BonTaj Roulet -- And It Did Not Rain!

The BonTaj Roulet site is here, including the information as to where part of the money for the tix goes.

A classic summer evening in New York City.

Bonnie Raitt is not only talented, not only classy, she's also so smart and organized that she not only has put together her own promotional-production company, but she has an activist organization that works with a variety of foundations and other organization, providing funding and other assistance.

For instance, as well as shows by Taj Mahal, herself, and she and Taj together (plus, of course, the soundchecks), this is what she did: she had dinner with a few local friends; she held a 20 minute meet and greet fundraiser for Congressman John Hall; she put together a personal list of invited guests to the concert and to attend a small reception after the fundraiser, with refreshments, so she and her friends could chat a bit before she had to get back on her environmentally clean powered busses and start for the next show.

She brought her own sound system and her own light design system plus light, and her own stage decor, which was very effective, fairly easy to handle, and went well with the musical material and presentations.

So much blues, much r&b, some down home rockers (Bonnie guitar slings with the best, and she really can play, and she keeps studying music, her musicianship and getting tutorials in the history of the musics she loves) -- woo, how the women go wild seeing this small woman in her 60's doing her stuff and doing it with such authority, such authenticity -- many lesbian couples and groups in the audience, natch -- slow ballads in which she did vocals only and left the guitar off, smarting off talking duets with Taj.

It was so humid last night, but it never rained, to the great joy of so many thousands of people, including the Celebrate Brooklyn people and the BonTaj people.

We met two musicians we've known of and about for a long time and vice versa. That doesn't include meeting Taj Mahal -- Vaquero gave both Taj and Bonnie copies of The Year Before the Flood for all the obvious reasons, but also because both of them have read and commented to him on his previous two titles. But Taj and Vaquero hadn't previously met.

We didn't get home until late. Nevertheless, I wasn't able to sleep -- maybe my back pain? so I've been dragging around all day, which is frustrating. Nevertheless it is a privilege to know some people who are living their life with such grace and generosity, who not only keep improving the talents with which they are born, but keep finding more ways and more effective ways to do good in the world in the face of the neocons and the insane ten percent.