Tonefiend Forum

Anyone feel like sharing their best gig experiences? Those magical nights when you play up to your full potential?
I've had a handfull of gigs where I played beyond what I thought I was capable of. I'd like to share with you one of those evenings, which happened back in '02.
I'd been touring with a blues band six months of the year. One of our regular stops was a bowling alley in Great Falls, Montana. The proprietor of the venue (Murph of Murphy's Bowling Center) was a Hammond player. Craving some distraction in his life, he loaded his Hammond, his Leslie, his dog (a manic blue heeler) and myself into his '69 Econoline and hit the road with the band. I was enjoying having a chance to get away from the boys in the band for a few travel days. After a gig in St. Joseph, Minnesota, we had to load the vans and go. Unfortunately the touring van with the rest of the band broke down, so Murph and I headed up the highway towards Chicago. After eighteen hours of driving we reached the edges of Chi-town just in time for morning rush hour and for Murph's diabetes to kick in as he was driving in the worst traffic jam of his life. I managed to keep him focused and guided him into town, where we got into our hotel and arranged for his dog. We then crashed down for about three hours sleep before we had to get to the club (Buddy Guy's Legends) for sound check and dinner.
It was a hot and humid June night. I was exhausted (and a bit hungover). And for whatever reason I managed to play better than I ever had in my life. After the first set I'd soaked through both the over and undershirt and had eight inch rings of sweat around my knees. I simply couldn't find a bad note that night. I would be seven choruses into a slow blues solo and still building, which attracted the odd stressed look from the band leader, but by the end of the night I'd received four standing ovations in, arguably the most prestigious blues club in America. Not bad for a small-town Canadian redneck!

I played my first gig in 6 years in late March 2012. I had not played out since my back surgery in 2006. This gig was with "The Dits" a european style free improv trio and we had a small but very enthusiastic crowd. I had folk to carry all my gear up the stairs and I use a lot with "The Dits" (guitar, guitar synth, keys, iPad, boomerang looper, pedal board, guitar amp, powered speakers, mp3 players, percussion gear, electronic noisers and toys). It was nice to have an audience and play out as a change from studio sessions with "The Dits" where we record it to my multitrack DAW in my basement studio live.

Quote from Double D on August 13, 2012, 01:05

Quote from mwseniff on August 12, 2012, 17:36
I played my first gig in 6 years in late March 2012. I had not played out since my back surgery in 2006. This gig was with "The Dits" a european style free improv trio and we had a small but very enthusiastic crowd. I had folk to carry all my gear up the stairs and I use a lot with "The Dits" (guitar, guitar synth, keys, iPad, boomerang looper, pedal board, guitar amp, powered speakers, mp3 players, percussion gear, electronic noisers and toys). It was nice to have an audience and play out as a change from studio sessions with "The Dits" where we record it to my multitrack DAW in my basement studio live.

Matt, that is a great story to share. I've enjoyed your contributions to Tonefiend, and I'm delighted to hear that you're on the mend and reclaiming your rightful turf!

Thanks! It is not so much that I am on the mend but that they recently added time release morphine to my electro-stim and other drugs. The morphine changed my life I sleep thru the night and reach the REM sleep state (No dreams for 5+ years before that). You also relearn how to move, walk and stand to minimize pain over time by trial and error. I also got my courage up to even try playing out again. I am probably as healed as I will ever be, I have good days and bad days. I did end up after the gig having 3 days of increased pain but it was worth every ache!