I really don't think that most people realize what someone must go through to try and make a living as a musician. My guess is that most people think all we do is party and get up at 1PM the next day, etc.
Nothing could be farther from the truth...at least regarding us SERIOUS musicians.
But amidst all the stress, sacrifice, and long hours, every now and then there is that special gig that reminds you of why you do it all. Well, this past weekend I had the incredibly rare fortune of having 2..yes count them...2 very special gigs that were back to back and were nothing short of magical for me.
The first gig took place this past Friday night on march 27th, 2009. I performed in a concert with the great blues artist Gail Storm at the Dix Hills Performing Arts Center on Long Island, New York. What a concert that was! I always have fun playing with Gail, but this was on a whole other plain of reality!
The best part for me wasn't just how well we all played together and the fun the four of us had, but how so many people came up to me after the show and commented on how much they enjoyed our performance. That really made my night!
Then, the next night on Saturday, I had the pleasure of performing with rock n' soul artist Christina Gaudet at the Bitter End in New York City. Man, what a show!
Christina really pulled out all the stops and had her FULL 11 piece band. There is no question, based on the audience reaction and all the compliments I received afterwards that we rocked the house!
Those two gigs were something that I needed about now. Just a little reminder of why I go through all that I do. It's all about that incredible and inexplicable feeling that you get when a performance is beyond the norm and enters the realm of magical! It's receiving all the love, positive energy and adoration from an audience that is totally into you and what you're doing. And to think that I had the extreme fortune of experiencing that twice in one weekend! Usually, I think most of us musicians consider ourselves lucky if we experience that sort of thing even just once in a year!
Those two gigs were just what I REALLY needed about now...some musical healing!
