Last Show in Riga.

I stay in bed until the last possible moment. Thank goodness the club is across the street from my hotel. I keep pushing the alarm time forward a half hour and finally – after hitting the snooze button several times on my cell – I drag my ass out of bed.

My knees are aching and I am just plain tired. I force myself out of bed and start gettting ready. I was so excited about my outfit for tonight’s performance – a new designer tie dyed gown, long and flowing. Unfortunately, I put it on and feel like “Miss Udder Tits!” I really need to invest in some new bras. But this is what I have. It is what it is.

I make it to the club and it is packed – more so than Friday night. I’ve got one club gig under my belt so I’m not really nervous, just anxious to get going. I feel energized. In fact, I really take my time with the a cappella piece. I walk around the room and work it more. I also fall apart during “I’d Rather go Blind.” It really puzzles me because there is no one in my life romantically at the moment but whenever I sing the chorus:
I’d rather go blind then to see you walk away from me
Cause I love you… I love you… so much…

My eyes would fill with tears and so would the eyes of anyone I’d make eye contact with. Maybe it was the act of saying “I love you so much” that evoked all my memories of heartache and unrequited love. Who knows. But it was so real and “in the moment” every time I sang that line. Maybe it was exhaustion. I also fell apart during the introduction to Amazing Grace.

I talked about my mom’s sudden death and singing Amazing Grace at her funeral and I marvelled that ten years later it still breaks my heart like it happened yesterday. The room was silent as the grave and I thought that maybe there was a language barrier and so I asked the room:
Do you understand me?

The room erupts into a resounding YES!

I finished the song and a man ran from the back of the room and came up to me and hugged me. The room bursts into applause. It was a gorgeous moment and I silently thanked my grandfather, my mother and the Maker for this gift. I know it sounds so sentimental and mushy but I’m telling you the truth. Suddenly, I felt I had a mission to touch souls tonight.

Now, in spite of all of this emotionality, the crowd is a bit more subdued than last night’s audience when I had the “party people” seated up front and center. Tonight they have seated a woman (who I affectionately refer to as the “stone maiden”) and her equally stoic husband right up front and she is trying her best to not make eye-contact with me. I know it’s intense having me right in your face – remember, I am not on the stage – but, one shouldn’t sit up front if one is easily intimidated!

Of course I refuse to have one night of crazy dancing and then very little dancing the next night – not after I opened up my soul to these people.

You muthafuckas gonna give it up tonight!!

And gave it up they did.

I take no prisoners.

Later in the show I announced guitar player Jon’s birthday and according to our prearranged plan the guys paraded to the stage – each carrying a cake they had baked in his honor! And I have no photo of this! AARGH!!

I signed the “Wall of Shame” and officially joined the ranks of the many other Chicago artists who have experienced this journey before me.

After the show and encore, me and The Latvian Blues Band sat around amazed at how well we played together. It felt like we had played together for ages. There was much mutual affection. I will miss these boys and Riga, Latvia very much. I have a feeling and a strong hope that I will be back.

P. S. Before I traveled to Riga, I searched the internet for fellow bloggers based out of Latvia and found Artem Mario who publishes a blog entitled “Riga Daily Photo” which is part of a worldwide network of bloggers who shoot a photo of their hometown every day. We connected on line and he came to my show. Here is a photo we took together after the show.

I also met a fellow Ohioan! Matt is from Cincinnati. Here is a photo of me and his girlfriend Aiga.

Up Next: My trip home – a different kind of Hell!