On Friday, April 17th of 2009, Orleans had the great privilege and honor of performing our National Anthem at Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay, FL. The Rays took on the Chicago White Sox in what was to become one of the most thrilling ball games any of us had ever seen.
Walking from the Martini Hotel to the club Huize Maas with Jack as our guide, the Martini Tower is dead ahead.
Next morning, back at the hotel, fairly well-rested and now in synch with the time change, we prepare to do what we came for — to play for the people of The Netherlands! But first things first …
Grabbing an afternoon train from the station (which is right across the street from the hotel), we make the 60-mile trip to Amsterdam in about an hour and 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Charlie, the only European native among us, is NOT among us. Not being needed at the studio, he had gone on ahead to meet up with some friends and will join us later.
In 1973, Orleans’ first album was released internationally. Received favorably in the states, it gathered a small but loyal number of fans. But nowhere were the fans more die-hard and supportive than in Holland … aka The Netherlands.
