Chapter 16: Last show of the last tour

By the end of the fifth year of touring it was becoming obvious that when not actually performing the girls weren't having a lot of fun anymore except in the studio. They played every concert with the same energy as they played their very first show five years ago, but it just wasn't the same anymore. They hadn't become jaded, just worn out. The road can do that to you. Bob had warned them and even though spaced out the road was wearing them down. They still had their spirit and their sanity but their energy was just being worn too thin.

Being on the road, though it sounds romantic, is absolute drudgery once the novelty wears off. That only takes about four or five shows. Everyone wants a piece of you and you have friends you never knew you had. People want free tickets, backstage passes or whatever else they think a band member can acquire for them. The ass kissers and the dick suckers come out of the woodwork like termites running from a wildfire.

The money can steer you to cliffs overlooking an abyss with no bottom, like they said in the 60's, sex, drugs and Rock'n'Roll. It was a trap that was very hard to avoid because the vices where everywhere and it's easy to become extremely jaded in a very short time. It's also easy to either need or want that numbed brain so it doesn't have to deal with the reality of what is surrounding them. Do you really think that Janis, or Jimmy or Jim really wanted to die that way, or at that time? Not likely.

To the girl's credit, they maintained their optimistic view of life and all were very happy in their own personal worlds. They recognized and avoided all of the usual pitfalls that plague groups of traveling minstrels. In that regard, Bob and his previous experiences gave them a base of knowledge that young bands rarely get. When they had any kind of question about anything, "Uncle Bob" was there with an answer for them. They maintained the straight and narrow for the entire five years, which realistically is an awesome accomplishment in itself. It was actually six years, because their "farewell" took over a year.

The five of them were closer today, after 5 years on the road, than they were when the whole party started. Bob found that hard to comprehend knowing them for the entire time, but he would tell you that the girls were closer than siblings. The girls would tell you that Bob was more loving, understanding and compassionate than most parents. No they didn't see Bob as a parent, he was their partner, their lover, and most of all, their friend!

To put it in very short terms, they were a tight knit family, and each treasured that family in their own way. For Heather it was even more so having lost her parents at a young age forcing her into life only partially prepared.

Michelle's recognition of Heathers need for someone in her life and overcoming her fondest fantasy had turned out to give Heather the stability that she truly needed. Heather after a time was able to let go of her grief and began to live her life for herself and the others instead of dwelling on her loss. Bob's understanding, and compassion had a lot to do with that because when she would get into a funk, he would sit with her for days if necessary, just talking. Her study of Zen didn't hurt any either.

She came to understand how her dwelling on the negative was detrimental to her living life to its fullest. Bob, being a Buddhist, calmly, patiently, and softly worked Heather through her grief until she finally let it go. It was not an easy task, and both will tell you they suffered greatly from some of the realizations. In the end they were so close that the other girls told her that she'd grown a male appendage that seemed to be permanently attached. When one of the others said something about having a male appendage Heather would always look down and say, "Ohmigod. Have I grown a dick?" leaving everyone in tears from laughing so hard.

Heather had decided that she could share Bob with Chelly without any reservations, and they did. Both slept with him, joined on occasion by Janell, but by some unspoken rule when one of them wanted Bob alone sexually, the other would join Jan and Terri unless invited to join in. Heather and Chelly did a lot of doubling on poor Bob. They even had a few foursomes when Janell wanted something inside her. Terri never did partake, but it was always her choice, and she knew that the offer was on the table at any time. Jan said she just smiled and declined, but that obviously she didn't have a problem with Janell making regular visits to Bob. She knew it wasn't a personal thing, and loved Jan as much as Jan loved her back.

The girls never fought about anything. If there was any kind of conflict it was generally very superficial and dealt with immediately as a group. Every time there was a "mediation session" everyone left laughing and grab assing like they were still Junior High School girls. If there were one word to describe "These Girls Can Play" it would be "Love".

They all truly loved each other unconditionally, and that included Bob.

All four now had degrees in music and had shamed Bob into going back to school himself. Heather and Chelly had Masters already, and Janell was working on it. Maryanne seemed to be satisfied with a Bachelors degree but continued to take classes. The other girls told her that since she's taking classes anyway, just do what she needed for the Masters program. With all of that, both Heather and Chelly were considering doing a PhD program. They had really gotten into the education thing.

The rest of them just figured it was the costumes they got to wear, remember those girls are clowns.

Because they weren't there, Bob stood in for Heather's folks making sure she knew that they would be proud of her. She'd kept her promise to them even when she didn't have to. When he said that, she looked at him and told him that she was obligated. She HAD to do it. When she received her Masters all of them went with Heather to the cemetery. They sat with her as she sat talking to her parents, letting them know how she was doing, that she had been very successful, that she loved them and missed them very much, and that she had kept her word to them by finishing school and getting a degree. Not only that, she was thinking about becoming a doctorate.

There were tears yes, but they weren't the kind of tears Heather had shed years ago. There was sadness, but there was also joy. Heather had learned to celebrate her parent's lives rather than grieve for their loss. When they left, Heather had a smile on her face, yet tears in her eyes, but with the strong arms of her "family" supporting her.

Through all of that though, the time had come!

Bob had told them this time would come and that they'd have to make a very difficult decision about what they wanted to do. The road has killed many musicians. If they felt it was time to bail, there's no time like the present, but they all expressed that they didn't want to just go out quietly, just fade away. They wanted to do a typical farewell tour, thanking all the fans for their support and their kind words. They also realized that it would undoubtedly be the longest, hardest tour, they had ever done and that they may be a year or more on the road.

Bob looked at the four of them and asked the obvious question. "Knowing the time frames and all the bullshit that goes along with a tour, do you really want to do a farewell run like that?"

All four without hesitation answered in the affirmative noting that if it was their last round on the road, they could handle it because after each show there would be a light getting brighter at the end of the long tunnel. They had Maui to keep them in line as well.

They also knew that it would be an emotional roller coaster, but were willing and prepared to deal with that. Five years on the road had given them a lot of wisdom. Bob was sure they had talked about this kind of tour at great length before they brought it up to him. They knew exactly what they were facing and were going to do it smiling.

"Ok," said Bob. "I'll get Billy working on it. Any limitations?"

He got no indication from them of any. They did insist however, that the final performance had to be in San Francisco, where it had all begun what seemed like so many years ago.

When they started to really think about a final run, they were all in tears knowing that it would be over, but knowing that it would just be retiring from the road. They would still continue their studio work, probably forever. They were in love with the music as much as they were in love with each other which made the chemistry between them that much more intense.

The Hawaiian benefit gigs had also given them food for thought. They all felt that it was worthwhile to use their abilities to make the world a better place for others. There would always be room for helping.

So with all of that, they took 6 months for rehearsals, planning the logistics, booking the venues, only two of which, London and Tokyo were to be offshore. Their farewell tour would be 140 shows in 75 halls throughout the USA, Canada and Mexico. It would take them 14 months of continuous travel, with only one stretch of 2 weeks, about half way through, where they could come home to the ranch and relax for a short time. It wasn't even worth the time to spend it on Maui. They wouldn't have wanted to leave.

They took the whole idea and ran with it, beginning the tour in San Francisco just like their first show, with the scheduled ending in the same hall fourteen months later.

Each show had its own melancholy feel as everyone understood that this was the last time they'd see the girls performing live. Their performances were known worldwide for their high energy and extremely high quality. Very few performers displayed the kind of energy that "These Girls Can Play" showed in each and every show.

They never had a "down" night doing a performance. They may have had downer days that they would all rally around, circle the wagons and solve whatever needed to be solved. By the time they hit the stage it was always high energy, laughing and smiling. They always gave one hundred ten percent when on stage.

But it was winding down, there were only three shows left and the girls were exhausted. It never showed while they were on stage, and it never caused any friction between any of them. They were just plain worn out. Bob had tried to tell them, but they had to do it for their "public", and they did. They understood what they had gotten themselves into, and though exhausted, they enjoyed every second of it.

When they arrived in San Francisco for their last concert, it seemed like the whole world was there. Remember the frenzy when the Beatles showed up anywhere? Not to compare the girls with the Beatles, but it was exactly the atmosphere in the city when they got off the chartered jet, got into the limo and headed to the hall.

Like zombies, they went through the sound checks, made sure everything was ready to go. They knew Billy would be recording the audio and this would be the third video recording that was made of one of their concert tours, so they were ready for that as well. This video would only be released on DVD, and it would be the entire show. Start to finish.