April 19, 2018

Cherry blossoms in D.C.

After some fairly miserable weather it’s been nice to see the sun again. The last couple of days have been cold but bright and remind me a little of some of the frosty mornings growing up in Canterbury where you could be assured of a bright blue day even when it was freezing cold! Sun makes a huge difference to people’s psyche. I’m not gonna lie, I think I would struggle to live in South Dakota or Nebraska long term but if I did I’d at least have some bright blue sky in winter, which is more than can be said of some places! The people I encountered after the past two concerts were very friendly. They were this interesting mix of grateful and a little surprised that we decided to have a tour that included concerts in Watertown, SD and Grand Island, NE alongside concerts in Orchestra Hall, MN and Carnegie Hall, NY! I had to laugh with them but I confided that, for me, that was one of the joys of the job. I mean that. I genuinely do. I love the variety. It keeps us fresh and on our toes. Not to take away anything from our audiences in big cities, but sometimes I think people in small cities can show a higher level of appreciation, due to their lack of proximity to the dozens and dozens of concert opportunities that are afforded to people that live in the larger metropolises. I know I always felt like that growing up in parochial Christchurch when ALL (no hyperbole needed) the biggest acts came through Auckland. Being on the other side of the coin now (not sure this analogy works) I appreciate the challenge for promoters in smaller communities to put on shows to bring international acts along. The thing is, it’s so important that high art is not something that is retained only for people that live in larger communities. Seeing a bunch of four young guys in the front row of the concert in Watertown, SD was the coolest thing. They absolutely loved it and it was a joy to perform to them. I said to them, ‘perhaps one day you’ll be on stage and we’ll get your autograph afterwards, yeah?!’. I hope I do.Today we arrived in D.C. and I decided to go for a run around the nearest park (Kalorama Recreation Center for anyone who’s interested) before picking up some ramen and settling in for the evening. It was so lovely to see beautiful cherry blossoms still out. They won’t be for much longer so it’s worth making the most of them. Some wonderful friends of mine, Matt and Kym, who got married while I was in NZ, are currently in Japan on honeymoon and I’ve loved seeing ‘the real deal’ blossoms that they’ve captured there and shared on Facebook. Definitively adding that to my bucket list. In the meantime, D.C. will have to do.Bye for now!