If you didn't attend the concert you missed three firsts. Obviously you missed the first concert, you missed the first show with our new mixer and speakers, and you missed the first time we have operated without a portable generator.
We kicked off our Concert Season again this year with Hank Cramer who came through with an outstanding performance. His mix of sea shanties, cowboy ballads and great stories provided wonderful entertainment for all. Somehow Hank's rugged cowboy and seafarer demeanor just makes him right for the iffy conditions that go along with the the first concert.
By the way, if you click on the picture it will get bigger, use your back key to return to the text.
After what had been a sunshiny balmy day just as we got under way a marine layer moved in and the wind picked up. It was quickly less than warm. Hank provided us with a mantra, "it's not as cold as last year". Ray and Mary were wrapped in blankets but Pat and Bobbie sitting right behind them who just had on open coats seemed quite comfortable. We all managed to survive. I'm sure the combination of clapping hands and stomping feet to the beat of Hank's songs kept us all warm and in good spirits.
The sound system, mixer and speakers showed up at Cross Roads music around 2 pm on Friday afternoon, talk about "just in time" delivery. With the help of the instruction manual and our two cats I hooked up the cables to the mixer and the three foot high speakers in our living room. OK one final check, all the dials and rocker switches in the correct position. Power on, green light , test, tesT, TEST nothing. No problem, I went through all the instructions again, checked all the switches, OK power on, green light. test, testttt. TEST !!!. NOTHING. The concert is less about 24 hours away. I resisted several primal urges and went outside to enjoy the sun. While watching a sea gull harass an eagle I remembered. John M. had insisted that we purchase microphones with switches. Back inside, power on, green light, test, the pictures moved on the walls and both cats lost one life. Turned down the volume test, wow does that sound nice. I sang the Star Spangled banner twice. Needless so say the sound system sounds wonderful and I'm sure everyone will be able to hear performers in the future. I think we could peel the moss off the walls of Battery Bankhead if we wanted to.
Some people say they miss the hum of that cute little Honda generator. They say it softened the treble notes and helped them doze off as they enjoyed the music. Well I don't miss laying out and coiling up 125' of 10 gauge extension cord or helping lift the generator on and off a truck twice a concert. Now it's just like those rich people who live in big houses. We just plug a power cord into an outlet and zowie it works. It took the Wednesday Work Crew several weeks to fish conduit, pull cable, and connect up all the wires but now we have AC power right to the stage. Thank you to Don C. and the electricians from Olympic Electric for helping make this come together.
Well that was pretty much the first concert, I hope you can join us for the rest of the season. I know this post is woefully late but sometimes the words in my head just refuse to appear on the screen in any logical order.
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