This will be a quick post because a) I'm stealing Internet from somewhere, and b) it is going on 1am.
Quick recap on the last couple of days:
We had our final concert last night at the Copacabana. What a way to end the tour! The outside concert was held at a military fort quite literally on the ocean. Pictures to be posted soon. But the stage was set so audience members could look out to the ocean and the Copacabana beach while listening to our awesome show. And what a crowd - probably the most interactive crowd we had this tour. Many people were dancing in their seats and a few even got out of their seats to dance to Aquarela do Brasil at the end of the show, and there was definitely some swing dancing happening during the encore. We were invited to dinner after the performance and finally got a chance to eat the famous feijoada - a dish of black beans and rice. So delicious.
Today we had a beautiful day of relaxing and beach time with the band. We spent at least 5 hours hanging out on the sand, catching waves and rays. Afterwards we went to the gondola cable cars at Sugarloaf Mountain and watched the sunset behind an incredible view of Rio. And then, as if the day couldn't get any better, we went to dinner at a churrascaria. Imagine 3 or 4 suited men walking around with giant swords stuck with various kinds of meat for about two hours. Unlimited meat. So incredible. Most of us ate very little today to gear up for the meal, and boy were we satisfied. Such a great way to finish off our time in Brazil.
Tomorrow we head to Christ Mountain to see the giant statue of the Christ. Then a bit of mall time for some last minute shopping and lunch, and then it's off to the airport to fly home!
We will check in again when we arrive back in the States. Until then, Obrigado Brasil!
Ciao!
When the news that the international tour for JO/JS would be in Brazil, Miri and I began to think about how we might be able to see them play/sing a few more times. Erik is our youngest so we convinced ourselves that going to Brazil to watch some of their concerts was only a little crazy. As the details unfolded we decided we could take one week, intercept the kids in Rio and enjoy those concerts that culminated their international tour.
ReplyDeleteTheir music was extraordinary. The connections they made with the audiences were unbelievable. Tony does an excellent job bridging the language gap and and endearing the ensembles to the audience. The pieces were very well selected challenging the kids, allowing many to show their special musical gifts, and being well received by the audiences. A couple of the pieces at the end of the program connected with the audience at a patriotic level compelling them to sing along. Standing ovations were not infrequent in every show and there was one at the end of every show. Encores were demanded in every Rio venue.
The kids were fantastic. The struck the perfect balance of representing themselves and the college well, working very hard, and enjoying the people and Brazilian culture. It was an honor to be along to see the groups perform. It was a pleasure to get to better know many of the members.
I hope in the future there will be a true companion tour and based on our little "taste" I would encourage any and all to consider it. We enjoyed riding on the bus with the kids to and from the venues.
As they come and go, they leverage their section leadership to account for everyone. Some of the sections count off. As we joined in several of the bus riders, we had a little fun joining in: "Zeroeth Companion Tour, Count Off! 1,2."
To a full companion tour in years to come! Tim-Tim (Ching Ching)!
Paul and Miri Mattson