Asheboro NC

The last concert in N Carolina. I didn't see the town. I just came, played and left to Raleigh. It was dark and rainy. My type of a day. It was Sunday matinee concert. If you follow my blog you know my feelings towards matinees. Plus the piano was brown. Did they match seats to the piano or opposite? 

Should i start sound check? ... so brown. 

The tech guys were young and fun. 

We had less than half of the house. Not good. I felt an extreme seriousness in the hall. That makes my performance very hard and no fun. By the end of the show audience figured me out and we finished as usual. Tomorrow flying to Delaware. Time for change. I love airports. 

Goldsboro NC

Today was very dynamic day. In the morning i didn't take shower. I just packed, took coffee and left for Goldsboro. The drive was very relaxing. 

The coffee was working, the radio was blasting, the rain was pouring and i ... was not in a hurry. I absorbed everything around me. 

I usually do that where ever i am but this time i observed myself doing that. Soon today's upcoming events will destroy all of this. The life is always like that. Be aware when you enjoy things. Soon you will be in the dump (short or long term). I promise you. Its a rule (not mine). That's why i am afraid when things going smoothly for me. You might ask if i enjoy my low points. The answer is ... yes! They make me grow and the most importantly to THINK. Sometimes i take my brains for granted. Just like all of us ; ) BTW on the radio Kaiser Chiefs were singing their latest song  " its cool, 2 know nothing". That was a warning for me. 

In Goldsboro i checked in, took shower (you thought that will never will take it?) and left for outreach concert. The area looked a little frightening. I am not a wimp but i know when streets look bad. LA experience. At the school an upright piano was waiting for me. Ooooooo keyyyyyyyyyy?!?!? 

I didn't understand the spaces between students and also 

 

teacher's commands with the whistle which pierced my ears. I started my show with enthusiasm, 

tried to give all i could on this junky piano.

also tried to involve kids

however i felt that i was rejected. It never happened in my outreach concerts before.  

I was hating every minute but i didn't give up. 

The honkyness of the piano wasn't helping either. I felt that there was someone interested but they held back because it was "cool, 2 know nothing". At the end of each piece it was very annoying to hear teacher's claps louder than students. How nerdy! I was sweating. Of course its not students fault. It was me. I simply wasn't ready for them. I also didn't know their lingo therefore i couldn't earn their respect. I got spoiled by the student attention from nice schools. However the teachers were very sweet and helpful. This lady took pictures and this guy did the sound. The guy in red just tickled the ivories. 

To be honest, i was sooooooooooo happy to get the hell out of there.    

The night show had much better experience. First of all it was an amazing hall with a huge chandelier above the piano. 

Liberace time!

.  

I had the best stage manager who took a good care of me. She made sure that i would go to the green room and eat before the show. So cute! 

The acoustics were excellent. Didn't need any miking. This theater was rebuilt 2 years ago after the movie theater burned. It was a new and shiny venue. Almost full. The audience couldn't be better. I am still amazed how dressy N Carolina's public is. Tomorrow is a ... heavenly day off.  

    

Washington NC

Only when i arrived to Washington i found out that this area has a long history. The begining of Carolina starts in the tiny town Bath NC (20 miles away from Washington NC). First settlers built their first church in 1734 

 ... but that's boring. That's what is interesting.

"Blackbeard" had big parties with his sailors. Everyone liked him there. A lot of people from other areas came to Bath to get some "imports". Local governors did some deals with him too and closed eyes on many things. He was a local celebrity and ... he had 13 wives! That's a real history. 

On the street i stroke up a conversation with a local man. When he found out where i am from and what i do right away he invited me to his house. He called his wife to tell that ...

"there is a russian in their house and he is going to blow up the house". My kind of guy. I think i was his first international encounter. That made me a proud ambassador of the intercultural exchange.

 

I invited them to my concert concert and reserved 2 comp tickets. They were very excited. Then i left to explore more pirate grounds.

Time to head back to the hotel. Tomorrow is unknown outreach concert in the morning.

Yes, it was very surprising. I expected 5 and 6 graders but found there 4 year, 7 year and 12 year olds. Change of routine!!! Do i have one? That wasn't a problem. 4 year olds are not demanding or judging type. You just make a couple of faces for them and they are happy. 

Getting to know the enemy

piano is easy. just like that

going to their level

using a secret weapon

a new classical music ...

great boots

first touches

discussions

hey, stop laughing! i don't want to drop you

The evening show was at the really great venue. 

Piano was so so but i miked it the way that it sounded good in this 900 seat hall. Today was raining like crazy therefore there was less people. Wimps! Even if the hall wasn't full we still had a good crowd. Little less than 700. They were responsive, classy and good looking. Loved them. Cool audiences + Rain = good life! ha ha ha! Tomorrow is Goldsboro. Now its time to run to Walmart for ... you know  for what ; ) I deserve it. 

Henderson NC

I love Wallmart! Its always friendly on the way in and out and also it closes late. I never make to the "last call"  at the bars because in small American towns bars close when i hit the last chord at the end of my show. Its not fair. Walmart operations are very fair. I guess ... it is all about me. If i am comfortable then i will love it but if i am not ... i ... i ...i  will hate it and will try to make it work anyways. I love myself! I deserve it because i have a freedom of pursuit to happiness.

The road to Henderson had a lot of sharp corners and 

the road was the last thing that i was interested in.

The old downtown Henderson is almost a ghost town. That's what you see when you get knocked out.

and when you stand up ...

The only area full of people was around the Walmart few miles away. It had minimum 4 or 5 plazas with Denny's and other glorious food chains. I wasn't hungry in Henderson anyway.

The children concert was a great success even though i was placed in the corner of the gym with the fern. 

Of course i was amplified.  When i saw them to bring K and high school ages i freeked out. 

My job is not to freek out but to ... educate, educate ... educate? entertain? So i didn't have a choice. I love challenges and got to work.

Student were very responsive and i was ... dead but... very content.

Needed some time to recover and get ready for the evening show.

Time to go.

The venue was a little run down 

and the piano had Coke in it.

The only hope was on number 6. My fave number. 

The concert was one of the top 3 on this tour.  3+3=6. The audience made things fun. They were outstanding. Probably they were the parents of these fun children from the morning ; ) At the end there was CD buying madness. I ran out of CDs. Wow! Henderson concert was one of my favorite ones. Picture time! The gentleman with the white hat couldn't believe that he is taking picture with the real cowboy. 

 

What's tomorrow?

Weynesboro GA

The road to Weynesboro was very contrasting.

Flatness didn't stop the nature to be beautiful. 

&*@% happens.

BTW, who knows Waynesboro in Georgia? ... I do.

Usually at the hotels i have to show my ID ... but not this time ; )

After "Grand Check In" i rushed to the outreach concert which was one of the best ones because there was good energy and great students. 

At the end there was the second biggest mob during the signing. This time luckily i wasn't put in dubious situation at the high school like in Shelton WA ... where i was asked to sign jeans on the legs ; ) My FB friends are growing very rapidly. I love it!  

The evening venue was very unusual. I would call it spiritual industrialism. The sound check was very intimate.

At this moment didn't know that in 8 hours i will be in huge physical pain and ... totally alone. 

My true fans arrived early and got the best seats.

Time to chill before i give all myself,

It was great. Loved my audience. I think  i took Moonlight Sonata to the different level. Academia would hate it ; ) 

At night started horrific pains and lasted for 14 hours. I couldn't move. Medication didn't help. Thanks for Kay (the president of the concert organization) who called me in the morning to thank for the last night's performance. She offered her help right away and was at my hotel with fruits and meds. She was my only contact with the outside world. Not only that. Later in the day she and her husband George hooked me up with the home made soup and the nurse Lonna who raised me from the dead. Here we are at the end of the day. I am standing and smiling.

These people broke the limits of kindness. It was something more. Lonna and her family were so wonderful. Donna is on the right.

I came as a stranger and left like a part of the family. I will never forget them and southern hospitality. 

Next day i left to Charlotte NC healthy and full of appreciation for life. On the way i saw an interesting road.  I decided to turn there and see where it leads. It was an amazing community.

 

 

The combination of drizzle, nature and the architecture was magic. I was jealous to them who lived there. 

 

  Wow!

Downtown Charlotte NC.

I went out of course and found Charlotte very compact and modern.

 

No special events except for ... i was called "supremacist bitch" by the bum because i didn't answer to his "happy new year" shout. I really enjoyed my solitude among the downtown crowd which was squeezing the last drops of the Sunday fun before week began.

North Carolina is beautiful but ... Georgia is on my mind.