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DIAMOND HEAD START BIG SIXTEEN IN MEMPHIS

So we managed to navigate the Alamo without getting arrested and set off for an eight hour drive to Arkansas en-route to tomorrow night’s gig in Nashville, with a visit to Memphis planned for that evening.

Debbie took over the drivers seat half way through to give Karl a well earned rest and as the sun went down we stopped to get gas and for Karl to take back the wheel for the last leg of the journey. Tonight was the night of the super moon and as darkness took hold, Ras took the opportunity to take some awesome photos of the phenomenon.

diamond head

It was a beautiful clear sky and the moon was spectacular, unlike reports coming through from folk in London bemoaning the cloudy skies over the city. We arrived at our hotel at eight in the evening and after check in we quickly called a cab to take us over the Mississippi River and state line into Memphis. We got dropped off at Beale street, which is the main strip of this famous city that the locals like to call the home of the blues.

As soon as you step out you can feel the aura and buzz about the place with music coming at you from all directions. Every few doors there is a different blues band playing just in the bars, never mind BB Kings Blues Club, Blues City Cafe, Memphis Music or the Hard Rock Cafe!

diamond head

We chose the Pig restaurant… ‘Pork with an attitude’… for a sit down nose bag with pitchers of Blue Moon accompanying a huge platter of barbecued meat feast that included two racks of ribs, pulled pork, chicken legs and thighs, with numerous sides that included fries, corn in the cob, onion rings, coleslaw, beans and bread.

Hella Rock Festival

It was indeed a veritable feast that King Arthur would have been proud of and one that tested the strength of the table legs!

diamond head

With the platter still not clean, we left for a wander up and down the strip, poking our noses into a bar here and there to check out the latest 12 bar African American sounds. This is definitely somewhere I would like to re-visit and spend longer in some time in the future.

The next day, just after noon, we set off for Nashville and crossed the Mississippi for a third time travelling through Tennessee for four hours, arriving at the venue, The Mercy Lounge, just before dusk and as day turned to night, the Memphis skyline took on a new guise.

diamond head

In London we have The Shard and The Gherkin, in Memphis they have the rather more impressive Batman building, which when lit up, leaves you under no illusions as to where it gets its name.

The Mercy Lounge is a huge building with three stages and all three had gigs going on tonight and Diamond Head’s was their first of the big sixteen consecutive run… no sleep ’til Denver!

Before the band hit the stage shortly before 21:30 they handed over some goodies to the latest #amievilface winner Matt, who now goes through to the end of tour grand draw.

Good luck Matt.


“Without Diamond Head, none of this would have existed…”
Lars Ulrich – Metallica

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