City Delights and Mountain Heights
August 2023

Band rehearsal - Steve & Genetics
Photo © Jo Hackett

Steve in exotic Peru
Photo © Jo Hackett

Show in Rio, Brazil
Photo © Jo Hackett

Jo and I were full of excited anticipation as we set off with guitar tech pal Vince for Argentina, first stop to rehearse for the South American tour with the band Genetics.

It felt good to be back there again after five years, with the pandemic having held everything up. Our pal Claudio took us to some fab Argentinian restaurants and we then reconnected with the Genetics team, all lovely guys and great musicians. After joining them for a wonderful barbecue, we had two rehearsal days in Buenos Aires before heading off to our first destination... Lima, Peru.

The Lima show in the beautiful Gran Teatro Nacional went really well and it was great to reconnect with promotor Alberto Menacho who entertained us all in his lovely home and took us to two beautiful restaurants, surrounded by exotic vegetation... one overlooking the sea and the other situated within impressive ruins of an ancient pre Inca temple.

Then on to Chile, where we played two sold out shows with amazing crowd reactions. The promotion team and their friends were really hospitable, with a special welcome meal and a wonderful barbecue. Genetics singer Tom and his pal Andrés took Jo and me up to the foothills of the Andes, which gave us a brilliant view of those magnificent mountains.

From the snow capped mountains of Chile we flew on to the sunny exotica of Rio, Brazil. Promotor Steve Altit took Jo, Vince and me out for a nice meal. Three successful shows in Rio, Niteroi and São Paulo followed on successive days. It was good to reconnect with friends and following his own special show, my musician pal Ritchie joined us all to sing All Along The Watchtower at the end of our encore. It was fun to play virtually on the waterside in Niteroi, where we had a view of Rio over the water. The São Paulo gig was really wonderful with a huge, enthusiastic audience.

It was good after all those shows and the travelling for Jo and me to spend a few days in Buenos Aires again ahead of the big show there. Special friends Daniel Rawsie of Genetics and Alejandro Araujo took us to visit and see many lovely places. We were fascinated to explore many parts of Buenos Aires with its many influences, particularly from Spain, Italy and France. The underground tunnels were intriguing and spooky, whilst the beautiful Colon Theatre totally took our breath away. We also had a wonderful visit to Tigre, where beautiful waterways wind between palms and atmospheric old buildings. It was good to connect with other pals as well, and I felt rested and ready for the big Buenos Aires show on Friday!

The gig was totally exciting with an ecstatic crowd of about 5000 people and the band in great form. What a fantastic way to end a special tour with such lovely, talented musicians.

My thanks to the Genetics team, Alberto Menacho, Steve Altit and all the promotors as well as Wayne and Brian for enabling everything. A big thank you too to Vince for all his invaluable help and to Alejandro and Daniel for their wonderful hospitality. It has been a special experience and I hope to get back to South America soon!