Chapter 16: Terry’s Story 06 – Exit Stage Left

August – October – Year 3

The lights came down and the host walked to the microphone. Behind him Bobby Cee, our drummer, walked out and took his place behind his kit. Leon James, the bass player was standing in the wings. Gery Zobbert, the keyboard player, was behind him. Ryan was behind him and I was behind Ryan.

“Hello Woods!” The Host yelled into the mic. The crowd roared.

“The Eagle and Budweiser welcome you to tonight’s show. We want to welcome our first band. All the way from the south side of Houston! Tucker’s Music!” The crowd went wild.

Bobby Cee started the beat and after sixteen bars Leon walked out playing the bass line we had arranged. Before another sixteen bars, Gery walked out on cue and at the end of sixteen he hit the first chord of the song and held it. The crowd was clapping to the beat as the bass line thumped away and the drone of the keyboard built to a crescendo.

I looked at Ryan and smiled he looked back at me and over my shoulder to see the headliners standing there bobbing their heads to the beat and clapping. I clapped him on the back as he ripped into the opening hook of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well”. After he played the riff around, Leon and Gery joined in.

The crowd was rolling as the song took off and built louder and louder and then it stopped. The crowd was still clapping in time as I walked out on stage and sang.

“Can’t help about the shape I’m in. I can’t sing I ain’t pretty and my legs are thin.” At the end of the last word the band hit one loud beat and stopped. I looked out over the large crowd.

“But don’t ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. Oh Well.” The band increased the volume on the next note and held it while I held the words “Oh Well” for as long as I could with one breath. I dropped my arm and the song took off again. The crowd went crazy, and so it went for the rest of the night. We played covers and originals and had one hell of a great time. A couple of times I looked into the wings and saw the headliners rocking along with us.

We moved smoothly from song to song without the long breaks less experienced bands take. We planned our sets out so that Ryan could switch out or tune his guitars while the keyboard was playing. We did medleys and we played songs that were soft and slow and hard and fast. Our music covered all of the range of emotions. We were exciting, and we were sad. Our souls were in our music and we laid them bare for the audience.

We played for an hour and a half before finishing off with one of our originals. It was a bouncing happy raucous piece. We played it with a lot of joy and used it to introduce all of the members of the band. We partied all the time we played it and finished with a huge power chord.

When we were done, we all walked to the front of the stage and took a bow and waved as I repeated “Thank You” as loud as I could into the mic. We ran off stage and joined in a group hug.

“Guys, that is the most fun I have ever had with my clothes on!” Ryan was smiling from ear to ear as we heard the host repeat “Ladies and gentlemen, Tucker’s Music! Let them hear you!”

We were rocked by the sound of the crowd backstage. Neil told us to go out and take another bow and not leave while they played. Getty made some remark that they should have opened for us. We thanked them and shook hands as the host announced them. The stage rotated to show the drummers 50-piece percussion kit. They ran onstage and took their places and hit the first chord of one of their greatest hits and the crowd got louder.

We watched and listened for the first few songs. I held Blossom in my arms and kissed her several times. After a bit we went back to the Green Room with the various women we brought with us holding on to us with glee. We sat down and took a few deep breaths. I went for a Dr. Pepper and took a huge swallow.

“I’m not sure that could have gone any smoother. I mean I messed up in a few places, but overall I think we killed it.” I was still high as a kite from the performance.

“As soon as I wind down I want to go and see the band. I have enjoyed their music for decades. Blossom do you like them?”

“I have always leaned towards country and western myself.”

“So do I have to change genres?”

“Oh no. You do just fine at what you do.”

“Just fine? Thanks.”

“Terry! I’m just kidding. I love the way you sing.” She punctuated her statement with a kiss.

I grabbed a couple of Dr. Peppers for Blossom and me and we went out to watch the band. They were great. I always thought that the best bands sounded the same live as they do on recordings and these guys sounded awesome. Too many singers’ voices changed as they got older. Guys with great high voices when they were younger had to transpose their songs a key or two lower when they got older, but not these guys.

They rocked! Their stage presence was very good, and their musicianship was superb. The drummer’s skills seemed unlimited. He could play a different beat with each hand and foot at the same time. He had been the beat of an entire generation of young drummers. Blossom and I sat on some chairs to the side of the stage and listened to the whole concert. When they got done they came off and were talking about their encore number.

“Hey Terry. What would you and your wife like to hear?”

“Well, Blossom is into country western music and as far as I am concerned I just enjoy listening to you guys play. You could jam for thirty minutes and I would love it.”

“We can do that.”

They walked back out and did just that. They started to doodle away and all of a sudden, they were playing together and improvising and having a musical conversation. I was entranced. I held onto Blossom and whispered in her ear.

“Can you hear the conversation? The guitar is talking to the bass and the bass to the drummer. They don’t need words, they just sort of fit together.”

“Like you and me, Terry?”

“I certainly hope so. I love the way I feel around you and I can’t wait to be a dad. Hey, I just had an idea. When we get home, I want to spend a little time between your legs talking to our baby.”

FLASH!

“Terry! It happened again didn’t it?”

“I’m getting tired of this.”

Blossom held me until I quite shaking. I was getting the flashes more often, but could not figure out the triggers. If I went to a doctor, I was sure that the solution could be found, but I was still trying to stay away from the medical world. I moved back towards the side of the stage and finished watching the encore. When they finished the encore, they took their final bow and came off stage.

“That was fabulous! I love just watching the way you speak to each other through the music. Lyrics would just get in the way of what you just did. I am so thankful that I got to see and hear this with my own eyes and ears.”

“Hey you guys were pretty damned good too. How long have you been together?”

“About five months. We play local joints and have a good following here.”

“I would like to have our agent contact you if we should lose our openers again. You guys down for that?”

“We might be. You can contact Ryan through his shop, Tucker’s Music.”

“By the way whose idea was it to open with that arrangement of ‘Oh Well’?”

“We all sort of came up with it once we decided on the song. We do that fairly often.”

“It was a real crowd pleaser, mind if we steal it sometime?”

I laughed and we embraced like kindred spirits. They went back to their green room and I returned to ours. The promotor was talking to Ryan and they were shaking hands.

“Hi guys.”

“Hey Terry! We just got picked up to open for another show in a month. It pays $2500 for each guy in the band!”

“Wow! The other guys just told me that they will contact you if they need another last-minute opening act.”

“Fantastic. I think that we are going to be up for some big pay increases for our gigs. I don’t know if I want to do more gigs, but getting paid more for the ones we do appeals to me.” I tried to sound a little concerned.

“Terry, if you had not gotten the idea to set up that mailing list, I don’t think that we would have drawn the crowds we did. That led to us being on the lips of the people who hired us for this gig. We owe you a lot, man.”

“Ryan, I’m just doing my part as a member of this crazy assed flea circus. Thanks for giving me the chance to sing with you.”