Tracy Chapman...in Lucca??

Last night I overcame my fear of going out alone at night and I went to see a concert in the Piazza Napoleono. Yes, Tracy Chapman is an American artist, but I really like her music and, in fact, in Italy, American music is more common than Italian music. No kidding. So, I arrived an hour early and quickly it became a packed house! I was surprised at how many hundreds of people came out for the event, considering that Lucca is relatively small.
I ended up sitting next to a middle-aged couple from Lucca (who happened to know a little bit of English) and a younger couple, probably in their mid-twenties. I began talking with the older couple and found out that the man owns a granite and marble company which contracts work out all over the world! When he asked where I was from and I responded (though I nearly said Canada..."Texas" is a dangerous bargain over here. haha!) he said that he had built a skyscraper in Dallas with his granite! Its such a small world.
The concert went really well and I ended up knowing more of her songs than I thought. What surprised me more than that was the fact that all of the Italians (most of whom do not know English) knew her songs! Its not uncommon for Italians to know the words to many American songs but not have any clue what they mean, and it never fails to bring a smile to my face when I see one of them singing. Tracy played my favorite of her songs "Change" and also others which I really like ("Fast Car", "Revolution", etc.)
The night was a success and I was glad I went out. I felt safe and I realized that, once again, Im capable of more than I gave myself credit for. I hope that my discoveries continue to follow this trend rather than its counterpart, and I have faith that they will.