It's unnerving to be in a new band preparing for the very first show. And it's especially complicated when, in the two months prior to the show, you're going to be out of the country for four weeks and then at a work meeting for a fifth. To say we all worked hard is beside the point. We just didn't spend enough time together rehearsing to make any of us feel at ease heading into what was for many of us (well, probably all of us except for Dan...) the biggest thing since sliced bread!
Which brings me to my over-arching feeling this "day-after": Gratefulness. I am grateful. Because if you want to make your debut really fun, completely low-key, and filled with cheers and hoots and hollers and friendly faces, then you do what we did and make your debut at Napa Porchfest!
What an experience! A thousand things went wrong, I forgot to use my capo, someone else forgot to come in, and it was BAKING HOT the whole day. But the crowds were amazing, the people were kind and generous, and everyone just loved being there. And we loved playing there. I'm still smiling, even though my feet are killing me.
You only get to play your first show once. And how lucky we were that our first time was Napa Porchfest 2019. Thank you Napa!