Vacaville

We took a rare touring bus ride in California on the day before the performance. I see much more of foreign countrysides than Californian fields and forests. It was fun to do that as we talked music and events to come.

This should be a great opportunity to make new friends. This is our first time playing in Vacaville, and somehow all that newness adds a little excitement and energy to everything, even our soundcheck, where we discover and play extensions on a hot little ‘lick’ that John Calderon came up with.

I scurried out from the backstage pre-show to go say hello to some donors of the Performing Arts Center to thank them for the generosity and for being patrons of the arts. It’s so very important and it’s people like these that enable Performing Arts Centers everywhere to carry on and flourish and continue to provide quality entertainment to their communities. While visiting, I saw several high-school aged kids dressed in Jester outfits, spinning whirling rainbow colored ribbons. I though to myself how fun that looked.

As I continued with my ‘la-la-la’ warm-up routine, Joe Turano came to visit. He told me about a woman who he’d chatted with while setting up his saxophones. Her name was Jean, and she told him that she’d been a fan for many years, and now was looking forward to her first concert that night. As Joe told the story, she offered that there was one line of one of my songs that to this day still brings her to tears. Joe said, “I bet you I can guess what it is.” And he did. “I know I can, like any man, reach out my hand and touch the Face of God.” When I call out her name from the stage, she jumped up and down like a little kid, and ran over to me, and squeezed my hand really, really hard. We made some great memories, and everybody sang that line together in a loud voice. Thank you, Jean! It was great to have you at the show!

After the performance, we went out to the lobby and I signed CDs.  And there, again, were the Jesters! I asked if I could try using one of the ribbons, and you know what? I did pretty OK… NOT! It was great to meet that many people in a relaxed environment like it was. If you’re looking for a friendly group of people, head up North to Vacaville! It was a great little jewel box of a theatre, and well worth the visit.

Thank you, Desiree, thank you Kim, thank you Vacaville! Hi, Tonish from Milwaukee! Thank you!

Al