- It was a beautiful day, in so many regards. I couldn't imagine a nicer day to play an outdoor concert, and Coronation Park is a lovely setting of lush green lawn surrounded by trees on three sides. Makes one wonder why the hell anyone would think they should turn the overhead stage lights on a poor dehydrated guitar player who breaks out in a sweat any time he puts eight pounds of electrified lumber around his neck, let alone at 7:00 on a hot summer night at the end of June. An hour of that before we performed, and I was positively loopy by the time we started playing. I have to remember to add water to the rider from now on. Luckily I'd remembered to bring extra shirts and a towel.
- Andy had just returned from Nova Scotia the night before, so once he and Trevor had arrived at the house, we hastily ran through the set as usual, and while I'd taken the time to gas up the two vehicles at my disposal, Andy had arrived with his van and offered it for our transportation needs, meaning we could all travel together. Now, if I'd only thought to fill the van's tank before leaving town, hindsight being 20/20 and all...
- We spent as little time as possible playing the live-action game of Tetris required by any band trying to load 2 truckloads of gear into a family-sized minivan.
- We were running behind, that much I'd planned for. Having to stop at two gas stations (for different reasons) on the way I hadn't considered. We were forced to skip a shopping trip to Long & McQuade, no doubt temporarily saving us a few thousand bucks. I'd allowed for an hour's set-up, and it was close; Trevor seemed to take forever setting up the drums, not that I minded, as I was fussing with my effects that had apparently been jostled during the drive, and trying to visit while I did so. Sadly, there was no time for a sound check.
- Thanks to the sound guys for loaning me a Phillips screwdriver and a power cord for my amp, as I later found the original cable on the studio floor at home.
- Having taken more than a week off, the new songs we'd been working on hadn't yet been added to the show, which left our set just the right length for the gig. I opted to play the acoustic numbers with my Strat Plus, saving the trouble of packing 3 guitars (I had the Spirit II XPL as a back-up electric). First time in years I'd done an entire show with one guitar. While things didn't necessarily go perfect (when do they?), the nice thing about playing songs that hardly anyone in the audience recognizes is that I have the freedom to screw up without worrying about it being obvious. Even the band thought that some of my errors were unplanned experiments. I'd accidentally hit the mute on my pedalboard at one point in Santa Ana, and when I mentioned it later, Andy commented, "I thought you were just trying something." At times, my guitar was feeding back almost uncontrollably, but that made it more interesting for me.
- I'm going to spend as little time as possible discussing the women who were attempting to toss undies at the stage, mostly because they were in my blind spot to the right of the speaker columns nearest me, so I missed the whole thing. Thanks for the thought, ladies, and also thanks for the thongs, and the bra, too. If there was enough fabric amongst the lot, I'd sew 'em all together and make myself a flimsy new guitar strap.
- Anyway, we were well received, not only musically but even my off-the-cuff attempts at wit, even though I'm sure that we weren't quite what most of the people in attendance were expecting. A loud, electric blues-based rock & roll power trio singing in English in the Francophone section of Winnipeg? I heard that a former musical aquaintance or two were in the crowd, although I didn't notice. Maybe it was the decent mix we got from the guys out front, or the fact that we actually seemed like rehearsed professionals playing undeniably original material that had people clapping along and cheering between songs. Thanks to Anne-Marie and her staff for booking us in and treating us so hospitably, and to the guys behind the board for going above & beyond the call of duty.
- We stayed around to see the act following us on the bill, Hank Horton and Wildwood Country, who congratulated us as we hurried off the stage, asking why we, the rock band, weren't going on after them. The musicianship that these guys possessed impressed us, and we chatted with them again before we drove off to the after-party at Hooters.
- Jason & the girls had arranged a couple of tables for us in the lounge, where a few of our newest Winnipeg fans were already waiting. Beer and chicken wings were served, and we handed out t-shirts and souvenirs before leaving for the after-after-party at a friend's place, then hit the road for home. The only complaint we received was that the t-shirts aren't low-cut enough for the current female fashion. Back to the drawing board...
- The trip homeward was uneventful, until we arrived and were followed by the local constabulary until we reached Trevor's initial destination. They disappeared without incident, but we saw them again when we dropped Trev off at his new home downtown. Who'd have thought that there might be a skirmish of some sort following the local bar closing for the evening on a hot summer night?
- We arrived at Pandemonium to unpack, and settle in for some late night talk shows on TV. Eventually I threw in That Thing You Do! and crashed after its conclusion.
- Now all I have to do is rearrange everything studio-wise back to its original position, and it'll be back to recording. Our original repertoire is about to double, and the new promotional items are already being asked for.
- And it's already been asked by some as to when we'll be playing in Winnipeg again. I'm not rushing, and I won't be letting out any secrets until it's time for them to be shared, but it won't be long before we're back on the Trans-Canada heading East.
"the Blue Devil"
