feel it, but tonight solidified the idea that this trip has become less about following a band around Europe and more about meeting extraordinary people with amazing stories. When you have near-strangers opening up and telling you some very personal things hours after having first met, you realize that seeing Pearl Jam in Europe is only an added bonus. The real experience is meeting and interacting with deeply beautiful, soulful individuals from all over the world who only want to bond with others whose lives, too, have somehow been changed by these artists.

As the night wore off, we each headed to get some rest as we were well on our way to Prague. As I lay in bed ready to doze off, my only thought was the Yield sign we had left behind. Hopefully, some individuals will come across it and know exactly who was there before them.