The Donkey - best songs gig ever.

It's been a long while since i played a whole songs gig with band with all my own songs so i was a bit trepidatious - I even rehearsed a bit each day for 3 days - and what a gig it turned out to be. The cyclone weather didn't auger well audience-wise but I was touched to see so many familiar, if cold and damp faces making their way in. The band was Neil Segrott on bass and Neil Rabjohn on cajon drum which worked out really well. I took the newish small keyboard gigging for the 1st time because it was better programmed for material with a bassist.

I decided to make this the 1st event in celebrating 20 years in show business and played songs from each album in chronological order telling a yarn or 2 on each album - ending up on the bigger hits and fun songs. I really got to relax, and enjoy it - especially in the 2nd half - Fun moments for me were...
1. covering for when the keyboard got unplugged on Starting Over mid-song - "drum solo!!!"
2. playing Finally on piano for 1st time - it rocked
3. playing River Blue from my 1st album for the 1st time ever
4. crowd latin-clapping along to Call of the Wild
5. crowd singing along to 3 Headed Girl

The crowd were awesome - about 70 all told - I was touched a whole table of Quadelectronic folks came along, plus a table of Neil S and his ladies, and a table with a guy i used to play at their amatuer dramatic pantos 10 years ago, etc...

Coming from a low confidence phase in my songs gigs side, this was very gratifying and I really didn't know what to say to all the kind things folks were saying to me at th end. I sold 5 cds - Choc Bossa, Sound Like Rain, In Balance, Songs for Dreamers x 2.

Only downside is today my right hand tendonitous has flared up - all this sudden recent guitar playing I guess.Still - small price to pay for such a  top gig.

Set 1 - Nova Scotia, Coming In To Land, I Want Something, Turn Me Around, Run By You, Bobby Caseys, Green Clothes, Call of the Wild

Set 2 - Alien Salad Abduction, I Don't Know, Lifespell, Starting Over, Finally Forget About You, Long Days Waiting, Carousell, 3 Headed Girl, Rainbow Real, Alien Jellyfish Song, River Blue

Playing a small slot gig with Neil & Neil with Dan Britton in Nottingham back at The Runnign Horse where we used to play 10 years ago.