Austin to Phoenix

Austin was a great city and I'd love to go back and spend more time there. The hills and trees reminded me of Chattanooga and that was quite a surprise.

The show went well and the highlight of the night was Ramon's trumpet solo on Dance With a Stranger. By now I've heard this song played at least a hundred times if you count all the work we did in rehearsals. But Ramon took it to another level that night. Several times during his solo I had chills run up my spine and I was literally in tears after the song ended. I can't tell you what or why, but there was something about his playing that caught me off guard emotionally. If you look at music is a language then you could say that Ramon had something very important to say.

Another inspiring ongoing story has been watching Ric play bass. You may have read in my journal last month about Ric's tearing a muscle in his chest while working out in a hotel fitness center. Without being too graphic, suffice it to say that there was a colorful display on his chest and shoulder that left no doubt that something had gone seriously wrong. An MRI indicated that surgery was necessary but could possibly wait until the end of the tour. Ric had another MRI during our break last week and the decision was made to operate immediately.

It is amazing that he was able to continue with the tour after the surgery. His arm is in a sling that he only takes off for the show. We all watched in amazement the first couple of nights after the tour resumed as he strapped on his bass and gave it 100 percent. The pain he was enduring during the first two shows prompted some creative thinking and the crew built a stand to hold the bass so Ric can just reach around it and play. He used it last night and said it helped. They are making some minor modifications to the stand and Ric will probably have to use it for the rest of the tour. He is such a pro, and I am inspired by his determination and talent.

We have another show at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix tonight. This is the only theatre we are playing and it was great to hear a quiet room. I heard nuances in the music that get lost in the big arenas.

After the show we signed quite a few autographs as fans waited near the shuttle bus outside the arena. Hopefully I'll get to see some of you there tonight.

I have several new pictures to post but I'll wait and do that tomorrow. The weather is wonderful here and I'm going out to soak up some Arizona sunshine. ¶ 5:55 PM