The band spent most of the day yesterday rehearsing at the venue here in Seville, and everyone is geared up and ready to put on an amazing show tonight. Roberto (slide guitar), Francois (percussion), Pierre (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Stefano (sax) have fit right into the band's groove, and the whole group has come together like one big (and growing) family. The show tonight is at El Fuerta de Isla Magica (which is a beautifully cavernous stone venue), and if you are in the area I hope to see you there!
Our last show for the year will be next week in Madrid. Tula and members from Sinamuva (the Zulu choir from South Africa) will be joining us for that show-- a PFC first! So come if you can and spread the word.
Peace and Love from Seville!
We just performed our last show in North America, and oh what a night it was! We played the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, and everything about the venue was fantastic-- the venue was beautiful, the lighting was perfect, the sound was right on, the (sold-out) crowd was full of energy, and the band has never been better.
From the moment the first note was struck the crowd was on their feet and dancing. As the night went on the band's energy kept rising in tandem with the crowd-- back and forth and back and forth until it felt like the roof was going to blow right off the house!
One of the highlights was the band's encore performance of Billy Jean. It featured amazing solos by Louis, Grandpa, Peter, Reuben and Alidu. Clarence busted out his moonwalk, and--not to be outdone-- Grandpa got up and showed off some of his moves while Louis transported everyone in the venue to another planet with the most outrageous guitar solo I've ever heard him play (which is saying something)!
There were a number of moments over the course of the show that I had to put my camera down and just take in everything that was going on. It was truly a night to remember... And the best part of the whole thing is that we filmed the whole show!
It has been an amazing 6 weeks on the road. Thank you so much for all the support and love you have given us along the way. We could not do any of this without you, and we cannot wait to do it all again!
We hit the road after an amazing show in Portland last night, and rolled into Seattle at 4AM this morning. After a few hours rest in our hotel we all loaded into one of the tour buses and headed to Starbucks Headquarters for a short three-song set. The Playing For Change Band is featured (along with U2, Dave Matthews Band and John Legend) on a special (RED) release being distributed through Starbucks this holiday season. It's a gift to their customers who spend $15, and for each CD distributed they are donating $1 to the Global Fund fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa.
As soon as we got back to the hotel we grabbed gear and walked a few blocks to the Moore Theatre for tonight's concert. The 100-year-old venue is absolutely beautiful, and we can't wait to put on another amazing show for the Playing For Change Family here in Seattle. Following tonight's gig we're heading to Vancouver for our last performance in North America-- at least for this tour!
Much of the PFC Crew remained behind after the band left Los Angeles a few days ago so that we could prepare to film these last few shows. This morning Mark Johnson, Whitney Kroenke, Jonathan Walls, Kevin Krupitzer, Enzo Buono, myself, and our new friend Juan hopped a crack-of-dawn flight to meet up with the band in Portland.
It was wonderful to see them all again-- everyone's energy is through the roof as we roll into these last three shows of our North American Tour. We've said goodbye to California (and the sunny weather!) and are setting up at the Aladdin in Portland right now. While the weather may be a bit dreary, our spirits could not be higher.
We're playing in front of a sold-out crowd tonight, and are all looking forward to sharing another beautiful evening of music with so many members of the Playing For Change Family!
The guys just wrapped up three absolutely amazing shows in California. They kicked things off in Los Angeles with a bang, joined on stage by Ziggy Marley and Toots Hibbert (of Toots and the Maytals)! This show was also a benefit for the Playing For Change Foundation, and was hosted by Whitney Kroenke, Mark Johnson, and Norman Lear! The occasion was too great an opportunity to pass up, so we filmed the whole event, and are looking forward to sharing it with the PFC family-- just as soon as Jonathan Walls has time to edit it all, that is. I had a great view of all the action from the pit, and am still sorting pictures. I am looking forward to having some time do so so on the long bus ride north to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, and will add them to our flickr page as soon as I finish.
The band followed up their performance in Los Angeles with a pair of shows in Anaheim and San Francisco that had everyone smiling, dancing and hugging the night away. After a month on the road the guys have never sounded better. Spirits are high, the music is amazing, and we cannot wait to share it with a few more cities before it's all over (for now!).
Next stop, Portland!
