His Name is Luka

I took AdP to his first ever concert yesterday, he accompanied me to Luka Bloom's concert in Paradiso, and he loved it. He wouldn't let go of my hand throughout really...

I always feel a little stupid at a Luka concert because for most of the time I sit there with this big, inane smile on my face. When he starts certain songs it just starts automatically, there is nothing I can do about it, or would want to do about it for that matter. During some songs I just stay in that mode, but others bring about a different kind of smile, the kind that can very easily change to tears, and that happened a few times too last night.

Over the past few years Lukas has had to adapt his performances to some medical limitations, so he ended up sitting down during the concert and concentrating on the quieter songs with the Spanish guitar. I love some of those, but it was so good to just have him on his feet again last night, to see him pick up Rudy and give the songs all the passion and the power they have and deserve, and to hear the guitar, those melodies. And so the concert last night was the perfect mixture of the slow and tender, the sad, and the joyous, the powerful. Also a perfect mixture of old and new songs.

I heard before the concert that it would be broadcast live on the internet, and quite a few people I know would be watching. That was a nice thought, to think that people far away would be watching in the comfort of their own homes, maybe sitting down on the couch with a beer. There were a lot of people on my mind, maybe because some of the songs immediately brought about the connection. I thought of Yvette during "I'll Walk Beside You", of Maike during "Exploring the Blue", sad reminders in a way.

At every Luka concert there seem to be different songs that suddenly start to mean something. Last night "See You Soon" hit me. And some songs just always have an effect. When I hear the first bar of "You Couldn't Have Come at a Better Time" I always want to jump up and start to dance. And you do start singing the moment he starts the Sunny Sailor Boy.

The nice thing about Luka is that you get to sing a little yourself too. There are some nice refrains, and in some songs audience participation is a requirement. we got our Sunny Sailor Boy yesterday, but I've missed the Fertile Rock for a few years now. Meanwhile Luka seems to have added a few more, and some just invite singing along. AdP doesn't really mind, he liked it all. Didn't really sing along though. Strange chap....