I knew when we got to this part of the tour, we’d be exhausted. In order to get to Lleida for my show on time, we had to get up from Hanover at 3 a.m. Take a flight to Munich. Take a flight to Barcelona. Take a train or car to Lleida. All on hardly any sleep. Plus I hadn’t slept well the night BEFORE Hanover. UGH.

I have been around long enough to know that you don’t fly before 11 a.m. BUT there was no way around it. Flying on show day itself is also a bit of a no-no but…I have decided recently to start trusting humans. That includes pilots. Taxi drivers. Maybe I’ve decided to trust myself a little too.

Flying into Spain was unreal. I have never seen the mountains near Barcelona. We waited for my parents who came in on a later flight and we took a black van all the way to Lleida. (Def Leppard have a great transport company they used so I was able to request one of their drivers/vans.) My parents were in good form for an 88 year old and a 79 year old who has just crossed the Atlantic. That was a big relief to me.

When we arrived, we checked into the Parador De Lleida which used to be an old convent. The doors and cloisters were huge and majestic. I was overtired however and collapsed into bed, cursing my planning skills…thinking, I thought I could do all of this back to back travel and I just don’t know where I went wrong. What good is a show if I’m this tired? Many tears….justified outbursts. Michael calmed me down, got me a sandwich and ran me a bath and I slept for 1.5 hours.

Thank god for this partner in crime. He really is an angel.

Julio Augustin Merce has been my fan for 23 years. Always showing up to Zoom concerts…sending lovely gifts from Spain. I thought to myself while planning this trip, well, I’m so close (in Germany) I should go play for him. After the shock set in, he kindly hooked me up with Guillem at a jazz piano bar in town called Antares and that’s where the show was to be held.

I met Julio and his brother Joaquin (also his partner Luz) and friend Merce in the lobby of the hotel. This was an incredible moment I will never forget. I think the relationship between artist and fan is so unique….we give each other energy. You give me energy by reading these posts, coming to shows. I give you what I can through my music. It is such a pure friendship and I will never take any of our connections for granted. I think when it is at this level it is so special. We know one another. There’s no hype (and I know hype. I felt it in 1998). It’s just all good.

Merce made me a beautiful journal which I will show you on social media in the coming days. Absolutely incredible - she had been working on it since JANUARY!

We walked to the club which was an adventure in itself. These narrow winding old streets of Lleida, the hills and the stone streets…were so beautiful to me. I just wish I had more time in Lleida to explore. Julio wants me to come to Madrid next time. I most certainly will try to.

I couldn’t believe that around 9, the whole club was filled. Julio had spread the word to all his friends and probably some new ones too…he made an introduction in Spanish and then I played a set of old song and new ones. My mom popped up and made everyone sing Happy Birthday in Spanish. MY MOM! Always with the jumping onstage.

It was a beautiful night and I won’t ever forget it.

I think in moments like these that I have the fanbase I have for a reason. It has been small but mighty so that I can have these exact experiences. Before coming here, I questioned whether or not it was wise to come to one town for one person, but as Michael said onstage, our family has grown as a result of doing so. And even if it had not, if my show was just for Julio, to see him so happy and glowing was worth it. And this special family doesn’t grow because of ambition, success, money, agenda…it grows because you care about one person at a time. Maybe the exact opposite of what a pop music career is supposed to be, but it’s exactly what it is and it’s perfect.

I am so lucky.

NEXT: Visiting Michael’s family near LIVERPOOL!

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June 5th: Spain! What a night.