For those LOVE fans who have not signed up for the LOVE newsletter (redtelephone@lovewitharthurlee.com), this 4 city tour with the ensemble is just a little taste, as the plan is to play a much more expanded (and complete) tour4 months from now, once the LIVE CD and DVD are in stores. Some promoters really wanted this to happen (as well as some of you LOVE supporters; look at Fritz, driving from Cleveland and Julie driving from Detroit, not to mention some Canadians from Windsor) and well, they CAN’T wait 4 months! Now, the UK has seen this production a bunch of times and the shows still sell out (thank you!!!!) so now it’s America’s turn and we are all very excited.

As some of you might know, the venue in San Francisco has been changed from the Avalon Ballroom to the FILLMORE, which is fitting, considering how LOVE used to “rip the roof off” with blistering sets in the late 60’s/early 70’s. There are really old LOVE posters that still hang on the wall there. And it’s a beautiful theatre. And there’s still that old BBQ joint not far from there (in the projects) called BROTHER-IN-LAWS. I highly recommend it and i certainly plan to go there (since we have a day off in SF….yay!), as well as TOMMY’S JOINT and the EDINBURGH CASTLE (for drinks.) I may rent a car and drive over the Golden gate Bridge into Tiburon for lunch instead. it’s just a 20 min. drive north of San Francisco.

SF is such a great town…it’s like NYC without the trash on the ground. And of course, the Swedes will have to visit Haight and Ashbury, to which i recommend breakfast at the Pork Store or at All you Knead, for a more “tame” breakfast. For buying records, you can’t beat Reckless or Amoeba records. if you really wanna have a day, hop B.A.R.T. and take it across the bay and check out Berkley’s Telegraph road, where you’ll find the cool record shop, MOD LANG (personal fave) and even get a tour of one of the best breweries on the planet, PYRAMID. If you’ve ever had their Hefeweisen or Peach Ale you know just what I am talking about. So, I’ll try to get as much in as possible on this short trip. Even if it’s only just a taste.

Mike Randle