The band has just finished their sound check at New York's Beacon Theatre, and there is excitement in the air! The PFC Band is part of an unbelievable lineup of musicians for tonight's show-- Jackson Browne, Keb' Mo', Taj Majal, Patti Smith, Vusi Mahlasela, and many (many) more!
Everyone has come together to celebrate the music, life and vision of John Lennon, and the money raised from tonight's concert is being donated to the Playing For Change Foundation, an organization building music and art schools in communities around the world.
As I type I can hear Jackson Browne tuning up downstairs. It's going to be a night to remember, and we look forward to sharing the sights, sounds, and stories with the Playing For Change Community-- stay tuned.
Love and Respect from New York!
What an unbelievable show tonight at the Hollywood Bowl! I have had the privilege of seeing the PFC Band perform at venues all over the world, but there was something truly magical about seeing them perform tonight at the bowl. When they took the stage in front of a crowd of over 10,000 fans, a wave of emotion ran through me that I was wholly unprepared for. I remembered the experience of taking Jason and Mermans on a tour of LA and looking down at the Hollywood Bowl from high up in the hills. "It won't be long before you two are performing there," I told them. They looked at me somewhat nonplussed and smiled it off. And tonight, seeing them share a stage with Baaba Maal in front of such a crowd was a special moment-- one that was made all the more memorable when Baaba Maal invited us all on stage to close out the show!
The band is headed to Europe in the next few days-- if you are anywhere near any of the cities they are playing in, I highly suggest you check out their show!
Last night was a night to remember-- but of course we all knew it would be long before the show started. Beginning the moment we all hopped on the bus, everyone could barely contain their excitement. Sinamuva began a song as soon as the bus pulled away from our hotel, and they were quickly accompanied by an improvised percussion ensemble. Peter hopped down into the stair well and pounded on the side of the bus; Venkat began playing the ceiling with his knuckles; Mermans began to yell; People all around me began clapping; And before long half the bus was banging on something-- the rest of us were singing, laughing, or filming the fun.
The 20-minute bus ride began in the rain, but by the time we arrived, the sun had come out. As we pulled up, we noticed a rainbow arching down directly above the venue. We all thought it was a great omen for the show but Mark was quick to counter that if anything, that rainbow had shown up to recharge its energy at our show. And he was right...
The Caja Magica was packed to the gills (over 8,000 people were in attendance!), and by the end of the show it felt like the place was going to blow. The band put together a set list of 25 songs (our longest list to date, I believe), and performed for well over two hours. Guest artists Nena Daconte and Kiko Veneno joined the band for a number of songs, and were greeted by raucous applause. Even our own Enzo Buono hopped on stage to harmonize (and dance!) with Tula during Chanda Mama. The addition of Sinamuva to the band rounded out the sound beautifully, and brought our total musician count to nearly 20!
It was an amazing evening, and I want to thank everyone who was with us, both in body and in spirit. I would also like to thank Acciona and Ademas for making this event possible, and also our Tour Manager Erika Duffee, who has lead this group of Peace Soldiers across North America and Spain these past two months.
I'm on a plane bound for New York City (currently experiencing a fair bit of turbulence) as I write this, and it is a bittersweet moment for me. I'm heading home for the first time in a month, and am looking forward to seeing my family for the Holidays, yet at the same time I am leaving my other family behind. But I know before long we'll all be together, back on the road again. But for now...
Peace and Love from 30,000 feet!
Today was a long day for all of us, but an amazing one! It started early with a round of interviews for half the band. The other half of us went to a little club in downtown Madrid called Marmara, where we sound checked for a gig we'd have there later that night. After the press stop and sound check we all met back up at the hotel and hopped in the bus for rehearsal. We were joined at the venue by a number of guest artists-- a pair of vocalists, an accordion and a trumpet-- and together we worked through the set for Thursday's show.
We had a two hour break before we had to get to our gig at Marmara, and almost all of us met up for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Over dinner we were all thrilled to discover that Tula and Whitney had arrived, and would be joining us at the club. After our meal we all loaded the bus and were about to pull out when suddenly Erika, our tour manager, stood up and asked "Is Clarence on the bus?!" Mark informed us that while we were all eating he decided to take a power nap... Erika sprinted into the hotel and returned 5 minutes later with our groggy, but excited vocalist, and we were off.
It was a 10-minute drive to the club, and Erika spent that time working with Clarence to put the set list together. During this time Clarence had a conversation with Mermans that set the tone for the evening:
Clarence: "Mermans, what songs do you want to play tonight?"
Mermans: "How many people are going to be in the club?"
Clarence: "About 150."
Mermans: "Yo, let's blow them up then. We're gonna play all the fire songs my brother!"
And with that, the band put their heads together and built a set list of all our favorite songs. Clarence gave the list to Erika and told her that (much to the chagrin of our sound engineer) they didn't know what order they were going to play them in, but they'd begin with a jam and figure out the rest on stage.
And so passed the evening. The stage was small (Steve's keyboard wouldn't even fit!), the band was tight, the club was packed, and the audience was full of fire. The band's set was only supposed to be an hour long, but they played well into a second hour. Tula hopped on stage for a couple songs, including Pierre's "Don't Worry," and spent the rest of the set dancing. It was Hugo's birthday, so Clarence inserted an impromptu version of "Happy Birthday" into the set to celebrate. When the band finished performing, we all stuck around for quite a while singing and dancing the night away...
After an indeterminate amount of time, we heard Erika's voice rise above the din of the club "Playing For Change, the bus is leaving... Really, I mean it. The bus is leaving now!"
And thus ended a very long day. We all loaded the bus and rolled back to the hotel. We have a day in the studio booked for tomorrow-- with so many amazing musicians all in the same place we couldn't resist the temptation to record something! But for now, my bed is calling...
Peace and Love from Madrid!
What an unbelievable night of music, dancing, and good vibrations we all shared last night in Seville. The venue was packed to capacity-- it was standing room only (or more appropriately, dancing room only!) for the crowd, but no one seemed to mind getting a bit cozy with the people next to them for the two and a half hours the band performed.
We could feel a tangible energy in the air as everyone took the stage. All the planning, promotion, rehearsing, traveling, and excitement of the past few months had lead up to this exact moment, and it was so palpable you could practically taste it. Grandpa was the last musician to make it to his place, and as soon as the crowd caught sight of him they all began to cheer "GRANDPA! GRANDPA! GRANDPA!" in chorus. In that moment the smile that lit up his face told a beautiful story of perseverance and grace.
The show was absolutely electric. Though the musicians that just toured North America hadn't played together for three weeks, they sounded just as tight last night as they did at the end of the tour in Vancouver. The addition of Roberto, Stefano, Pierre, Francois, and Hugo to this group took something that was already great and elevated it even further. And with Mr. Reggie McBride slinging the bass again, all these amazing musicians were in lock step with each other. The PFC Band was joined by a number of local favorites as well, including Pitingo. What a show!
We've just checked out of our rooms in Seville, and are about to board the bus to Madrid. Though it's a long ride, I am sure the time will fly with all of us together-- I look forward to filling you in from Madrid, and will post photos from the show soon.
Peace and Love from Seville!
