The South America tour with Tull was an incredible experience! It seemed like we were on an airplane everyday, and I lament not having more time to take in the gorgeous countries that we visited. I did my best to take everything in, and have wonderful memories from four different countries and seven cities.
One of the highlights was making new friends. I loved meeting Doanne for the first time, and it was great to share the stage with him. I also enjoyed getting to know the promoter Aquiles. Aquiles was my partner in doubles tennis, and we vanquished our foes (Mike and Martin) in Porto Alegre. In Chile I got to meet the lovely Vial family. I bonded over underwear shopping with Frannie Vial when my luggage was lost for a couple of days.
In addition to making new friends, I enjoyed bonding with the rest of the Tull family. We had a few "family-style" dinners together where the conversation kept us at the table long after the food was gone. In Sao Paulo, Doanne, Ian, and I had a "hot-off" an an Indian restaraunt to see who could take the hottest curry. I wish I could say we were all winners. Unfortunately I ended up getting sick later that night. I also spent some quality time with the Tull sound crew. Mike and Chris were really helpful in teaching me a little about in-house sound. Ian also schooled me a bit during our sound checks.
Seeing a bit of South America made me ache for more time in every city. Even though we had a tight schedule, I still got to see a rainforest on the way to visit the Jesus statue in Rio (one of the seven wonders of the world). I also spent a lovely day walking around Buenos Aires with Dave. He actually saved my life when I fell of a curb into incoming traffic. He pulled me out of the way before a car hit me! I also enjoyed taking in the sight of beautiful beaches, expansive city sylines, and rolling countsides in our van rides between airports and hotels.
Most of all, I was struck by the enthusiasm of the South American fans! They absolutely packed our shows and greeted us with deafening cheers. I've recieved an incredible amount of appreciative email from them and refused four marriage proposals from fans so far. One fan sent me a link to his youtube video of our concert in Argentina. You can find it by entering "Jethro Tull Argentina" in the search window.
Even though I really enjoyed seeing South America for the first time, I'm really glad to be home for a while. I'm looking forward to working with my violin students and to the Kantara tour in the states later this month. I'll keep you posted on Kantara in America!
Some additional pictures below...
This is the view of the beautiful horizon from my room in Belo Horizonte.
The trees in South America were so exotic and beautifully formed! Some of the most beautiful trees were in the downtown areas of Buenos Aires. This is what I saw when I looked up.
The view of the courtyard in front of our hotel.
The city architecture was so bold and elegant.
I loved seeing the houses on the hillside in Rio.
The beautiful coast in Rio.
Inside a forest in Rio.
