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Evansville, Robert’s stadium

Posted by manicdrums in 1997 Elton John World Tour

I’m still very tired after the trip from Fargo. After breakfast, I went down and did 30 lengths of the pool, and a few weights, and instantly felt better. We checked out of the hotel, and took the bus to the gig… about 20 minutes away. Another fabulous audience. Elton has a bit of a cold, but it didn’t stop him giving it everything he had. Mind you, his voice was a bit rough by the end. In fact he apologised to the audience at the end. I don’t know why. He still managed to sound great.

After the concert, I had a shower and changed for the long haul to Grand Rapids. Another overnighter… Still, as long as we have some take out food, and a few drinks, not to mention a video or two to watch, we can while away the hours. I think everyone was very tired after the last couple of days, because people started retiring to their bunks quite early. In fact, I was still buzzing from the show, and it wasn’t until about 2.30am that I began considering turning in. As I was walking down the bus, there was a bang, followed by a whizzing noise, and the whole bus lurched. Phil said :”I don’t like the sound of that…” and pulled over to have a look.

After a couple of minutes, he came back holding a huge fan belt. The gear box driving the cooling fan had seized. This is a problem with a bus, as the engine and radiator are at the back of the vehicle, so the air needs to be physically sucked through the radiator. Phil managed to get us off the freeway, and to a 24 hour Wal-Mart, by which time it was 3am. If you’ve ever wanted to know what kind of people shop at Wal-Mart in the early hours of the morning… it’s scary! Phil, Billy and I ventured in, in search of a large electric fan… Believe it or not, they were out of stock (I suppose there’s not much demand with the onset of winter, in Indiana). Then, Phil noticed that the cleaning contractor who was washing the floor had a couple of fans which fit the bill perfectly.Phil offered him 100 bucks for one of the fans, and the cleaner refused!!!. In the meantime, the manageress of the store had gone off to her office, and came back with a slightly grubby, but usable fan. Phil took it to the checkout desk, and the girl said:”That’ll be 21 Dollars, please”. And to think… the cleaner could’ve bought a new fan AND a night out with what Phil was willing to pay! Then Phil and I spent 30 minutes cable-tying the fan to the outside of the air intake at the rear of the bus, and plugging it into the 110 volt power supply. Believe it or not, it worked! The night was cold, so the bus only needed minimal airflow through the radiator. We cruised along at 55-60mph, with Phil occasionally pulling over at a truck stop and hosing down the radiator with cold water. As dawn broke, the outside temperature rose, and by the time we arrived in Grand Rapids, Phil had been reduced to a maximum speed of 40mph!So we rolled into town at around 11.15am… After check in, John Jorgenson and I found a place to have breakfast, just across from the hotel, after which – straight to bed….