As is the case in all industries, the music business is still dealing with the aftermath of effects of the 2020 pandemic. Had it not happened a lot of the gigs that we are currently playing would have happened before now, and that includes this most recent Legacy Tour of the UK. All good things are worth waiting for and this has been an exceptionally good tour. Concentrating on some of the areas where we were always successful, we embarked on a tour that took in Darlington Hippodrome, King’s Lynn Corn Exchange, Victoria Theatre Halifax and Butlins in Skegness. The response across the board has been magnificent and we have thrown a party fit for a king whilst taking the time to really catch up with those great people who have followed us for all these years. Talking of years, I celebrated thirty six of those, as Smokie’s keyboard player, on Thursday 7th March in Halifax, a night that will rank as one of the happiest of 2024 to date. I am relieved to say that all the trains ran on time, which is rare at present, the weather stayed convivial and there were no adverse factors to threaten the success of these shows. Plain sailing in a sea of confusion, so to speak. While the world outside is dealing with daily heartache it is our pleasure to divert people’s attention away for a hundred minutes of simple entertainment. I read how, in Ukraine, musicians and dancers are limited to performing in underground bunkers to avoid risk of bombing. These are the lengths to which artists will go to bring happiness to an audience and, although conditions are not so extreme for us, there is still a feeling that what we have to offer is important to those who book their tickets. It’s a heartwarming feeling to be doing what we love best and we get that love back many times over from our audiences. If the rest of 2024 carries on the way it started we are in for very good times indeed.