A show from the 'trip' to Sacramento told en fancy

We're in Sacramento.

2:20pm

Road cases. Staging Area. Power Dumps. Greenroom. Daisy Chain. Sound Check. Dinner.

Show time.

I'm swelling into G minor on my keyboard, balancing my volume control while keeping an eye on my band mates and checking my pedal board for first song accuracy. Everything on? Tuner? Check. Compression? Check. Chorus? ...on but not too much here (I can use my toe to rotate some of the excess off the edge and I do--chorus overkill is a cheap way to emotionally involve the listener and you lose the quality of the notes--especially in a big theatre like Crest--things you learn along the way say wiser men than I).

While holding my G minor on the keyboard damper I engage my guitar to make sure it's "all systems go". I tap my tempo button into my Loop Master and engage a slight delay before I get to that C minor on the keys--almost time for my guitar--enter Pat and the first beautiful, unmistakable, breaking notes of guitar delerium. Okay, I can see the first row of people now...little dark heads and white-ish grinning faces seem to float against the haze and lasers like mushrooms en hydroponic smoke...

...Lou's bass starts its crescendo...pounding...pounding...bigger...

Eddie and Drums enter...Lights go up and I can see the theatre in full. I stare at the ceiling--big, blue heart shaped curves and white tracers take me back to "Alice and Wonderland" I saw the day before...we're in the song now...but the architecture and artistry of this theatre is what I would call: Cheescake Factory on chill acid...it's a beautiful moment of connection...

...I left for a second but I am back (I see happy faces in the audience)

I go back to G minor.

I smell popcorn; I smell pot; I can still taste the lovely lamb shawarma and hummus dinner I had from the cafe next door--I love Mediterranean food--my energy for the evening to battle the munchies monsters...Rich tells me Top Gun is on the tele..."you can be my wingman anytime..."

Okay...take a breath...

Mark enters with first vocal line...

"Shine on you crazy..." Back to keys...blazing saxophone solo regular time, double time and finishing into a molten pool of golden brass and chilled guitar notes wrapped in a body of strings like coiled serpents inching back into their homes...

..."Mother will always find out where you've been..." Mel gives it just enough gravel and edge to produce a nice plate effect off the back wall and the large room was filled with leagues of rippling vocal bliss.

First set is over. Sweaty. I step on my water bottle as I turn to leave stage left.

Greenroom. I buzz the control room over the crowd and contact the sound engineer upstairs:

Who wants what?!..."More acoustic guitars. Bring Sax up 5db in stage right monitor mix. More backing vocals from the ladies in Eddie's mix...and could you give him a little more kick, pretty please, thanks."

Second Set. Lights go down. I'm lost in "Wonderland" again. Space--Astronomy Domine. Ok!

Crunching guitar and I stack my chords from E minor to G to A and the chromatic descending pattern to finish into D major ascent...Pat takes first solo...Lasers in my eyes (Matt and Rich)...I moved too far out of my "playing area"...I can't see for a moment...

Select patch A106 organ on keyboard. I reduce volume to half. I throw my guitar around my shoulder and make my way to the lap steel. I lose the damper on the organ, grab the neck of my guitar wrapped around my right side and I step on my A/B box and engage the steel.

Engage delay, cut chorus, compression off and open the boost level here we go:

I push the neck of my guitar further down my right side and down my leg sliding the strap around my chest while keeping a firm grip on my pick and then snatch up the tone bar with my left hand to the 2nd swell of "Great Gig" on the lap steel...I look back at the screen and see stars and Sheri belting out the Dark Side Classic; the room is hers for a moment and all the instruments seem to float just for one beautiful second leaving behind the wetness and soulfulness of sweet voice in the upper vastness of the theatre heights...cheers...

Encore. Run Like Hell. I'm Comfortably Numb...we take our bow.

The alley behind the theatre? Slow down people, there's musicians back there!

Spring forward.