It was a bit chilly when we began at 6 PM… Roughly 60°, but stayed that way until we were done a little over an hour later. The cloudiness contributed to the chill. I played with my tuning slide all the way in, which seemed to work out just about right. (In contrast, my Easter gig was in direct sunlight, and I pulled my tuning slide way out, which was also just about right.)
I’m grateful for these five jobs, including both the camaraderie and the cash. The folks in the small town seem starved for live entertainment, were obviously delighted that we were there, and were out by the several hundreds. Mrs. bloke and I stopped for coffee on the way out of town, and a big round young lady - the type who calls everyone “Honey” and “Sugar” - told me that she had been planning to go, except that she found out that she was scheduled to work at that gas station tonight.
We had just a little bit of trouble hearing each other (auditory confusion caused by amplification), which was an add-on obstacle to the fact that we were sight-reading most of the stuff, but we actually did a fine job, and everyone was very appreciative. (When I was having trouble hearing, I assumed everyone else was as well, and did some big tuba-bell downbeats at numbered measures.)
Hey... When you’re mailed a fat envelope of tunes a week in advance, it’s technically not sight-reading, is it ? ...at least, it’s not supposed to be.
(The music director was there, was very happy with the performance, and assumed that we had rehearsed.)
