Here's another great moment from our on-air set at WWOZ in New Orleans. In between two of our songs, the DJ asked Grandpa Elliott how he first got involved with Playing For Change, and his response created a really beautiful moment.
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ShareMark Johnson and the musicians from Playing For Change were just featured as "Persons of the Week" by Charles Gibson on ABC's World News. It is always exciting to have the opportunity to share this project with fresh eyes and ears who have not experienced it yet, and Charles Gibson did a great job of that tonight.
Living in LA, I don't usually have the opportunity to share these moments with my family, however I am currently home on vacation, and was fortunate enough to be able to watch this broadcast with my family, which was really special.
If you missed the show tonight, or would like to share it with your friends or family, you can watch it on ABC's website.
Mark and the band just finished a great on-air interview and three song set here in New Orleans. The room was tight with all of us crammed into the studio, but no one seemed to mind, as the energy was through the roof! There was a really special moment when Grandpa discussed what it was like to come back to his home town with the PFC Band, and what it meant for him to be a part of this project.
We've got a couple of hours for lunch, and then we're off to rehearse for tomorrow night's show at Tipitina's. Everyone is really excited about tomorrow's performance-- I hope to see you there!
Thank you to everyone who tuned in last week to watch the PFC Band perform on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien-- it was a truly special day for the whole PFC Family. For this performance, we were thrilled to make a couple of additions to the PFC Band. Long-time friend of PFC, Singer-Songwriter Sara Bareilles joined us on stage, as well as six members from the Zuni People's Twin Eagle Drum Group (who drove all the way from New Mexico, as their drum was too large to be transported by plane)! As I was walking onto the studio lot, one of the security guards pulled me aside and told me that our band was the largest musical guest they'd ever had (we had 16 performers on stage!).
Following the show's taping, members of the PFC Band and crew celebrated at Universal Studios theme park. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Clarence Bekker on a few of the rides. If you thought his voice was powerful on stage, you should have heard him screaming on those roller coasters-- it's a wonder I can still hear!
That evening, we all enjoyed sharing each other's company over the course of an enormous group dinner-- close to forty of us, all told. In addition to everyone's good cheer from the day's events, we learned at dinner that it was Grandpa Elliott's birthday! Surrounded by musicians from all over the world, the singing of "Happy Birthday to Grandpa" lasted almost fifteen minutes, and was performed in accordance with South African, Dutch, American, and Zuni traditions! Be sure to check out the video of Grandpa's Birthday song below:
Grandpa's Birthday Song from Playing For Change on Vimeo.
It was a truly memorable day by all accounts. Keep sending in your video (or written) responses on this content or anything you would like to share about the Playing For Change Movement, upload them to your favorite streaming video site, and send the links to participate@playingforchange.com. Also, make sure to Join the Movement to get updates and other exclusive content.
The band is currently in New Orleans having a great time and grateful for the tremendous love they are receiving from the Big Easy! There's plenty more to come, so stay tuned!
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PFC claims a piece of the Tonight Show's wall at Universal
Posted by Jeremy Goulder, 3 years ago
Hello PFC Family! The PFC Band just finished taping an amazing performance here at the Tonight Show. While the rest of the crew was packing up to leave, I decided to swing by the green room one last time to make sure all our gear had been collected. On my way there, I passed by a massive mural of signatures from former Tonight Show guests. Out of the corner of my eye, I was thrilled to see a number of autographs from Playing For Change staking claim to a previously undecorated portion of the wall. Mo' Faya!
And now, we're off to celebrate Grandpa Elliott's birthday. More to come...
