Aloha !

I've never been at a show from 1996 but there are some reasons why this European leg of the Lost Highway Tour is better than the 1996 These Days Tour.

1. The shows are better paced. Any show from 1996 was a bit too slow for my liking. Half of the songs were ballads or just slow songs. A bit too much like a Bryan Adams show, if I'd have to compare it to something. And although These Days is a good album, putting 7 songs in the set from the album makes the show rather boring too. It'd be like playing Mystery Train, Open All Night and Right Side Of Wrong after another. That doesn't work either.

2. Jon sings Always better now than he did in 1996 as well. His voice sounded thin at times back then, and with a little more practice I'm sure he could pull of Something To Believe In as good as he does Always now. Generally, Jon sounds a lot more consistent. He sounds fuller on Hey God too.

3. There's no bootleg from the 1996 tour that has the intensity as the shows from Hamburg, Amsterdam, Belgium from this tour. 1996 was too laid back. Yes, it was a good tour, but if there's one tour that came after it this is the tour you should visit.

That said, a 1996 show didn't have any shit songs in the set, while the current sets still do. I'm not sure if I'd pick a show from this tour over a show from 1996 but for now I'm having a blast seeing, listening and thinking about the shows. All that wasn't there during the Bounce and HAND tours. Those shows were made by the fans, these shows are made by the band. It's the first tour of which I'd actually love to go to more shows than I've planned now, simply because most shows have been that good. I know you're not going but you're missing a lot, it's as simple as that. And I don't think anyone would've thought to hear me say this either.

Yes. This European Tour is ****ing brilliant.

Salaam Aleikum,
Sebastiaan