An amazing thing about touring Europe playing music is how most events that are organized include a free place to stay, often at the house or flat of the organizer… And without fail, anytime it’s at an apartment building, the flat is on the very top floor, and because it’s usually a hundred-yearold building, there is no elevator. There’s nothing more fun than hauling all the gear and luggage up many flights of stairs at 3 a.m. after a show. I mean, I know my band is called Attic Ted, but sleeping in an attic is not a detail included in my rider.
One such situation presented itself recently in Nantes, France. We were invited to stay in the flat of a friend who was going to be out of town that night. She left her key and gave us free rein of her place.
Let me note that this building was huge and old, just across from the river on a busy boulevard in the downtown district. It had four main floors rising straight up from the street, then a fifth floor that had a triangulated roof line set back just 10 feet from the front face of the structure. The entire street was lined with similar buildings, like many European cities.
