Nervous yet?

We rehearsed on the Mandalay Bay stage here in Las Vegas with full lights and video for the past two days. I think Yanni will tweak the show right up until the first notes are struck. He has a tremendous amount of time, money and energy invested in this tour and wants the show to be jaw-droppingly perfect in every aspect.

The Mandalay Bay Events center holds around nine thousand people. This will be my largest audience ever, and since I set the groove on the very first song, there will be no room for nerves. Yanni offered me a bit of confidence boosting assurance last night. I really appreciated his words, "you look great, you sound great, just relax and have fun."

Speaking of the look, Linda Evans picked out the clothes I'll be wearing. She had Jennifer, whose in charge of wardrobe, try several different fabrics and colors before they settled on a silvery-gray with a slight sheen that picks up the stage lighting. It was custom tailored into the best fitting shirt I've ever worn.

Several people have written and mentioned that this will be your the first time to see a hammer dulcimer. I also noticed on the Yanni message board that there might be confusion regarding the difference between a lap dulcimer, a fretted instrument which is strummed, and a hammer dulcimer which is struck. There is actually no relation between the two other than the word dulcimer which is from the latin "dulci" for sweet, and "mer" for music. There were quite a few instruments called dulcimers and the word is even translated into modern bibles. It is however a generic reference to instruments that play "sweet music" rather than to a specific instrument. The modern hammer dulcimer is a variation on struck harps found in middle and far eastern cultures dating back thousands of years.

Some of you who've listened to the CD samples on my web site have asked if I'm actually bending the notes as I play. I do this by pushing down on the string on the opposite side of the bridge and then quickly getting back to business with both hands.

I'm getting quite a bit of email from Yanni fans these days and it has been great getting to know you. I do my best to answer everyone but sometimes I get behind. Some of your questions I'll answer here so keep checking back. A few of the folks I've heard from lately include Tami, Ken, Faythe, Chris, Mary, Derek, Sharon, Lorna, Christy, Sajjad, Aaron, Helen and Jonathan. ¶ 3:21 PM

Waiting . . .

We've finished our LA rehearsals and have a few days off before we head to Las Vegas. I've had a few days to spend with my family again and its been great seeing Los Angeles. When we hit Vegas we'll run through the show three more times at Mandalay Bay before the March 1 opening. The excitement is building and I can't wait to see how the audience responds to the surprises in this show.

I have a request for those of you who are reading this journal regularly. What are you interested in reading in regards to the show, life on the road, etc.? Drop me a note and let me know what interests you and I do my best to oblige.

If you've had issues emailing me in the past, give it a second try. George and Cynthia at Databasix have redone the way this web site handles email. All should be good now.

I mentioned in my last update that my (laptop) computer was away being repaired. Well, I got it back and it worked for only a couple of days and then died again. Fortunately, it has been replaced with a new unit and this one is working properly. Unfortunately, in the few moments I was able to use the sickly unit I was able to retrieve email, but unable to respond to everyone. If you wrote me in the past week and did not get a response, please, send your message again. ¶ 3:25 PM

Lights, Camera, you know what comes next.

I was unable to update my website for a couple of weeks because my laptop was away being repaired. It was returned to me yesterday so I should be able to resume regular updates.

We're in Los Angeles now rehearsing at a division of Sony Studios. The rest of the orchestra has been added and the tech crews are synchronizing lights and video to the music we've been working so hard to perfect since the beginning of January. Yanni is spending his days doing interviews, and nights rehersing with us. I think he is looking forward to getting this show on the road so he can rest a bit.

This afternoon we are taping a segment that will air on Entertainment Tonight. I'll post the show date as soon as I know it.

The lights, video and staging are awesome and it is amazing how many people it takes to put on a show of this size. The more it all comes together the more amazed and thankful I am to be getting this great opportunity.

I can tell by looking at my web site statistics that a lot of people are checking this page out regularly now. Thanks, and if you haven't done so yet, send me an email just to let me know who's lurking out there. My email address is dan@danlandrum.com. ¶ 3:27 PM

2/4/03 Two more days!

There are just two more days of rehearsals before most of us get a much needed break. I say most of us because the "chief," as Yanni is respectfully called by the most veteran band members, still faces a rigorous schedule. A new book, "Yanni in Words," a new CD, "Ethnicity," and an upcoming tour are a lot of balls to juggle. Today and tomorrow will be busy for everyone. We'll of course do complete run-throughs of all the music, while the crew prepares to load all the gear for the trip to Los Angeles and the management staff make our flight arrangments.

I have not mentioned yet how well taken care of we've been while in Florida. Our accomodations are first rate, we've been well fed and Yanni's people go out of their way to make sure all the musicians have everything they need to make it through long rehearsals comfortably.

Yanni's newsletter will arrive in a few hundred thousand homes in the next few days. Look for the rehearsal photo - I'm the guy in the purple shirt to the left of Alfreda and just behind Pedro. If you don't receive the newsletter drop me an email and I'll see that you get signed up. ¶ 3:28 PM

New people, new CD and lots of smiles.

Yanni was all smiles today as news came that "Ethnicity," his new CD, is now sitting at number one in sales at Amazon.com. Hopefull brisk CD sales will translate into packed concert halls.

We didn't get through as many songs today because we were joined by Yanni's orchestrator, Jeff Silverman along with five new players including Sarah O'Brien - cello, April Cap - oboe, Wendell Kelly - trombone, Jim Mattos - french horn, and Ilona Geller - viola. The rest of the orchestra will join us in Los Angeles February 16.

We also got word that Yanni's redesigned web site will probably be turned on next week. This is especially good news for me because it will contain a link to this web site. Yanni's current site has seen up to two million hits during peak months. I'm hoping a few of the new visitors will check out my CD's too. ¶ 3:29 PM