a little background first

i have been playing since 1960, and was in a few bands from 66-77 or so. at that point i got tired of working two jobs, and gigging on weekends left me no time to pursue the fairer sex i still played on occasion, but nothing serious.

on monday night a friend called and said they needed a second guitarist for thursday night. i agreed to play, and he sent me a list of about 80 songs they do. ouch! mostly classic rock, 70's, 60's, a little blues, stuff i was familiar with, so it wasn't too bad. i was a little woried about stamina, as i have had a few issues with my left hand.

so i get there and set up. we launch into our first set, and it all came back to me. i can't remember the last time it felt this good. the crowd was having fun, some of my family was there, and it brought back a lot of memories. no pain in my left hand either thru the 3 hours we played. the fact it was a paying gig with free food too didn't hurt.

when i came home, my wife looked at me and could see the excitement in my face. the guys in the band want me to play more often. what last night did for me can't be described. i am on top of the world this morning.

anybody else here take time off from playing and get back in to it?

good for you. good for you. i enjoy these posts right here.

kind of off topic but i've been hitting the weights again but this time seriously. i seriously feel like i'm 20 something again. on the downside i don't practice as much on guitar.

yee-yee.

Great post , phreddybee ! Sounds like your having a blast ! Seems like a win win for very involved part , if you keep to doing that !
Been a couple of years since my last regular gig with band , miss some of it . Might be possible to do it again , but it is not the most important thing for me , right now . Coincidences might suddenly lead to it ......

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A-man

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Cheers
Steve

RAWK ON!



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I loveeee this post! Made me smile! I hope you continue to keep having fun because that is what music is supposed to be!!

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Mona
"Music is What Feelings Sound like"

What a great post...good for you!
I too played guitar in a couple of bands in the late 60's through early 80's, but gave it up for a more settled lifestyle. The regular pay didn't hurt either
I've taken early retirement as of 2 years ago, and have started playing again and recording. I love it! I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly a lot of the old skills came back, sort of like riding a bicycle, but with the added hassle of having to reform calluses.
As to playing on stage again.......you never know
cheers,
Alex

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......it's a topsy-turvy world when noses run and feet smell...

I simply cannot wait to experience this. I have yet to gig and I'm not sure if I'm good enough to jump on a stage, it terrifies me to suck and be booed off! One of my best friends drums for a 80's - 00's cover band, and they like to get guest musicians (usually singers or horns) to join them on stage. He asked me if I could learn Jet City Woman by Queensryche, but that song is beyond my playing skill. In fact there's not that many songs I can play from start to finish, which is one of the reasons I don't think I'm ready.

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

Awesome story, congrats on the gig!

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thanks for the nice replies!

i hope everyone who used to gig gets a chance to do it at least one more time. it made me remember why i liked it so much

as far as groupies, well, at age 58....i don't think i have to say much

FANTASTIC.. !!

Truly inspiring for a newbie like me !

cheers!

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'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele

I got back into "playing out" when my kids got their drivers licences, and I haven't looked back. When I playing I feel like a kid again, my back doesn't hurt, my feet aren't tired, and I can't sleep if the gig was good. It helps that my wife doesn't have a problem with me going out to play, ( I think she's glad to get rid of me for a few hours ). I dread the day when I will get too old to play out, oh my poor wife .

Congrats on the gig. Must have been awesome! I am currently on a break from playing. Not as long as you, but long enough. I have 2 children (ages 2 1/2 and 11 months) that take up all my time. I only noodle around and play guitar for my kids right now.

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What a wonderful thing to do...your kids are very lucky!
much respect...

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......it's a topsy-turvy world when noses run and feet smell...

+10K I have had a couple breaks in my gigging just due to the career I chose, but I must admit, each time I got back into it, it was a blast. Good on ya Phreddybee! Stay with it as long as you continue to enjoy it!

T2

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