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Hi!
I hope you like this new section to my site.
I have invited a friend of mine, Mark, to join us around Europe. He’ll be writing a daily journal and putting pictures up sharing with you the experiences of life on tour. Every day you can log on and find out where we are and what we’ve been doing.
I hope you enjoy it.
Lots of love,
Dido
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28th August - Glasgow
We woke up as the bus pulled up outside some grand old mansion hotel outside of Glasgow. This is where we had to hang for a few hours before going to the venue. Corey, Graham and Dido were talking about going for a walk down by the river for some exercise. I thought a wee stroll and some fresh air might be quite nice after a night on the bus and decided to join them. Had I known that their idea of a walk was to go at a speed so fast that I had to trot to keep up I might have declined to join them. It was the quickest two mile stroll enjoying the fresh air and scenery ever! Luckily Dido stopped off at a swing tied to a tree on route which allowed me to catch my breath back! |
[Jody and her new pet dog]
We got back to the hotel to find the staff busily preparing for a wedding. Dido jokingly wondered if they’d want her to stick around and sing ‘Don’t leave home’ during the reception. A song that she has mentioned a couple of times during her shows as being most definitely not a love song! |
[Dido and Keith reach new heights]
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[Alex]
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[Vini]
The show itself was in a huge indoor arena, very similar to Cardiff. Aside from a couple of technical hitches near the beginning of the show when the sound went completely for a couple of seconds it was another fantastic gig. Apparently the main computer had a sudden glitch, but all the backup was in place so the technicians were able to calmly resolve it all quickly and efficiently. Dido of course realised that the sound had gone but only had to look over and see calm faces in the wings to feel reassured that it wasn’t a big drama. It must be very comforting to be able to stand in front of 10,000 people and carry on without panicking purely because you trust your crew enough to know that they are on top of any potential drama. |
[Keith]
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[John]
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[Dido and Jody]
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[Me and Dido]
One thing I picked up during the show that made me smile was when I wandered through the audience and heard all those around me singing along in broad Glaswegian accents. It made me remember hearing the French call out for ‘Deeedo’ and the Italians with their own special renditions and arm movements. What a joy it has all been for me to witness. If the last few weeks haven’t been enough of a thrill for me as it is Dido decided to top it all off by pointing me out as I stood in the pit in front of the stage and dedicated a song to me. As she said at the time she was deliberately seeing if she could embarrass me, and she did! But I guess it’s retribution for putting up pictures of her on this site in front of her port-a-loo etc!! |
[What's she up to?]
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[rearranging]
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[come on then, let's see what you've done]
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[Is that what you think?]
But the lights finally came up at the end of the show and Dido and the band took their bows to another applauding, happy audience. Their departure from the stage marked the end of the UK leg of Dido’s World Tour and with it my time as Tour Diarist. For the first time since starting this diary I am now at a loss for words. I came on board this tour at the start of July. I remember sitting nervously at Heathrow waiting for everyone to turn up. Wondering what the next few months would be like. Wondering what the band would say to me constantly sticking cameras in their faces, wondering how the crew would take to me and wondering what it would be like to see my old friend in her working environment. I knew Dido ‘the friend,’ what I wasn’t so up on was Dido ‘the pop star’. Dido ‘the friend’ had become increasingly busier and busier and my moments of seeing her were increasingly snatched and fleeting. Communication over the last few years was more chatting on the phone and via email so I was looking forward to being able to spend quality time with her, getting to know her more and catching up with and old and dear friend.
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[Dido and our competition winner Sharron]
Was the tour what I was expecting? Was Dido ‘the pop star’ a screaming, demanding pop diva? And would I win a bet and get her or any of the band to throw a tv out of their hotel window?
No, no and alas no!
So how was it different to my expectations? For a start I wasn’t expecting to gain such a bond with you, the fans. From those who I met regularly, to those whom I ended up chatting to once in various venues and countries, to those who I never met at all but have been communicating with via email, there was a real feeling of camaraderie. I’d sit at the end of the night and write my rambling tale of the day as if I was just writing to mates. It made writing so much easier for me, so thank you for that.
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[The boys chillin' backstage]
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[Girls just wanna have fun]
I also wasn’t expecting to find such a good bunch of crew members. It was a very cosmopolitan bunch. Canadians, Kiwis, South African, Brits, all of whom were not only highly professional and as a result would put in 110% in any normal given day but were also extremely dedicated to doing as good a job as possible for Dido. Their respect for her is a credit to Dido’s ability to lead by example. If there is professionalism and commitment from the top it will always carry through, whatever your profession. They might have respected her for that, but they loved her for the fact she had time for them all. She’d stop and joke with all of us. |
[The show begins]
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[Dido]
They enjoyed the work because the working environment was always held in a fun mood. Even when the going was tough - and we were often in venues that were aesthetically beautiful but a bitch to load in and out of, the crew would just joke about it and carry on. We were putting on arena size concerts in town squares, and back gardens of villas! But it was worth the effort. It was giving you the Dido experience that Dido wanted you to have and everyone on board saw that vision, agreed with it and sweated blood to give it to you.
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[Jody gets beamed up]
I also wasn’t expecting to see the band techs putting Fez’s on their heads before dancing in the wings in the middle of a concert - having handed out pineapples for John to play as a maraca, or to see them interact with the band during the show so positively. I was used to going to gigs where I’d see bands stand on stage, sing, play and go, or larger acts that offer up a good spectacular extravaganza high on energy but short on musical quality. Here though, I was witnessing something that felt different and judging by the thousands of emails that came in all singing praise to what individually was considered the best night of their lives, I know that I am not the only one that felt that we were all witnessing and being a part of a very memorable and rare concert experience. |
[Jody in action]
I was struck by the musical knowledge and passion of the band. I’d see Keith backstage with kids giving them autographs and encouraging them, if not to play music, then to live life in a full and meaningful way. When he was a kid he was inspired by those musicians he met and he wanted to pass on that legacy. In the same way Vini came up to me and suggested doing a song of the day on this website. “To get people looking at music that maybe’s outside of their normal range. To push them and to make them aware of all the possibilities of music.“ That’s what they believed in and they all pooled in their skills to offer up the best musical experience every night, at every concert – Oh, and when not doing that they were a joy to drink with! Keith, John, Jody, Vini and Alex all had music in their blood and I still am mesmerised by them when I watch them perform. They have been with Dido from the beginning and that history shows in the way they have developed and grown together to create what we have now. (Though what really excites me is the future.) |
[Alex throws the hat]
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[Dido in a red beam]
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[Wide shot of the show] |
[Keith in full funk]And as for Dido? Was she what I was expecting? There is still the same young, fun, giggly, person that I first met many years ago in that restaurant we both worked in. With her killer smile that would win her twice as much in tips as I ever got and her wicked, joke playing sense of fun she is still as lovable as she ever was. Only it’s now coupled with a wise, strong and mature women who manages to deal with the pressures of being at the top of a large band wagon so amazingly effortlessly and charmingly. Nothing would pass her by, she was aware of everything. Everyone wanted a bit of her time and she capably dealt with all demands as well as leaving herself the full time and energy to perform to her best every night. In between all that she met fans and gave them as much time as possible, always trying to share those moments out equally. Dido has the memory of an elephant. It’s scary sometimes, but she amazed me by remembering fans by name, or by what they were wearing or where they were standing at various concerts. |
[Vini in concert] |
[Dido sings] |
[John takes a bow]
For me personally, it has been a wonderful summer just for the fact it has strengthened a friendship that I have always cherished. I hope you have enjoyed sharing my adventures and sharing our friendship.
And my regrets? Well, I’m sorry I never heard Bean’s thrash metal version of ‘Take my hand’ and that we never had the time for Dido to cut Grahams hair as a punishment for playing Bev against Dido! Other than that, there are none. It’s been a blast.
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[Dido singing] |
[Dido in action] |
[Dido on guitar]
So what does the future hold? Well Dido and the band go on from here to France and then head off to tour in the southern hemisphere for a while. After that Dido will undoubtedly need a well deserved break. Time to reflect on what has been and to look to what will be. I don’t doubt that it will be too long before she finds herself with new songs buzzing in her head that need to be brought out in a studio. When that happens I have every intention of crashing the party. I’ve never been into a recording studio and so you will hear more from me. Not as regularly as now but I will bring you further reports in the future on what happens in a recording studio, what Dido does when not touring and what we can look forward to hearing from her in the future.
Till then, thank you for your support, encouragement and keep up the love!!
Mark
xx
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[Vini takes a bow] |
Here's the latest comments and pics from you.
"Wow - what a fan-blobbing-tastic gig in Cardiff last night!!!! I went on my own (baby-sitters are scarcer than Jordan's clothes on Friday night!!) and loved every minute - the atmosphere was so fab I felt as though I was with the biggest bunch of friends ever!" Karen
"Thanks to Dido and her band for the concert in Nimes on July 13th. It was such a great moment. My daughter who is 7 still speaks of it. She knows most songs." Eric, Catherine & Louise
"Well Dido, Saturday the 28th August at Glasgow's SECC.... WHAT A SHOW!!! Electric.
Was in total awe, the variation on songs was unbelievable, and to learn some of your feelings and thoughts behind songs makes them even more special than they already were. Please let us know when you are returning. Scotland loves you.." Darren
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[Dido from Adis]
"Me and my boyfriend had the immense pleasure of going to see Dido at the SECC in Glasgow on Saturday 28th August.
Amazing... Totally blown away. We spent most of the gig with hairs standing up on the backs of our necks... That was until Take My Hand went into full throttle and I nearly took a head first tumbling freefall down the 10 rows in front of us!!!
We were quite far from the stage although my man says Dido was lookin' well hot in her sexy top n jeans combo with the long swishy hair... Wish I'd worn me specs!!!
Thanks for an amazing night and I wish we could do it all again except I would have given up my seat to stand at the front for a better view - what WERE those naughty Glasgow boys shouting that made Dido giggle???? I want to know!!!
See you real soon babe - Glasgow LOVES ya!!!" A Duncan |
[Keith from Adis]
"HAVING SEEN DIDO LIVE IN CARDIFF ON FRIDAY NIGHT,I COULD NOT HAVE A MORE ENJOYABLE NIGHT THAN WATCHING DIDO STRUT HER STUFF ON STAGE.IT WAS JUST HEAVEN TO LISTEN TO HER MUSIC LIVE.THE LIGHTING ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE SONGS WERE IN HARMONY.FORGET CHARLOTTE CHURCH,THERE IS ONLY ONE VOISE OF AN ANGLE-DIDO IS THE TOPS FOR ME.CANT WAIT TO SEE DIDO IN CARDIFF AGAIN,HOPE IT IS SOON" STUART FROM SWANSEA
"Well we have just got back from cardiff and the concert was fantastic, Dido sounded better live than on CD, It was a hike to cardiff as we live up North and missed the Manchester gig, but train delays and all I wouldnt have missed it for the world. The Highlights for me were Life For Rent and Take My Hand." Andyx
"Went to see Dido Friday evening and the 4 hour drive was worth every second. She was so impressive and her voice was amazing" Sue |
[Dido from Adis]
"Thanks for a wonderful night in Cardiff on Friday 27th. We are still talking about it now (Sunday). Dido and the band were amazing. Hope you will return to Cardiff in the near future though we will go anywhere to see the best female artist ever." Dilwyn & Wendy
"Wednesday August 25th in Marlay Park was INCREDIBLE! We had travelled from Plymouth in Devon to Dublin to celebrate our 31st Wedding Anniversary at DIDO's concert in the park. What a FANTASTIC setting...... and the weather was kind.
We have loved DIDO's music since our son gave us the 'No Angel' CD so this opportunity to see her perform live was a real thrill. What an AMAZING voice she has.
The QUALITY of the sound and the SPECTACULAR lighting were UNBELIEVABLE and a special note of thanks to the techno people for their expertise.
We especially want to thank DIDO for the lovely signed photograph which has been duly framed and will always remind us of our best anniversary yet!
We send love and thanks to her and to our dear Zoe ( X X )" Jean and Alan (Ali's Mum and Dad.)
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[Dido arriving in Cardiff from Andy H]"I saw Dido in Cardiff last night (27/08/04) and it was AMAZING! She sings every note of her hauntingly brilliant tunes perfectly. She has such a unique way of expressing herself and she gave us a few giggles in between songs telling us where the lyrics come from and what inspires her. The band were also amazing! All of them were so into the music and you could tell they were enjoying every minute of thier performance. It was an amazing atmosphere during thank you, 'White Flag' and 'All You Want' when the whole crowd sang along knowing every word! My voice is still faded from all the screaming! And if you saw us Dido we were the two crazy teenage girls right at the front leaning on the barrier screaming and dancing the whole way through - you got us so worked up and you basically ROCKED!" Kristy, 15, Cardiff
"Went to Cardiff to see you last night, you are amazing! I am just speechless you are so brilliant live, when are you coming this way again?
I cant stop singing your songs, there is just so much expression in them. You are the best of the best, love you babe." Paul
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[Ruth with signed pic from Becky]
"Just wanted to say that I saw Dido in Cardiff last night and she was amazing! She sounds even better live and "See The Sun" is now my new favourite song. The band were great and so was the atmosphere - loved the live version of "Take My Hand" - everyone danced to it. Only have two regrets - firstly that I ran out of film on my camera after White Flag and secondly that I only have the albums to listen to - Dido live is a lot better than the CDs, but they're still great too. Thanks for coming to Cardiff!!!" John
"Brilliant, watched and enjoyed you last night at Cardiff, you are the most natural singer / entertainer, I have seen for many years. I know it's hard being on tour, but please don't leave too long for the next. Oh, if your in the South West of England, pop in for a coffee, love to meet you in person!!" Mel
"In my opinion, this was Didos best performance so far...amazing!!!!
Good luck with everything in the future Mark and thanks for getting Dido to sign
my album sleeve." Becky xxx
THANKS FOR THE PICS ABOVE AND BELOW BECKY
[Dido from Becky] |
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