Hillock　Canada Diary　No.37e

『Something Lucky will come to me in this year!』

I came back to Mont-St-Hilaire on 7th February from Japan, and then I suffered from gastroenteritis for two weeks. I couldn’t miss this legendary concert of Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood (from the band Blind face since long time ago), which was on the 25th Feb in New York, so I decided to go last minute. The regular tickets were sold out so I had to buy the tickets from the ticket out. I was very worried as I could get only the tickets 4 hours before the concert. Also, what was even stranger was the fact that I had to meet someone at a restaurant in order to get the tickets. In the end, I was relieved that I got the tickets. Having read the autobiography of Clapton, I wanted to visit the place where Clapton has been in New York. I arrived New York on 24th. As I was interested in his favorite food, I went to a restaurant located on 54th street which is one of the Clapton’s favorite. During dinner, I saw Doyle Bramhall �U, one of Clapton’s guitarists, known for his powerful performances. I was very excited and wanted to go meet him, however no one in the restaurant seemed to notice him so I stayed quiet. I thought I saw Clapton walk into the restaurant. The man was wearing a hunting cap similar to Clapton’s, however his back looked smaller and I wouldn’t expect to see him here. But you never know. So I decided to look around the restaurant to check if he was Clapton or not.

And I saw Clapton in white T-shirt chatting with Doyle and another man. A waiter asked me if I was looking for a bathroom and I asked “Is that Mr. Clapton?” He said, “Yes!” I asked “May I go closer to him?” The waiter answered “Yes, you can go and say hello to him!” I was very nervous as I have been a devoted fan of his since I was a teenager, and I love his interpretation of music which is very similar to me. I made my mind up to go and say hello. As I approached him, I didn’t know what to say, so I just said that I came from Japan for the concert tomorrow. I gave him my hand to shake. Then I said to him “Congratulation!” joining my palms together. Maybe it because he is said “Clapton id God” He really is hero for me. For a while my right hand was numb and I was very happy. My dream has come true. In the end, everything went well. I got my tickets, met Eric Clapton and to top it off, the concert was amazing. This whole trip makes me feel like this is a lucky year for me.

Hillock March. 1 2008

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