I'm delighted to say our guys are in very fine form and in a great, festive, relaxed, playful mood. Nicolao is strong, got ovations, but he shared the mike with Patchai and Canut a little more than in the past. Andre even sang once. Canut's voice was crisp, clear, strong and right on all the time, by far the best I've ever heard him; says he's been putting himself through voice conditioning. Several songs have a new feel to them, good mix of selections from old and new releases. After intermission, Tonino accompanied while Canut and Patchai sang fandangos: Patchai's from Roots, and Canut's, a new one he said he just recently wrote. Tonino was even more fabulous than usual and got a wild standing ovation for the incredible strumming in a new piece, in which he got the usual "guitar embrace" from all the others. Pablo just keeps smiling and helping the women up to dance on stage.

The crowd was incredibly responsive and friendly and more multicultural than I've experienced in past concerts; sitting around me were Portuguese, Moroccan Sephardic Jews, French, and a biker couple who've been following the GK for years. Almost got an 87-year old man to dance along with everyone else in the pit.

I won't tell you what the encore is; why they can't choose something ellllse........... like "Gitano Soy" for Pete's sake, it's the essence of what they're all about.

Los ninos are not with them, but they're in school! :)) I'm working on not being disappointed I won't see them sing in Chicago for the last concert of the tour.