Jon Schmidt and the most amazing concert of my life!

So... Jon Schmidt is awesome. He has been an inspiration for me for years, ever since I heard his song "Waterfall." I fell in love, learned it, and have been a disciple ever since. I've attended several of his concerts (3), and so was excited by the opportunity to go once more last Friday. I think I was the first person to buy a ticket...
Anyway, from experience I knew that he usually invites a member of the audience to come up and improvise blues with him during the course of every concert. I have always wanted to be that person, but have never met the criteria. By his own declaration, the person must (1) never have met Jon or played with him; (2) be able to ham it up the entire time; and (3) be able to call out the notes in the blues scale in the key of C. Each time, while I have been fairly confident of meeting the first two requirements, I have never been able to fulfill the third.
With Friday approaching, I knew I wanted to be 'the one,' but I was still unsure of my competency as I did not know the blues scale. Finally, on Friday afternoon, I made up my mind to learn it, on the off-chance that I would have the guts to actually stand up. A friend in choir enlightened me and I spent a good half-hour practicing improvising blues in different keys. After that, I was compelled to return to my dorm and do homework... though I tried to make up time by listening to various styles of blues while I worked.
At long last, it was time to get ready for the concert. I redid my hair and even shaved... though I still hadn't made up my mind. It was preeminent in my thoughts, but I hadn't made a decision. Just as I was about to walk out of my room, the thought came to my head- "Why not me?" Strange as it might sound, it hit pretty profoundly. I realized that, at this point, the only thing holding me back was my own insecurities. I had nothing to lose; even if I tried and wasn't picked, I would end up in the same boat as if I hadn't tried at all, so why not? I resolved to go for it...
With this happy thought in mind, I stopped by the piano lounge and played one last blues scale before going to meet up with friends. We got in line, found seats, and then enjoyed the most fantastic concert I have ever seen.
Enough about me for a moment- this concert was phenomenal. Jon Schmidt was accompanied by his cellist, Steven Nelson, who is incredible, hands down. They played numerous songs together, some songs separate, and cracked enough jokes to make it feel like a comedy show. My personal favorite was the example of various 'Christmas shows' that Steve had performed in various countries. He explained how in each country, our traditional carols, in this case, "Bring a Torch Jeannette Isabelle," were adapted with local flavor. He demonstrated Germany's, "Bring a Torch Helga," to a lively polka beat; Russia's "Bring a Torch Olga in full-on angry, minor, classical style; Jamaica's "Bring a Torch Man;" China's "Bring a Torch Yao" in pentatonic harmonies; and India's "Bring a Torch Khalid." I was rolling with laughter...
But back to my story. After all, this is my blog, and is therefore self-centered by definition. So... I had actually almost given up hope for the chance to go up, as the concert had been going on for almost two hours and there was still so much they had to offer. But then, with fifteen minutes left, Jon stood up and announced, "Now there is something I like to do in every concert; a tradition of sorts..." My heart pounded; my pulse raced. As he spoke, numerous people started to move, and my stomach sank a little... so much competition. However, as he listed off the criteria, the crowd stilled. We noticed one of our choir friends turn and mouth the words, "I don't know the blues scale!" Jon stated, "If you know the scale, just call it out and come up!"
Using my best stage voice, I jumped in head first. "C! Eb! F! F#! G! Bb! C!" Another friend from choir misheard me and called out, "Wrong!" I stood in horror, but Jon said, "Hey, that should work... come on up!"
The rest, as they say, is history. I marched right up, scarcely believing my luck. I stood next to one of my idols, shook his hand, and introduced myself to the audience. I played the scale just once to again demonstrate that I knew it, then Jon laid down a base line and I took off improvising with everything I had. I'll admit, at first my hands were shaking... but by the time he told me to stand up and play, then jump and play, they steadied right out. It was amazing...
In retrospect, I know it wasn't the best blues improv ever; I have no training. But Jon Schmidt has this amazing talent of making everything sound great, whether it's some kid's improvisation or playing with your forearms and head. It was so cool. One of the best nights of my life, not even joking.
We finished amidst roaring applause, and I returned to my seat. Jon played just a couple more songs, then they ended for the night. Sydney and I waited around for an hour to meet them afterwords, and they readily signed my book of piano music. Jon was even kind enough to write, "Thanks for making the show!" Seriously, coolest guy ever.
And that, dear readers, is the tale of Jon Schmidt and the most amazing concert of my life.