Her stomach churned as they drew closer to The Tarmac. Even though it was only
7:30, the bar seemed to be near capacity. They rolled the equipment onto the
large stage unnoticed at first, but as they began to assemble the gear, the
crowd took heed and began to whistle and chant. Lori saw an artist painting
women’s breasts with a brush to make them look like swimsuit tops or large,
colorful tattoos. The ladies were lined up in anticipation, all sans-top and
eager for their own turn. Husbands and boyfriends watched from the bar and
welcomed them back to pose for photos in groups.
“Thinking about changing your outfit?” Jimmy asked,
tilting his head in their direction.
“In your dreams,” Lori replied. She wondered if
Jimmy could see she was shaking and was trying to lighten her mood.
By the time setup was completed, the crowd was
getting riled and anxious. “Go, Go, Go!”
they chanted in unison as the band placed their instruments on stands. Jimmy
went to the bar to get the lowdown on this group; he had been told Wednesdays
were generally quiet here. He called a quick meeting in a corner of the stage.
“These people are all together for the most part,”
he explained. “They’re called the CBL club.”
Junior nodded. “Cupecoy Beach Lovers. Their group
gets larger every year. They come for two or three weeks and only go to
Cupecoy…and here.”
“Well they took me by surprise,” Jimmy continued.
“So I’m afraid I’m going to have to call the first set. Cici, you can access
the tracks quickly, right?”
“Oh yes,” she assured him. “They are all on one
screen.”
“What about you?” he said, addressing Lori, “Still
dependent on those notes?”
“I can flip to them fast enough if I need to.”
Lori’s heart was sinking and her stomach was doing the Macarena. She thought
about running to the bar for a quick shot to calm her nerves but was pretty
sure it would come right back up and out. Now her entire body was shaking as
she opened her guitar case.
The monitors were much larger than the ones used in
rehearsal, and Jimmy and Junior quickly repositioned them so the girl’s dance
moves would not be partially hidden. Lori squinted as the semi-darkened stage
suddenly became ablaze with spotlights high above her head. She felt like a
deer, frozen on railroad tracks staring at an oncoming train.
Go!
Go! Go! Go!
The crowd at the bar was continuing to chant for
them to start. Jimmy eyed his watch and made a decision.
“We need to get up and running ASAP,” he shouted
over the growing din. “We’re doing the first set on the fly. I wasn’t expecting
many people on a Wednesday.”
Lori placed her amp on a stand and positioned the
two effect pedals behind her mic stand. Fighting the urge to throw up, she did
her best to avert her gaze from guys approaching to ask her questions and their
topless wives slowly breaking from the bar to follow them. She ducked away and
went back for her acoustic guitar still in its case.
“Leave it! You won’t need it this set!” Jimmy yelled
from center-stage. She looked over and saw he was ready to go: guitar on, amp
light glowing, pedals placed. Her head was starting to spin. She dropped to her
knees and placed both hands on the case to steady herself. Jimmy motioned his
head towards Sam, who grabbed Lori’s electric guitar and brought it over to
her.
“Pray later,” she said. “It’s show time, baby!”
“Pretty Young
Thing! PYT!” Jimmy shouted, turning his head as he spoke to cover everyone
like an errant garden hose. Anxiety was pushing the air from Lori’s chest and
she fought to bring it back in. She strapped on the guitar, plugged it in, and
ran forward to drop her binder of notes where she could see them.
“I have to tune up!” she said, turning her head to
the side in the hopes Jimmy would hear her.
Go!
Go! Go! Go!
“Do
it during the first verse!” Jimmy yelled back at her. He looked quickly to his
left, where Sam was at the ready, and raised a hand in the air; confident Junior
and Cici were also prepared to start.click to order Cole Bay Band
