Chapter 55: The Band Stories 06 – The Surprise Splash

June – Year 4

Ronnie and I went down to see the progress on the construction and it was looking good. The site was a shopping center that was built around a man-made lake. The lake was kind of round in shape and was maybe a quarter of a mile across. We owned the half of the lakeshore that we were built on and the other half was taken up with three houses.

The side we were on was taken up by parking and the building. We have parking for around 3500 cars. The storefronts to either side of our place were empty. Ronnie was thinking of opening a Westside Music branch there. I told him it was a great idea and that it could become the most profitable of the stores in a very short time.

The main entrance was smack in the middle of the building and it curved back, following the contour of the lake. The stage was raised and behind it a panoramic view of the lake behind smoked bullet proof safety glass. The bar areas were to the left and right and directly ahead in the balcony. There were tables for 2-4 people all around the dance floor and a safety rail about three feet in front of the stage that ran the entire length of the stage.

To the right side of the stage as the crowd looked at it, was a loading dock from when it was a store. A band could pull up, unload their stuff onto a lift, have it lifted to stage height, where they could roll everything right onto the stage for set up. Then there was a wide spiral staircase up to the green room where we could serve meals and where the sound was muted enough that you could hear yourself think.

The sound board, or more rightly the sound booth, was right in the middle of the room, against the back wall. It was covered and protected from beer spillage from the balcony above and it was above the crowd on the dance floor below. The cool thing that we added that no one else had in this size venue was the luxury boxes. They were in a great location to either side of the sound booth and they had one or two servers dedicated to just the customers in that box.

I was talking to our sound guy when my phone rang, the number was easily recognized. I answered it in my own inimitable style.

“Lover. How can I service you?”

“Really, Lover?”

“Yeah! Hi Lover! Is everything ok? Are the babies ok?”

“Everything is fine, and the babies are fine. How does the construction look?”

“Pretty darn good. I think we can open early.”

“How early?” Lynn sounded very excited.

“Why?”

“I just got a call from a band that is available a few weeks before our original opening date. They would be a great get. Can you give me an updated target date?”

“I would say June 21 or 22. Ronnie just nodded at me and thinks that is a good guess too. We were hoping for the weekend after July 4th. How does that sound?”

“That is good. Should I go for it?”

“Hang on.”

“Ronnie! Lynn has a line on a band that she says is top notch. Are you feeling really good about June 21-22 or is that a wild assed guess?”

“I think it is a solid date.”

“Lynn? Ronnie says the date is solid. I say go for it. Who is it?”

“It is a surprise! Bye!”

“Lynn...” too late she hung up.

“Who is the band?”

“I don’t know. She said it was a surprise and hung up.”

“Really?” He chuckled. “Well ok. Come over here I want you to look at the kitchen and the coolers and freezers.”

We continued our inspection and had a good conversation with the general contractor and he felt the new estimated date was solid as well. I told him that if they came in that early that as a bonus we would make sure that they and their families got premium access on a night with a great band. That seemed to get his attention.

We left and headed back to West Side Music to go over some arrangements and performance ideas. I liked the crazy things that Tuckers Music did in Houston and we made a lot of notes.

“Ronnie, my goal is for our music to be fun and toe-tapping and still rock. I also want lyrics at times that bring strong emotions. Songs like “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” by Harold Melvin and the Blu-Notes with Teddy Pendergrass singing. Or Joe Walsh’s “I Like Big Tits” always get the audience to react and join in the fun or get closer.”

“I Like Big Tits?!?!? Really? Strong emotions?”

“Every time I have sung that song the guys go nuts and the girls with them are worshipped. Those are strong emotions. You can’t beat love and lust. And if it has a good beat then so much the better.”

“I get it. I will talk to Carla about it. Have you had the chance to look at her stuff?”

“Actually, I have. Between babies this last couple of weeks. There were a couple that I could already hear in my head.”

“So, Paul, are we going to try to do this like we did back in the day? You sing the song that’s in your head and I write the music down and then we build the song from there?”

“Ronnie, that is the only way I know of getting the music out of my head and to the instruments. That is why I need people like you, buddy.”

“We did write some good stuff, didn’t we? I think Carla will make it even better. She has a real gift with lyrics. And for some reason, lately she is writing these sappy love song lyrics.”

“For some reason?”

“God, Paul, I have never felt like this. I love her a lot.”

“I know just how you feel my friend. Let’s make the most of this opportunity. I have been feeling like life has been good and I want to make it better before it all turns to shit.”

“What?”

“Everything goes in cycle Ronnie. Things go good, things go bad. You gotta make hay while the sun shines.”

“I agree. This club is going to be a great anchor for the music. When it is done we will always have a place to make the music.”

“I wonder who Lynn has lined up for that late June gig. She is crazy when it comes to business. She handles all of the finances for our business and the Foundation she heads up. My girls will never have to worry about money. Now I just have to make them happy and music is my way to do that.”

It was opening day for the new club. The Savannah featuring Paul O’Dell would play all night and we would be joined by some local friends. During the previous days, Lynn promised us some surprises.

The first surprise was when my girls Paula and Penelope came walking down the stairs at the house. They had always had to have help up and down the stairs. I was entranced watching them wobble down the steps with a firm grip on the railing. When they got to the ground level they wobble/ran to me and I hugged them both and kissed them.

“Erin, this is the best surprise. Babies, you are wonderful. I love you both so much.”

The second surprise came when we left the kids at home and took off in the SUV to the airport. Lynn had me drop her off at the arrival doors and then she told me I was to sit in the truck in the cell call lot and wait for her call. I sat in the little parking lot until I got the text to drive around to passenger pick up. I cranked up the SUV and pulled out of the waiting area and drove to the lower level of the terminal and as I pulled up to the curb there was Lynn and Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard of ZZ Top.

“Surprise?”

“No shit!”

I got out of the truck and opened the back. I loaded in three guitar cases and Frank’s kit bag. Lynn introduced me to the guys and we loaded in. Lynn and Billy had words, because he insisted that she sit in front with me and she insisted that she sit in the back so he could ride in front with me.

They hugged and Billy’s Texas gentleman side won out and Lynn got in the front. As we drove to the house, we tried to prepare them for the crazy. But I was cut off in mid-explanation by Dusty.

“Paul, I talked with Getty. We got a call from our management to let us know about this gig. They said that if we had questions we could call RUSH. I called Getty. I don’t know that I believe him totally, but he said that he had never had so much fun playing music in his whole life. We couldn’t pass up on that endorsement.”

“Six kids and three wives?” Billy asked.

“Uh, no.”

“I didn’t think he could be right about that.” Billy said in his Texas accent.

“It is thirteen kids and three wives. We had a very productive month last month.”

“No shit?”

“Nope. Lynn here, had another set of twins and Erin, who is at home, had triplets, all girls.”

“You really have five sets of twins and one set of triplets?”

“Yup.”

“Damn, son!”

I pulled up to the front of the house and smiled because of a surprise I had coming next week. I pulled onto the drive and drove up to the house, where we were greeted by a very happy Erin and Blossom and the girls. We introduced everyone and went inside and supplied large glasses of iced tea as we began the tour of the house.