On a Saturday night at the Three Blind Mice Irish Pub, we had the good fortune of seeing a good friend of ours and his group. They stopped by to hear Carl and I entertain.
That fact in of itself is nothing special. What makes it noteworthy is that our friend, has been coming to see us play, since 1975!
Rick Simon, our wonderful friend first started hearing us play back in those early days of the seventies, when we were still in our very first band: Sanctuary. That’s a long, long time.
There are many great reasons why having friends attend your shows through the years. Among them: They know who you are. You can’t fool them with flash, lights or a song. They support you, regardless of how you might sound at that time. That says a lot. You can’t always be, “on”. They “measure” you. With them, you know where you began, and how far you have progressed. (and, in what direction).
There is also the part where you can spend some time, celebrating and sharing old stories and memories, long past. Every once and a while, even I enjoy that.
So Rick, his family and his friends came to see us at the mice this Saturday. And they didn’t just stop by for a moment or two: they stayed the entire night. Even better.
It was a real joy to be able to share some of the music memories that we have made over the last forty years. Some memories that only they know. Some memories that will live in infamy.
It was another night that benefited from the wonderful people that allowed us to share it with them.
We canvas the audience now, to give them a chance for us to to play their favorites. After all that is what we are there for.
The night began quickly as right form the very first song, the request started pouring in. Something we really enjoy as well; when the audience requests songs a bit our of the mainstream. The “B” side of certain artists, or obscure singers and songwriters that you might not of hear of. We really enjoy that. It’s like a challenge to Carl and I; to see if we can play a song from artists that don’t get much airplay or recognition.
Sometimes we even will do a medley of a certain artist. Kind of like a mini concert. Really enjoyable for us.
After addressing most if not all of the request and music heroes that needed to be heard, we played a few songs that we really enjoy. Artists like Steve Earl and Marty Robbins. Or Cat Stevens and Bob Marley. We probably enjoy a night like this, more than many.
Finally, our friend Rick requested song that we used to do at the end of the night, back in the seventies: Stealin’ by Uriah Heep.
It was a marvelous evening for everyone involved. The people were entertained, the staff was working hard and getting rewarded for it. And, Carl and I got to play some of our obscure favorites.
Win, win for everyone.
Some things get better with time; like forgotten memories. But, sometimes, for just an evening, we can share them again with those that matter most.
Rb
