Addiction, Finale

Hello,

It feels like a long time since my last entry. I am not sure when the last one was, but I have been dying to get on and talk a bit about the show on Sunday. Meeta and I played a beefed up vesion of Raag Yemen complete with the harmony of an 80 piece orchestra, (The Michigan Pops) behind us. It was as the beautiful Michigan Theater. We played just the one piece as a part of a show called "Pops Around the World". There were collaberations with Irish, African, Australian, and Indian music, and then a few 'popular' western pieces. It was incredible. I was suprisingly calm when we went out on stage. I was dancing to the African drummers backstage, so I guess that let out some of my nervous energy. The piece went really well. When we were done, the audience noise was so loud that I could feel it in my chest. I was hooked on the feeling right then and there. I hope to make shows like that more of a reality in the future. I guess, in a way, I am doing just that tonight. It is not on a drumset or tablas, but I am playing in a nice auditorium that just happens to be 2 blocks from my front door at Lake Fenton High School. It will be the last concert I play with the U of M Wind Symphony. It has been a nice experience playing with the symphony, and I am sure I will miss it in the future, but right now, it feels really good to be letting go of that responsibility. And today marks one week till Jody and I leave for INDIA!!

thanks for reading,

John