Like addicts needing a bigger fix to get high, I think we just needed a bigger stage. We followed Thursday night's drudgery with a terrific show Friday night at the Park Tavern. The theme was "Braves Night," so Homer (the Braves mascot) and the Braves girls who throw t shirts at people were there. T shirts were thrown. It was a huge success.
I think the first set last night was the same as Thursday night's first set. Overall, I played better, but I still had some rough spots. I'm still not totally comfortable with Baby Come Back, and Moonlight Feels Right is still kind of tough because I'm moving all over the keyboard for different sounds, but I'm really happy to have those in the rotation--we've gotten in some really bad ruts with the setlist.
Mark Cobb was on fire last night, especially in the first set. He was having a creative night without being stupid. It can be a fine line for him, but he played well.
I think I have my stuff dialed in on my rack so I don't have to make many adjustments, other than turning the volume up and down. Good thing, because having my rack on the ground makes it difficult to play and tweak at the same time.
I got off a pretty good solo on Biggest Part of Me. It's so hard to hear if my microphone is even on at the Park Tavern. There's nothing to bounce the sound off. I just check it before the song starts and hope for the best (and remind myself once I'm in the solo not to overblow--let the mic do the work). Cobb picks a nice tempo for that one that keeps it groovin' a little harder than the original.
I've had some sort of strange sinus problem all week, and by the end of the first set (Biggest Part of Me), I was hurting. Forming the proper shape with my mouth and tongue was super uncomfortable. I don't know what's going on in there--there's pain from one ear, up through the roof of my mouth into my sinuses, and out the other ear. Playing saxophone with that going on is not fun. I hope it cures itself soon.
The second set was pretty good. We skipped around a bunch and avoided some songs we haven't played in a while (Takin' it to the Streets, Kiss You All Over), but everything was really solid, and we finished right on time with Rich Girl. We had a good time; the crowd had a good time. We took a bunch of pictures. I think we're off to a really good start for this series of shows.
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