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Had a gig last night, it went pretty well overall. Outdoor thing set up in the big parking lot out back, under a tent, perfect weather, the first band went from 1:00 to 4:30, then we were supposed to go 5:30 to 9:00. Well, that's wrong, because it takes more than an hour for one band to move all their stuff out and another to set up and be ready to play. At 5:30, however, we were surprisingly close to set up, thanks to a lot of coordination and many hands making light work, but once we got to checking the mikes, something was wrong. So we lost 20 minutes chasing down a bad cable, and that was after taking longer than I would've thought for two guitarists to get all their shit together. I thought the idea behind having all your pedals on a board and semi-permanently arranged was so that you can just plug in and play. I was the first one set up, and had keyboards, stand, pedals, amp, saxophone, and my own mike to deal with.
Anyway, we didn't start til nearly 6:30, so after the first set, one of the guitarists turns around and says "We should just keep going, since we started late". I was still pretty fresh, so I voted "Yea" and so did everyone else, so we went another set. Okay, at 8:15, I was
damned glad for that break. Somewhere in there, I got a cramp in my foot, since gigging and rehearsing are the longest I ever stand up non-stop these days, but I kept playing, and tried to make it look like I was striking dramatic rock poses while I was stretching out my left leg and foot. For anyone actually watching me, that is. One of the good things about being in the back corner is that no one ever sees me, and to be honest, I'm usually okay with that. Yeah, it would be nice to be seen once in a while, but mostly no one knows I'm even there. "Oh, your band has keyboards? Cool."
Proof: During the break, I went to get a Coke at the bar. The guy took his time (asshole), slowly wandered over and got a cup, poured it, and asked me if I was gonna run a tab or what. I told him I thought the band got drinks for free (which we do, word from the owner herself). He said "Oh, are you with the band?" You asshole, I just got done playing for nearly two hours, and I still have my saxophone strap around my neck. Also, you asked me the same thing last time I was here.
Anyway, this was our first time playing three full sets. John had it in his head that we needed to have 40 songs down before we started taking on full gigs, which meant that we nailed down two songs at our last rehearsal. There, we have 40 songs. But we only skipped two songs, skipped a break, and still went until 9:30. I guess around here, you play three longer sets. Back in the 80's, it was four sets of 45, sometimes five 40's, whatever. Now they want fewer breaks, so longer sets. Getting too old to Rock and Roll? Never!!
Topic: The Saga of Orbert's Band (now with A New Development) (Read 83212 times)
