Tomorrow marks the last day before 'Plectronica' and the stress is, naturally, mounting. Managed to make decisions today about what to wear, (always problematic at my age.) Did some ironing of clothes but will have to pack them tomorrow evening to avoid any creasing. Choosing stage wear is rather like choosing guitars...in short, far too much choice, but never enough. Ah, vanity, all is vanity, even when you're a heath challenged, frazzled senior citizen such as I.
Fortunately I haven't yet succumbed to the drab conformity of many of my generation. No sleeveless wooly pullovers and creepy carpet slippers for me. As the old saying goes, 'sod that for a game of tennis!'
A few emails exchanged today to clarify the timings of sections of the event and to approve the live stream credits. Tomorrow will be dedicated to packing clothes, shoes and toiletries, safety copies of the backing tracks, spare e-bow, my Campbell Custom Rocketship Transitone, a box of guitar picks and my folder of charts for each number, (not that I'll be able to read them with my eyesight problems, but at least I can gain some sort of false confidence from their presence.)
Tonight, Emi and I dined out at one of our favourite eateries, the local village pub. A flagon of wine too much I fear, an attempt to steady my nerves and gain some false bravado in the face of current stresses. Nevertheless, we deserved a respite from the pressures of the last few weeks, albeit momentarily.
Wish I could approach these events with more calmness and equilibrium. The problem, I think, is that they're so few and far between. Regular touring, especially with a band, brings a routine sense of confidence and bravado. However, doing just one gig per year, and that being a solo performance, definitely places things in a more dangerous arena. Memory is essential, remembering where sounds are located on a plethora of footswitches, remembering the key changes of numbers I haven't played for a year, or haven't played ever. Remembering who I am, where I am and why I am is just as confusing! (Hey, it's a surreal world when all's said and done.) I suppose the answer to all this is to do more gigs per year, but that brings additional problems to solve. Catch 22...well, it will be what it will be.
