Logbook: Ali Zafar’s tour diary
By Ali Zafar
Sunday, 15 Nov, 2009 | 08:49 AM PST
Last time I was here in the US, George W. Bush was President. On landing this time, I experienced a much more pleasant airport security staff, so much so that one of the girls who I thought was checking me out as she was smiling and looking at me from head to toe from a distance was actually assigned to do just that. I realised I’m no Shah Rukh Khan so she wouldn’t take me to a separate room for “inspection”.
We kicked off the tour with a packed show of about 4,000 in Houston. I was having serious monitoring problems which kept worrying me that I might be off-key at some point since I couldn’t hear the chords or myself right, but then people seemed to be loving it.
Next was San Hoze (lemme check if I spelled it right), no it’s actually San Jose, the Bay area. This place is filled with educated engineers from all over the world including Pakistan and is called the Silicon Valley. Pamela Anderson (Baywatch) might own parts of it. After the show some local guys who became my friends took me to San Fransicso. The small houses and the streets look like a toy structure blown up. The town’s a beauty and so clean. The only thing dirty was what was paid to be so.
And then came breathtaking New York. What a city! I was there for almost a week and time flew by. I went a little crazy since it was the Halloween weekend. The most creatively done up costume was worn by a friend’s friend who was a six-foot tall model and wore a white straight wig and a black dress made out of a trash bag. She called the look “white trash” and I loved it.
I’ll need to sensor most parts of my trip and jump to watching The Lion King at Broadway. Every time I see something spectacular my heart sinks with the thought that all of this is what people are missing out in Pakistan, and notice the stark contrast between people’s lives here and back home. By the way, on the flight from Pakistan I listened to Shiraz Uppal’s new album. The only thing sweeter than the guy is his production.
I’m in Atlanta now and about to get ready for the show. From here I go off to Boston on November 8, followed by L.A. on the 14th and Dallas on the 15th. Nov 16 is going to be spent entirely in the guitar centre to collect some more stuff I have ordered for my studio, and also shopping for my wife. I miss her. If it wasn’t for my baby Taylor which I take to bed with me every night, I would’ve gone nuts!
P.S: Taylor T-5 customised is the one of the best guitars in the world and I bought it on this trip.
source: DAWN.COM | Images | Logbook: Ali Zafar?s tour diary
