Jody Neil Ruth's Blog, page 4

Twenty Two

I’ve never ridden an electric scooter before, but on Sunday night, after Coldplay’s last Barcelona performance, I found myself on one, careering downhill at speed, just ahead of the thousands of Spaniards leaving the Olympic Stadium.

Police stewarded the long road, ushering the early concert leavers across junctions as they held the traffic at bay with a whistle and a gloved hand.

I reached the bottom of the hill and pushed on to meet with one of our drivers and hand him important paperwor...

Twenty One

“Do you like techno music?” her French accent always caught me off guard.

I hesitated, studying her face, her dark eyes, thin lips, looking for some sign of deceit.

“Uh, yeah,” I said, “I love it. Have done all my life.”

She smiled. “I have a ticket for a club in Barcelona when we get there. Do you want to go with me?”

I said I did, but I couldn’t shake the damage that I’d suffered recently. I couldn’t understand why this girl had taken an interest in me. This had to be a trap, some ...

Twenty.

Been a while since I started a blog with “it’s been a quiet week”, but it’s been a quiet week. Not because I’ve been sat around waiting for work, but because I’ve been sat in the Portuguese sun, burning/tanning myself to the traditional lobster red that only a pasty englishman can achieve.

We’re still in Coimbra, Portugal with Coldplay and around 47 trucks  parked up in a dustbowl about 10k from the Estadio de Coimbra. There’s been 3 shows so far (I haven’t watched one yet) and tonight is the...

Nineteen

Monday I was in England and it rained.

Tuesday I was in Belgium and it rained.

Wednesday I was in France and it rained.

Thursday I was in Spain and it rained.

But now I’m in Coimbra, Portugal, and I’m wearing my hot pants in the sun. Coimbra is a beautiful place. We’re here for a week and I’m going to explore and (try to) eat and (try to) rest and (try to) repair. Although the chapter I mentioned in my last blog, eighteen, doesn’t appear to be as closed as I thought.

Anyway, I’ve ...

Eighteen

I’m a day late with my blog. Again. I got side-tracked by the week that was, and I’ve been prepping my things to go on tour tomorrow for two-and-a-half months. I can’t say until it’s under way, but it’s a million miles away from the closeness and sanctity of the Macklemore tour. Man, that was a good tour with good people, despite what I had to deal with.

I have no news on her. That chapter in my life is over.

I drove from Austria, through Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and France before re...

Seventeen.

I’ll start by writing thank you for all your concern, but I am feeling much better. Those close to me who said a total lack of contact would help me, were right. It really wasn’t very easy to begin with, but now, being almost two weeks removed from the mess, I can see how stupid I was to have let things escalate. But I still miss her.

The tour with Macklemore rolls on, but my stint on it finishes tomorrow. The audio equipment I carry isn’t needed for the forthcoming venues, so I’ll return to ...

Sixteen.

I’ve been in an emotionally abusive relationship for the past few months.

It started out great, and I honestly thought I had the most perfect girl in the world. I met her on tour, and we had the most passionate and intense time together and i couldn’t believe how amazing she was. I moved the heavens to bring her to England, to secure her a job, and we lived in total bliss for months. I’d never met a girl so devoted to me, and we made so many promises and plans that I believed we would be toge...

Fifteen.

Finally out on tour. Joined two other drivers at Wembley Arena to start my run with Macklemore, who puts on a really good show! He even wears a shower curtain for one song. And after spying a girl in the crowd holding up a sign proclaiming it’s her birthday, he got her on stage for a dance, and then let her stay there while he carried on the rest of the show, before using a golf club to whack t-shirts into the crowd.

Now we’re in the Netherlands, killing time, washing trucks, holding onto my ...

Fourteen.

I’m getting bored with starting every blog with “it’s been a quiet week” but…its been a quiet week again. The promise of being “flat out” with work from January onwards has failed spectacularly, but I do (finally) go on tour Tuesday, so next week’s blog should be more interesting!

Did have one job at the beginning of the week, shuttling stuff around London for Ross Bruford College who are learning the ropes around lighting and sound. They were a good eager bunch of kids, and maybe I’ll end u...

Thirteen

Yet another quiet week on the work front, although the job I did in the 26 ton truck was interesting for a couple of days. However, I’m not allowed to say what it was! But it was a rehearsal tucked away in the countryside, in a 400+ year old barn, converted for modern living and music. We were told if the locals asked, we were to lie…

As I and the other driver stood by the gate to the property, admiring the small ponds that had entertained French royalty and many, many famous celebrities, a m...