On Saturday we were enjoying some liquid sunshine here in Southern California. I don't mind the rain as long as people mind their manners while they drive. It was a bit slow going today but nobody got sideways or anything. Here we are proceeding in an orderly fashion south through Brea canyon. I was on my way to the Laguna Woods Village Performing Arts Center so me and the TWB could play a show featuring our Reba tribute lady friend.
We loaded in the back of the theater. It wasn't raining too badly yet but it was steady. You see John unloading his keyboards and stuff.
After I put my gear on stage I pulled around front to park. This is a really nice theater.
Then I walked right in the front door like I owned the place. Here's the box office with our poster.
Here's a view from the back of the theater as the band and crew does the setup dance and load-in shuffle.
The sound and stage crew here is really top notch. Hugh, the FOH man, is hooking up gear while David, stage crew, is making time with Corrie.
I get settled into our green room, dropped off my boots and cowboy clothes.
We continue our setup dance. John has a lot of cables to plug in.
Mike brought his pretty 335, a Strat, and two amps, just in case.
It's a good thing he brought two amps. For some reason the Mesa Boogie was buzzing and making horrible noises. He ended up using the little Ampeg. I thought it sounded great.
Hugh helps Dave get the kit mic'd up.
Hugh helps John get his monitors dialed in.
David is making time with Mike.
During soundcheck Corrie joins me in a selfie while Roger photobombs.
OK, we are seriously sound checking now. You can tell because Johnny is using both hands and a foot.
Dave brought out the big guns for this theater. He likes his five piece kit with two floor toms rather than two rack toms.
Here's a few pictures from behind the backline.
After the TW soundcheck we actually ran most of Corrie's "Reba" show because we haven't played it with her since late September in Jacksonville. Corrie flew from Las Vegas this morning to join us for this show. Here she is singing one of her tender love ballads.
She is such a pro, nailing all of her performances while we try to remember our parts. We were prepared and Corrie was very happy with us guys. We leave the stage to relax a little before showtime.
We all had pizza and salad for dinner. I usually eat ten or twelve pieces but tonight I had only two.
Here's a shot in the green room just before we take the stage.
The band walked out so we could check our tuning and get ready. The crowd is filtering in from the lobby where adult beverages are being served.
John's looking a little blue.
Hey, I just noticed that he has four keyboards again. I'll have to ask him about the replacement he got for his recent stolen keyboard. He's still got all the sounds.
Mike is ready to go. He even has a spare guitar strap, just in case.
Dave wore his ball cap for the Reba portion of the set. Then he switched to his cowboy hat for the Willie part of the show.
I was going to change shirts but there was no intermission for this show. The play-off music for Reba was Willie's play-on music as they did a quick exchange of center stage.
This was our announcer. He gave away some raffle prizes before introducing the band.
And then, REBA!
The crowd just ate her up.
The show went quickly so I had very little time to sneak a few pictures while we were on stage. Here's the back of my Willie.
We noticed a lady in the front row holding up a sign. It said, "You promised '7 Spanish Angles'". Willie asked her about that sign and she said "Last time you were here you promised to do 'Seven Spanish Angels' when you came back." Willie said, "Well, I don't remember that (of course he did) but we'll see what we can do." Then he yelled back to the band, "Hey, can you guys learn a song right quick?" The crowd laughed. But we had learned it recently and the audience was very appreciative when we played it this evening. Since I sing the Ray Charles part we do a little bit with me wearing sunglasses that got a pretty good chuckle. It was fun.
After the show we always do a meet-and-greet. It's quite satisfying when folks walk right up to you and tell you how much they enjoyed the performance.
After we said our goodbyes to the audience it was time to earn our paycheck. I tell you what, at my age I'd rather have roadies than groupies. (I love that old joke!)
After packing up and loading out all my gear, a cautious drive through the dark rain, it was raining pretty good now, I was home by 11:30. It was a long day and a long drive but I feel happy.
Thanks for letting me share my fun this weekend.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
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