Mexico City - Day of Show October 20, 2009

Another spectacular evening.  I took the opportunity to sit in the left balcony to watch the show with some friends who live in Mexico City and came to see the show.  Although I have seen the show dozens of times and never tire of it, I saw it through their eyes and was once again struck at how truly special this show is and how much it moves people.  For two hours you are transported to a world of beautiful music and it is transformative.  Your spirit is instantly lifted and you are left knowing that you have witnessed something magical.

I still managed to shoot some photos of the guest artists yesterday and today.  Here are Cristian Castro, Lucero, and Jose Jose.  Each took a moment to let the audience know how much it meant to them to be performing on that stage with Yanni and thanked him for the wonderful opportunity he gave them to record with him.

Cristian looking dapper in his tails sings "Ni La Fuerza Del Destino"...

Lucero and Yanni say Hello...

Lucero sings "Eterno Es Este Amor"

Jose Jose greets Yanni while the audience gives him a standing ovation...

El Principe

Performing "Volver a Creer"

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

JAS DEVAEL, Nathan pacheco and Laura Pausini JOIN roster

of ARTISTS to celebrate WITH juan gabriel   

WHO:                        Performing artists include: David Bisbal, Franco De Vita, Jas Devael, Shaila Dúrcal, Luis Fonsi, India, Juanes, Nathan Pacheco, Laura Pausini, Playa Limbo, and La Quinta Estación. Venezuelan television show host Maite Delgado and Latin GRAMMY^® winner Enrique Iglesias will serve as the evening's hosts. Additional artists will be announced shortly.     

 WHAT:            The 2009 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year "De Fiesta With Juan Gabriel" event will celebrate Juan Gabriel's philanthropic, cultural, and music accomplishments. He will receive the honor at a special dinner and concert. The 2009 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year tribute dinner is one of the most prestigious events during Latin GRAMMY Week and is attended by numerous Latin GRAMMY nominees, celebrities and entertainment industry VIPs.

WHEN:            Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

WATCH THIS SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY YANNI ON THE LUNAS DEL AUDITORIO AWARDS SHOW.
Originally posted by the Niki Nana Fan Club, it also has footage of the World Music Award presentation.
Here's the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn0aOpcBWiA&feature=player_embedded

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

YANNI WILL BE ATTENDING AND PERFORMING AT THE "LAS LUNAS DEL AUDITORIO" AWARDS IN MEXICO CITY ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28TH.  YANNI VOICES ARE ALSO NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD IN THE WORLD MUSIC CATEGORY.  THE SHOW WILL BE TELEVISED IN MEXICO, CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS.

Mexico City - Day of Show October 19, 2009

Auditorio Nacional - Mexico City!

Emotions are high as everyone prepares to perform for the residents of Mexico City.  Soundcheck was great and everyone is in a fantastic mood.

Anna Stafford and Jim Mattos rehearsing.

Sarah O'Brian with her Cello.

Backstage with Charlie!

After Soundcheck everyone congregated at the coffee machine.

Outside the venue, dozens of vendors set up shop with their Yanni wares.  Everyone came out at one point or another to check out the unique items for sale.  We've never seen anything like it. It was fascinating!  It was like a Yanni flea market.

Of course, we had the Niki Nana fan club there in full effect.  Thank you for all of your support!  

Here are our three guest artists: Cristian Castro, Lucero, and Jose Jose!  They were kind enough to pose for this picture.

The audience was great and we're looking forward to the next two nights.  Plus we have added an outdoor festival in Durango to the tour, which will be Saturday night the 24th.

Guadalajara to Mexico City - Travel Day October 18, 2009

We say Goodbye to our beautiful hotel in Guadalajara and head to the airport.  Cesar, Benedict, and Ender spend a few moments at the airport relaxing.  Ender is sporting a hat given to him the night before from a fan.

MEXICO CITY!!  The capital city of Mexico and one of the world's largest cities.  It's rich history stands side by side with it's modernity.  It is now the center of busines, culture and government for the country.  It was once the center of the Aztec Empire.  The Zocalo (the main plaza) is built on the same spot where Montezuma's palace (the last Aztec King before the Spanish conquest) once stood.  Many of the old mansions and public buildings in the area were built hundreds of years ago using the stones from the Aztec temples that were destroyed by the Spaniards.

(Found this pic of the Cathedral on the web, not mine)

Our hotel is in the town of Polanco, an upscale residential and commercial district known for it's great restaurants and elegant boutiques.  Believe it or not, there were two Starbucks within walking distance to the hotel!  Every morning you could find quite a few members from Team Yanni there.

The view from the hotel window...

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Guadalajara - Day of Show October 17, 2009

More great reviews!  Here are just two headlines from Guadalara:

Yanni fills the Guadalara night with magic.

Read about it on www.informador.com.mx

Yanni performs with all of his heart.

The second night in Guadalajara lost none of its momentum.  This was the first time Yanni has made a stop in Guadalajara and the audience was not shy about showing their appreciation.  Our Mexico fans have been some of the most passionate I've ever seen.

Hasta El Ultimo Momento

Desire

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce to you our Ladies of Wardrobe, Gina and Kita.  These ladies make sure everyone on stage (and offstage) looks great.  They do an amazing job and they keep everyone smiling with their sharp wit and all around fabulousness!

Gina with Leslie Mills

Kita

One of my favorite places to be backstage...

Chloe and Leslie's rolling wardrobe boxes.

After the show was quite lively backstage.  Here's Ender videotaping me taking his picture for this blog for his video diary.

And here are our promoters from Freestyle Emotional Marketing with our four vocalists.  They're a great team and have been a lot of fun to tour with.  Thank you for everything!!!

Tomorrow we fly to Mexico City!!  Auditorio Nacional here we come!!