Vienna (A) Porgy & Bess

To play at Porgy & Bess is always special to me…it is the place where everything started - where we played for the first time in 2013 and I remember it like it was yesterday. At this point thank you  to Christoph Huber! It was our 6th time to play at Porgy, it was the 6th of November and it was my birthday : )!It was a sunny and warm!!!November day and I even had time to go for a walk before soundcheck, get ready on the outside and inside for this night : )! I was so nervous and excited about spending my birthday playing at Porgy with the most wonderful band - Hans, Ingrid, Mario, mathias, Thomas!!!We had a relaxed soundcheck with enough time for cake, champagne and Lollipops - thank you mathias!!!Christoph Burgstaller came by to check on our soundcheck with his special unit consisting of Mena and Xaver (the sweetest kids in the sound police department : ), they were quite satisfied only I should dance more and funnier : ) and as always at this point big big thank you to Thomas Egger!
We had so many helping hands that night!!!Corinna - freshly trained make up artist - took care of my look - thank you for lending me your necklace : ); the two charming ladies Laura and Clara helped us with our Merchandising table; and on such such such short notice Mister Severin Koller agreed to help us and filmed our concert at Porgy!!!
We were welcomed by a beautiful and open audience who supported us from the very beginning with an incredible focus that inspired us through out our set - thank you!!!mathias, Hans and Ingrid were cookin’ and Mario although he was sick!!! was playing with his unique sound!Dear Band, to play with you is such an honour each and every time!!! My special moment of the night was the second encore…there was this tension in the room that is indescribable…the kind of tension you always wish for and yearn for, the kind of moment where you feel so vulnerable and safe at the same time - that is the biggest reward and strongest drug…after the moment has passed you instantly keep on searching, hoping to capture it once more…and that was my birthday present and I would like to say thank you to every single one in the room creating this moment! Thank you to my family and friends taking time to celebrate with me!!!My sister and I remembered that 8 years ago for her birthday and through her love to poetry and to Rilke I got to know „Der Panther“ - it was/is her favorite poem and the first Rilke poem I read!We found out that Rilke wrote it on the 6th of November…funny these coincidences!

…what happened next?: ) well, we drank champagne, listened to Nina Simone and Frank Sinatra…drank a little bit more…made band photos…drank one more glass…talked about energy clusters…drank one more…sang along…and eventually…packed our bags…before we left Porgy - I remember a lot of hugs and group photos : )!

In gratitude and with love, yours Lia!

„Der Panther“
(Im Jardin des Plantes, Paris)

Sein Blick ist vom Vorübergehn der Stäbe
so müd geworden, daß er nichts mehr hält.
Ihm ist, als ob es tausend Stäbe gäbe
und hinter tausend Stäben keine Welt.

Der weiche Gang geschmeidig starker Schritte,
der sich im allerkleinsten Kreise dreht,
ist wie ein Tanz von Kraft um eine Mitte,
in der betäubt ein großer Wille steht.

Nur manchmal schiebt der Vorhang der Pupille
sich lautlos auf –. Dann geht ein Bild hinein,
geht durch der Glieder angespannte Stille –
und hört im Herzen auf zu sein.

R.M.Rilke (6.11.1902, Paris)

The Event:
Vienna (A), Porgy & Bess