NEW ORLEANS – On the main stage.

But in the background.

Can you hear it?

It’s blended into the confusion.

A 23-year-old guy plays piano at the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport.

You can hear him every Tuesday and every Thursday, 9 am.

WGNO News with a Twist features guy Wild Bill Wood says this piano man plans for an hour and a half.

And he plays for free.

His name is Dalton Steiffel.

Dalton does get tips.

He’s a college kid who started playing around on his family piano when he was just six.

And now, you’d never know.  Dalton Steiffel never had a piano lesson in his life.  Dalton plays by ear.

And he plays for an audience of arrivals and departures.

You know an airport is an emotional kind of place.

Sometimes it’s happy.

Sometimes it’s sad.

Sometimes, it’s mad.

Dalton’s dream is to keep making music.

And as long as somebody, somewhere is listening.

It doesn’t matter to him where he comes in for a final landing.