After continuing the hustle consistently and playing a couple bigger festival gigs, we received yet another call from the society. They asked if we would be available to do a special event on a day that we unfortunately would not be in town. We were going neighborhood shopping in sunny California, a trip we had been planning for many months.
However, they didn’t give up easily, and we love them for that. We received another call, this time insisting that we should really consider doing the gig. We weren’t about to change our plans, so we simply asked them what it would entail. When they told us that Jefferson Starship was coming to town and needed an opener, we shit ourselves and changed our plans right on the spot.
This would be the ultimate opportunity to showcase our original music with a full band of professionals. We would be opening for the most influential group of the Psychedelic 60’s besides The Beatles and The Grateful Dead. There was marginally no room for error. We were up to the challenge. With only one timed rehearsal, we put together an opening set that would surely flow nicely and keep everyone rocking out.
The energy felt that evening in front of a packed theater of almost 2,000 people was surreal. We didn’t quite feel like we were even grounded in our own bodies or in the realm of reality. We moved to the music, felt it, lived it. We played off of each other’s energy and executed the dynamics exactly as they had been written and recorded. We, of course, tossed in a couple covers for familiarity’s sake and to show off a bit. We concluded the performance with our rendition of Joe Cocker’s monumental cover of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends.” We knocked them dead, were met with thunderous applause, cheers, and a standing ovation.
We got a chance to banter a bit with The Starship after the show. They, of course, were beyond fantastic and have maintained a lineup which truly does their music justice. We were thrilled to find that they had actually listened to our performance and enjoyed it. We gave one of our T-shirts to the lovely and hyper talented Cathy Richardson. What a voice! David Friedberg, a San Francisco rock legend, told us he enjoyed our vocal work. You can imagine what that meant to us if you’ve ever heard how he can still belt it out at the age of 80. Chris Smith, Jude Gold, and Donny Baldwin, all veterans of the field who have played with so many of our heroes, said we were going places. They congratulated us on our upcoming move to Los Angeles in our continued pursuits as artists and entrepreneurs and expressed interest in doing another show together down the road. When they left, they told us they were looking forward to meeting again. We really hope they meant it.
This crazy little musical journey has only lasted a mere 16 years for us thus far. There have been many moments where we’ve thought of quitting and pursuing something more practical. It’s too damn late. It’s in our blood now. If we were to stop, what the hell else would we do? We’ve stuck to it and will continue to do so. We’re still incredulous at all that’s happened for us as a result of sticking to it. We have the work ethic, the stage presence, and the creativity; but we wouldn’t be anywhere without a little help from our friends.