Day 16: Brussels
Nau mai
Yesterday we played in Brussels, Belgium.
The scene we walked into as we emerged from the hotel yesterday was idyllic. The waters of the Canal de Saint-Denis were bothered by only the faintest ripple on this very still morning, and the purr of a small outboard motor could be heard from the rubbish cleanup boat as a man with a trash grabber leant over the bow to retrieve floating bottles and plastic bags.
Our drive took us across the plains of northern France, an endless quilt of ploughed and planted fields, green and brown and squares studded with the sentinel figures of wind turbines.
Jon and Tristan had purchased half a patisserie and brought it into the van in a large brown paper bag. I withdrew a croissant for my breakfast and took a break from my laptop, enjoying the depth of field provided by this wide-open landscape.
Tristan demonstrates his new stretch.
A few hours later we arrived in Brussels and found that this city carried its fair share of Europe’s traffic congestion. The venue was a few kilometres from the city centre and housed in the former Botanical Garden of Brussels, now a cultural centre with a range of different music spaces and galleries.
The old domed building has been given the name Botanique and although it is no longer filled with exotic species from the farthest corners of the earth there is still a very pleasant garden out on the pavilion that is worthy of a stroll.
Our show was in the Orangerie, a wide brick room with a huge stage and an extremely capable lighting and audio rig. I think the stage must be where the great windows were that once provided sunlight for a room full of citrus trees. There is standing room for 650 patrons, who when they are not enjoying the delights of live music can service their other needs in the atrium bar or out on the terrace overlooking the gardens.
Brussels were a great crowd to play to. They were focused listeners who were attentive and respectful. While they were far too respectful to heckle us they enjoyed participating in our new segment Pants Report and asked many probing questions about our choices of stage wear. The post-show atmosphere at Botanique was merry and as opposed to most venues who begin to aggressively eject the patrons from the building while our final chord still hangs in the air, this institution was happy to leave the bar open while we chatted to fans and enjoyed a drink on the terrace.
