Lisbon, Portugal 7/18/14

“Lisbon was way cool! I had so much fun! I can’t wait to come back!” Sometimes that really does just cover it.

Lisbon by the sea. I’m not kidding you guys. San Francisco could take some lessons from Lisbon about how to be a beautiful city on the ocean. It’s cozy and warm with parks and greenery and the building code that does not crowd the beautiful, old city’s main structures with steel and glass. The pink stucco warms the heart. We saw and felt some of this on the way to the radio station, chatting about their smooth formula with live DJ’s and grown-up’s music that included some important references the great George Duke and his amazing gift to this century.

There are three tiers of balconies in this performing arts center and its size rivaled many opera houses with huge backstage areas for scenery. It was so satisfying to ask for house lights and look out at this wonderfully big Portuguese audience that I don’t see very often. They were smiling and happy. And so were we. I could touch the front row and there were some men and women who had this night on their calendar for a long time and they had come to hang out with a household favorite. It’s great to get that sense of things from the stage.

They shouted titles in Portuguese and I sang right back to them in their native tongue. Some people were almost squirming and squealing. “Would you just look at this black guy singing like he grew up in Lisbon?” And guess what, all of this is part of my personal dream works…dreaming to do music all over the world. I’m so grateful for this.

Now Sammy (my new assistant) and I kind of enjoy the long walk back to the dressing room, breathing deeply, pausing, and smiling back at each other, nodding our heads up and down. We did ok.

It’s time to eat some dinner and chill.

Can’t wait for these next few shows in Italy.

Until next time…

Al