Chapter 2: Unforgettable, That’s What You Are ... Las Vegas

Herb nudged the sleeping Sidney as they came down the hill leading into Las Vegas.

“Sid, wake up and take a look! You can see the Strip from here.”

Sid did struggle to come back to life, taking a couple of swigs from her water bottle.

Herb continued, “You used to be able to see the Luxor, this huge pyramid shaped hotel and casino as you came down the hill, now, it’s been mostly blocked by newer places.”

“Sid, we have a quick decision to make. Do we check into the hotel first, or should we drop in and watch Charlie at work?”

The drive from L.A. to Vegas had only been a little more than four hours, and she had slept part of that time. She had plenty of energy.

“If we can, let’s go watch him for a while. This is exciting! I mean, after all, we’ve waited like forever!”

Herb laughed but opened the window between them and the driver.

“George, drive us up to the entrance closest to where Maddi is performing and drop us off.”

“Sure, boss, whatever you say.”

Herb and Sid got out at a side entrance of the casino and walked into the casino, ignoring the noise of the slot machines and the excited players as they walked across the main gaming floor and up a staircase that led to the stages where the well-known Vegas acts performed.

At the door to the main stage, they were stopped by a security guard.

“Sorry — you can’t go in there.”

Herb looked at the guy and smiled.

“Is Ross working today?”

The guard nodded his head.

“Then could you give him a quick call and tell him that Charlie Turner asked Herb Eisenstein to meet him here.”

The guard stood back a little (never taking his eyes off Herb and Sid lest they sneak in behind his back) and spoke into the walkie-talkie/phone that was strapped to his jacket at his shoulder. In a minute, the guard stepped back — this time with a much more polite attitude.

He opened the door, “Yes sir. Ross said you can go in and he hopes that you can stop by and have lunch with him while you’re in town.”

“Thank you. I’ll give Ross a call, but I’m afraid that this will be a short business trip. But if I don’t see him this time, I’ll catch him the next time I’m up.”

They passed through the doors and walked a short distance where there was another set of doors. They could vaguely hear music, but the soundproofing in the main stage area kept it muffled. When they passed through the inner door, then the volume of the music increased to what you would expect to hear in a theater during a performance.

Herb turned to Sid and put an unnecessary finger to his lips to make sure she kept quiet. They walked down about a third of the way down the theater and moved into two of the plush seats towards the middle.

Sid was almost jumping in her seat: Maddi had been one of her favorite performers when she was younger. Now she was seeing her up close, practicing for a Las Vegas show, singing her old hits.

Maddi wasn’t really dancing, but she was moving around the stage to where her marks on the floor were, singing but also practicing the dancing moves in her head, moving her arms and body in an abbreviated manner.

Once Sid got over the shock of seeing Maddi in person, she started listening to the music.

The music was not quite the same as the old original Maddi songs. For one thing, there was an orchestra playing that gave the accompaniment a rich and deep texture, the kind that a normal rock band didn’t have.

But there were also other differences. Sid knew these songs, but the chords weren’t all the same as what she had learned. And there were musical lines that repeated the melody, but not at the same time as the singer. They were filling the gaps where the singer wasn’t singing. Sid was amazed at the sound.

It wasn’t that the songs were better, per se, but they were very good and seemed to fit in the theater for a performance thirty years after they had originally debuted. And Sid realized that Maddi’s audience would be made up of folks who had heard the originals but were older now. The music would work for the audience and that was the goal.

As Maddi finished the song, Charlie stood up from his seat just in front of the orchestra.

“Hey Lee? Could I run the orchestra through that last number one more time?”

The conductor smiled.

“Of course, Charlie! Help yourself.”

Charlie came up to the podium.

“Okay guys. I don’t think that we need to go over the entire piece. Let’s start at measure 60.”

He looked around and made sure that everyone in the orchestra had found measure 60 in their scores.

“Okay? Let’s go.”

Then he moved the baton in front of him three times to get the tempo, and on the fourth beat, he raised the baton up and, on the downbeat, the orchestra started, like a well-oiled machine.

Then, as he conducted, he also called out to the musicians:

“Sax section, don’t be afraid of this phrase. Play it up!

“Harpist! You are doing that SO well. Remember how important it is to get it right with the singer. Make sure that you listen to her and stay RIGHT with her.

“Percussion? Don’t get too loud through that last section. Loud, but not overwhelming.

“Strings? Are you all clear on what the bowing should be through measures 150 to 170? First violin? Are you satisfied with it?”

He would stop and restart the orchestra as he felt necessary. But in about 15 minutes they were finished.

“Great! Ladies and Gentlemen, you have this down and you are going to do great tonight. And remember: if this is the hit that we all expect, you may have a steady job for the next two or three years!”

The members of the orchestra clapped, and Charlie thanked them before leaving the podium. Then they began putting away their instruments.

At that point Herb and Sid stood up and moved to the aisle that Charlie was walking up.

“Herb, glad you could make it,” Charlie said.

“Charlie, I’m glad that you could make the time for us. By the way, this is Sidney Barron.”

“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Barron,” Charlie replied, extending his hand.

“Please, call me Sid,” she replied as she took his hand. She was startled, his hand felt so warm and smooth. She looked into his face, into his eyes, and his warm smile. It wasn’t a ‘love at first sight’ moment, but Sid had an immediate impression that she would like to know Charlie Turner better. Both as a musician and as a man!

Right then Maddi came out from backstage and walked towards them up the aisle. She was still dressed as she had been on stage but had thrown a light robe over her costume.

When Maddi arrived close to the group, Charlie introduced her to Sidney. She had known Herb for decades — he was key in bringing Maddi and Charlie together to do this show.

Maddi was gracious towards Sidney after Herb explained who she was and why she was there. Thank god Sidney was also gracious, praising Maddi’s music without mentioning how young she was when she first heard them. Not nice to remind older artists how much older they are!

After the pleasantries were done, Maddi turned to Charlie and asked if she could speak with him for a minute. They excused themselves and walked a short way away, while Herb and Sid turned their backs and walked a couple of steps in the other direction.

It turned out that the distance didn’t help — the acoustics of the room bounced the sound of the voices right across to where Herb and Sid were standing.

First Maddi tried to kiss Charlie on the mouth. He turned slightly so she landed on his cheek, not his lips.

“Now, Maddi, stop that, you naughty girl,” he said with a smile, pulling her in and hugging her close.

“Charlie, can’t you come up with me to my suite? You know that I need you!”

“Maddi, you know that you are so desirable that you can have any man you want. But you also know that I do not get involved in relationships with my clients! Anyway, aren’t you still married?”

Maddi made a face, “James. But we’ve been separated for six months!”

Charlie gave out a quiet laugh.

“And James was what? Number five?”

Maddi had a sly grin on her face.

“What can I say? I like being married. It’s just that I’m also a lousy judge of men!”

“So what does that say about you trying to pick me up?”

They both laughed at that.

“Anyway, Maddi love, I have an appointment this afternoon with Herb and Sidney to see if I want to work with her and her band on a new album.”

“Yeah, yeah. A new, pretty, young face and us old broads are abandoned like yesterday’s news!”

The words sounded bitter, but she wasn’t really that upset. She knew that Charlie was in great demand, and she had his services for most of the previous four months getting the music for her Las Vegas show ready. She knew he had to move on to other jobs.

They let go of their embrace and stepped away from each other.

“You will be here tonight, won’t you?” she asked.

“You think I would miss your opening show? Come on!”

They gave each other a gentle kiss and went their separate ways.

When he got back to where Herb and Sid were standing.

“I’m sorry about that. Just her normal, pre-show jitters. Shall we go up to my suite and talk some business and music?” he asked.

As they ascended in the elevator, Sid noticed Charlie’s very subtle odor. She didn’t recognize it, but it was both manly but not overwhelming. It reminded her of walking along the beach. Maybe sandlewood?