Day 2....Thursday 18th - Beverley

Mike wirtes.... After battling through some technical problems and a questionable PA system, Martyn and Nigel take the stage for the second show of the tour. The first set comes off without a hitch with the boys driving out a tight performance from the word go ( with the occasional banter from Martyn, of course)The second set only improves upon the first, with Going Home the song chosen by the boys to start the home stretch of the night. Some phenominal playing by Nigel Hopkins on keyboards, along with Martyn's absolutely brilliant storytelling and guitar work created a tension and electricity on stage that you very rarely have the opportunity to witness by artists these days. This, along with some humorous and unexpected moments ( at one point, all the power to the PA system went down for a few seconds - at which point Nigel quickly suggested Martyn deposit another 10 pence in the meter! ) were capped off when Martyn searched in vain for about 15 seconds looking for his guitar cappo that he needed for the next song - which of course was still on his guitar from the previous song. A somewhat embarassed Martyn quickly redeemed himself by turning in a stirring, emotional rendition of "Good Man", a song Martyn wrote and dedicated to a close personal friend of his.Another night, another powerful performance. We return to the home we are staying at in Bolton at 2:00 a.m., and finish the night with a meal one would expect rock stars to dine on - baked beans and cake! Martyn was actually so hungry he managed to eat one of the cold cans of beans before Nigel had a chance to cook them! Yum.Looking forward to tomorrow night in Coventry, where the show has been sold out for weeks in advance. Hope to see you there