Payton Schott had rehearsed with us a couple of times before Tuggers, but rehearsal and a live audience are different neighborhoods. On August 22, she stepped into both of her songs for the first time in front of a live audience, with Tom beside her for California and Greg joining her for the Sara Bareilles version of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
California was still new for Tom and Payton, so they were feeling their way through the timing. That is one of the honest parts of working up a song in public: sometimes everybody knows where the road goes while still checking the map. It was a great start.
Two Firsts and a Few Nerves
Then Greg and Payton performed Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. A few nerves showed through, but the performance was sublime. Payton did great on both songs, and she is looking forward to learning more material with us and making more appearances.
It happened on an unusually light day at Tuggers, which was a shame because we had brought along some serious musical company. Tom had family there, a few friends came up from the Quad Cities, and some guests who often see the larger band Tom plays with at the casino stopped in to hear the duo.
Some of those friends got up for a couple of songs to dance. Paul Weddle also had Dottie there, and she danced too. The number of people in the room may have been lighter than usual, but the number of people willing to leave their chairs held up nicely.
Paul Weddle Hits the Gas Pedal
This show was also the first time Paul had joined us at Tuggers, and he brought plenty of energy with him. Greg described him as being on fire on saxophone, which made Take the Long Way Home, one of our favorites to play with him, a centerpiece of the evening.
It had been a while since we had seen Paul and Dottie, but this was not going to be a long reunion followed by another long gap. We already had two more shows with Paul coming the following week at Hog Days in Kewanee. Tuggers became the first stop in a very saxophone-friendly stretch of the calendar.
The River, the Lights and the Golden Arches
The weather cooperated for an evening beside the Mississippi, and the shade screen kept our performance space comfortable. Once again, the lights worked especially well there. Some spaces simply suit a small light show better than others, and Tuggers gives those lights the river as a backdrop.
After the songs, the saxophone and the load-out, the night ended with Tom, Malissa and Greg grabbing a quick bite at McDonalds. It was not the most scenic part of the evening, but every working musician knows that the final destination is sometimes determined less by the Mississippi River and more by what is still serving food.
If you are considering live acoustic music for your own gathering, you can take a look at booking Bell and Field. We would be glad to hear what you have in mind.