CLUB SANDWICH 69

PAUL LOOKS BACK AND SAYS

IT WAS REALLY GOOD FUN...

PHOTOGRAPHS: ANDONI CANELA, ROBIN GIBSON, MASSA

            ...to get back out on the road. It made me realise that a lot of what I do is wrapped up in performing. All of the places we went to were good. Someone asked me the other day, "Which countries should we avoid when we go on tour?" and I honestly couldn't think of one.
            True, some of the reactions were wilder than others, and I started to form a theory that it was to do with the temperature: the warmer the country the more extreme the reaction. You certainly notice differences between them - for example the British are pretty reserved compared to the rest of the world, although in our concerts they're less reserved than in others'. And you have to admit that Americans are much more gung-ho - they come to party. But, really, I wouldn't pit any of the crowds against each other.
            It is great when you see an audience going wild, though, and it affects the crew too - they peep out from behind the amplifiers, trying to see the audience. According to my theory of the climate, this tended to happen most in the hot countries: Spain, Italy, south of France, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. We were wondering if rain might calm them down but it was just the opposite - in fact, some audiences were sprayed with water to keep cool.
            It was great to get down to Australia. The audiences there are really nice, and I can identify easily with them because of the British connection. New Zealand similarly so - possibly more, in fact, because, as in Canada, they seem more British there than the British. Someone told me that in Canada people still stand up for the National Anthem - we haven't done that in Britain for a long time. So Australia and New Zealand are both places that we'd like to go