. . . . Alright, well that might be a little bit more hype than I originally intended.
We survived though, (Spoiler alert!)
Honesty, last night was one of the best evening that we have ever had, at Bumper’s Landing. (or anywhere else)
We are supposed to be working, playing music and entertaining people. However, last night it seemed as though the people were entertaining us!
Let’s begin at the beginning, shall we.
Early as usual, Bumper’s Landing, (our destination) was hopping all ready. In fact, there were no parking spaces, and because of the way someone parked his truck, we couldn’t even unload our gear the way we usually do, through the patio gate.
On top of that, the clouds were rolling in and it looked as though we shouldn’t be playing outside in the first place, since if it cooled dramatically, everyone would run inside.
We were in a quandary all right, and after talking to the managers at Bumper’s, it was still unclear as to where we should set up: in or outside.
As it sometimes happens, divine intervention made the choice clear enough that even we could see it.
It was decided by committee that the best advice was to play inside to stave off the cold, but there were no parking spots anywhere to unload. And just as we went to the van to try and figure it our, a guy approached us seemingly from nowhere and asked if we could move our band so that he could move his truck.
That was the truck that was blocking our way. He moved it, and we decided to set up outside and take our chances on the Michigan weather.
We thought that if it got colder, we would move our gear inside to accommodate the people.
We took that as a sign and ran with it. We set up outside and had twenty people ask when we were going to be ready to play. Seemed as though they were hungry to be entertained all right.
It was Courtney’s birthday, and was evident that the celebration was going to be fun for everyone involved.
Brad was even in the house, front and center as we shot out the first song. Talk about up-tempo, we began the night with Kokomo, by the Beach Boys and really never looked back.
Courtney grabbed the Tamborine and started what was to be the first in a long line of amazing tambourine solos that evening.
When we talk about how people were at Bumper’s Landing, we are not just making that up. We see it week in and week out, first hand, up and personal. They love the place and enjoy coming back over and over again.
The weather seemed to cooperate and turn simply perfect right as the first set ended. The wind died and the temperature stetted into a a range where you could sit and listen and still feel comfortable, or even get out and dance the night away without getting too warm.
It was just that kind of a night.
With the patio full, the football game on in the Tiki everyone had something to enjoy. The drinks seemed to be working their magic on the happy crowd.
Since the first set was enjoyed by everyone, Carl and I thought that we were not going to back down at at all when we began to play again. We began with some Van Morrison and kicked it up from there. During our first break, we did have the chance to talk to lots of people and get several suggestions for music as well.
Courtney was really putting on a show at this point, but beginning to fade a bit as the sun started to set.
All good since another top-notch player took up the instrument seemingly right on queue.
Jody was now manning the Tamborine and looked like another natural musician, born to play the part. She even asked her husband if she could join the band. (I would imagine, that he said, no.)
The take-away from last night that I will probably remember always, was how happy everyone seemed to be. From the staff, to the customers and everyone in between, there was just an aura of contentment and enjoyment that we are not accustomed to seeing at some other venues.
Song after song was met with rabid enthusiasm as the night began to wind down. At that point, when it seemed as though the dancers needed a rest, we slipped in some slow numbers to give everyone a break.
They loved them too!
On a night when it could have taken a turn for the worse, the stars aligned, the weather cooperated and what might have been just another good night at Bumper’s Landing turned into one of the best we have very had in our five years there.
Our last set was a short one of just twenty five minutes, and alas, Jody was gone. Who was going to play the Tamborine? (you might be thinking)
No worries, another talented woman stepped right in to pick up the slack!
It was a very, very good night.
Loading our gear and heading home, Carl and I couldn’t stop smiling. This is why we have honed our craft for that last nearly fifty years; so that we could be right here, among the amazing staff, the smiling faces and the tambourines of the Gods!
Oh, and because of you!
Rb
