Turning what appears to be an uneventful night into an entertaining event is something always worth striving for.
Imagine Fire & Beer & Lilly, The Orange Hat Cowgirl
Friday, September 17, 2004
Lilly The Orange Hat Girl
Just got into Bronte. Ladies and gentlemen will you please welcome...no applause....that's alright. I set up in a small area facing a fireplace. To the right is the bar which I can't really see from here. To the left is the packed patio. The patio doors are closed though so here I am stuck in the middle with whomever walks by. I started off playing some tunes and I noticed the first trend. People are really friendly. One at a time they pass by and wave or one at a time they will come up and speak with me (while I am singing). Brian, the 33 year old hippy (interesting phenomenon) is requesting Motorhead and Supertramp. Sorry I don't know any. He remains my friend. Jay passes by and says hello. He has a good voice but claims that he isn't singing tonight. The night's okay but this is nothing to blog about. In the middle of the first set, Sarah the manager, opens the patio doors. She needs some help with the lock so she asks one of the stronger patrons to help (she could've asked me....I have the strength of 12 men). Linda and Liz were there and bless their souls they danced to "Brown Eyed Girl". They warn me...."No pictures". I'll do anything they ask because they are participating. Looks like a tough night ahead. Introducing the catalyst. She walks in happy and I thought we could get along. She's wearing this orange cowgirl style party hat. I comment on the orange hat on the the microphone. She gives me the finger. Alert! I am misreading the audience. I move on and then I hear someone call her Lilly. LILLY!!!!!!!! That's my girlfriend's name. Suddenly all the nouns in the song I was singing were substituted with Lilly. I plug out my guitar and head fearlessly for the patio and sit beside her singing Lilly....Lilly...Lilly on the river. The audience is into it now and they are chanting her name. Now I have something to blog about. Finally I get her and Jay to get up and dance. Lilly's my friend now. She likes the attention. Click! I get some pictures of her. She puts the hat on me . Click! Someone takes my picture while I sit under this magical orange hat. It's the proof that all this happened. I take a break and go on the patio. Jay brings a new Imagine to my attention......he imagined me singing these words found in Jack Boland's article in the Sun. I would have tried but i needed a magnifying glass to read the print. I'll blog it instead. This is to be sung to John Lennon's Imagine (created by the staff of Mike & Mike in the morning radio show in New York )....Imagine there's no hockey....it's easy if one tries.....no dead squids a flyin'....or don cherry's ugly ties.....imagine all the hosers....sober on hockey night....ku-ru-ku-ku-kuku-koo......Imagine no bad haircuts besmirching this grand game.....no brothers hanson......no mullet hall of fame.....imagine Barry Melrose with cornrows--don't be afraid....you may think i'm a dreamer....but i'm not the only one....i hope some day you'll join us....and the world will live as one. On the patio Brian breaks into Asylum by Supertramp. I am his audience. He's quite passionate about singing. He knows all the words as well. The night went very well with Robin singing a tune, and more dancing. At the end of the evening Chris with a broken left hand and Jay turned the place into a mini concert while I was tearing down. As I'm loading my stuff in my van I hear someone wailing on the patio. It's Brian singing his version of This Flight Tonight (Starbright, starbright, you’ve got the lovin’ that I like) by Nazareth. "Look out the left the captain said...The lights down there that’s where we’ll land ...Saw a falling star burning... High above the las vegas sand....."
The evening at The Firehall was pure medicine. Thank you Lilly with the orange hat.....the adventure continues...
