Gig Of His Life

Fridays were one of those times when the walls closed in on two young lads sharing a flat . Work was over for two days and the night life beckoned .

"What are you doing tonight ?"

"Mac said .

"I think I'll catch that new movie and grab some fast food on the way . What about you ?

Chris said .

'I'm off to the city ."

He said with determination in his eyes .

"Send me a postcard Mac and have a good time Ok ."

Came the reply .

Mac checked out the gig guide in the newspaper and saw one of his favourite blues artists was playing at the Basement In town .

In a moment or two he was making his way out the door . He walked to the railway station and bought a return ticket to the city .He decided not to do the City Circle thing and made his way to the Basement .

When he stepped off the train at Circular Quay in Sydney. It was almost evening and already a brief twilight hall fallen . The lights of the Sydney Harbour Bridge began to twinkle against the winter evening sky. It almost could have been captured in the words of a song but he had to put away that thought for another time .

The crowd on the street were an interesting mix of city workers heading home Late night shoppers out for a bargain and tourists mingled with night life steppers like ourselves .

Her hurried along to Reiby Place and arrived at the steps that brought him down into the Basement , one of Sydney's best live music venues .

Tonight a blues band were playing .

Mac knew some of the people who ran the Basement and we got in for free . It was mentioned that one evening he could possibly get a gig there himself .

Mac was quite a decent player himself and often did a regular spot in the Tavern in Parramatta once a week .

Making his way down stairs he took a seat by the bar where he soaked in the atmosphere as the band began to play .

The Basement was buzzing.

Although he had been here a few years ago there was a different feeling about the place . The Basements soft lights filtered across a sea of faces as its patrons jostled for their seats. People's voices filled the air as the music added a kind of static backwash to it all .

Maybe he felt a bit lost there in this sea of faces and in the mix of the music but whatever it was it fuelled the fire in his belly for wanting to get on stage himself .

Now more than ever he wanted to get a band together and get some gigs overseas .

He wanted to get a few sponsors and start a career in the music business.

Suddenly the cross-talk on stage shrieked out all around the room.

With feedback problems on stage Mac went over to grab some of the cables and unplug the problem himself .

The band were grateful of his assistance and asked him to sit back stage for a while . Mac took a seat near the stage and enjoyed a nourishing moment .

The bands manager came over and thanked Mac personally for helping to sort out the problem .

Mac hadn't really seen a live blues band perform for a few years and was amazed at the high level of musicianship even though the sound quality was poor .

Mac often was critical of what level of sound came back from those people on stage . A live performance for him should reflects the heart of the talent playing .

Too often mixed up mush and plastic things are produced in recording studios with over dubs and mixing and arranging but its only when people play live you can feel the true emotions from deep down in the very heart and soul .

This is the kind of music that speaks to Mac .

Anticipating the ups and downs of a performance creates presence that brings a warm glow . Its warms you up ,like a comfortable coat on a cold winter night , or a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace .

Mac knew the challenge of a good performance and how one bad note or a

feedback problem can change an audience mood .

Playing a guitar and singing a song is very much a spiritual thing . It can be personal as well as visiting the audience around who have come to share the experience .

At the end of the performance the band received a warm reception from the crowd around the room . The audience showed their appreciation.
After the gig Mac made his way up the steps to the pavement, then back down the streets to Circular Quay where he made his way to City Extra for a cup of coffee .

He sat just where the Many Ferry comes in and thought about putting a band together .

After he finished his coffee he walked down along the quay and took in the backdrop of Sydney harbour . It was aglow with twinkling lights, shinning stars and a special sprinkle of magic called night life .

The pier was thick with people on an escape from the daily grind . There were buskers with flutes and guitars . Some even played saws and fiddles . Some angrily disputed who owned the spot where they played .

He still had enough small change for a bucket of hot chips and bought himself one before catching the train back to the suburbs .

Suddenly one of the band members who had been playing at the Basement came running over the road . He looked at Mac and said ,

"Hey , aren't you the guy who fixed our sound problem earlier ?"

"Oh yeah , sure ."

Mac said .

"Can I can borrow you for a few hours this week . We've got to do some recording on the new album and I think your sound skills would be handy to have around . Wha'ts your name ?"

"Mac .I'm a musician as well ."

"Cool . . Eh so what do you reckon Mac ! "

"Well my cash kitty is getting a bit low , so I guess I'll say ok . Whats your name ?"

" Chuck . Lets go and get a taxi . I want you to meet the band ."

Some people fall into luck or destiny captures the moment ,.

Mac ended playing some back up guitar on the new album and became a regular member of the band .

The new album called Blues Axe became a success .

The band went on a tour and secured a number six spot on the charts .

Mac got some deadly artistic reviews on his guitar work in some magazines and soon became the very dramatic front man for the band .

Anyway his fans began to appear and Mac disappeared into fame .

For a few years it happened in a big way .

Mac decided to give it one day when rock and roll I suppose started to affect him . He got confused and mixed up with the music business .

It's not what you'd call the healthiest lifestyle around and Mac needed time out to get his head together .

Affirmative and straight after all those years Mac soon his life together .

He spent some time on trains and took moments in city parks watching life pass by .

One day Mac met as girl and they were married .

The children arrived and Mac saw his talent emerge in other ways .

Life was a good gig .

By Paul McCann

The End