Oristano, Sardinia, Italy

Sardinia, Italy is a small island north of Sicicily and a lot like it. By contrast, Rome is quick and crowded and busy. Here it’s like a slow, relaxed Southern town in Georgia. It’s an hour ride from the airport to the Oristano hotel, which was delightfully quiet. But we hoped real hard that there were people to play to. There are, and we do! The weather is gorgeous and sunny, and I do an AM walk in a nearby park with gray-haired seniors and squirmy toddlers.

We got a fabulous surprise at soundcheck. We’ll be playing at an active Cathedral Seminary courtyard. In the Seminary, there are 14 young men who are being trained and schooled for the priesthood. I spoke to a couple of nuns in the traditional habit, long dresses and head dress.

What a setting! Our dressing rooms are in a 300 year old wing and I wish I had asked about its use. It had cross-vaulted ceilings and lots of marble… Great for Gregorian Chants. Wow! At soundcheck, we see a mom, dad and their beautiful young daughter.  So shy but so curious and interested as she looks from one instrument to the next. We all know that this must be a day for her to remember.  We wave and smile and laugh to her.  Alessandra and mother Gabriella and dad Alberto.  You can tell, it’s happening for them, too. We are not just videos of people singing onstage, unhearing unthinking unfeeling.

Patrick and I do our regular old normal preps for show in this unbelievable rectory makeshift dressing room… Serious love went into the decorating, thick old tables and hand-painted ceiling art. OK, time to play! We’re outside where it’s always fun and loose, but the entire audience is seated like a concert hall, with about 3 meters from the stage to the front row.  But we bridged the gap. We made a serious special reach for them, and they felt it.

What a night! The concert’s over and we’re back in the dressing room, and I’m packing up finding it hard to leave. I keep finding one reason after another to linger a little longer. We’re not perfect as human beings and we make a lot of mistakes, and do a lot of bad things. But this is something like Man doing the best stuff he can.

Thank you, Oristano, thank you, Sardinia!

See you in France!

-Al