Sore hands

I'm so much into concerts. Without a doubt, the most enjoyable show for me is life music. Nothing makes me feel so enthusiastic and full of energy. But it was some times since I attended a concert for the last time. In fact, the last one I remember was in December 2010, that is to say, nothing at all for almost a year and a half. That's certainly too much for me. Last night, finally, I went back to my natural environment and I did it in the greatest way: Pink Martini. They are a peculiar band, to say the least. A "small big band" as they are often described, reminding a lot of the the style of those big bands from the first half of the last century: strings, wind, percussion, piano, soloist... Even though they are American and most people think they lack, in general, good skills for languages, they are able to sing -as well as in English- in Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Romanian, Portuguese, Croatian and other languages that I am missing. If that was not enough, they presented their songs in German making an effort and at the end of the show they came out to the lobby to greet and sign cds, showing an absolute respect for their audience wherever they go; I had seen only once before such a down-to-earth band. You can see a full concert on a youtube video that I have included below on this blog.

Pink Martini is also a very special band for me. It was my friend Cico who first told me about them back 9 years ago and I have kept listening their music since, always. I have been following them since June 2003, trying to see them live. But the lack of money or time had prevented me from seeing them until now. And the concert was well worth the wait. The show was sublime... The only thing I regret is not having bought tickets for a better seat, because it took place in a theatre. The band, with the soloist Storm Large (China Forbes is resting for a whole year after undergoing an operation on her vocal chords), got the audience eating out of its hands with a performance full of musical magnetism, movements, presence on the stage, joy, excellent work and passion for performing. It is just easy to perceive when a band lives with passion the live performance in front if its audience.

I spent the whole concert bouncing on my seat, singing the songs to me (not too loud not to bother), beating the rhythm with the hands on my knees, moving the feet and shaking my head like a dumb. I was delighted and my tears showed up with half of the songs (because I am a man who cries -in public). I hope it is the last time that I am tortured with a concert sitting down.