We had the most amazing night. Although, a few hours earlier at sound check I was telling myself ...what the feck was I thinking?!?! To be both producer & performer...haven't I learned this lesson already...what, am I insane?
Sound check was a true nightmare for me as my usually great sounding jumbo Taylor guitar decided to make awful sounds (probably something wrong in my pickups)...so after replacing the battery for the second time (anyone with Baggs pickups out there knows that just changing the battery is a nightmare all by itself), I realized I couldn't use my guitar. ARGHH! Fortunately, one of the musicians offered me his but changing guitars at the last minute is NOT fun, especially when you are playing in 3 different tunings & need to play waaay up on the neck on a guitar that doesn't have a cutaway like I am used too. Plus I was having a difficult time getting this guitar to stay in tune (old strings?)...double arghh! There were some other technical sound glitches but to my ears everyone else sounded pretty good. I admit I did have a momentary thought of just forgetting my set & I really really understood why Joni stopped touring before someone gave her the VG8. (Okay, I can hear Paz saying, Kate! Get a VG8...I have been telling you! But I am too invested in the sound of the acoustic guitar to switch over now.) By the time sound check was over (thank goodness we started an hour earlier than planned just in case...haha), a whole lot of people started arriving (people in SB never arrive on time but tonight they did). I had hoped for a decent turn out as we got some press coverage (from the arts editor who was a Joni fan) & I had plastered the town with posters & flyers for weeks. To my enormous suprise the club owner came over & told me that the entire place was sold out! This rarely happens there except on weekends with a dance band. I hadn't even thought of reserving a table for myself but somehow they found an extra table for me & some of the musicians so we could get something to eat. (It was at this very point, starving, exhausted & waaay stressed out over my guitar & was pretty sure that I would be making a complete fool of myself in front of the entire town, plus in the audience was my friend & guitar player extraordinaire Seymour Duncan who had never heard me perform..would I remember all the words & chords & tunings to 3 songs I had only just recently learned & never played in public)- & OH MY GAWD the place was packed!!!!!!!!!! When 3 different people looked at me & suggested I have a half glass of wine (never do I do this before performing) I figured it was the right thing to do so I did. Plus my friend arrived just in time who is a massage therapist did a little work on my shoulders. Ahhhh...better...much better. When then my husband Jeff arrived (he decided not to try & learn a song for this show which as it turned out was very wise...I needed his support energy) he reminded me that a bad sound check meant the show would be a success because the bugs were worked out. I believed him & decided it would be an incredible evening. He was right & it was. The entire room plus a tented patio & another outside patio was jammed with tables, the back bar was jammed with standing room only & people ended up sitting on the floor in front of the stage. Over 200 people not counting musicians. Capacity crowd plus. Who are all these people?...many friends but there were a whole lot of folks I didn't know...Joni fans! She has soooo many! The energy was incredible. The audience sang along & even danced! They were enthralled & ecstatic. So many people came up to me after the show to tell me what huge fans of Joni they were, how incredible the show was, etc. Everyone of the musicians performed magnificently. I arranged the songs chronologically & as the performers got on & off the stage I talked or read a bit about Joni's history (thanks to jonimitchell.com!!!!) then the musicians would play a song from that album or time period. I started by saying today is Joni Mitchell's Birthday. The whole crowd cheered. OMG. What a supportive start! I told them about her recent Toronto hommage & that it was honoring artists as world leaders (as opposed to politicians). More cheers! Here is one very cool unplanned coincidence- I read the quote about Joni's English teacher telling her she could paint with words & that he was onstage with her at her recent hommage (there were audible audience wows at this comment...so sweet!). Then it dawned on me that the person I was about to introduce to start the show was my friend Donna who is a teacher. What an amazing transition! Here is the set list: Donna- Urge for Going, Chelsea Morning Tammy & Mark- Both Sides Now Joyce- accapella The Fiddle & the Drum Antara & Delilah- Conversation Craig & Kasey- This Flight Tonight, A Case of You Heather- The Same Situation, Free Man In Paris Jennifer- Blue, Rainy Night House, For Free Michael, Peter & Tom- Coyote Kate, Michael & Jack- Amelia, Night Ride Home Antara & Delilah- Cherokee Louise Michael, Peter, Tom, & Kate- Carey Finale- The Circle Game (Donna, Delilah, Heather, Peter on verses & everyone on chorus) Yes, we taped it. Haven't listened yet. Jeff has & says it turned out mostly good...only a few glitches...will get copies to the musicians & see if they are willing to let ya'll hear it & someone on the jmdl can tree it hopefully.... I am still on such a high from this...thanks for listening! ******************************************** Kate Bennett www.katebennett.com sponsored by Polysonics www.polysonics.com Discover the Indies at Taylor Guitars: http://www.taylorguitars.com/artists/awp/indies/bennett.html ********************************************
