It's been years since I've dragged myself out to see Todd and Nancy play. They have a new third member of the band, Kurt, who, coincidentally, also went to Marina, a year behind me. And the guy is good -- really good.
Anyway, Daleen and I sat and watched anonymously for a couple of songs before Nancy noticed me, and started saying that they'd have to have me up there in a while. I never know if that's "cool", for them to bring up other people, but apparently it is. On that chance, though, I brought my guitar, just in case.
It's strange that, the night before and almost every Saturday, I play for 4 hours and it never even occurs to me to be nervous about it anymore -- but Nancy even suggesting that I come up sent me into a cold sweat. Most of that was undoubtedly just unfamiliar circumstances, but part was also my still-not-fully-working voice, made a bit hoarse by the 4 hours of singing the night before. And the fact that my guitar is tuned down a half-step (so I can reach the "high notes"), and I was worried about Todd trying to play along when I'd be in a really odd key.
Luckily for both of us, he wanted to just go out and listen. I played "You've Got a Friend", quite badly. I was nervous, and my guitar sounded funny and distant through his system, and I'm not used to singing into a fixed mic on a stand (I have a "head mic"), so I was completely thrown. I kept thinking, "Who *is* this?", 'cuz I couldn't recognize my guitar, my distracted and bad playing, or my voice.
I tried to snap out of it and just play, and maybe had it partially together by the ending. I thought it was a total bomb, but I got a *huge* round of applause, surprising me a lot. They (the crowd and Todd) seemed to want me to play another one, so I chose "Leaving On a Jet Plane", because (a) it's really easy, (b) my arrangement is unique, and, I think, pretty cool, and (c) I get to put some spin on the vocal. Todd had reappeared, and I warned him not to try to play along ('cuz of the weird key and guitar arrangement), but to definitely sing harmony, which was really great. Amazing to think that the first time we harmonized together was 39 years ago...
That one went way better, and people seemed impressed. Nancy seemed to want me to do "Sweet Baby James" (so they could both sing harmonies), but two was enough, and we might get to it later on (though we didn't).
Of course, it takes me at least two songs just to get warmed and loosened up, but it's pretty cool to play for people who are actually there to hear music, as opposed to my usual gigs where I'm essentially an interruption. I'll definitely have to go back down there, when my voice is better, and sooner than a couple of years this time.
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