Article compiled & edited by Mike Clifford from an interview by Graham Mackie. From MT 17  July 1998

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The tour began the following week. A typical day would be, that after the hotel breakfast, the band would board their bus between 8.0 and 9.0 am and travel all day to get to the next gig.

Although these trips can sometimes be entertaining,  eight hours of travelling and  one hour on stage performing can be gruelling. Reaching our destination about 4.0pm, we would check into our hotel and freshen up. An hour later we would set off for the venue to sound check.

Vanessa would arrive later for the band to sound check with her. The time between the sound checks and the gig were usually spent at the venue unless the hotel happened to be nearby. A couple of hours later we would do the show.

A keyboard roadie relieved me of having to touch my keyboards between shows. I didn’t have to plug in a single jack lead on tour: excellent!  

I first met Vanessa at the end of the first week’s rehearsals. Vanessa has been bundled around the world in a ball of cotton wool since  she was twelve years old - at which age she recorded, ‘The Four Seasons’ - so it’s not surprising she seemed a little bit sheltered. She is very nice and has no ego.

The only time I met Vanessa was when we were working. She had separate travel arrangements and hotels and the musicians were kept apart from her. Vanessa prefers to travel at night, so she would leave immediately after the gig on a separate bus and journey overnight. This allowed her to sleep and relax before the next performance, unlike the band who had to travel all day and then gig.

She is an outstanding, brilliant violinist, with a charisma that all great performers have; it’s not something you learn, it’s something you’re born with.