First Time On Stage with Cirque du Soleil!

Today was my first day on stage playing with the band for Saltimbanco. The show has two acts with an intermission. Since there were two shows tonight, I played the first act in both shows. How did I do? I think I did about 90% potential on the first show and 95% on the 2nd. I hit a "clam" on the first opening solo, but it wasn't horrible. No complaints from the music director, which is always, a good sign. I have to admit, it was nerve wracking and I felt like I was on "high military alert." I pretty much know the music; it's the cues and all the little unexpected stuff that was putting my stomach in knots. There was no dress rehearsal for me. As a matter of fact, there were really no rehearsals at all. I ran through each song once or twice during sound check with the band over the last week or so. Before I went on stage, I was approached by about five different performers and asked, "You know the cue to start the song in my act?" Then one of the stage managers walked up to me and said, "We don't say 'good luck' or 'break a leg' around here. At Cirque we like to say, "Don't f@!# up!" That gave me a good laugh :-)

And about the unexpected "stuff," one example was that Cirque wardrobe people me some special red shoes to go with my costume. There are a bit wide, so when I go to hit a particular pedal to change sounds, I have to be careful not to hit any pedals or buttons adjacent to this extremely important pedal. Yikes! But the one that completely caught me off guard were these two: I start the show with a quiet solo piano piece as the band and I are covered with a parachute-type material. It gets rolled up very quickly to expose the band and the rest of the stage in the middle of the first tune.

So I see my cue in the dark and I start playing but I don't hear the piano in my monitor! (We wear earpieces and can hear ourselves and the other musicians in them). So I play half the tune by just knowing which keys to press and hoping the dynamics are cool because it sounds like I have my fingers in my ears with the in-ear monitors. Then BOOM - the sound pops into my ear...no problem...I'm a professional...I've played in biker bars...this was fine. Then as the band kicks into the very dramatic build up as they roll up the sheath exposing the band. It's rolling up VERY quickly and catches the corner of one of my keyboards...lifting it up and knocking over the two mic stands that are in front of me. But...no problem...I've played in biker bars...I've seen people thrown on stage in a fight... I can handle this.

I undo the sheath. Jean-Louis, the bassist grabs a mic stand while he's still somehow playing the bass. I grab the back of the same stand and pull it back up...continuing to make it through the tune. Apparently, this is not an uncommon occurrence. Great! The rest of the set went pretty smooth. I made it to the end of both 1st acts and survived.

At the end of the evening the cast came off the stage after the finale where I was backstage practicing the 2nd part of the show on my practice rig. They formed a circle around me then cheered and applauded. That was pretty cool. I've played in biker bars, and I must say that being part of this production - a Cirque du Soleil show, is pretty damn cool!

What is Normal?

I'm experiencing something unusual...an interesting phenomenon. I now feel it's completely normal for people to walk around in circus makeup - eating, talking on the phone, working out in the gym, listening to their iPod, etc. There is nothing strange about it anymore.

Benoit (guitarist) and Taisiya (Trapeze artist) chilling out during intermission.

Can You Say "Multitask"?

In an email to my brother and a friend of mine, I came up with an analogy for what I feel like I'm going through right now as I learn this Cirque music and keyboard set up. Imagine playing keyboards while driving a car and playing a video game all as you're programming a VCR that's been recently unplugged so the 12:00 keeps flashing. Oh yeah, you have to memorize the road map and the video game manual.

Goodbye Montreal; Hello Santiago, Chile!

It was a bit sad leaving Montreal after making friends with some very cool people at Cirque headquarters, but it was time to leave the nest. My fight on Monday to Santiago was one of those red-eye-crying-baby-semi-turbulant flights, so I arrived at 10am with no sleep...paid my $100 welcome-to-Chile cover charge (they call it a tax) went to the hotel...unpacked...and shuttled off the the site where the show is set up, appropriately call, "The Site." It was my first time seeing Saltimbanco live (I'd watched DVDs of previous shows to learn the music). It's truly an amazing show. You really get a sense of the roots of Cirque du Soleil's beginnings as a group of street performers. I watched both performances and the applause at the end of both shows was so loud, it hurt my ears. All the shows in Santiago and Buenos Aires are now sold out to 2,500 seat crowds!

I've got a ton of music to memorize and I started rehearsing with the band already. They've got a cool way of integrating me into the show. I'll be backstage with my own practice rig - a keyboard set up and a video monitor. I'll be playing along with the band who is onstage without hearing the current keyboardist in my headphones. Cool training wheels, huh? Actually, it's a horribly uncomfortable and definitely not ergonomically correct "erector set" to play music on, but if I'm going to be uncomfortable, it may as well be in Santiago while I'm on a cool gig.

The hotel in Santiago is gorgeous - much better than the halfway house in Montreal, and the weather has been similar to the California desert. I'll be here for about two weeks.

(Click on pics to enlarge/pop-up)

Chilean Mountains from the plane


Practice rig at hotel


View outside my hotel window (it's nice to be working on music while seeing this outside my hotel window


Screen shot of my computer and all the "stuff" I have up while working on the tunes. Notice that I have a photo of the keyboard setup in the upper right so I could memorize where all the pedals are and their function.


Keyboards - Stage Rigs (see all the pedals I have to deal with?)


Keyboards - Practice Rig backstage

Plateau Mont-Royal

I headed into an area in Montreal called Plateeau Mont-Royal...reminded me a bit of San Francisco, but a more mellow vibe. I passed by this familiar place on the way to the subway into town, but something seemed different about it. Maybe the Colonel got new glasses?

Poulet Frit Kentucky



The temperature was in the high 50s/low 60s...people sitting outside drinking margaritas at a place called Cactus...eating ice cream, walking around, just enjoying the sun after their very-long winter. I grabbed a sandwich and some raspberry/pear juice then kicked back on some stairs to do some people watching.







Dooby Day? Joint-rolling workshop? You've gotta love the disclaimer at the bottom of this poster: "These are informative events and do not encourage any behaviour." So ladies and gentlemen, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

Sugar Shack

Cirque had a "sugar shack" celebration in the area behind the company. I've never heard of a sugar shack before...was a lot of fun! It's a celebration of springtime and the harvesting of maple sap to make maple syrup, maple butter, etc. Lots of yummy food, good music and a great time! They had maple sap-collection buckets hanging in different areas of the company for decor.
(click to enlarge/pop-up)


The coolest part of this celebration is when they pour heated/reduced maple syrup over crushed ice (supposed to be snow), then it turns into a taffy-like chewiness.


Then you roll it up with a stick and devour it. Yum!


You can't do sugar shack with out the music of Quebec...think French...mountains...village... with a hint of Celtic. And even though it was about 60 degrees F, people dress up in sugar shack garb.


The guy in the crazy hat on was handing out maple butter parting gifts (softer than peanut butter)...



...but you had to wear the hat first before they handed you the parting gift. No need to twist my arm!

Block Head 2 - My Plaster Head Cast

Voila! My plaster head cast:

(Click to enlarge/pop-up)

This is what the makeup dept. at Cirque du Soleil uses in case they need to make changes to my makeup, a head piece they want to add, or any voodoo they wish to perform. It keeps me from having to physically be there and sit around. Plus, it's much prettier and even-tempered than I am. "He" almost looks like he's smirking, doesn't he?

Block Head and Downtown Montreal

On Wednesday, Cirque had me doing a lot of things throughout the day - things that you don't normally get to do every...you know...your normal production-prep-type stuff...fitting for an outfit, shoe size, physical exam, setting up meetings, covering your head in plaster to take a plaster cast [insert tire-screeching sound here]. Yes, they covered my entire head with almost-ice-cold plaster for about 10 minutes. Can you say, "Breathe slowly and relax"? I did pretty well...had a hot flash as soon as the last blob of plaster covered me up and felt a rush of anxiety for about two seconds. They're very careful and if I gave them the signal, they'd strip that stuff off of my head ASAP and try a different method. But I wasn't going to let the plaster kick my butt.

The only things exposed were my nostrils, and no, they didn't have straws sticking out of them. There was music on the radio that I was focusing on as well as my breathing. After a moment I was ok and I could've sat there for another 30 minutes...I was just chillin' - pun intended. I'll post pics of the final head cast when I see it.

Thursday was quite different. I went to downtown Montreal to get my work visa for Argentina. I'm looking very forward to going there.

Some pics of downtown Montreal (click to enlarge/pop up):

Can't go anywhere without seeing a McDonalds

Canada is known as a peaceful country

Cirque du Soleil Headquarters

I had a 9am welcome meeting and was given a tour of most of the building. They set up a few other meetings for me and then back to my room. I haven't seen any of the music yet. I'm supposed to learn about 50 pieces of music by April 7th but don't know when they'll get that to me.

This place is totally cool! First off, everyone I meet seems to really just love their job. The building looks like it's a 1/4 mile long. There are up to 1,600 people working there at a time. Right now, it's between 1,200-1,600. Cirque employs about 2,500 people worlwide!

The building itself is incredible. It's mostly a steel/glass/concrete structure, but has a very warm and inviting feel to it inside...not cold at all...lots of windows. I was really impressed how they used the pressed wood inside (you'll see it in the pics below). It has a sort of bronze effect with the lighting scheme. There are two places to eat inside: a cafeteria where you can get lamb, portobello stuffed crepes, delicious soups, etc., and a smaller hamburger/hot dog joint. People don't really leave the building to eat. "Let's have lunch together" means they'll be meeting in the cafeteria...spouses and children sometimes show up to eat with their family. It's a very pleasant atmosphere...they really take care of their people at this company.

Here are some pics of about 1/4th of the entire building (click to enlarge in a pop up window):

At the main entrance

Part of the lobby area

Partial Lobby view from above

Every company should have a rock-climbing wall! (elevator shaft/rock wall)

Cool lighting fixture upstairs - 3rd floor

Spiral Staircase - 2nd floor

I love the way they used the pressed wood planks here.

Glass wall

View outside from one of the 3rd floor windows...must look beautiful when then grass is green

This is where they set up and test the shows before they go out into the rest of the world for all to enjoy. If you look close, high above, you'll see the grates...like a catwalk where they hang all the cables. You really get a good idea of the scale of this room if you take a look at the rigger who's wearing a hard hat, standing just left of center.

"The Arch" - a structure put up by artist Andy Goldsworthy to express risk and balance. It is free standing, nothing is supporting it other than it's own weight under gravity. Cirque du soleil founder and CEO Guy Laliberté has a smaller version in his backyard. Click his name to read his message.

Montreal Arrival - Cirque du Soleil-Day 1

I made it to Montreal on last Monday safe and sound. I left any expectations I had at home.

I grabbed my bags, went through customs and was met by Alaine. This guy's cool! He actually stood there and posed for the pic.

He was sent to pick me up and take me to the Cirque du Soleil artists' residence which is across the street from CDS's headquarters. My room is ...hmmmm...how you say?.... cozy? It's something between a dorm room and a halfway house. But it's comfortable and clean and I'm enjoying it! 11:30 pm was when I arrived to the room. I unpacked and set up my portable studio.

I was extremely curious to see what the following day would bring!