michael calls me away

By Robbie on March 17, 2011

Well, one day to Happy: A Fantasia, and I can't wait to get there. Today I have a pretty full plate of non-musical work to do on behalf of the show -- paperwork, a few last touches on set pieces and props, a 6:30PM appearance on the Chicago Tribune show "Chicago Live!," a past-midnight appearance on WGN's Steve and Johnnie show, and routine gear maintenance checks and e-mails. One of our cast members is down with a viral infection and so today I will also be entreating Apollo the god of music to minister to her. 

I haven't had the benefit of having the whole performance cast in one place at one time for rehearsals. What's more, schedule constraints won't permit us a runthrough of the full show at Lincoln Hall tomorrow. These little breakdowns of planning and luck have got me sweating, but only a little bit, because the quality of the playing and singing at last night's rehearsal was decidedly sweat-repellent. This Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson music is so strong, so satisfying, and to get to play it with my friends, well, it's like my own personal jetpack. We were rocking in the piano player's basement last night, and at one point I was compelled to say that, except for the fact that I didn't know any musicians that good when I was young, it was just like being 14 again. To extend that uncomplicated joyfulness into adulthood is, for a musician, a primary artistic goal and a primary pay-off too.