Our set's at 11:45.
Let you all know how it went :)
It was pretty good!
Long drive (for me) to Vegas from Los Angeles, but we got there the night before, rested up and I had a pretty-much 'on' day. It was my first time in front of a large outdoor crowd in 20 years or so, so my main concern was freezing up and getting the onstage jitters and forgetting everything. BUT, it was okay - it was more than okay. It was a shakedown gig for our group as well and so there were rough spots and some of the SHF (sh*t happens factor) sneaking in, but by the second or third song it was rolling along.
I did see my finger shaking though, through the first part of the first song, and I had to tell myself "Ease back, man" and took it down a notch. Then it was okay and I was enjoying myself. That's part of the rush though - the adrenalin - and...I'd pretty much forgotten how great it actually is.
Later on, after the set, back in the hotel room - no, actually it was Sunday, when we were driving back - I realized that that was the first time I'd played acoustic guitar as my main instrument for almost forever. I did a little Jerry's Kid's fishbowl thing back in '74 or so, but since then it's been electric guitars and basses. It got me to thinking that playing an acoustic on stage is like the acid-test for a guitarist - there's no effects, no 'sweet violin-like sustain' no massive distortion (which I love), and no jumping-around-grimacing stage antics - not even a piezo pickup. Real old school - 12-string in front of an SM58. Everything the audience hears IS YOU! lol
I'm glad I didn't think about that beforehand!
But sometimes, on a good day, you forget about all of that, and you're in your bedroom once just playing away. All those people out there are just...invited to listen - as my wife says - and you just have a good time and they'll catch the feeling of that. And I was flubbing notes here and there and started one song in the wrong key, but that fun part of things let it all just smooth out, and prevented me from freaking-the-f**k out - which dominoes until it gets to the point where you can't even remember the next chord.
As if was, it was a lot of fun, and a good proof to me that there isn't some kind of hidden "I haven't played live in years so I won't know how to handle it" sort of thing going around. I think it's also great to be reminded to take the music seriously, but not take myself so seriously, and that helped a lot too. Takes the pressure off, you know? Like...I don't have anything to prove to anybody, I know the songs, I know how and what to play, and so now, it's just the music and me, and if I have fun playing the music, the music will come out the way it's supposed to and the audience will pick up on it.
And...that's the whole thing right there!
Anyhow, take care all and have fun at your own gigs!
Best
Demo,
Sounds like you had fun that's cool.
By any chance did you run across a guy named Chris Tofield. He's a guitar player from Connecticut that moved out to Vegas a few months back to play at a club there.
He's an awesdome guitar player.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Yah, it was really fun. I thought I'd just be into recording for the rest of my life and never do a live gig again, but this showed me how great it is to be out there. Recording is still my main fun-time, but live...is live!
About Chris: no, I didn't get to check any of the local LV acts out - just the Hawaiian stuff that was at the actual festival. Does he play Hawaiian music?
He can play anything but I think he concentrates mostly on blues.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
