Hot Air Balloon is a rock opera

Rock opera

A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...

 written in 1998 by Jon Gutwillig

Jon Gutwillig

Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig, Born April 1, 1974 in Basking Ridge, NJ, is the founder and guitarist for the trance fusion jam band The Disco Biscuits. Since his part in founding the biscuits in 1995, Jon and bassist Marc Brownstein mostly share songwriting duties. Jon penned the rock opera Hot Air...

, guitarist and founding member of The Disco Biscuits, a Philadelphia based trance fusion jam band

Jam band

-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...

.

Performance History

Hot Air Balloon was first performed on December 31, 1998 at the Silk City Lounge in Philadelphia. The debut was unannounced and fans attending the show were given a pamphlet containing accompanying stories for each of the songs.

The opera has been performed in its entirety eight times.phantasytour.com includes two complete, but interrupted performances in their total count.

• December 31, 1998 at Silk City Lounge, Philadelphia, PA

• January 24, 1999 at Center for the Arts, Natick, MA

• March 4, 1999 at The Tractor, Seattle, WA

• May 11, 1999 at The Blue Terrapin, Elizabethtown
  Elizabethtown
  -Places:Elizabethtown is the name of several places in the United States:*Elizabethtown, California*Elizabethtown, Illinois*Elizabethtown, Indiana*Elizabethtown, Kentucky*Elizabethtown, New York*Elizabethtown, New Mexico*Elizabethtown, North Carolina...
  
  , PA

• June 12, 1999 at The Music Farm, Charleston
  Charleston, South Carolina
  Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
  
  , SC

• October 23, 1999 at Ziggy's, Winston-Salem, NC

• January 17, 2004 at the Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

• October 31, 2007 at the Orpheum Theater, Boston
  Boston
  Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
  
  , MA

Corrinado

An unemployed wayward inventor who bounced aimlessly from idea to idea, until he invented the world's first aircraft, the hot air balloon. He was convinced by Morris Mulberry that the idea could be profitable and that the two of them should start a service shuttling people across the sea in hot air balloons. The business, called Hot Air Balloon Traveling, became successful and attracted the attention of Manilla Trane, the entrepreneur whose capital ran much of the town. Corrinado refused to sell Hot Air Balloon Traveling, and even worse, kindles a romance with Manilla's beautiful wife, Leora of the Sequoias. Manilla forcibly overtook the business and had Corrinado arrested and sentenced for building "the devil's flying machine."

Leora of the Sequioas

The young trophy wife of Manilla Trane, known throughout town as a terrific chef. She earned her nickname because of her height as well as the size of her hair, which, according to the townspeople, looked as if were held up by branches. Lack of attention from her husband turned her into an insomniac, and she was often seen late at night staring out the window of the high tower of Manilla's fortress.

Manilla Trane

Extraordinarily wealthy entrepreneur whose riches allows him to control the entire town. As a young man, he began to amass his fortune by peddling weapons. He possesses a small army of extremely loyal men who will do his every whim. An avid arts collector, he married Leora of the Sequoias on the steps of his brand new museum. He is known as an extremely demanding and unforgiving tyrant.

Morris Mulberry

A somewhat conniving, albeit benevolent, street hustler. He convinced Corrinado that the two of them could start a highly successful business by using Corrinado¹s hot air balloon invention to shuttle people across the sea. He mysteriously vanished one month after Hot Air Balloon Travelling was destroyed and Corrinado was arrested.

Diamond Riggs

A well known loan-shark and old street friend of Morris Mulberry. He put up the initial capital to start Hot Air Ballon Traveling. A very aloof individual who, according to town rumor, possessed the prototype hot air balloon, which he was given as collateral for his initial investment.

SCENE I - The Overture

High noon - townsfolk fill the center square for lunch. There is much commotion. Horse-drawn carriages line the outer streets. Merchants are yelling their pitches into the crowd. Street performers are miming and dancing in front of onlookers. The echoing sound of the street charmer's horn can be heard ricocheting off of the buildings.

SCENE II - Once The Fiddler Paid

Corrinado sits alone in his prison cell, staring out the tiny barred window, over the jagged cliffs, and out to the sea beyond. The noon sun is high, the sky is clear and a comfortable summer wind blows through his cell. He thinks about Leora, his lost loved one, and he is plagued by the haunting vision of his fate.

Summer Sunny day, once the wind blew warm

and the light circled round the sun I saw like a crown

you could feel it in the air, like a not so distant storm

and the silent pause in the wind it seemed

left a magical sound

But now she's gone & I vowed to miss her

days that we spent starry eyed run deep within my soul

& now she's gone & I can't dismiss her

nor can I forget the man who sent me down below

Summer sunny day, once the wind blew cold

and the world had seen a better day all around

my life was ripped away, my business torn & sold

and I found myself in this cell I live

with a clamouring sound

But now she's gone & I vowed to miss her

days that we spent starry eyed run deep within my soul

& now she's gone & I can't dismiss her

nor can I forget the man who sent me down below

Summer sunny day, once the wind blew thorns

and the world had seen a better day all around

you could feel it in the air, like a not so distant storm

and the days once lost but still recalled can be found

Once the fiddler paid, but once was not enough

was all who cornered his misfortune yelled

the fiddler took the blame, the crowd had called his bluff

when all was lost the verdict came to the silence of the crowd

But now she's gone & I vowed to miss her

days that we spent starry eyed run deep within my soul

& now she's gone & I can't dismiss her

nor can I forget the man who sent me down below

SCENE III - The Very Moon

The scene moves to Manilla's estate, before the arrest of Corrinado. We catch a glimpse of the relationship between Manilla and Leora. Manilla has reaped the rewards of many successful business enterprises. He works too hard to pay attention to his wife Leora, needing her only as a chef. Manilla invites Corrinado and Mulberry over for dinner in order to discuss the propositon of buying Hot Air Balloon Traveling. Corrinado and Mulberry are not willing to part with the business. As the scene ends, it becomes clear that Corrinado and Leora are enamored with one another, leaving Leora wondering whether Corrinado is the man to fly her far, far away.

Manilla, a crude machine, had taken his fair share

He gobbled up the world he owned as petals paved his stairs

Manilla thanked the very moon for money and his life

He triffled nothing miniscule including one, his wife

Leora, his arranged wife, did not need his greed

She asked that stars, the very moon, to one day cross the sea

Manilla gazed an empty stare nothing there could grow

She cherished dreams of flying high and leaving him below



Leora stands on her head

Doin' the two step on her hands

As her eyes move round the room

To catch someone watching

Leora stands on her head

Doin' the two step on her hands

Underneath the very moon each one was watching



Manilla wanted worldly things and everything he'd have

He built castles, moats, battleships and troops in iron clad

Manilla heard Mulberry's name under the very moon

His troops went running the next day to find the air balloon.

Leora, his arranged wife, cooked the men a feast

And cleaned herself up solemnly before she faced the beast

That night she asked the very moon was this her fate to be

At lunch she met the flying man whose airships crossed the sea



Leora stands on her head

Doin' the two step on her hands

As her eyes move round the room

To catch someone watching

Leora stands on her head

Doin' the two step on her hands

Underneath the very moon each one was watching

SCENE IV - Voices Insane

The scene shifts back to Corrinado's jail cell, the night before he is to be burned at the stake. Starved and beaten, he has given in to the demons which are living in his mind. He knows that there is little chance to escape his fate, yet he dares the audience to condemn him for what he has done. Half-crazy, he sits alone in his cell dreaming of Leora, laughing aloud at the world which had condemned him.



I admit it, I was guilty

But don't you believe it, that I was wrong

I never accepted my relocation

& I'm looking out past them four hours til dawn



I've dreamed of this day since they locked away the key

A prisoner in chains will not make a madman of me

These voices insane are telling me tales from the stars

So I call on the reigns of forces drawn in from afar



The walls have deceived me

I imagined this all on my own

These spirits around me, clouds of dust looking for a new home

When they tap on my shoulder, tell me I got what I deserve

I wave my arms & destroy them

Cause on this day they will eat all their words



I've dreamed of this day since they locked away the key

A prisoner in chains will not make a madman of me

These voices insane are telling me tales from the stars

So I call on the reigns of forces drawn in from afar



I can stop all the voices

and bang on the walls with my fists

But my only chance left

is the one I'd never dismiss

I hear the world through the echos

A song of life through the noise in the crowd

In this cell I've known plainly

That what I want is what is not allowed.



I've dreamed of this day since they locked away the key

A prisoner in chains will not make a madman of me

These voices insane are telling me tales from the stars

So I call on the reigns of forces drawn in from afar

SCENE V - Eulogy

The prison guards come to take Corrinado away to be executed. He walks defiantly through the crowd as they taunt and jeer at him. He remains calm and seems completely unmoved. His gaze is fixed on the sky.



There's more to the world than what I've seen

There's more to my life than my eulogy

and if I ask my maker for one more day

When all of my chances are slipping away



I hear the bells and I see the clouds

All of the people out thinking aloud

All of the whispers and laughter and calls

People out frantic in search of it all



There's one in a million I'd be here today

There's one in a million that I get to stay

And if I ask my maker to see me through

When it seems there's nothing more that I can do



There's more who will live when gone are my days

and the sands waiting last to be swept away

but I still have time to look to the sky

and search through the clouds for some kind of sign



Bring on the lightning in bolts like a train

Let loose the screams of a mad hurricane

Bring down the water in buckets and all

Shake up the earth where all here will fall



But nothing, no splash, no flash and no sound

all that is left is my feet on the ground

Now I remember that life was a ball

When I was the person in search of it all



There's one in a million I'd be hear today

There's one in a million that I get to stay

And if I ask my maker to see me through

When it seems there's nothing more that I can do

SCENE I - Bazaar Escape

Corrinado is strapped to a pole in the center of town. Manilla's troops are preparing the fire. Leora has arranged for his feet to be left untied. At the last moment, he pulls on his ropes with all his might, tearing himself free. He charges into the town bazaar as Manilla's troops pursue. His only chance of escaping is to make for the cliffs and jump into the sea. With a hoard of troops on his heels, he swan dives off the cliff into the sea far below.

Corrinado slipped the chopping block

The onlookers in fear & shock

He bolted swiftly through the crowd

The women yelled & screamed aloud

Manilla's words rang through the air

"Kill that man or all Beware!"

Corrinado tookoff all for bust

Gone behind a cloud of dust



Passed on tragedy Corrinado moves with ease

Eluding all authority with his own agility

Ducks down an alley to the center square bazaar

Soldiers yell, soldiers scream, don't let him get too far.



Corrinado hides down an alley

As Manilla's troops begin to rally

He lays behind the street snake charmer

and slips out of his prison pajamas



The Matador, the bull can run

Corrinado sidestepped everyone

Takesoff towards the end of town

Drawing troops from all around

He knows he's got but one way out

His only route without a doubt

be fastest to the mighty cliffs

and jump for his own benefit



Passed on tragedy Corrinado moves with ease

Eluding all authority with his own agility

Ducks down an alley to the center square bazaar

Soldiers yell, soldiers scream, don't let him get too far.



Carooning down the mountain top

A bouncing rock no will can stop

Their chasing our strong hero down

Who dodges trees with swift abounds

He spins the air like a carousel

While dodging shots adeptly till

His steps no longer make a sound

His feet are well above the ground

SCENE II - Mulberry's Dream

Corrinado swims through the sea, his only chance of survival is to make it to the island; hoping that Morris Mulberry will be waiting with the prototype hot air balloon, the only one left undestroyed by Manilla. As he swims, he gets delirious from pure physical exhaustion. He thinks back to his friend Mulberry and the beginning of Hot Air Balloon Traveling when Mulberry persuaded him to use his invention to start a successful business.

I first caught the sun at noon today

To get another 24 hours

I lept & broke my bedframe

Which the termites have devoured

I lived a life in shambles

With one idea left to scheme

But if I ever built it

then what would I have left to dream?



Mulberry's Dream was talkin to me,

as we kickin' with time.

Burnin' in the sun on the side of the street,

we gotta be out of our minds.

Life, he said, is all about style,

and my flying machine.

And we'll take the people cross miracle miles,

and I believed him



I walked down to the corner

To fetch myself some dollars

I left later that afternoon

When the streets began to hollar

and there I saw O'Farrell

The old street corner pantomime

and I simply could not shake him

till old Mulberry came just in time



Mulberry's Dream was talkin to me,

as we kickin' our time.

Burnin' in the sun on the side of the street,

we gotta be out of our minds.

Life, he said, is all about style,

and my flying machine.

And we'll take the people cross miracle miles,

and I believed him

SCENE III - Above The Waves

Mulberry stands alone on the island with the hot air balloon engine burning. He waits all night in hopes that Corrinado will make it. Eventually, he starts to despair, realizing that even if Corinado managed to escape his execution, there is no way that he could make the long swim across the ocean. He gives up all hope of Corrinado's survival, puts out the balloon engine, and sits there in the darkness. Out of the darkness, he hears someone shouting his name in a faint voice. He looks out but still he sees nothing. He thinks that his mind is playing tricks on him, and decides that it is time to move on and start his life anew. He is about to leave when Corrinado's soaking wet figure emerges from the darkness.

Above the waves, Going under



Corrinado swam like hell on fire

With jelly arms and beaten bones

He rode the crest, he broke the waves

Trying to get a breath of air for all that he had left to save



Mulberry let the engines burn

The airship lifting off the ground

He watched the sea, could not believe

That he thought Corrinado could be free, his life was now in vain

All was left one chance to fly away

He spun, he heard a gasping sound

But he did not see his friend



After the sun and light were gone

Before he found himself at home

Corrinado swam, fought the waves

Remembering when, a myriad of falls, behind another day

All was left one chance to fly away

just beyond his reach the plan

To reunite them once again



Caught in the waves as the wind whipped on

and the sand sat calmly miles below

He had to swim, to take the day

Hoping to see Mulberry when he crawled to reach his getaway

All was left one chance to fly away

Just beyond his reach the plan

To reunite them once again

SCENE IV - Hot Air Balloon

Corrinado embraces Mulberry. He stares in awe at the hot air balloon. The fantastic pipe dream that had become his greatest joy had also led to his persecution. He starts up the engine and takes off, flying over the sea to rescue his beloved Leora. Leora waits lying by the sea on the beach. She frets about whether or not Corrinado has survived As dawn approaches, she sees a speck on the horizon. Corrinado has arrived. He sets his balloon down on the shore. Leora climbs in with him. They take off together, never to be seen by anyone again, flying off into the sunrise.

In the light of the moon, too soon

In a hot air balloon, he crossed the sea

Once an airship tycoon, turned bafoon

Leaving his home marooned, attempted to flee

the life he's begun



In the blink of an eye, he spies

The shore where he's fantasized, his baby to be

Turns his gaze to the skies, he cries

Just give me one more try, to chase down my dream

before I am done



Unsure from the day, she prays

Hoping their getaway, will still come to be

Watching stars ricochet, she strays

Beyond the alleyway, where no one can see

not anyone



In the blink of an eye, she spies

The spot in the foggy skies, she's been longing to see

Camouflaged by the tides, she hides

Where the water and wind collide, she's soon to be free

from what she's begun



In a hot air balloon

Corrinado flies over the sea

for Leora today



And in one day

He went from his cell to the sky

at his last chance to fly