There are many venues I enjoy performing at. One of those has been The Bullwheel at Mount Snow in West Dover Vermont. As cumbersome as it can be at times (the load-in requires unloading the van at the ski lift, parking the van, walking back to the ski lift, loading the ski lift, getting to the top and unloading the ski lift, loading into the venue), I enjoy the views and the ambience. The audience has always been feel-good and appreciative. I've been playing there for nearly ten years! Over the past few years, I've started playing different venues at Mount Snow, including the Tap Room, The Iron Loft, Fairways, Harriman's, and most recently, The Grand Summit Hotel Summer Patio Series.
I played at The Grand Summit Hotel Summer Patio Series last year, though it was late in the season. I remember being quite cold last September. When the opportunity to play there this summer came up, I was ecstatic! There's a big patio, a fire pit, activities for the kids, lots of seating, and a feeling of exhilaration in the air. People are feeling good, which helps me feel good. I was really looking forward to this date, the first of two for the summer.
The show started out well. I was feeling good, playing well, the sound was spot on, people having fun, plenty of kind words. I took my first break after the first set and headed downstairs to the Harriman's bar to see my friend Alan and have myself a nice N/A beer. I got talking with some folks at the bar when someone said, “Is it raining outside?” To which I replied, “OH SHIT!” and ran back upstairs to the patio. It wasn't raining too bad, so I slid my stuff further under the canopy I was under. Then, all of sudden, it started raining HARD… sideways, upside-down, inside-out (is that possible?). And because the canopy had no gutter attached, all the rainwater was rolling down the roof and into my area, on my gear, beginning to submerge my wires, plugs, etc. After yelling “FUCK!” quite a few times, I started to unplug everything like a maniac and brought my gear into the nearby vestibule. Some very kind folks were helping me bring things in, and any serious damage was avoided by the helping hands.
While bringing things in, someone said to me, “Hey, did you just play at EAQ Landscaping?” I said, “Yes.” Turns out the guy was at the private event I played at and remembered me. Pretty cool! He was very kind, helping me bring my stuff in from the rain. We had a little laugh together, as we were both reminded that it rained at the private event I did, too. It's the bane of outdoor, summer performances!
After drying everything off, I checked in with the powers that be at the hotel, and was told I could set up inside at Harriman's or go home. Being the man of honor that I am, I brought all my gear down to the restaurant, and set up for a second time, so I could finish out my obligatory three-hour engagement. That ended up being a good thing, because I met some friends of my wife's family, engaging yet again in more conversation. Sometimes it's a small world after all!
Though I wish the performance was a little simpler, obviously not interrupted by rain, I had to employ my M.O. and make the most of it.
