TOUR DIARY

John Taglieri

"Beyond Borders Tour 2002"

click here for Tour Information and Dates

Well, with traffic lighter then expected, I was two hours early for the gig! No problem…rather be early than late. Never being in the club before, I was surprised and how cool it was… 3 rooms… one with couches and comfy chairs, one with a pool table and some other games, and the main room with the stage (nice size), and several tables and chairs. The sound system was large and sounded great! Mackie board, Yorkville Elite speakers… great combination and sound! Nice to be doing an acoustic show on a real PA with monitors for a change!

The crowd was small… I guess a combination of my first time in the room and the fact that the club is only 2 months old… and still building their reputation, plus it was a Tuesday night. The people who were there were very friendly and receptive. I went on at 8:40pm and played an 80-minute set. I loaded the set with all the newer material up front and finished with a string of songs from Leap Of Faith. The crowd loved it, the staff was really happy and the manager told me that he’d make sure that the booker knew I did a great job! I’m back there next month, so hopefully the word will get out and I’ll have a bit of a bigger crowd there. I’m using the acoustic shows to set up a show in March or April with the full band in the room. The manager already said that after hearing everything acoustically last night, he was looking forward to having the full band in there.

All in all, a great first night to get back in the swing of things and shake off the rust from not really playing in several months!

Most Of Time, What It Means, I Give My Heart, Be Here, In Your Eyes (cover), Just One More Day, Your Eyes Tell, Need To Hear, Reason To Believe, Here Without You, Could Not Ask For More (cover), Shangri-La, Leap Of Faith

Well, my first show at a Borders and it went great! I had a good turn out and had some of my MelodicRock.com and internet mailing list friends show up! It was great to meet people I’ve been talking to on email for so long! The people who were at Borders just relaxing were very friendly and I had some new people sign up on the mailing list. I played 2 sets and both were well received. The only hitch to the night was that the store didn’t have any of my CD’s in stock! Luckily I had my own stash with me and was able to make the sales. All in all a good night. Even my parents were there and said that they enjoyed the show…and they have no problem telling me when I suck! LOL!!

Most Of Time, What It Means, I’ll Be (Cover), Angels Among Us, I Give My Heart, Be Here, In Your Eyes (cover), Just One More Day, Need To Hear, Reason To Believe, Here Without You, Could Not Ask For More (cover), Shangri-La, Leap Of Faith

Ahhh…back to the Sanctuary. This was my second show here and I think it’s going to be my new home away from home! I love this place. Small, quaint, friendly atmosphere, great owners, good crowd that is friendly and likes to hear new original music…nice place to play. The place was packed and stayed that way all night. The crowd really liked the new material and made it known. I managed to gain some new mailing list people and also sell some CD’s. This is one of the few places that I’ll ever use a Tip Jar and it was quite full at the end of the night. I met some really cool people who said that they will definitely be back and bring people to more shows! My voice was in great form and my playing was great right up until the last song when I broke my only string of the week! MY bad for not changing the strings before the show! This was my longest show of the 3 this week and definitely my most fun. I’m looking forward to being back there next month.

Most Of Time, What It Means, I’ll Be (Cover), Angels Among Us, I Give My Heart, Be Here, In Your Eyes (cover), Just One More Day, Your Eyes Tell, Could Not Ask For More (cover), Need To Hear, Reason To Believe, Here Without You, Heart Of The Matter (cover), Shangri-La, Leap Of Faith

Great Night! 3 other bands played besides us…The first one Sleepy Hollow totally sucked and is part of the reason people won’t go and see original music! LOL! The next band was 60MD, and were technically very good. A prog band that tore it up, but that got boring after the first 20 minutes. We went on with about 100 or so people in the club and played a practically flawless set! The crowd that was there loved what we did and was very responsive to that show. The club owner was happy and consequently, we have been rebooked on a weekend night!!

Intro, Easy to believe, Everything to me, Keep this love alive, Need to hear, True Believer, What it means, Shangri la, I give my heart, Very good year, Leap of Faith

Ok…So it’s 4:00pm on a Saturday in the biggest shopping mall area of the state, and to top it off, it’s snowing like crazy outside! As you can probably tell from that, the place was empty! Though I did have a few fans and friends show up, for the most part, I don’t think I was in front of more then 10 people at any one time! Not a bad thing as my voice was not up to the task this day and I had to change a few songs around due to that…overall, the first real disappointment so far on the tour. Hey…they can’t all be perfect! LOL!

Most Of Time, What It Means, I’ll Be (Cover), Angels Among Us, I Give My Heart, Reason To Believe, In Your Eyes (cover), Just One More Day, Your Eyes Tell, Could Not Ask For More (cover), Need To Hear, Be Here, Leap Of Faith

Talk about a great gig! From the minute I walked in I had the Vibe. Very cool. First off, it was my first gig with my new Ovation Elite and man what a great sounding guitar it is! The other two singer/songwriters on the bill were John Dacks and Josh Van Ness, both also from NJ. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. John & Josh already knew each other from doing other shows together, but they welcomed me in as if they’d known me for ages, as did their fans. John Dacks was up first. Great songwriter, powerful voice, very enjoyable show. Next up was my turn. I was ON this night and my voice was all I wanted it to be. No complaints. I received a great reaction from the crowd and they even sang along with me on Leap Of Faith!! About 18 people signed the mailing list and I sold 3 CD’s. And most of the people were from NJ and said that they would be coming out to other shows on my tour. No complaints. Next up was Josh. Wow!! Why this guy doesn’t have a deal is beyond me. Sounding like a Jeffrey Gaines-ish performer, his songs were as strong as his soulful voice. All in all a good night. The 3 of us worked well together and got along great. The agent who booked the night, James Larsen was very happy and said that he is going to re-book the 3 of us together again due to the good chemistry.

Most Of Time, I Give My Heart, What It Means, Just One More Day, I’ll Be, Angels Among Us, Be Here, Leap Of Faith

Well, I get to the show and the MelodicRock.com girls are already there and waiting! It was a nice set up in the corner of the cafe and faced all of the seats. The café was reasonably full and had a good mix of people. The show went great. The people who were there were friendly and very receptive to the music and loved the few covers that I added to the show. My rapport with them flowed very nicely and they even talked back making it a nice give and take performance. I performed well, but with my voice tired and still being a tiny bit sick, I cut a few songs out so that I didn’t have to go to my high register too much. We celebrated Kathy’s birthday, and had a huge cake with enough sugar to keep me awake for days! I had a few people sign the mailing list and also sold CD’s. Best part was when this little 7-year-old boy came up and complimented me. He asked and I let him see my guitars, and he got his mom to sign the mailing list. I gave him a CD and it was worth it just for the look on his face! All in all a great show and yet another productive one…

Most Of Time, I Give My Heart, I’ll Be (cover), What It Means, Here Without You, In Your Eyes (cover), Be Here, Just One More Day, Angels Among Us, Heart Of The Matter (cover), Need To Hear, Reason To Believe, Could Not Ask For More (cover), Leap Of Faith

(by John Taglieri)

Friday, 2/1/02, Kenny’s Castaway’s, New York City

The first show for the full band at Kenny’s. We had two rehearsals to get all the new songs ready for this show. We totally revamped the set, adding 6 new songs to a 9-song show! We were all a little bit apprehensive about it, but we just went in and played like we owned the place! The songs came off just as we planned! The band was tight and powerful and we were having a lot of fun on stage and it showed! The crowd was very responsive and we got a lot of names on the mailing list. The club owner loved us an invited us back. So, all in all, a great night in NYC and a good start to the weekend!

Set list

Most Of Time, What It Means, Angels Among Us, Be Here, Just One More Day, Need To Hear, Crank, Very Good Year, Leap Of Faith

Saturday, 2/2/02, Mulligans Pub, Charleston, WV

Ok…so, I leave Kenny’s Castaways, go home, shower, change my clothes, grab some coffee, and hit the road for 9 hours of driving to get to Charleston. Actually driving through the middle of the night made it a very easy ride. All major highways, no traffic, no problems! I got to the hotel at around noon on Saturday and checked in. I got some lunch and then went to sleep for a few hours! God I needed that! LOL!! Sound check was scheduled for 7:00pm, so I made sure that I was up by 6:00pm to get ready and get there. I get to the club and the other band, Tycoon Dog, was loading in. They informed me that the soundman for the club had not shown up, and that they were going to set up their sound system and run everything. I had a few hours while they set up, so I shot back to the hotel an grabbed some more sleep. I got back to the club at about 9:30pm and they were just finishing the set up. I was supposed to go on at 10:00pm, but it was obvious that that I was going on late. Better for me though… means more people in the club! I went on at 11:00pm to a packed house and a receptive crowd. They got into the songs, with people even singing along to the chorus’ the second times through! I picked up a lot of names on the mailing list, sold some CD’s and had a great time being there. The club invited me back, so that’s a good feeling also. Then it was time to go get some real sleep and then back on the road to get home. No complaints…a good show and a great trip!

Set List

Most Of Time, What It Means, Angels Among Us, Just One More Day, I’ll Be (Cover), Need To Hear, Reason To Believe, In Your Eyes (Cover), Leap Of Faith

Back to Hamilton Street…this was the first stop on the tour! I like this place. Big stage, big PA, great sound, and a good vibe. All the people who were there last time were back again and they brought friends with them! Everyone was receptive to all the new material. I have been battling the flu and my voice was not 100%, but I managed to sing everything on the set list without too much trouble! Problem with touring and having a day job…no time to get over an illness!!! I played for 1 hour an 40 minutes and had a ball. Everyone was playful and talked back when I goofed around with the crowd. Picked up some new mailing list names and had a great time. I definitely have to set up another show in this place!

Most Of Time, What It Means, I Give My Heart, Be Here, In Your Eyes (cover), Just One More Day, I’ll Be (Cover), Your Eyes Tell, Need To Hear, Reason To Believe, Here Without You, Heart of the Matter (Cover), Shangri-La, Could Not Ask For More (cover), Leap Of Faith

OK…so being sick sucks, and between the day job and touring, there’s no relief in site this week. So…knowing that there’s no way I’ll have 2 hours worth of voice in me tonight. I’ve enlisted the help of a good friend of mine, Josh Van Ness, to open the show for me. Now the fun begins…we get to the venue to find that they have forgotten that they booked me!! They have a book club and singing going on! The Manager remembers me after we talk and realizes that she screwed up! She asks if it’s ok for us to start at 8:30pm instead of 8:00pm and we agree. Josh and I set up and get ready to roll and finally get started at 8:40pm. Josh played an intense 40-minute set that totally captivated the crowd. Everyone was totally into his show. If you are into good soulful, moving Rock, go to JoshVanNess.com and check this guy out. I hit the stage at about 9:15 or so and did about an hour until my voice completely wore out. The crowd was very receptive and stuck around until the end. The funniest part of the night was the last song, Leap Of Faith. As I went into the last run of the song, 10-seconds from the end, I broke a string. I laughed it off and grabbed my other 6-string to finish. I picked up from the ending again….only to break a string on that guitar at the same spot I broke the other one! I was about to give up when someone yelled…"try the third guitar!" everyone was laughing as I picked up my 12-string and went for it again! This time I made it through the song and got all the way to the end! We all had a good laugh and I thanks the crowd for their appreciation and for the playfulness they showed! I sold a few CD’s and had a great time. Another good night. I’ve asked Josh to open for me again on Saturday at Borders in Ramsey as I don’t think I’ll be up to a 2-hours show by then. So, we’ll do it all again then!

Most Of Time, Just One More Day, Angels Among Us, Be Here, I Give My Heart, I’ll Be (Cover), Need To Hear, Here Without You, Leap Of Faith

Well, last gig of this week and then I can get some rest for my weary voice! Josh and I got to the venue nice and early and set up was quick. After a relaxing hang before going on, Josh hit the stage at 8:00pm and tore it up! He played a smoking 45-minute set and everyone in the place was totally digging his show. Jerry from Bumpskey Radio was in the house and was videotaping the whole night for broadcast on MusicTV.com. I hit the stage at about 8:50pm and played a solid one-hour show. Stupidly, I ate a Rice Crispy’s Treat right before I went on stage and almost choked during the first song of the show!! LOL! It made for a very funny moment and the crowd was very amused. But I recovered and outside of one bad note, sang better then I expected for being sick. Both Josh and I picked up[ mailing list names and I sold a handful of CD’s, so it was another worthwhile night out! We work well together and I think that we will be doing some more shows down the line. Now I get a 6-day break to rest my throat and body and hopefully get over this flu so that I can be ready for next weeks shows and then California!

Most Of Time, In your Eyes (Cover), Angels Among Us, Just One More Day, Be Here, I Give My Heart, Need To Hear, Crank, Here Without You, I’ll Be (Cover),Leap Of Faith

Ahh…nothing like starting to feel healthy again! I get to this show a little late due to traffic. Jon Dacks is opening for me this night and he is already there waiting. We load in and I get the sound system set up and ready to go. We are set up in the music department instead of the café for a change and it’s actually a great location. Right at the entrance to the department so that everyone walking by can see. Jon went on at about 8:15pm and played a smoking 40-minute set. The crowd was very receptive of him and he sounded great. I hit the stage at about 9:00pm and felt vocally better then I have in weeks. I played for about an hour and 20 minutes and just felt stronger as the set went on. There was a good crowd there the whole night and they were very receptive to both Jon and I. We both picked up mailing list people an I sold a few CD’s. Again, another good night and a good start to the weekend!

Most Of Time, What It Means, In your Eyes (Cover), Angels Among Us, Just One More Day, Be Here, I’ll Be (Cover), I Give My Heart, Need To Hear, Here Without You, Reason To Believe, Could Not Ask For More (Cover), Leap Of Faith

Ahhh…back to my new favorite place to play…The Sanctuary Café. This place is just consistently awesome. The best crowds and the friendliest people. I had a nice write up in a local paper and thanks to hat, the place was more packed than usual. I saw a lot of familiar faces from my last few shows here also. This was the first night in a few weeks that I was tackling by myself, but I felt up to it. Thanks to my doctor and the wonderful drugs he gave me, my sinus infection has all but gone away and my throat feels great. I got started s little late at about 9:15pm, so I decided to go without a break and play straight through to 11:00pm. My parents were there as well as a bunch of my friends. My lead guitarist, John Calendrillo was there, so I brought him up to do a song with me. The crowd was very friendly to John and he played great! I got new people on my mailing list, sold some more CD’s and had people tell me that they will be back next month when I am here again! I played everything that is on my set list and my voice was just right on this night. Everything I wanted was there. It’s a great feeling after being sick for so long! All in all…another great night and another one at the Sanctuary. Can’t wait to come back again next month! So…next stop…California!

Most Of Time, What It Means, I’ll Be (Cover), Angels Among Us, I Give My Heart, Be Here, In Your Eyes (cover), Just One More Day, Your Eyes Tell, Could Not Ask For More (cover), Need To Hear, Reason To Believe, Here Without You, Heart Of The Matter (cover), Shangri-La,Leap Of Faith

Well, the California trip has come and gone and WOW what a trip it was! I spent a week in L.A. doing shows every night and making a very good showing! I was invited back for return shows at every venue that I played. I had the pleasure of opening for the incredible Adam Erick from the band Live at Molly Malone's. Talk about a cool guy and a great performer. The band in on hiatus, so he's out doing some solo acoustic shows. We chatted for a bit after the show and traded emails, so hopefully we'll keep in touch. Molly’s was a great show for me overall and I really captured the crowd there. Throughout the week, I met and hung out with some very cool people such as Zakk Wylde (Ozzy), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Adam Erick (Live), C.C.DeVille (Poison), Clem Burke (Blondie), Gilby Clarke(ex Guns & Roses), Teddy Andreas (Guns & Roses), John Corabi (Ratt), Stuart Smith (Heaven & Earth), and a few others! We also went to Interscope and Sony Records where I was introduced to some very cool people that will hopefully be listening to my new demos when they are recorded.

The Grammy's…well, all I can say is I'll catch them on TV next year. We actually wound up leaving about half way through the awards due to the fact that it was boring as hell!! The performances were good, but when they went to commercial breaks, you sit there and stare at nothing until they come back on the air. They closed all the concessions once the show started, so you couldn't even get something to drink…kind of crappy. Anyway, going out afterwards was great and we had a killer time partying! My manager, Dave, knows just about everyone in L.A., so we were never at a lack for something to do. We went to the Viper Room on Monday and caught Rock Show…perhaps the best and funniest 80's cover band I've ever seen in my life! A must see if you ever get the chance!

The only downside to the week is that I BROKE MY FREAKING HAND!! Yep...you read it right! I was at a club, and hanging out the door talking to someone with my hand on the door jamb…when someone closed the damn door and broke my right hand in two places! Luckily it was on the pinky side and it's my picking hand, so though painful, I was still able to do my shows for the rest of the week. I went to Dr. Arlo Gordin, who is known as the "Dr. To the Stars" and he took great care of me. He wanted to cast my hand, but that would have ended the tour in a heartbeat. So after some discussion, I'm in a soft cast for the next 6 weeks that I can take off to do shows and will not be canceling any shows on the tour. After the tour, I'll go in for some rehab and get the hand back in tip top shape.

Once we were done in LA it was off to Phoenix for an in-store appearance/performance at Rockaway Records in Mesa. It was a great time. There was a good turnout and I met some very cool people! Then off to Tim Bein's place for a very cool small gathering. I was supposed to perform, but due to hurting my hand further at the Record store show and the small crowd that was at Tim's, we wound up just hanging out and chatting all-night and laughing like crazy. By the time I got back to Dave's house…my manager lives in Mesa…I totally crashed for the night and had the best sleep I'd had in a week! LOL!! I guess a road trip and being out every night partying will do that to you!

The only downside of the Arizona trip was…and I hope you are ready for this…I was bitten by a dog on my left arm! LOL!! I could not catch a break on this trip! My manager, Dave, has several dogs, one of which he was thinking of getting rid of because it's just waaaayyy too aggressive. Well, as soon as I walked in the house, the damn thing came after me and bit me on my left arm…oh well…so much for being nice and trying to make friends! LOL!! That kind of sealed his fate though and Dave promptly removed him and brought him to the local pound. Sad…but some animals are just mean. Dave's other 3 dogs are all adorable and I had a great time playing with them!

So, a sinus infection, a broken hand, and a dog bite….I think I'm going to stay in NJ for a while! Way too dangerous out on the West Side of this country! LOL!!

Back at Kenny’s again! I love this place. It’s a great sounding room and has a really good PA. We draw well here and the house crowd always seems to get into our show. We drew well and had a really strong performance. Got a lot of names on the mailing list and got very positive feedback from the club. We’ve been invited back again, so I guess we’re doing something right here!

Most Of Time, What It Means, Angels Among Us, Be Here, Just One More Day, I’ll Be (Cover), Crank, Very Good Year, Need To Hear,Leap Of Faith

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