Theres A New Hottie....Er.....Botti In Town

Last week my husband surprised me with a night at the Boston Pops. He had planned it for weeks and loves to surprise me----and I am a hard person to surprise, as I am picky about what I do when I have some time off. I don't get a lot of time off, so I prefer doing things that I love to do.

So, I was worried.

But, as we came up the subway stairs, we were right in front of the Boston Symphony Hall, so I kind of had an idea where we were going. I was excited, as I really like the Boston Pops. Bret showed me the poster as we were going in, grinning a bit as I took it all in.

The Boston Pops were welcoming a trumpet player named Chris Botti,---well, he is someone that I had never heard of, so I read on. There on the next line was a name that I was intimate with.
After all, we have had many discussions together and hung out numerous times.....well,....in my dreams.

Yes, you guessed it----it was Sting! He was going to be joined with several other celebrities, such as Steven Tyler and Yo-Yo Ma. (who is unbelievable in his cello playing----cello is my favorite string instrument, by the way)

I felt a little bit more of a zing of excitement then, as I anticipated the evening----and I was feeling great as we looked for our seats.

They were up in the balcony, but that was ok, because we had a great view of the entire hall---which is so beautiful, with its gilding and old archways and seating. Then it was really intriguing seeing the big cameras and the large booms that were swinging back and forth in front of the stage. Oh, right, I guess that I forgot to tell you that this was a "special" night, as they were taping a PBS special as well! So, everyone had to be aware that they could stop the concert at any time to do a part over or change something that they didn't think was right.

It brought back lots of memories of my commercial days, so it was fun to watch.

So, we sat quietly waiting to start the show. The orchestra started to play and this thin, blonde man comes on stage, impeccably dressed in an Europeon cut tuxedo. Of course, he was carrying a trumpet, so I knew who he was immediately.

"Wow!" I thought, "Wow." He was quite a hottie, this Chris Botti.

And then he started to play.

There was something ethereal about his playing----transporting one to another world. Beautiful. Lyrical. Transcendent.

Ok, so I have to admit that I was in heaven. I then remembered that I had heard Chris's playing on several of Stings albums and had loved his haunting style. So, I just sat back, closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment.

The evening turned out to be fantastic. Sting came on (AAAAAHHHHH----he is the COOLEST MAN EVER!) and sang a number with Chris, then several other girls came on and sang with him....ho, hum....not so great, and we only had to stop one time when they had to re-powder Chris's nose, and he had to re-tell a joke and told us to laugh the next time.

Oh, yeah, there was that incident when Jon Mayer was singing---oh, did I forget to mention him? Yes, he was doing some jazz number when the producer lady came and tapped him on the shoulder and stopped his song about halfway through. Oh, it was PRICELESS, the look on his face! I hope that someone captured it for a great You Tube moment!

Apparently some older gentleman in one of the first few rows had passed out and they needed to get him medical help. So, they stopped the show for about 15 minutes until the paramedics could come and wheel him out. It was pretty exciting, and after it was over, Chris and Sting and Yo-Yo Ma came out and played one of my favorite songs of all time: "Fragile" by Sting. It was a beautiful moment. Apparently they had been doing a show together when 9-11 happened and after they found out, they asked the crowd if they should go on----to which they played this number. So perfect.

So, now I have discovered a new voice. I, of course, will have a bit of Chris's playing on my music line-up, so take a few minutes to listen.

Close your eyes. Go to that happy place.

Its really nice.