Paul Potts blog messages

xcept · Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:33 pm Post subject: Paul Potts blog messages

March 2008

Vancouver

Hello again!

Well we arrived safe and sound in Vancouver. We had a good walk around it and it’s a wonderful city! You can see the Pacific Mountain range between the buildings. If only we had more time here to explore! The next day we made our way over to Victoria. On the trip across the sea, we spotted a distant Mount Baker, a dormant volcano totally covered in Snow, a beautiful looking mountain that dominates the US city of Seattle. The Macpherson Theatre was another wonderful intimate theatre. At the end of the concert I threw the roses into the crowd and managed to reach the balcony with one of them!

Julz is slowly but surely becoming addicted to French Toast, especially the banana variety! Not being a particular fan of bananas, I stuck to the plain variety. Yum! My last Canadian concert was in Calgary. The audience laughed out loud when I recounted the story that I had watched Eddie ’the eagle’ Edwards on the TV at the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988. I was very relieved to find that the cold that I had been suffering from had completely gone, and not only that, the trapped nerve was no longer giving me problems. The Jack Singer Hall was a lovely place to perform in and I enjoyed my performance.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in Canada for giving me such a wonderful welcome and reception. I hope to see you all again soon!

Source: Myspace

11.04.2008

Hello again,

We arrived back in the United States to go to Los Angeles to perform. Before it was time to perform we went to have a Burger at In and Out which we had heard very good things about. It was very very good, and the chips were advertised as cut on the premesis were very good indeed!

It was incredible to be performing in LA, and the Wiltern Theatre was a wonderful place to perform in. I enjoyed my performance there and the crowd were very noisy in their appreciation. It's really difficult to believe that this time last year, I was selling phones, and yet here I was at a sold out theatre in LA of all places. Julz and I met a lot of people after the show, including some of the guys from Paramount, plus we met some very committed fans. I enjoy meeting up with people after the show. It's good to get feedback and always good to thank people in person.

We had another trip on a tour bus after the show down to Phoenix, Arizona. Apparently there was a major accident on the Interstate 10, and we had to take to the desert road for a big part of the journey. Not that I noticed though, I slept through the whole thing - just like the blizzard in Canada! We arrived in Phoenix to a very dry heat. After a long rest, we made our way to Mesa, and the Ikeda Theatre. It was a wonerful place to perform, and Julz got one of her major craves of this part of the tour - her favourite take away – KFC! I really enjoyed my performance - my last in the US for a while. It was yet another wonderful theater, and yet another wonderful reception.

I've really enjoyed seeing more of the United States, and wherever I have gone the people have been welcoming and friendly. I never believed I would sing again before I did Britain's Got Talent, and here I was completing a tour of the US, a huge privilege for me. I would like to thank everyone in the US for giving me such enormous support, and to those who travelled hundreds of miles to see me, I love you for it!

We left from Phoenix to go to Mexico by plane. It was hot and dry in Phoenix, but in Mexico City you also have the altitude to deal with. I love Mexico though! When I was here in October I was given a very warm welcome - at a showcase where 500 were expected, 4,000 people turned up. Julz loves Mexico for its Tequila - last time we were here she put all the men to shame!

The performances were at Teatro Metropolitan, a former Cinema which was converted back to a theatre in 1996. I was a bit more than nervous about my lack of prowess in Spanish. I did try my hand though, although how good my spanish was, I don't know! Then the unthinkable happened - we had problems with the theatre's sound system, which left me a little nervous, but it was swiftly dealt with and I just sang through it. With the distances we have been covering, you can't carry a huge amount of equipment, so while the PA system went down I tried my best just to get on with it.

The audiences in the two shows - 3200 each night - were very passionate and enthusiastic and the Metropolitan was a truly wonderful place to perform. It had a similar feel to the Appollo in Hammersmith. I'd like to thank everyone in Mexico for supporting me, I'd certainly like to come back and see more of the country!

Los funcionamientos estaban en el Teatro Metropolitan, un cine anterior que fue convertido de nuevo a un teatro en 1996. Era un pedacito más que nervioso sobre mi carencia del valor en español. ¡Intenté mi mano sin embargo, aunque cómo es bueno era mi español, no sé! Entonces el increíble sucedido - teníamos problemas con el sistema de los sonidos del teatro, de el cual a la izquierda me un poco nervioso, pero él trataron rápidamente y acabo de cantar con él. Con las distancias hemos estado cubriendo, usted no puede llevar una cantidad enorme de equipo, así que mientras que fue el sistema del PA abajo acabo de intentar mi mejor para conseguir encendido con él. Las audiencias en las dos demostraciones - 3200 cada noche - eran muy apasionadas y entusiásticas y el metropolitano eran un lugar verdaderamente maravilloso a realizarse. Tenía una sensación similar al Appollo en Hammersmith. ¡Quisiera agradecer cada uno en México por apoyarme, quisiera ciertamente volverme y ver más del país!

Source: Myspace

xcept · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 4:25 pm Post subject:

13.05.2008
Japan

We arrived on an overnight flight from Perth to the very busy city of Tokyo. This was our first visit to Tokyo and indeed to Japan. When I arrived, I had a press conference. I always find these quite nerve-wracking as you never know what people are going to ask you. I think it went pretty well, and from the room I could see Shibuya station, Tokyo's busiest railway station. I have never seen so many people cross a road at one time. Once I had finished at the press conference, I had the rest of the day free, so I took a walk around the city for a while, and crossed that very street.

There were electrical shops all over the place, and having a fascination for mobile phones Julz would say that I was in my element! There would have been little point buying one, however as they wouldn't work in Europe, but it was nice to have a look around.

Later in the evening we went to a traditional sushi bar for dinner. Julz was very apprehensive about this part as she was concerned that she wouldn't like it. Julz was very brave, and will try anything at least once, it's just that she can't disguise her face when she doesn't like something! She enjoyed the tuna, and tried as much as she could. I enjoyed my sushi and shaashimi, particularly the tuna, and the raw white fish with rice and wasabi. I quite like horseradish and wasabi tastes quite similar (in that if you eat a little too much, it makes your eyes water!).

The first performance in Tokyo, was something of a learning experience as I was working with an interpreter. She was very good and picked up what I was saying very quickly. The audiences were again very responsive. Ater the show, we went around to a tipenyake restaurant where the chef cooks on the table in front of you. I had been to one of these in Ottawa some years before with my Canadian friends, and there was here a huge range of different foods. Eating in Japan is very social and Julz and I really enjoyed ourselves.

The next morning I took a walk around the city and walked arounf the main park in the city centre of Tokyo: Yoyogi Park. It was very warm outside, and it was wonderful to find such a lovely park in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city. Tokyo has left me the impression of a city that has many contrasts. You have the very busy centre around Shibuya station, yet less than 2 miles away, there is the peace and quiet of a park. Julz and I would dearly like to return to Japan again and see more.

Source: OS

20.05.2008
Paul climbs Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Whilst out in Sydney, Paul made the most of his time off and climbed Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Paul says, ‘It was an awesome experience. By chance there were only two of us in the group going up. It was a rewarding experience, and there were some outstanding views.’

Source: OS

xcept · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:48 am Post subject:

Notes from Korea

After a few sunny days in Japan, we left on a morning flight to go to Seoul, South Korea. Julz and I arrived at the airport and were met by a huge crowd at the airport including two very cute young children in national dress. After a brief chat with members of a fan club (it feels absoloutely strange that anyone should want to have a fan club for me, my thanks go to Hans and all the other members of the Korean Fan Club for their support) we left for a press conference. I was expecting a similar press conference to the one in Tokyo a few days before.

What I got, shook me! I walked in to the room to find more than 200 journalists. Then the cameras started. There were so many cameras pointed at me, that I could feel the heat of the flashes! As part of the press conference I agreed to be a patron for a charity combatting TB in North Korea. I was presented with a plaque and a national dress.

After the press conference, I had a performnace on a show called W. The last time I had worked with that programme we had been running down a corridor in Stockholm to make the stage in time at a Breast Cancer Charity Ball!

I had three performances in Seoul, and I enjoyed them all immensely. The reaction I received at all three was the loudest on the whole tour. I couldn't even hear the 60 piece orchestra behind me for the cheers! The concerts were some of the most enjoyable so far. I've always been very keen to see as many people as possible after a show. There were over 200 people at the back door after!

After 4 days in Seoul, we flew down to Busan which is a lovely seaside city. The scenery was stunning and we really enjoyed our time in Busan. It was very warm here and both Julz and I got a nice tan while we walked along the beach. It was another fantastic reaction at the concert in Busan. I also discovered that my recording of Nessun Dorma was used for a couple of adverts for skyscapers in Busan. It's really cool, but still quite suprising that people want to use my singing as a backdop for selling a product.

We really enjoyed our time in Korea, we would both really like to return here again. Busan was particularly beautiful. I would like to thank the people of Korea for all their support and for being such an enthusiastic audience!

03/06/08
Source: OS

xcept · Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 2:52 pm Post subject:

End of the Tour

Hi everyone,

After the Far Eastern journey, it was time to start the Scandinavian leg of my world tour. I started off in Denmark with the first five of ten concerts in the country. I was astounded when I was told that my album had actually been the highest selling album of the whole year in Denmark. For that, I'd like to thank everyone in Denmark for supporting me. We started off in Copenhagen, of which I had fond memories of my first visit. In September last year, I was told that in a 2 song live performance, I should expect a crowd of around 1,000 people. I was flabbergasted when I walked out on stage in front of about 20,000 people! The police said that they had the biggest crowd since Denmark won the European Championship in 1992.

I took quite a few walks through Copenhagen in stunning weather. The areas close to the castle and palaces are truly stunning. I found the audiences in Denmark incredibly supportive and appreciative. At the start of the tour in North Wales, I was dreading the talking part of the show as I thought I would be stuck and nervous as to what to say, especially in places outside the UK. English is spoken very very well in Scandinavia and this was proved to be true. Quite a fw of the concerts were outdoors, and one or two of them were pretty chilly. I had the pleasure of welcoming Natasha Marsh back on the road with me, we had great fun working together again in Scandinavia, especially as we had some very long journies on the tour bus from place to place. We saw some wonderful cities and had glorious weather. Stockholm I have always loved, plenty of nice streets to walk in. Malmo, Gothenberg, and Oslo were all fantastic places to visit.

Part way through the Scandivian tour, I performed on the final of Holland's Got Talent in Amsterdam. It brought back to me the time last year when I was waiting to go on stage to perform in the final of Britain's Got Talent.

Although I was feeling quite nervous because of the sense of de ja vu, but then I just really enjoyed my perfomance.

Before too long I was back in Amsterdam performing at the Music Hall, for my final two concerts of this part of the tour. I got another reminder of the past though, waking up in agony as my left shoulder, which had been injured in the accident on my bicyle 5 years ago had completely frozen up. Although it hurt even to breathe (and it hurt a lot!) I had made it through 77 concerts in 145 days without a cancellation and I was determined to finish the tour with a 100% attendance. The Dutch audience, as ever were very friendly and appreciative, even though on the 9th I was keeping them away from watching their home team beat Italy 3 - 0 in the European Championship!

I have really enjoyed the tour and it has been fantastic performing music that I love in front of over 200,000 people on this tour alone. It's been fantastic having 200,000 friends supporting me in person. I'd also like to thank everyone that has left messages of support here on the website and elsewhere. I do read them, and really appreciate it! Thank you! Thank you also to a few more fantastic people without whom this tour would have been impossible. Thank you to my wife, Julz (of course!), Jake and my management team, my conductor, Mark Agnor, Musical Director and my Pianist, Chris Taylor (and voiceover artist extraordinaire!) and of course everyone who came to the show. THANK YOU!!!

Now I have a few days rest, and then I am off to LA to record my next album....

See you all soon!

Source: OS

xcept · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject:

September 2008

Italy to Germany
It’s been some time since I have been to Italy, the last time being when Julz and I went to Rimini and Rome on holiday back in 2004. Italy is a country we have liked a great deal, since we have been there together 3 times, including our honeymoon in Sorrento in 2003. Imagine my delight when I was told I would be performing at a wedding in Tuscany! I had been to Tuscany before, but only to the beautiful city of Florence (Firenze to the Italians).

We flew into Rome, and got in quite late. We had quite a long drive to where we were to stay, a lovely hotel and vineyard, close to the town of Grossetto. Being Tuscany, there were lots of vineyards making wines for the many Tuscan and Super Tuscan wines. This area was the main area for one of my favourites: Morrelino di Scansano. Some of my time at Tesco was as a wine advisor, so I remember tasting some of the wines in my training.

We woke to a wonderful hot sunny morning. We couldn’t eat breakfast in the restaurant, as the bride wasn’t aware that we were there and it was a surprise, so we had breakfast in our room. We ate our breakfast outside facing a golf course adjacent to the vines.

We left for the church about midday, and it immediately struck us how stunning this area is. The church was on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. The village was a small one, with only about 100 people living there. It felt like they were all there to watch proceedings. The Carabinieri were struggling a bit to organise the traffic. It was a beautiful small church, dating from the 1600’s. It was a lovely service in a wonderful venue. We returned to the hotel, as I was to perform later on in the reception. I performed not long before midnight, performing Nessun Dorma with fireworks going off all the way through it.

We had a few drinks with the wedding party afterwards, and found that although a lot of the family were from Norway, about half of them were from around Sheffield! Julz and I would like to thank the families for making us a part of their celebrations and for making us feel at home.
We left Tuscany the following day, disappointed that we couldn’t spend more time here. There are so many places we would like to return to, and this one definitely is another one to go on the list.

We got back to the UK, where Julz left me for a few days to relax for a while at home. I was soon off again, however, this time to Germany. My appearance on Britain’s Got Talent is being used on a home and mobile phone advert in Germany, and to my great shock, as a result, One Chance has ended up at No1 in the main chart. Not only that, Nessun Dorma which was only available on download had made it to no 3 in the singles chart, apparently the highest ever position for a single only available online in Germany.

I arrived in the wonderful city of Cologne, and I did a whistle stop tour of Germany, including Berlin where I performed on a show aimed at teenagers. It was the first time that I had performed for a show that had a target age of 11 - 17. Our next stop was Munich where I had been invited to perform at the opening of the Bundesliga, the German football league. Performing In front of 70,000 people is a slightly nerve-wracking experience, and the crowd were quite noisy so it took a little bit of concentration to make sure that I could hear both myself and the music. It was an incredible event to be involved with, and it was an amazing atmosphere. I will have the same experience again soon when I am due to return again to the same stadium for a performance at the last game of Oliver Kahn,

Before we left for the airport, I went to a signing, and about 1,000 people arrived. It’s always a pleasure for me to meet people as I know that I only get to do what I love doing because of people buying my record and tour tickets.

Bahamas and San Diego
After the excitement of Germany, we had a few days off while performing in the most exotic location we have ever been to: The Bahamas. Julz joined me for the trip, and we left Heathrow expecting to arrive in the Bahamas with clear blue skies and gorgeous turquoise waters. The Turquoise waters were there alright, but when we arrived it was raining so hard that there was what looked like a river flowing from the guttering at the airport. We were aware that it was going to be warm, and that the temperature would virtually not change between day and night. It was also very humid which meant that we would feel the heat.

After a short ride in a very stretched limousine, we arrived at Atlantis, Paradise Island in Nassau. We had arrived just as the remainder of a tropical storm that was centred on Cuba was hanging around. The first two days were pretty wet, and the second day in particular opened with a heavy thunderstorm. After that the weather started to improve and we did manage to get two days with good weather, before the day of the performance. The hotel was stunning, very very large indeed, and had various pools and also some seawater with very large stingrays and various kinds of fish and sharks in. There was even a set of slides that inside a tube went through shark infested waters. I asked Julz whether she felt like a go at that one, to which I got a look and a definite no!

When it came to the performance, the theatre at the hotel was quite an intimate affair with tables at the front by the stage. I was singing with an Australian group called Maske a String triplet. I enjoyed the performance, and after going for a few drinks with Maske we made our way back to sleep as we had quite a long day of travel the next day, as I had a private performance in San Diego, and as there were no direct flights to California from Nassau, we had to connect at Dallas. Julz and I fought very hard not to sing the theme to the soap Dallas, to which Julz has alternative words for which I shall not repeat here! Just after wed landed, the storm that we had suffered in Nassau was now here at Dallas. We were on the transport when suddenly it stopped at a station and we were asked to get off as the communication centre for it had been struck by lightning, so we had to walk the remaining part of the journey to the terminal. There were a few hours to go until our flight so we grabbed a bite to eat. When we boarded the flight to San Diego, we realised how fortunate we were as many flights had been diverted and people had missed the flight. Also Julz was very pleased we didn’t actually fly through the storm. We arrived in San Diego without further incident.

We woke in the ‘desert city by the sea’ where apparently it hasn’t rained for over 18 months. The difference in humidity was very noticeable between San Diego and The Bahamas, and it felt quite refreshing, although it was still very warm. Julz and I went for a walk down to the area where all the aircraft carriers were. We were struck by how huge they were. Julz said on sight of the USS Midway with the different planes on the flight that it looked like something out of the film, Top Gun. She asked quite innocently: "Where’s the Iceman?" Not one to miss the opportunity to make a bad joke, I responded, "In the ice bucket, man!" Julz just gave me a look, and said: "That’s a terrible joke!" I was actually quite impressed with myself because it’s quite unusual for me to be that quick!

We enjoyed San Diego for it’s good weather, and for its interesting places to eat. One place we went to was called "Dick’s Last Chance Saloon". We were soon to learn that in this bar/restaurant, it is something of an novelty restaurant where the staff is deliberately rude in a comedy fashion. At one point they pulled a lady out on her seat into the street, and told her she was having two minutes time out for answering him back (they actively encourage you to do so). The food was very good, and it was a very entertaining lunch.

All too soon it was time to return to the UK where Julz would enjoy a month at home without me, so she can catch up with her friends and our family. I, however was on my way to Germany again….

Back to Germany for The Dome.
After a lovely week in two very different places, we found our way back to Germany, to Frankfurt Am Main for the first part of this second journey to Germany this year. We had a short drive down to the town of Mannheim. I had a performance in the SAP arena for a programme called The Dome. The Dome is a show very much like the Smash Hits! Party in the UK, or the MTV shows elsewhere.
It was something of a surprise for me to be on a show like this. Even though Nessun Dorma has now reached no.2 on the German singles chart, I never expected to appear and perform at such an event with its predominately teenage audience. I was very nervous about this performance indeed. I was completely uncertain about what the reaction would be.
I was even more nervous when I was told that there were 13,000 people there! The first thing I noticed when I was rehearsing was how well the crew had done with the set. I was genuinely impressed that they had gone into so much effort for me.
When I was being introduced it was obvious how many people were there. They showed a few clips from Britain’s Got Talent, and when they showed the announcement of me as winner on BGT the whole place erupted. I walked out on to the stage and was really hit by the reaction. Once I started, I thought that it might get quieter, but it kept going! I really enjoyed my performance, even though at times I couldn’t hear myself or the music, so I had to trust technique and my memory. When I finished, the whole place erupted again, 13,000 people, with an estimated average age of between 16 and 18 all screaming at me, has to be the most surreal experience I have ever had.
I had never expected to be singing for a living 15 months ago let alone to be getting a reaction like this from a teenage audience on a pop music show. I have always felt that music is music and is the most universal language in the world. It can make you feel happy, make you feel sad, move you to tears and make you want to jump around. I still watch with wonder how 7 white notes and 5 black notes can cause so varied a reaction, and affect many people in so many ways. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to be involved in music. It is all thanks to that ten pence piece that I tossed 19 months ago, and the people that kindly voted for me on Britain’s Got Talent, and not forgetting those that have bought my albums and come to one of my 85 shows so far this year……
From the bottom of my heart…….. Thank you!
Paul x

Source: OS

xcept · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:24 pm Post subject:

13.10.2008
San Francisco and Barcelona
One of the cities on the western coast that I had not managed to see so far was the very famous city of San Francisco. I had been invited to the US to perform at Google’s Zeitgeist Conference, which was to be hosted not far away from San Francisco, so here was my chance!

I arrived on a very sunny day and we arrived in the town of Palo Alto on a very sunny, warm day. Our hotel had a lot of character, and it was a good base for our next few days. Jake, my tour manager who is with me a considerable amount of time now, is a driver, so we organised a hire car so that we could see some of the sights.

We had a few trips into San Francisco, and on the first trip we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and saw the wonderful view across it. Having driven across it, we decided to get underneath it too, and took a boat trip underneath. It was quite windy along this strait of water, but the views were awesome.

We also found our way, almost by accident, to the most crooked street in the world on our way down to the docks. It was quite some sight! We also made a point of taking a trip on one of the cable cars, which has to be one of the must do’s when you are in San Francisco. It’s quite incredible how they managed to get the cables underneath the steep streets of the city.

I had a performance on the next day, so I had my hair cut by a local barber just around the corner from our hotel, and we made our way down to the huge Google Campus just further down US route 101. Performing for delegates can be very different from other performances but the google delegates were very welcoming and I enjoyed my two song performance. We later went to a meet and greet dinner where I met many people from all around the world, including will.i.am from one of Julz’s favourite groups, The Black Eyed Peas. Julz was quite chuffed when I had told her that I had met him, but less than chuffed when I hadn’t got her his autograph!

We had a last morning in the area, so Jake and I took a short road trip along one of the oldest routes in the US, route 1, The Pacific Coastal Highway. The scenery was simply stunning along here, and some of the best that I have seen in the US. All too soon, our time was up here on the very edge of the west coast of the US. This is somewhere Julz and I MUST return to when it’s possible, I know that Julz will love it here!

We flew later that day from one place that has to go down as one of my favourites to another one of my old favourites, Barcelona. I first flew to Barcelona on a very quiet flight on New Year’s Day 2000. I spent some time in the city and enjoyed the sights. In the time I was there, I got to know the city very well.

Since that time I have had many trips back. It is still one of my favourite cities, and is justifiably one of the great cities of the world. On the first day I was tour guide, taking Jake, via the excellent Metro system to Lesseps, and then the 3 mile uphill round trip on foot to the very famous Parc Guell, created by modernist architect, Antoni Gaudi. I had a bit of time here to explore, and so the next day, I walked down La Ramblas down to the sea, and then I took the time to walk down to La Sagrada Familia, the unfinished church started by Antoni Gaudi before he died, having been run down by a tram in June 1926. On my first visit here, I walked up two of the towers, and there are wonderful views from the top of these. I got here in the evening, and there wasn’t time to do this, alas.

The next day, I had a performance for the Gala dinner of the Equestrian Super League on behalf of the sponsors, Samsung. I sold quite a few of their phones as a salesman, so it was quite interesting working for them again. They had sponsored the Super league for over 10 years which is a very long period of time. The performance was in a lovely old house, and I enjoyed the it immensely.

This trip including San Francisco has been one of my favourites, and it was a pleasure seeing so many fantastic sights.

Source: OS

xcept · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:21 pm Post subject:

14.10.2008
Our New House!

Something that Julz and I have been working on as and when we get as day or two aside is to find a new home. We have been keeping an eye out for houses that have a bit of character, that are in the area in which we live in or around Port Talbot. We wanted somewhere local because we both love the area, and Julz has her family close by.
We found somewhere eventually that fitted the bill exactly, a 1930’s art-deco house with bags of character and lots of original features. It was quite a challenge getting everything finalised as I had to sign the contract while I was in Zurich and then send it on to Julz to send to our solicitor.
In a gap between my show in Barcelona and a TV show in Germany, we managed to get all the details finalised, and we have the keys to our lovely new house! We have some work to do to get it to its former glory, but it’s ours and will be home for us.
We can truly see ourselves living the remainder of our days here, from the roof garden, towards the end of the day I watched the sun set over Mumbles and Swansea Bay, it truly was a sight to behold, and most of all, after a very full 15 months, it was ours. Julz and I hugged each other in disbelief at our good fortune.
The view from the back of the garden and from the roof is a stunning one, but the one thing that has made us stay in Port Talbot are the people. I have always found the people of Port Talbot warm and friendly, and in the 7 years that I have lived here I have always felt at home, and welcomed. It is the people of Port Talbot that make it home, and I am proud to live among such fantastic people.

Source:OS

xcept · Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 10:00 pm Post subject:

14.11.2008
Back to the Far East

After a short break in our new house getting a bit of rest, we headed out to The Far East, and to the Philippines for the first time. We arrived after 17 hours of flying into the very busy city of Manila. We were staying in the business district, and the first thing we found was how hot and humid it was here. It was also very evident how friendly the people were. After a press conference, we had a meal in a local restaurant. The people of the Philippines have a history of really appreciating music. I had a show at the Plenary hall at the Philippine International Convention Centre, and really enjoyed it. There was a very warm reception from the 3,000 strong crowd, it was a truly enjoyable evening for me.

The next day, I went to the local shopping centre for a signing. It is always great to meet the people who make it possible for me to do what I have always dreamed of doing. Some people had travelled unbelievable distances, in fact there was a couple at the signing who had come all the way from Mexico to come to the concert: To that couple, Thank you very much!

After the signing we went for drinks with the British Council and the British Ambassador to the Philippines and his wife. It was a great honour to meet them, and the members of the British Council.
The next day we left for Taiwan. We arrived late morning and headed to our hotel after being greeted by some fans at the airport. It was great to see them. Taiwan is the 26th country I have performed in, and after a few hours rest I went to a local dim sum restaurant with Chris my musical director, Jake my tour manager and Rob Willis my new conductor. Our first show was up in the North of the island, in Taischung, and we had a very warm reception there.

The next day was my birthday, and my first duty for the day was a press conference. After taking questions, and giving a few interviews, the staff of the hotel very kindly presented me with a birthday cake. It turned out to be a cheesecake, which went down fine with Julz as she loves cheesecake!
Our next concert was in Taipei itself, in Taipei Arena. There we had the highest audience of the tour so far. More than 8,000 people came to the show, and we certainly knew they were there! They were very noisy in their appreciation and we all enjoyed the show hugely. Rachelle Gerodias, my special guest on this part of the show went down well with the audiences also, and I really enjoyed my duet with her, Brindisi from Verdi’s La Traviata.

Our last show in Taiwan was in the town on Tainan.

Here we hosted the Mayor of Tainan.

It was here that I received one of the greatest honours of my life. The Mayor presented me with the key to the city of Tainan, and the Freedom of the City whenever I wished to return. I have really enjoyed this mini tour of South-East Asia, and I’d like to thank everybody for the incredible support that they have given me.

On our way home, we had an unscheduled visit to China. I had been booked by Volkswagen China to perform at the launch of a new car model in Beijing. This was my first visit to China (so my 27th country!) and the performance was to take place at the Olympic Cycling Velodrome.

While at the hotel, I made Julz’s day. I’ve always been quite clumsy. I had walked out of the bathroom on the approach to the bathroom was a full length mirror. I discovered how clean this was as I turned right straight intoit thinking I was walking into the room! Julz found this quite funny, and after I had got over the embarrassment, I laughed at myself. Really quite typical for me!

The next day, we decided to make the most of the day, and we took a trip to the Great Wall. It was quite a long journey to the wall. It was one of the most astonishing sights of my life. I had seen pictures of it in books and on T.V., but nothing prepares you for seeing the real thing. Julz found the journey up a little unsettling as she doesn’t like heights. We had about an hour and a half to spend on and around the wall before we had to return to make our way to the airport to make our long journey back home.

We took a walk down the wall, downhill in any direction from where we started, which unfortunately meant that it was uphill all the way back! It must have been a monumental job to build this. The scenery here is also incredibly stunning, and the buildings on the wall are very imposing but incredible.
We slowly made our way to the airport via Tiannamen Square, and the first leg of our 20 hour journey home had started.

Next Stop? An arena tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland....

Source: OS