First Gig Post Tx

Good luck with your first gig.  What a milestone!  There are lots of unknowns in our future.  Judging from your extraordinarily helpful and insightful posts here, I am sure you will cope and adapt to your new future successfully and with a great attitude.

m

so hooray on this....your first step back out in the public music world.  Don't go jumping into the future...."out there" is always a fearful place, and putting ourselves there before we get there has us worrying and fretting about something that may not even happen.  So many times, what we see as the worst possible thing at the moment, turns into something we couldn't have even dreamed up to be so good when it actually comes to pass.

p 

wolfen said:

My Second "Son"

Please know that you make beautiful music for all of our hearts, no matter what manner you use to express it. Best of luck in this gig and all your future ones.

Luv,

Wolfen

Rock it out and love every minute of it T. 

So glad you are doing well 

Sandy

Thanks for the update. I am sure it will be a joyous day for all, including you. Cancer is a life changing condition and it takes time to wrap your head around all changes in the ways and paths and options going forward. Some paths may narrow while others may open up or widen for you. Do enjoy living and you will find happiness and contentment. don

ya see the light was't a train

Great news "T". My guess is that this will beat playing a "harp" at a different venue! All the best with your new beginning, josh r.

Nice to know that you are feeling strong enough to play for a wedding, "T".   An instrumental wedding performance sounds beautiful and your music selections are very special indeed.  It must be really difficult to have to wait so long for healing when you want to sing right now.  Your voice may not be the same as before tx but your positive attitude will help you find a way to adapt and sing again after your throat tissues heal.  Consider that some of the least melodious singers have styles that bring enjoyment to their fans and their unique voices have made them famous.  Joe Cocker and Bob Dylan are two examples.  I love listening to someone who sings in a deep growl and draws an audience in with personality and warmth.  You will find your voice and sing again because you have talent and the music inside of you needs to be heard and shared.  Believe.

You are truely an inspiration of strong will and determination to get back into life !  I truely do understand the feelings you and many other's are facing head on with these issues.  But T you're doing what you love !  What a treasure we have in you !  It sounds like things went really good and you  brought joy to a young couple and made their day grand !  Hugs sent !  Katie

Happy to see your back at it. Sorry I was on the web site prior to wish you luck but sounds as though you didn't that wish. Maybe you need a roady for a while. I turned down a truck driviing job for Bon Jovi back in the late 80's but I did install a wall unit in Rich's house a year or so later. Come to think about it I was young then. Anyway as everyone said, one step at a time. PT should bring back the shoulder in no time and the voice won't be to far behind.

Take care.........I'm happy to see your progressing

      Jeff

fishmanpa said:

Wow.... I'm tired!

Hi folks,

All in all it was a successful gig. There was a chance of rain and the decision was made at the last minute to hold the wedding outdoors. The rain held off! They had a 10'x10' canopy for us which kept us in the shade. The rest of the guests and bridal party had to tough it out but it was "partly cloudy" which kept it cool enough for the most part and at 3500' up it's typically 10* cooler than it is in the Valley.

The wedding was very nice. They were a lovely couple. I felt old as they were so young!... early 20's at best. I just wish they would have had a wedding coordinator to tell everyone what to do. The bridesmaids and ushers practically ran up the aisle as did the bride with her dad ~lol~ We had to shorten the arrangements dramatically! After the "I Do's" we played for about 10 more minutes going through the songs we rehearsed. We received many compliments.

Now... how did I do? Playing wise was not an issue. When you've been doing this as long as I have, it's like riding a bike. The young lady who played violin with me did a wonderful job. She's a talented musician and very easy to work with. From the physical aspect it was a struggle for me. While my shoulder was painful and weak, I was able to get myself in position to play with proper technique. However, I'm so incredibly weak! I carried a speaker down to the area and was totally winded. During the ceremony my upper back muscles started to sing with pain. Fortunately, we got a maintenance guy to carry the speaker and amp back to my truck. By the time we were don and packed I was totally exhausted! The reality is as I expected. Besides the vocal aspect, I'm in no way close physically to being able to perform a normal show (90 minutes). Maybe by the end of September I can give it a shot. The peak season is late September until the end of October during the Fall and the changing of the leaves. People from all over the world visit the Park, especially for the Fall. The manager that books me gives me prime nights as I do quite well there. Pay wise it's Ok but it's the tips that make it worthwhile. There are tip jars set up for the entertainers and all it takes is a few well placed "hints" and I end up going home very well compensated (I miss that extra $$ believe me!). 

The best part about today was seeing some of the employees and managers. I was greeted very warmly and it made my day being told I was missed all season. They all were asking how I was doing and all noticed the 60lb weight loss. The manager that handles the entertainment said to just let her know and I'm back in the rotation. I perform in several locations here in the Valley but by far, playing the Park is my favorite. It's like home for me. If I had to pare down the places I work, I would drop most of them and just play there. It's one of the few places where I truly get to "perform". What could be better than doing what I love the most in one of the most beautiful places on Earth? Being a tourist destination, I typically have an audience of 60-100+ in the lounge and they're there to listen. The crew there set me up well with dimming the lights and setting the mood. There are many times you can hear a pin drop during my performance and the graciousness of the crowd never ceases to humble and amaze me. 

Today was definitely a reality check and while I'm doing well for 10 weeks post Tx, it's obvious I have a very long way to go. All I can do is hope and pray that I re-gain my voice and stamina. Thank you all for your kind words and support. It means a lot to me.

"T"

your first gig went very well!  Congrats, as that is a HUGE accomplishment!!!  I pray that you get your singing voice completely back and that there are many, many more gigs in your future!