DAY 5: (Joe) Our last day in Fiji. Bula and Moce: Welcome and Goodbye. We’ve just had two very busy days and in a few hours, at 5:30 AM, we’re leaving Fiji for Papua New Guinea. We’ve had nothing but wonderful musical experiences in this beautiful country and I think this is the most welcoming place I’ve ever visited in my life.In Fiji, they have a tradition of welcoming guests with a log drum call.When we changed hotels this morning to spend our last day here, we got a sample of this ritual.After we were greeted by the drum call, Danny took a crack at the log drum.A few days ago when we met with the Conservatorium students, they sang the traditional “Farewell” song to us because it was our last session with them.
At the end of the song, I had tears in my eyes. I turned to Brian and he had tears in his eyes. A moment later I realized Danny had the same experience with this song. I met a New Zealander at our concert/jam session this evening and he related his story of first hearing the Fijian Farewell song. He had the same experience we did. None of us understand the Fijian language, yet this song touched us all in the same way. Well, farewell Fiji.I, for one, will miss this land of singers and guitarists…

DAY 4: (Danny) Last night we arrived at the Fiji Civic Center to find out that power in the building and most of the town had gone out because of a lightning strike on the power station. I walked into the darkened hall and down the aisles with the help of the crew’s flashlights. I soon realized that the seats were full of people, waiting patiently in the dark. I could barely find the way to my drums but after a few minutes, Shana helped me find my way back to the lobby area, to meet with the rest of the band.

The embassy would give it 30 more minutes for the power to come back on or else they would send everyone home. Johnny suggested that if the concert was to be canceled, we could just borrow an acoustic guitar, get Brian’s bass, I would grab my brushes and we could do a small acoustic set in the lobby. I went off to sit in the corner and warm up, when I heard some singing? I thought maybe the power had come back on but the lights were still out? I walked back into the hall and heard the most amazing thing: there was a choir from the local conservatory singing some spiritual songs and entertaining the audience as they sat in the dark. I saw Johnny and of course he was already recording them and basking in their grace. It was one of the most moving experiences, to sit in the dark and feel the light of their joyful sound. Very soon after they finished their last song, the power came back on and we were able to see the beautiful faces of the choir. It’s as if they sang the light and power back into the room as well as our hearts. We got on stage and played the first half of the show. The choir came up at intermission and did a 20-minute set for the crowd, loved (again) by everyone. We played the second half of our third show that night and we all agreed that this entire day was one of the greatest experiences we’d ever had!I was signing autographs until my hand was exhausted. Earlier, after the second show, we had been signing autographs for the high school kids and one young girl asked me to sign the back of her uniform with a magic marker, I said, “Your mom’s going to get mad” and she just laughed and said, “It’s worth it!” We met so many beautiful people and I am amazed at the heart, talent and soul of this country. We got back to the hotel and Liza, a great local singer who tours Southeast Asia and teaches at the conservatory, introduced us to the U.S. Ambassador to Fiji. We sat with him while he told us stories and suggested places to see.

Photo below: Johnny Rodgers Band with U.S. Ambassador for Fiji, Steven McGann, (4th from left) and Ambassador for Japan, Yutaka Yoshizawa (far right), with other Embassy officials.Liza told us about her Papua New Guinea years and what it was like to perform and live there. She comes from one of the 300 islands that make up Fiji. When she was a little girl, she would watch the sunset and think I’m bigger than this little island. There must be a greater world beyond. She wanted to be a star and sing around the world. We all agreed that when you’re in love with music, you just know it. It’s like someone hitting you with a bat – the same with the love of another person. You just know and it hits you like a ton of bricks. I’ve been in love with music since I was five-years-old and it has taught me how to love others. It’s an amazing grace!