On Saturday morning, after our walk, we got on the bus and headed back to Suzhou. Tonight would be our second concert, followed by a free day on Sunday in Suzhou. Little did we know that a massive snafu awaited us at the hotel where we had stayed previously in Maple Bridge.
It would seem that the Olympic Torch Relay had originally been scheduled to go through Suzhou before we got to China. However, because of the Three Days of National Mourning, it had been delayed, and was now scheduled to be going through Suzhou the next day. So, while we were all in Changzhou doing the run-out concert, twenty-two of the thirty-some rooms that had been reserved for us back in Suzhou had been given away to the Olympic Torch runners and their whole retinue. The people at the hotel indicated, if I understood correctly, that there had been some pressure by local officials to honor the "original reservations" for the Olympic Torch people, and to move some of the Americans to a different location. (They had, however, made no arrangements with any other hotel.)
So there we were: in a hotel lobby with 60+ American students, a concert that night, and no hotel. Most of the students had figured out, from observing the consternation of their elders, that something was really wrong. The hotel staff, while having given away their rooms, actually had made lunch for them, but we didn’t know quite what to do, so we all stood around awkwardly. Finally the tour director told them to go in and eat lunch while he attempted to solve the problem.
After a few different ideas were floated, talk turned to finding another hotel. The Band Director was told by the tour organization that it would be hard to get another 4 star hotel, and we might have to settle for a 2 or 3. The Band Director, to his credit, explained politely but firmly that he wasn’t allowed to lodge the group in two different locations because of liability issues, and that we simply were not going to settle for a lesser hotel; the fact that our reservations had been cancelled to accommodate another group was insulting enough without settling for lesser lodgings. Many phone calls ensued, and eventually it was solved: our whole group was going to an entirely different hotel in Suzhou, which worked out fine (it wasn’t as new, but it was in many ways a better hotel for the group, since it was much further into the city itself, instead of being off at the edge of town.) So, it had a happy ending, but I can’t say it wasn’t stressful.
The concert in Suzhou took place at a venue that was translated for us as the Suzhou Arts Center. It was a beautiful hall, with comfortable facilities backstage, decent AC, and a well-organized event. You could feel the relief coming from everyone involved. The venue also had a beautiful lobby, and we came up with the idea of the Johnny Faa trio playing trad tunes out in the lobby for a half-hour before the concert; everyone agreed it was a good idea.
We three had some time to kill, then, while the Wind Ensemble prepared, and we were hungry / thirsty, so we thought we’d grab something quickly. Outside the venue, there were bazillions of security people and police, since the venue was right where the Olympic Torch run was going to happen the next morning. They were also preparing for the big road-block that would occur the next day. We purposely greeted a couple of them by the door so that they would recognize us when we came back a half hour later (as if there was any chance of them not recognizing a blond 6’5” giant and a white guy with snow-white hair – we all were stared at everywhere we went.)
Right next door to the venue there was a Teahouse, so we thought we’d go in and have a cuppa. Guess what – Teahouses in China ain’t Starbucks; you don’t go in and chug a cup and leave. They’re a whole experience that normally takes a couple of hours. We didn’t know that. We sat down and the waitresses brought 3 teas and an assortment of lovely dried fruits, nuts, and other little snacks. The waitresses were also accompanied by a tall Australian guy and his Chinese female friend, both of whom appeared to be regulars at the place. The Aussie greeted us and asked us if we knew “how the place worked” and we said “No, please help us out here!” Turns out, you pick a menu item depending on what kinds of teas you want, and the price includes the buffet. We explained that we only had about 25 minutes because we were playing a concert next door. He and his friend explained this to the waitstaff. They were momentarily flustered, but then the staff decided it was OK. The Aussie then had some sort of conversation with them, and it turned out that he had arranged for them to bring us tea and let us go “one time through buffet” for a reduced price, since we only had a very short time. We thanked him profusely. The tea was wonderful and so was the food; it would have been very easy to shoot about two hours there nibbling at the stuff, drinking tea, and yakking. I like the Teahouse concept – very civilized. I wish there was one in The Big Flat Place. (Sure, that’ll happen.)
After our Tea experience we went back to the venue (yes, they recognized us – duh) and played in the lobby for half an hour. Many, many people stopped to listen to us, and they were very enthusiastic, especially the kids. A couple of the kids in particular were very taken with it, including one little boy (maybe 9 or 10?) with glasses, a studious-looking little guy, who practically had to be dragged away to go get his seat with his family. People were also terribly curious about the instruments, and those who spoke English would ask us questions and then translate quickly for the crowd. Coop’s wooden flutes in particular were the object of much curiosity, I would guess partly because they have wooden flutes in their own folk music and can relate to it.
The concert went very well. The concert repertoire was a little different each night, but drawn from the same group of pieces. They always began with The Olympic Fanfare and Theme, which the audiences loved. Other pieces included Gould’s American Salute; at least one movement of David Gillingham’s “When Speaks the Signal Trumpet Tone,” which featured a beautiful performance by the university's trumpet professor; selections from Bernstein’s “Candide” Suite; Shostakovitch’s “October,” a piece called “Blue Shades” by Frank Ticheli; excerpts from “Rhythm of the Americas,” by Bob Mintzer, which featured a burnin’ saxophone quartet of faculty members form the university we were touring with; an arrangement of a Chinese folk song, “Song of Jasmine,” excerpts from the Star Wars soundtrack; and the second movement of Dan Welcher’s “Minstrel of the Kells,” which was the piece we were involved in. There were always two encores: “The Stars and Stripes Forever” and the “Song of the People’s Liberation Army,” a patriotic Chinese march that always got a very strong audience response. I mean, how many of them ever dreamed that an American band would be playing the PLA march for them? Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would live to see that.
During the Welcher, I was watching the aforementioned little guy with the glasses, who was in the front row as it turned out. There’s a moment in the Welcher when the band comes to the end of a tune, the drums roll, and then the orchestra drops out entirely and the Irish band (us) lights into a very energetic version of the reel called “Bunker Hill.” At the exact moment when we hit the first chord, the kid threw his arms out to the sides, looked up heavenward, opened his mouth in an “aah,” and closed his eyes. It was a completely transcendent moment which, unfortunately, my companions didn’t see (they were concentrating too hard on the bouzouki and flute; only the rhythm guitarist has the luxury of watching the audience.) After we left the stage, during the encores, I told the guys about it, and Coop decided that he would go out into the house after the last encore, try to catch the family before they left, and give the kid one of his extra whistles. Coyotebanjo and I found this to be a very moving gesture – Coyotebanjo, when we were back in Lubbock after the trip, told me that this was maybe his favorite moment of the tour. The kid and his family were quite tickled – the kid seemed a little stunned – and of course they all wanted “photos.” (Many of the Chinese know the words “Hallo,” “OK,” and “Photos.”) So we posed for quite a few, as did other musicians on the tour, and of course the band director.
After the concert, we were brought to a restaurant where another Chinese banquet was served to us – and again, I winced at the situation in which our kind and generous hosts offered huge portions of challenging food to a roomful of Americans who were going to waste half of it. We did better than the previous Suzhou meal, though – they’re getting a bit braver and the food was a little more attuned to western palates than the first time. I was a little concerned about the students at this point – they were mostly in need of about 60 Mickey D Happy Meals.
Next up: Free day in Suzhou; Boaties; and a colleague’s Excellent Surveillance Adventure.
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