Anatomy of a Gig

   Long before I would get the day off for that day. There was no way I would work on the same day a a gig. I would get enough sleep and wake up around 10 am. I’d eat a normal breakfast and then pack up what I was going to take. I would get myself hyped up by listening to my favorite bands really loud and or watching a favorite a sci-fi or music related movie.

Once in a while I’d drink a glass of wine. I’d also make sure to stretch.

Playing a gig for me was the greatest thing. When I was on stage I wanted nothing else than to just be in that moment. It was a sacred thing.

My last meal would have to be about 5 hours before a gig. I t would be dangerous for me to eat General Tso’s Chicken 2 hours before a show. It would stick in my throat. I would stick to drinking water or juice that day.

I’d get fucked up only after a gig. It was a sort of meditation for me. I would only take calls from friends. It was my day.

As I watched my favorite movie or whatever, I’d start drawing on my arm and hand with a pen. It would become one of my dragons or some living ‘apparatus’. Where my wedding ring would be I’d draw a ring that was labeled ‘reserved’. It was an ongoing joke. At about three hours before a gig, I’d get picked up along with all my equipment. I would not feel anything until I got up on that stage. Maybe for a second I’d feel pressure or anxiety but I’d jump up and down on that stage before I picked up my guitar. I would speak a line of gibberish all with my back facing the audience.

I would start the set with ease and that would be all that I wanted. Everything else was secondary.