One of the greatest rewards for learning to play and perform music is the love people have in the hearts for musicians. In our latest episode of Kevin Bales’ and my Music Life and Times podcast, Kevin tells a story about a concert he was to play in Warsaw, Poland, only to show up at the airport in Atlanta for his flight the morning before the concert to nd find out his passport had expired. The following day and a half spent trying to get to the job are a harrowing tale of persistence amidst chaos but most importantly of the kindness of strangers to a musician trying to live up to his commitment.
From airline employees to the passport office in Atlanta to the staff of the emergency passport office in Miami to the drivers who ferried Kevin back and forth from airport to Miami hotel and back again, people at every stage of what seemed an impossible mission went out of their way, even skirting the usual procedures that required delays of days instead of hours, to get him a new passport and on his flight the next day to Warsaw.
Now Kevin knew that he had erred in not getting his passport renewed on time, but he also was not going to give up trying to get to the gig. He was mortified about letting his fellow musicians down as well as the concert promoter. No matter what, you make the gig is the first rule of performing. No calling in sick, no last minute excuses. Be there or find another way to make a living.
“It was amazing that I made it to this gig,” Kevin says in the podcast, “but more importantly, how much people would do to help me. It was very clear that this was unusual, special treatment. Every move and every person was extraordinary. That’s what’s so amazing and so gratifying, how they all stepped out of their usual mode to find a way to help me get to this concert. As we have said so many times, it just shows how much people appreciate and value music in their lives.”
Be sure to check out Episode 85 of Music Life and Times. It’s a wonderful story.