Santa Rosa went smoothly and it was a quick turnaround, meaning we all got about 5 hours sleep (if that) before driving back down to Sacramento to load into the Crest. The members were all a bit on the goofy side heading into the last concert, partly from lack of sleep but moreso from the fact of it being the last show.
I was deep in to my third day of a rotten cold (infection!?) that’s had me running a continuous fever and left most everything from my ears down into my chest inflamed in a not so very happy way. I’m starting to think it might be strep because both my ears are aching somewhat fiercely and my nose just isn’t running so much.Â
Hope to get to a doctor in the next day or so.
It took a chunk of time to load of the theatre and get folks checked into their hotel rooms, but then we were off again to go to a reception hosted by members of the Sacramento Taiko Dan. Great food was had by all. The NA Tour staffers all played a piece and the lighting guy got up to play something with a couple of the Shidara guys and Sac Taiko finished off the evening with a rousing 7-person kokorozashi (that Yuri Kimura had to play immediately after she finished eating as she and Loretta Lew had just gotten back from taking one of the Shidara members to wash all of the costumes).
This morning we came in early to pack up all the drums to get them ready for shipping back to Japan. We saw Eileen Kage off at SMF, stopped and got lunch and now Shidara is working in a rehearsal for their next show in Japan (which they play immediately after they get home).
My head feels like it’s imploding, except when I cough, at which point it feels more like it’s going to explode.
They’re assiduously going over their piece almost measure by measure, and the staccato beats of all of the shime are sharp and loud enough my ears hurt even more.
That’s why I’m sneaking in here to blog right quick, although a Shidara rehearsal is always a magnificent sight to see.
I’m trying to piece together my schedule in my head so I can keep y’all up to date.
Seeing folks off tomorrow in SF, coming back in for Tuesday class, will play Wednesday by ear after I (hopefully) see a doctor, in for Saturday practice, pretty much around until Taiko camp, off to Vancouver Island for a week then lower mainland BC for a week, then it’s Portland for a few days and off to Matsuyama and Hachijo Island. That’ll put me near the end of October.
November there are are a few gigs in Sac and International Taiko Festival at UCB Zellerbach Hall hosted by San Francisco Taiko Dojo. Off to MN for Mu Daiko’s concert series first week of December and not sure where I will end up toward the latter part of December.
Will probably have to go to Japan in January and will have to work that around workshops in Moab. Chabo’s workshop tour is in February and that will take us around a bit. March, I am in Moab again, then Vancouver…April there’s a brief trip to Moab and Sadogashima…and then I’m off to Tucson to lend a hand with Odaiko Sonora’s annual Taiko Showcase…and who knows what’s gonna happen with Shidara.
They did so well during their WAA showcase, the probability of them touring sooner than later is very high.
Lots of decisions to make in very short order…and meanwhile I just want to lay my head down someplace soft and very quiet.