My cold is no better this morning. I take more vitamin C. I can't stop sneezing. Damn! A head cold. I wonder how brutal this is going to be. Remedies. Kleenex. Sneezing. Fluids. Vitamin C... Keep at it. I sing a few bars. OK, good. Can sing. Eyes are a little puffy. I've got NeoCiteron in my pack, and I'll drink it before the show tonight. I wish I could stop sneezing!
A quick stop at a roadside auto glass, and the Lincoln's windshield looks a little better. Fifty bucks to repair two evil looking chips. I was afraid they were going to spread quickly to total the windshield altogether. There are auto glass places all up and down this highway. The sand/gravel compound they pour on the roads gets picked up and tossed by the big trucks. Heck, it gets tossed by the small vehicles, too. Whenever somebody passes, this stuff comes up and heads straight for the glass. Outside of driving crazy fast, what can you do?
It's a pretty nice drive. I like it! Clean, dry road– and I've got clean, dry windows today!
Dropped my camera coming into George and Norma's place... OK, now it works again! Except for my sneezing and sniffing, I feel pretty good. George and I talk like old friends. Sure is nice to meet people that feel so much like friends so quickly. I've been trying to land a show up in these parts for quite some time now. It is a busy little area, with a bunch of festivals, coffeehouses, concerts, plenty of great musicians... So I'm very glad to be here. George and Norma have been connected to all of this stuff since way back, so I've come to the right place!
It's a lovely room. I set up early, and go to my quarters for a short nap before dinner. George is a good cook, and we've got a fine feel before us soon enough. Norma and I are sampling some home made wine. I'll take the "red sorta stuff" and finish it during the show! My sneezing has slowed down, and I'm feeling a little better. Maybe the NeoCiteron is working!
There's a lot of stuff going on in town tonight– concerts and Christmas events– so I'm told my crowd is a little smaller than hoped for. Nevertheless, it's a pretty good size group for the room– probably about 30– and they are all pretty nice. We kick off, and I am feeling good.Leading into "Bone Train" there is suddenly a note I can't make at all! It's just like the vocal chord collapsed or something! I'm not used to this at all! I don't get sick, and my voice usually destructs slowly over time– not all at once. I manage to fake my way through the song, but I'm a little distracted. What next? How am I going to pull this off? Gently! Manage that voice! Pitch everything lower!
The first set ends reasonably well. I sound a lot like Tom Waits in his roughest vocal period, but I'm working with what I've got, and the songs are mostly working out pretty well.
Hey!! Congrats!! You are stylin' in your new, genuine white stripe tour jacket!!! The second show is getting tougher to sing, and I'm pushing hard towards the end. I normally enjoy playing an encore, but tonight I'm secretly hoping that there won't be one!! There is! Well, gosh, I guess that means the show was probably successful in spite of my "new" voice. Of course, I still have to play the encore! I do– and this crowd is hopeful of yet another! Hey, thanks, "I'm spent," I whisper to them. "Thanks so much! See you next time!"
A long time fan came out to the show tonight and brought me this old Tour poster! Can you guess who these guys are, or which of them played the show tonight?! The poster advertised a show, circa 1971, at the Yellow Door Coffeehouse in Montreal. A three night engagement for Linden and MacLean. Wow! Thanks for the memories, Max!!
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