Wow! I had a couple of road gigs today, school assemblies in the town of Newberg, OR, about 2 hours north of here, and they were both 10s on the enjoyment scale. It made for a long day (which is only half over now, but there was something electric about getting back in the saddle and making it happen for school kids. I did kinda wonder if I still 'had it', if I could still rev them up, under control, and give them something worthwhile, so the fact that they were both great shows was even more pleasing.
The alarm got me up at 6:30, which gave me a half hour to shower, load the car and head north. I must have screwed up in copying the mapquest directions, because once I got to Newberg, things stopped making sense, but fortunately, I had left myself a few extra minutes for this type of eventuality. I parked in town, asked a woman who was walking with her morning coffee, told her I was lost, and did she know where the school was. I had the address, she had the Iphone, and voila, I was close, and there was no problem. (that interaction could have been an Iphone commercial... lost traveler saved by Iphone user)
The school itself was fairly new, sparkling with that first week of school energy, and I set up in the gym, as the kids sat quietly in their rows, waiting to be released to class. It was one of those ultra controlled environments which make me a little nervous. I hate it when kids are so tightly programmed to keep quiet, be still, sit with your legs folded etc. Seems unnatural and wrong, but who am I to say.
I got to do two shows, one for the younger kids, followed by one for the older, and they were both great. I totally had each group, start to finish, and there is something exhilarating about being in the center of that energy. Especially for the older group and they were so totally into it, dancing in their places on the floor, singing with gusto, laughing and enjoying themselves, but also focused and thoroughly appropriate. I did have a moment there when I was ecstatic in the midst of the music, almost a transcendent glimpse into heaven, or at least my version of heaven.
That happened during the final song, which I introduced in my usual way. 'I have time for one more song. Do you want a slow boring one or a rock and roll song?' Of course they yell 'rock and roll' and it's kind of cute. I got the teachers up there with me, playing percussion, and one of the guys grabbed the guiro and knew how to use it. That's a bonus. Note to self, make sure a latino dude grabs the guiro. It really makes things come alive.
So I had the kids singing and dancing on the floor, the teachers were into it, playing well and stopping when I said the number 4. (That's something I always do... make sure I have a 'kill switch' so I can get the group to silence and stillness in an instant. And as we're going along and the energy is building, I'm noticing different kids dancing in different ways. One guy near the front is doing the heavy metal headbanger move, so I pointed it out and everyone did it. These kids in the back are doing the 'lasso move' as if swinging a lasso overhead, so I had everyone do it. It just builds the energy tremendously when the impulse comes from them, and I used that trick and pretty much brought the house down.
And then it's time to end the song so I tell them to watch my guitar and when I'm lifting it up high to play and play, but when I put it down, CUT!. I have some fun with that finale, changing the durations, making sure they're watching, and it makes for a nice ending. Afterward, the kids were buzzing, but it was no trouble for them to come down and be quiet enough to walk back to class. Not surprisingly, the guidance counselor was a little concerned. 'I've never seen them revved up like that, was it OK with you?' Uh yeah, that was me revving them up.
It's hard to put into words, but there was something important about introducing a catalyst like me into that environment, which could be stultifying if the controllers had their way. It's into that 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' territory, and I love being the one who challenges it, but can still work within that context. It feels very healthy to introduce fun and music and message, did I mention 'fun', into the control room. High times, and wow, they pay me for this? I'm still pretty buzzed just thinking about that good clean kid energy. Much gratitude for this day, and now I get to Zumba and then dance and play at the weekly blues jam. A great Wednesday!
