I
had a bass playing gig in the valley yesterday. It was a paying gig and having
money isn’t all that bad. It was raining off and on, when there are clouds in
Los Angeles it’s a special day, and when it rains it’s extra special.
The gig was on Sherman Way and as
it turned out it was in front of a Pawn Shop. I saw the stage set up on the
sidewalk. I’d never played on a sidewalk before. My initial reaction was “oh
man,” but a gig is a gig and I had to make the best of it. We set up and played
a couple songs when it started to rain. We were under an awning, Protected. I
was looking at the clouds and the rain. It was beautiful. There I was playing
my bass in the rain. Perfect.
People
would stop and listen. Two high school kids stopped and were listening intently.
They applauded after every song. Commuters were waving and honking their horns
as they drove by. It was interesting. Then a fat African American couple
stopped. They looked like they were into Hip Hop based on their wardrobe. They
were standing in front of the band when they broke out into a waltz. It was
unexpected, and incongruous. They were waltzing on the sidewalk, lovingly,
affectionately, as if they were the only two people on earth. It was the most
beautiful and romantic thing I’d ever seen.
