Crazy travel, vol. II

by Javier Márquez con la ayuda de Paco, Alberto y Aitor

 

November 30, Monday
The first one to arrive at the Seville´s bus station is Alberto who checks his walkman for the long road. The morning seems not too cold, perhaps because we fear the temperature waiting for us in Paris. Something before 8:30 o'clock Javi arrives, with his stack of milanese steaks and other dishes. Both comment, with a hidden longing, the delay of the other two components of The Sound of Simon. Then Paco's shape with new beard appears in the distance, up the perrons, . He seems to have a confusion about if they all had been dated inside the station or outside by the perrons. Last the 8:45, when the nerves have appeared for blame of Aitor who arrives late 15 minutes alleging that he´s been waiting for us a good while to the entrance.
The four ones are already together, backpacks on shoulders (except for Javi who brings a too obvious trip bag), all willing to undertake a trip that short before it seemed for them very unlikely: going to see Paul Simon.
The bus starts and, looking through the window, someone hums Graceland or America; nothing else right for the occasion. After few minutes of the trip they all begin to think of the way of fun for the next six hours, so the backpacks checking begins. Alberto seems to have filled his own one in a store with everything one dime cost, because he´s got everything: food, handful of cassettes, markers, small speakers, etc. He opts for the walkman and a couple of tapes, just like Paco, with a lighther baggage. Javi just looks at the landscape, because he´s left the walkman to fill its place in the bag with 6 packs of juice. The astonishment rises when Aitor says everyhing in its backpack is just some T-shirts (short sleeves!!) and some Paul´s vinyl sleeves including the disks inside of!! ("so that Paul leans on better when he autographs"). The surprise continues when Paco shows off Alberto that his walkman is not repaired with insulating tape because it works stupendously. Then Alberto takes his walkman and, joking, he makes the gesture of throwing it to the floor because "it no longer works"... And he really throws it!. It´s slided from his hand, you know, but the walkman is crashed definitively.

Counting the cars
On the New Jersey Turnpike.
They´ve al come
To look for America
All come to look for America

In Madrid, just after getting off the bus, we locate the underground line that will take us to the railwaystation; there is not too much time and we cannot be delayed. Located the way, we make the first meal of the trip, when Javi and Aitor reach an agreement, the first one gives him something of eating whenever it is the omelette sandwich that he doesn't feel like; Aitor, on the other hand, tastes it delightiously.
Taking underground and then the train (but by airplane or by horse, they will use all the ways of transport). Along the small tube trip they take several pictures. The problem: the Javi´s camera and its... spool of pictures.
They arrive at the station. Endless turnarounds until on the screenboard the number of platform is despicted. And, suddenly... Delayed. What?!, How?!. Line in the Information window . They ask, but answer doesn´t convince them so they ask again. Just a mishap apparently,a half an hour delay. However, the idea they all have in mind is that of a police inspection. That same morning the fucked ones from ETA had commited murder in Madrid and as that train is going to France, where those murderers use to be hidden, well, you know.....
After 30 eternal minutes it´s OK to get on the train. Car 80 beds 25A -26A -21B -22B. The four ones in a mousetrap, but you know scabies with pleasure don't itch (that we say in Spain). The bad thing is that suddenly a Fu-Manchu´s great-grandchild enters saying "Twenty five, twenty five"! and he sits down there, in one of their seats. "We will look for the train inspector", Paco says. "However you want" the asiatic one would think, but the guy doesn't get off and he begins to undo his baggage in front of them all. Slow and angry the train inspector arrives to make justice and to send to the oriental guy to the "twenty five"! in the 81car.
The train starts. They glean in that minuscule compartment and they get calmed, they have dinner; one eats sandwiches, another one steaks, another sandwich, and Aitor, just dry fruits. Short before somebody passed asking surprisingly: "Will you have dinner in the restaurant"?. Aitor asks him politely: " is it free"?. No comments answer.
Night is on and Paco asks with some fear : "Is it usual the train trembles so much and noisely"?. As awaiting the beds are opened, they begin the creation of the poster they will wave proudly before the New York´s singersongwritter. After several proposals, it is chosen the one that prays: "From Spain. No Money. No Hotel. Just Simon". Aitor has brought a sheet piece on which he has painted Paul's curious cartoon that will finish off the sentence which, unnoticedly to them just now, later it will become a kind of a slogan for the next days in Paris.
Sleeping time. Or, at least, time to turn off the light. The nerves, although none recognizes it completely, they get tied up in the stomach and they only leave place to the jokes and comments. Alberto takes out a tape recorder from his suitcase and he uses it to pick up anthological sentences of the trip. The midnight passes and, while they see the Castilla landscape passing by, they begin to do lists with their favourite Paul Simon songs. But, "solo or with Garfunkel"?.
In a place of the north whose name cannot be remembered, Alberto, naked chest, greets a station guard. This one, being hotter than a marine in Ibiza, makes him certain nasty expressions with his stick and Alberto thanks the train has already departured.

Now they all are sleepy. Nevertheless Alberto, sighted once more again the ghost of the 4 railway."
Still and silence. Only the the train crack. Although, in fact, they fake to sleep. In those moments, their minds are a box of resonances, where the echoes of The boy in the bubble, Still crazy, Diamonds on the sole of her shoes or The Boxer recover images of concerts, interviews and performances where they have seen Simon, and they imagine how the moment will be when they see him appearing on the scenario.
It is one of those awakings, when Paco and Alberto notice that the train stops suspiciously and some guys inspect with lanterns under the wheels. It seems to be Hendaya. A new ghost, softly, fat, with small mustache, greets rising his arm far away.


Poorboys and pilgrim with families
and we are going to Graceland


October 3, Tuesday
That of the cold was true. Just after getting off in the Paris railwaystation they all feel a cold they have never known in their warm Seville.
It is a long road to the famous theater Olympia, although along it they enjoy a wide sightseeing to the "city of the love". Backpacks on shoulders they cross streets and bridges, being admired about grandiose everywhere. Many old buildings stupendously conserved. And a lot of gold, much plated. And suddenly, the Fu-Manchu´s great-grandchild is being taken pictures with a handsome girl While hiding themselves they pass next to him without being able to repress a "twenty five, twenty five"! like a joke.
Notre Damme, The Louvre, the Champs Elysees, the tower Eiffel ... They take pictures from everything including a nice girl with clear eyes looking like Latitia Casta´s cousin who dazzled Alberto. It is still early so they go to Virgin Megastore, a store of enormous proportions where Javi bought a Paul Simon songbook for the guitar. A lot of disks and a lot of videotapes there, but anything new about Paul they don´t have yet. José María, the most veteran in The Sound of Simon team who attended the concert the previous day, phones their mobile for dating. But they are too far, so he asks them to call him when they arrive to the theater.
They leave Virgin, and Javi and Alberto spend their mobile phone card (unnoticedly) while trying to phone José María unsuccessfully.
So they sit down to eat as they feel how the cold tries to open up road toward their bones, they think about where to sleep that night . Because that of No Hotel is very fine for the poster, but when all is said and done... Paco wants to book hotel, motel or inn; Aitor and Alberto don´t, and Javi doesn't know and doesn't answer.

Paco leads the group, plane on hand, down to Rue des Capucines, in search of number 18. " Is it there"?, Paco asks. They all look acutely. Some large, red letters, in the distance... Yes, it is the Olympia"!, one of them says. However, nobody makes any comment. They are too busy trying to elucidate the other letters, until... P-A-U-L S-I-M-O-N. They hurry up and at the same time they produce their cameras. They stand in front of the most important theater in Europe marquee which announces in large luminous types Paul's presence in its scenario.

Now some of them are posing ahead there, later just another one...pics after pics. Javi has finished the first spool. He changes it and horror!. No spool inside. All pictures he took (in the underground, in the train, in Paris) have been printed on the air. OK a pity. But the important thing is now on, so he makes sure of placing the new and authentic spool properly and he repeats the marquee pictures.
It is 2 p.m., one hour later they think they will meet fans coming from different map points who attendeded the previous day concert and maybe other ones planning to attend that of today. They are informed in the window, using Javi´s poor english, the show begins at 8:30 p.m., and at 7:00 p.m. they would pick up the tickets. So, nothing to do but let the time passes on.

Really diifferent people go by there. They notice some guys will attend Simon´s concert, but others won´t. A group of Dutch guys, from 40 to 50 age, ask the quartet if they are there for Paul. They agree and they exchange some words, a bit in English and bit in Spanish (thanks God!) .
Alone again, there´s a hard rainfall. José María visits them shortly. He´s been shopping and his train will departure in 2 hours. He shows them proudly a Simon´s guitar pick he got last night in the concert. He discourages them saying it is impossible to see Simon after the show is off, because no matter how much he waited at the exit, Paul was released by car from inside, without greeting or autographing.
But they are resolved to see him closerly than from the second row where they have their seats. So, to make time, they go into in the the theater underground parking. Some minutes before, a member of the singer's staff had left the theater and he had entered through that parking. Javi tries to ask him but his poor highschool english fails and the only question he´s able to ask is:"Is Paul Simon inside door"?. The poor guy, really attonished, says to him he doesn't understand. A bad faced keeper throws them out from parking. In this way they begin to notice how bad-mannered and unpleasant most Olympia workers are.
It is still early, so they decide to walk around to seek back doors and places where to spend that night. The latest closing bar, "The Hippopotamus", is opened until five a.m.. Well, better than nothing.

And when I come to the room
Everybody just seemed to move
And I turned my amp loud and I began to play
And It was late in the evening
And I blew than room away

Seven o´clock at end. And there they are, the first ones at the booking window row. But there are problems, just like it happened with the train. Something is going wrong with tickets. The man in charge of it is phoning, later consulting lists... but, anything. At the end, no problems.
They have already got that piece of rectangular paper where the words Paul - Simon seem to have a supernatural force. At the entrance doors, even closed, some posters notice the show will be recorded for its later broadcasting in North America and its edition on D.V.D. (with the beautiful thing VHS is... for those just like us who don´t have a DVD yet). Some girls prepare the store with the whole merchandise, where they will spend the few francs they have.
As we are waiting we meet Vicente, a guy from Madrid whom we had already kept in touch via e-mail and he tells us his crazy night with Garfunkel in a hotel room during the singer's last tour. Vicente neither has booked hotel but his return airplane comes out very early. While chatting about everything the last and endless minutes pass by until Olympia gang gets ready to receive the spectators.
The doors open up and a short sized glassy hunky checks and paws tha bags with bad manners. But after the control (they have had the caution of keeping the cameras under their coats), they run to the merchandising store. T-shirts, coloured hand programs, and even a niceless key ring are bought. The sweater seems fine, but too expensive.

We say bye to Vicente, because his seat is placed in the row 24 and we head to our own seats. Alberto, Aitor and Javi already wear their just bought T-shirts despicting new album cover. Theater seems really a full one complete, just like the No Tickets advertisement said at the box office. One of the usherettes says to Alberto they should request one of her partners to take them to their seats. Fine. And a very nice girl accompanies them, she leaves them at their seats... and she stands up by them opening her hand. " What does she say"?... "That of us who speaks english should ask her what does she want"?. The tip, of course. So they all give her their shopping change and the girl leaves goes away seeming happy because with their ignorance they have given her too much money. But the important thing is they are already there, the four ones, in the center of the second row, being proud with their T-shirts (except Paco who didn´t want to change his clothes in the middle of there), waiting for Paul Simon, the great Paul. Next to Javi, a lonely girl asks them something. She´s a thirtysomething Portuguese woman who says she´s been waiting for that moment over twenty years . In that chat they are when Paul Simon's official photographer, Lynn Goldsmith, approaches to them and she asks the three ones in T-shirts if they would let her to take a picture for promotion. They, hypnotized by her, smile and they pose while imagining themselves on the forthcoming DVD cover. Behind them, some Italians are openmouthed when they know their saga (that of from Spain, no hotel and everything); so much they are surprised that they comment it with the people in seats around them. They also greet Nicolas, the French boy who has already attended Paul´s concerts in London, Milan and yesterday in that same theater.
The exciting rises, as the cold perspiration on their hands. Lights off. And the musicians go out... And Paul Simon enters with That's Where I Belong first chords. The feeling is magic and it is increased by weariness of the day and the lack of rest in the nights before, or maybe because we all been dreaming of this moment over 5 years. The matter is Paul is there, full with vitality, plenty of joviality, in spite of his real age, this latter one of no importance while he is able to maintain that voice, that spirituality, and that atmosphere.
With the second topic, the magic Graceland, the Portuguese girl stands up and begins to dance next to an edege of the stage. Security keepers will take her away, but Paul seems delighted with her. And the songs go one after one. And each one of the four friends would swear that Paul has looked at them many times. Aitor checks the musicians while greeting them and making signs, and the great Steve Gadd responds him with a blink of complicity during his superb contribution in 50 Ways. Javi screams a compliment to Paul and, with his enthusiasm, he disarranges the hair to a serious French man who´s sat down ahead, who is refusing to stand up to dance. They argue. But soon after, the same guy, now smiling and appeased, encourages the four friends to help him to request The sound of silence; just a simple test of Paul's music effects.
The concert comes closer to its end, and the four ones jump to the first line of seats to shake Paul´s hand, a feat they all achieve, it was like a victory for them. Also in those last minutes, they take out their cameras and they shoot as quick as they can. Before the flash, one of the gorillas comes closer to Javi and Alberto and he warns the first one if he would take a another picture he will take the camera away. Javi fakes he´s falling while hiding the camera under another people jacket. The best thing is Paco has taken advantage of the distraction to take out the best pics. Great.
In those moments of madness with people coming forward to shake Simon´s hand we took out our poster and we showed it to Paul who stopped to read it and smiled. We all felt so happy.

The concert finishes, it´s been about two hours and a quarter. They´re talking about it in their seats when they notice Vicente is speaking to Paul´s speaker and he gets her to cut down them all in a list to be photographed with Paul!!. Her assistant tells them they should turn around and enter through back door. They run among the crowd leaving the theater and they surround the building, looking for a door which seems not to exist. They find it, quite more far from they expected. And there, Vicente shows an impeccable domain of both languages (English and French) while arguing with faces carved in granite who don´t let them go into and reject warning the girl who put their names in the famous list.
Some fans are gathering by the door wishing the singer leaves the theatre through there. We know it won't happen this way, he will leave by car.

YAnd the time passes. And there is change of keepers. And that monkey shorty glassy hunky is now placed in the hall, laughing at those of us waiting outside while he´s watching an erotic movie.
The musicians begin to go out. First we approach to Steve Shehan who exclaims when he knows our hometown " Oh, Seville!. De puta madre Sevilla!" (in spanish cockney something alike wonderful Seville), and he autographs us over his picture appearing in the program. Soon after Alain Mallet comes out and very kindly to our request he returns inside to find out if a small group of people would meet Paul Simon.
While, Javi and Alberto are talking to a girl from Barcelona, who seems very quiet. Suddenly Alain comes out again. "Excuse us, we will see if we get his autograph", Javi says to that girl. "Don't worry", she answers, "he wil come here right now"-". Sure"?. "He will, because he is my boyfriend". They get shocked and call their friends while they tell the girl his adventures (their hometown, their wish to take a Paul´s pic...). She explains them maybe they would try pics the next day, during the private concert Paul will run to complete the DVD recording. Hardly if they have time to think an answer for it, because Alain arrives, and the girlfriend explains him the four spanish friends whole odyssey. He seems to be pleased with the tale and signs them their programs. Farewells and smiles, and awaiting the following one.
Doubting about he is or he is not James Haddad and Evan Ziporn go away witout getting their autographs.
Being vanished the possibility of Paul´s pic and as they had been invited to private concert Vicente bets to follow the musicians to their hotel just like he did with Garfunkel in Madrid. The four ones reject it, maybe because they don´t see it very clear, maybe because they feel very tired.
Nevertheless, the good of Vicente doesn't desist achieving some of the bad-mannered gorillas of the Olympia warns Paul's speaker to confirm we have been put in the famous list.

Meantime, people continue coming out; musicians and theater staff. And the five fans speaks with almost all them. Someones were very kind.
The night becomes very cold and the group of fans gathered by the door feel discouraged and leave. But we still have time to meet an Australian woman living in Paris who is working as translator and speaks spanish very well.
Finally the five ones stay alone. Time for dinner, the sevillian friends bring their food in their bags. Vicente takes money from a bank cashier and decide to eat something in any place. In that moment a two fellows from Olympia staff approach them and they give them two staff passes of concert saying "Paul Simon himself has asked us to give you this one". Probably they were astonished by the pathetic look we exhibited, being dead of cold while we were eating sandwiches.
After the dinner the group went to the bar that they had checked in the afternoon, that opened up to five in the morning. They thought it would be the best place to have a safe and warm night.
But they stayed there inside only about half an hour. The place was crowded, it was also a sort of restaurant, so they serve and they pick up quickly expecting customers don´t stay at tables too long. With an impressive line after them, the five ones sit down at a large table and a waitress assists them disguised in vampire (it´s Halloween) whose eyeteeth were about to drop off when she listened their order: "One dish nº x, 3 Cocacolas and a bottle of water". She looks at them because she´s not sure if that is a joke. Vicente's polite clarifies that is all for the moment, his friends are not hungry, maybe they would try dessers later. Countess Dracula leaves gripping.

When they leave that restaurant it´s about two a.m.. It´s time of goodbye. Vicente had decided to spend his few free hours with us but he should already leave to the airport. We wish he would stay to attend the next day cocert but how would one arrange to change a plane ticket early in the morning of a hollyday?. In a Homeric gesture that the four ones won't forget, the boy from Madrid says he wishes them to be very lucky and to enjoy the next day concert, what was really arranged by him.


You´re kind, so kind
You rescued me when I was blind
And you put me on your pillow when I was on the wall
You´re so kind, son kind, so kind


As they don´t know where to spend the night, Vicente advised them a near railwaystation; certainly, better than that of Austerlitz to which they arrived from Madrid. They go to the station, but it is closed. They only find a bus stop for shelter. Alberto and Aitor sit down there, nailing the chin in the chest. Paco is really worried and he loses temper. Javi laughs at our situation, maybe to forget his own worries. Alberto and Javi go away for a while to look for any better place, a doorway, a porch, a... whatever it is. From that moment they lose their fear to a robbery; they don't believe nobody has the courage to come closer. It´s a cold they are not used to. Javi wears a thick sweater, a Paul Simon's T-shirt, a cotton shirt, another sweater, the coat, the scarf and the gloves. But he feels very cold and damp.

It is really a surrealist experience. A wobbly man comes closer, making zig-zags, looks at them straightly and gos on his way. Suddenly, he stops in the middle of a huge avenue, and he looks at them again... then he gets on a taxi. Later a couple stops by them and they lean on in the wall in front of them and begin with caresses. Hands here, mouths over there... but before getting the best, they walk away. Next a Count Dracula with pale face and waving cape crosses the sidewalk behind them.
"We cannot spend here the night", Javi says. "We should have booked a couple of rooms", Paco complains. "Let´s go to the station", Alberto suggests. Aitor, with his anorak cap very closed, just opts to listen.
The final decision is to walk in search of a better place. They stop on the underground vent from which a delightious heat is coming up, but with it a horrid stench comes too. But they all are so frozen they stay on there a couple of minutes. They return next to the theatre back door where there are passages but that place seems too solitary. And the fear is felt. Someones cannot hide it. In that moment Aitor suffers a nervous laugh attack and the other ones feel afraid of that row and ask him to be quiet.
Finally they find the solution. A closed coffe shop keeps tables and seats under a plastic roof outdoor by sidewalk. For lack of something better they will stay there, two under the plastic roof while two stay keeping watch outside. The first workshift, one hour, is for Paco and Alberto and it passes with no problem. That of Aitor and Javi is a bit busy. About six in the morning there is some action in the streets. However, the ones who go by their plastic shelter don't look inside. In fact, the two of them acting like keepers outside, with frozen bones, are turning around and around there but they are unnoticed for people passing by.

 

Homeless, Homeless
Monlight sleeping on a midnight lake

 

Wednesday, November 1
The rain comes with morning. Coffe shops aren´t opened yet, so we have to be wet a little (except for Alberto who takes an umbrella out from his Mary Poppins´ bag) until they find one though seemingly luxurious, but no matter how expensive it is, they decide to go in. And it´s such a sweet heat indoor, those seats so comfortable, that rich coffee and warm chocolate... they are worth the many francs the Chinese who assists us wants to charge.
Feeling they´re alive again, they go back to the theater. They are at the door without knowing very well what to do, when the girl so much they had claimed for last night (the one that aimed their names) is coming right to them. They step and blocks her way.Javi asks her. " No problem, No problem"!, she answers." The more people come in today the best".
Much more calm, although anxious for the uncertainty about what will happen, they walk to Eiffel tower, they have some four free hours and they have not still seen Paris´emblem. The Typical pictures (the four ones take out the same images) and they return.
In advance more than enough, they wait at theater door and little by little people they met there yesterday are appearing, just like the Australian translator woman or the Portuguese dancer girl. Someone send them all from back door to main entrance, where there are many people waiting for the great moment. The access is near when they see the gorillas there. Although in this occasion they don't register, they act with the same abruptness and little profesionalism.
They are the second ones to go in and for few seconds they feel their hearts in their throats when a girl checks the famous list an and she doesn't find their names there... Yes, finally!.

They are already inside. The day after attending their great idol´s concert they have chance to attend a private show, with not more than 50 people. And the first thing they find in the theatre hall is a delightious lunch buffet ready. The manager girl speeches them all in French, sure. Luckly the nice Australian translator woman explains first they all will eat, and later the show will be.
They put on the tour T-shirts which so much success had last night. And later they eat, invited by Paul Simón (or Warner) but for those who were not there they would explain they had eaten with Paul". Meanwhile the musicians are arriving, as the great Vincent Nguini whom one of those angry faced Oympia staff blocks the entrance without understanding the musician's explanations. The public there makes fun of such an inapt one.
Inside the orchestra a girl belonging to the singer's staff makes selections and clear the four are ones are placed on the last row. It isn´t bad, if we keep in mind that it´s only filled until the fourth row. The fifth and the sixth row had been disassembled, in its place they installed a road with a camera that constantly went from a side to another. The worst thing while we´re wating for show begining is we have to bear that stupid French hunky we met last night who asked us Spanish?, from where"?. From Seville, Andalousia", we answer. "Oh, Andalusia", he comments. "Bulls. Ole, ole!. If we hadn´t been in that place, some of us had remembered that ignorant ass he liaisons his mother and his brother maintained.....
All seated, and new explanations from the scenario, also in French. In summary we should behave well.
In the begining they are only the musicians whot will play pieces of some topics, for the planes that they lack to film. A great crane and a Dolly won't stop moving during the whole time. They try to make " Diamonds ", but the thing doesn't work. They need Paul, and after some minutes of wait, they announce Paul Simón will arrive in a half hour. Some of the scarce and privileged public put bad face with the situation. To the four ones from The Sounds of Simón it suits fine, because in that time they willtake some picturesof scenario and Paul's famous guitars (even some requests to make them a picture with their T-shirts of the tour), and even some musicians, as Nguini or the guitarist Mark Stewart.
The best thing is while waiting for Paul some musicians and staff ask us (the guys from Seville) loudly from the scenario , how we have passed the night. The public looks at us and we smile, nervous and proud.

 

See you, me and Julio down by the schoolyard

Paul arrives. We applaud crazy, though we still feel pain in our hands of applauding the previous day. The show begins. It will be a shorter concert than yesterday, but much more intense day. The artist is much more relaxed. He stretches out, he whistles, hones the fingernails, makes comments... they repeat some of the songs, and, even, after Nicolas request he plays the legendary Anji, what makes audience becomes crazy.
Between song and song Paul talked to the musicians, to crew and to a voice in off we suppose it was the director, for the continuing orders he carried out around technical and visual appreciations, he ordered to cut and repeat the songs, sometimes for that the camera had not taken a plane well, other times for that some musician entered late or because he made a mistake in the execution of his instrument. One of the songs they had to repeat was The Teacher. The voice in off said they had to record the musicians' planes and Paul wasn´t needed because he had done it perfect, Simon went to that voice speaking the micro answered him he wanted to sing it again as gratefulness to his fans, and it was this way, what everybody thanked him vastly.
We were not witnessing Paul in a concert, we were seeing Paul working. Another curious thing was that the song with which he opens the concerts of the tour and the one that will open the special one that was being recorded, That's Where I Belong, it was performed in the middle of this mini concert. Paul should appear coming from inside with the first instrumental chords and greet the audience. The preparation was a curiousity, first thing they put the things in its place and orderly, restoring the spikes in the microphone, replacing the bottles of water Simon had already begun, the musicians had to dry off the perspiration, many small necessary details so that when it was seen the DVD it was thought that was the begining. Paul Simon even went for a test walk from inside toward the guitar so that everything came out perfectly. Then it arrived time for action voice, the music began and Paul appeared from the dimness, we all had to get up and to applaud but louderly tha never, and Paul faking he greeted the balcony audience what it seemed very amusing for us because only the first 4 rows in orchestra were filled.
Concluded the experience that few will be able to forget, the legendary singer-songwriter astonished us when sitting down on scenario line so that his fans can come closer, to greet him, to take pictures... The four ones goes with their cameras and full with nerves towards him, and we take picas after pics. Aitor felt to die when, posing by Paul Javi is unable to make the flash works out. Paul smiles. Everybody gets several autographs: on the program, on the ticket, on some disks covers including the Aitor´s vinyl of Graceland the onewe laughed at so much the previous days, that who laughs the last one he laughs the better. And we photograph ourselves with Paul; one by one and together. Javi ends speaks Paul some words, he explains him we come from Seville, Spain, and he asks him if he would come to Spain. Simon, always charming, answers he would love it, maybe in summer. While, Nicolas is taking out his guitar so that Paul autographs it. And the fans request him to something with it. Finally he does it, improvising such a magic melody as that moment was...but it that had to finish. Somebody comes closer to Paul and tells him it is time to leave. They thank everybody their attendance.

Everybody leaves even unbeliever, hallucinating with their autographs, their pictures and some document they have gotten, as the list of songs or the program of DVD production. Once outdoor, we wait during some minutes for Steve Gadd and Bakiti Kumalo, but it is too late, we should take the back train. So we say goodbye to the Australian translator, the Portuguese fan and the rest of the well-known faces. The sun is already off and we have one hour to arrive to the railwaystation.

Homeward bound, I wish I was
Homeward bound
Home, where my thought´s escaping
Home, where my music playing
Home, where my love lies
Waiting sintly for me

We are already in the wagonlit, this time without Chinese and after having lived two magic and exhausting days and night, we fall asleep at once. Without the games neither the long speeches which happened the first night. Only some few comments about the two concerts and the two days hard to imagine short before.

 

Thursday, November 2
We arrive to Madrid early in the morning, we spend the morning visiting music stores, official or not. Paco buys the concert in África videotape and Javi the Simón& Garfunkel´s Greatest Hits songbook and a Kris Kristofferson's LP. They also do the photography development of the pictures they took from the event; they all are brilliant.
In the bus we sleep a little, and we select the copies of the pictures each one wants to get. In total, we have got about 60 or 70 images for the memory. No mythical song sound in our heads evoked by the landscape, but the best moments in last nights. Moments that, the emotion, the fatigue and the anxiety fade in great measure, granting them a strange, almost magic halo... almost created with the material with which the dreams are forged.

 

Won´t you run to see St. Judy´s Comet roll across the sky
And leave a spray of diamonds in its wake
I long to see St. Judy´s Comet sparkle in your eyes
When you awake, when you awake



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