RAH

Today is bwo's birthday.  Last night we visited the Royal Albert Hall to see Johnny Clegg's A South African Story performance. Wow! What a venue. I think we have used up all our good concert Karma for the rest of our lives. Thanks to Suzanne (of NY) for the excellent suggestion.

I opted to drive into the city and bought some parking in the neighbouring Imperial College. The drive in was stressful as the traffic was heavy and the streets small. Bwo was the embodiment of patience and kept me calm, all the while insisting I should have used Waze instead of Fiona the Tom Tom. What can one say about the Royal Albert Hall except that it is spectacular (we unfortunately did not find out how many holes it takes to fill). We were led to our "Loggia Box number 18" and turns out that these are possibly the best seats in the house. On top of it all, we had the whole of the 8 seater box to ourselves. We moved the chairs aside and danced most of the concert away (There is even a "hostess" who will take your drink order and deliver).

The concert was great. The place has an almost intimate atmosphere, and Johnny Clegg spoke a lot about the past and his amazing musical journey.  The most touching moment for me was Asimbonanga which featured a video of Nelson Mandela (of course, there is already a not great quality YouTube video of the performance). Bwo particularly liked Scatterlings of Africa, and noted that most of the audience were indeed scatterlings out of Africa. In fact, I have not seen so many South Africans in one place since the Boer War.

All in all an excellent evening, wonderful venue, entertaining show and perfect company.  Happy Birthday Love.