It’s been so hot this summer! All across the states we are experiencing hot, humid weather, and additionally, there are a lot of wildfires burning, adding smoke to the overall miserable human experience.
It got me to thinking….what were some of the hottest performance experiences we’ve ever had? WELL, we’ve had some hot ones! This one in 2018 comes to mind first – maybe because JoLynn was there and took some awesome photos (Thanks JoLynn)! This photo is one of my favorites of all time because the audience is in focus and the band is blurred, a visual statement of the actual truth in entertaining.
In JoLynn’s photo I was blurred…..and that is how I felt arriving at this venue. It was mid-day in middle America and in the mid 90’s when we arrived for setup and sound check. It was hot and it was getting hotter! There was no audience yet, they would start arriving later with their lawn chairs and their picnic dinners. No one was there but the sound guy, bright red face and dripping wet. He had already set up his gear and was ready for our arrival. I was blurred, my brain was dulled by heat and humidity.
We set up quickly and sound check began. Take a moment and look at the photo. This is exactly where we were standing during sound check. Take a look at the banner on the wall behind us…..much earlier, some hornets decided that the space between the banner and the wall was an excellent place to build a nest, but nobody knew they were there. Larry (our drummer) didn’t have much room to get behind his drum set, the drummer’s stool was already pushed back almost all the way against that wall. Larry squeezed himself in, adjusted his seat, sat up straight and his head bumped the banner behind him.
Hornets started flying!
They were swarming! A man came from nowhere and jumped onstage with one of those aerosol cans that shoots 50 feet in the air (really, how did he get there so fast with ammunition?) He proceeded to try and hit every flying insect with his 50 foot spray (it was like blowing out birthday candles with a fire hose). We all ran off the stage, Larry ran for his life! We all scattered like roaches at a tap-dancing competition!
I was blurred, I WAS….. but the sight of liquid poison dripping off my guitar cleared my mind considerably. I ran back onstage to get my guitar and mandolin, Jim ran for his guitar, and Diane ran for her flutes. Tom (ever so cool) had already walked off the stage with his bass. The man was still trying to pick off insects one by one, so Chris and Larry started looking for something to cover the keyboard and drum set.
By the time the audience arrived, close to sunset, everything was calm, the instruments were wiped off, and we were ready to play. The temperature continued to climb over 100 degrees, but the sun was setting soon, and the evening promised some relief.
It was so HOT, but we had a fantastic audience, which means we had a fantastic (hornet-free) show!
Holy Stingers Batman !! Great story. I love reading your travel-log recollections. Happy Trails my friends.
Thanks Carolyn! More adventures to come!!
Oh Anne … I love your vivid description of the hornet experience! I got a clear picture of it in my mind and although it was probably traumatic for you and the band … I laughed my head off!! 🤣🤣
As usual, it’s nice that we are alive and ABLE to laugh about such things! I love sharing our (mis)adventures!
I can envision the whole picture, running from hornets. They are not a force to be reckoned with! They will chase you until you get inside or jump in water submerged! You guys could do neither. Omg 😱. Glad no one was hurt or stung by the hornets 🐝!
I didn’t realize how dangerous your job was.
Loved the video of Eric Elision singing songs of Gordon Lightfoot. My favorite picture is the black and white picture of Jim playing his guitar 🎸!
You guys travel 🧭 from one end of the country to the other and back. We have friends in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 and they get so much of that smoke. Wildfires are so scary!
Be safe and keep JD’s music 🎶 alive…..I do my little part playing some of his music at my water exercises classes.
Avid fans,
Carol and Denny Devlin
Hi Carol!!! Thanks for reading the blog and the newsletter. I think of you often when I am writing it! – Anne
Oh I remember that sound check vividly. It was so hot that one of my Irish flutes actually warped. Crazy wasps and wasp spray going everywhere! But the show ended up fun even though we were all melted and blurry. Fun times!!
Oh yes! I forgot about the incredible melting flute!
Oh No!!! Scary, exhilarating and thankful all at once. Definitely one to remember. 🌼
For sure it was Monica!! A memory NOT to be repeated!