Monday, August 19, 2024

Better Than Drugs...

Our band played a concert on the street yesterday at the Custer St Oasis, next to the fabulous La Prinicipal. All day we monitored the weather. Hour by hour it went from sunny, to cloudy, to rainy, to sunny, rainy and back again. It was exhausting. We had no idea if the show was on or off.  Hours of indecision & uncertainty. "The waiting is the hardest part." 

We lucked out. By 3 pm or so it was sunny & blue skies. Our string of bad luck, bad weather, and bad sound, was broken. We schlepped our own P.A. to a few doors down to the end the street and set up under a tent. We do know our own P.A. intimately. We fired up an old iPod and blasted The Beatles "Let it Be Naked," (2003) on those powered speakers. "Naked" is a much better mix and production than the original Phil Spector version. Anyway, I do believe conjuring up Beatles music helped bring a crowd. It all sounded glorious blasting in the hood.

Every time we do a show, we wonder, "Will anyone be there?" The answer was a resounding "YES!" A fabulous gathering of folks; good friends, devoted fans, lots of familiar faces, new faces too. Our band was in fine form. We all really, really wanted to have a great show, and everything just clicked. And the audience was with us for the ride. When it is good, and this time it was more than good, it is absolutely the greatest feeling in the world.

A dance party broke out. The street became a launcing pad for transcendence. We all felt it. Just a fabulous happening. It's amazing when it all clicks. You never know, you can't will it, you just prepare, do the work, be open to moment, really "have it," and then, if it does "happen," well, you ride it for all you are worth. 

Afterwards, good vibes, good cheer, deep satisfaction. Then there was the taking down, the packing up, the schlepping. It's all part of it too. "How was the show?!"  Better than drugs.