New Year's Eve.
Posted on Feb 3, 2007
I had quit playing steel guitar about 6 years before, when I got a call one morning. This guy Gene wanted me to play New Years Eve in New England North Dakota. I figured that when he got done talking, I would simply say, "Not interested! I haven't been playing for six years and sure don't intend to start again now!" While waiting for a break to tell him this, the Lord intervened, "Go with him!" "Lord..I'm out of the music world!" I replied. The Lord again said, "Go with him!" So I agreed to go, and when the appointed night came, he picked me up in a Cadillac and we headed out. "Who's with us?" I asked "Uh..I think we will pick up a drummer in Sturgis and a Bass player in ND." Well there was no drummer in Sturgis, so we went on to ND and found one there. There was no Bass player. On the way he told me he had been on the wagon for 3 months and he promised me he would not drink tonight. I never gave it a thought beyond that. We got there an hour and a half early, so I got some practice time to organize my fingers, and sync my feet to the pedals. When the drummer came I asked him to end all the songs with a brrrump bump. He looked at me like I was crazy, and went to Gene and told him, "this guy wants me to end all the songs!" Gene said, "Do whatever he says." We sounded as though we had been playinmg together every week for five years, I knew almost all the songs he did, and was able to quickly learn the others. Our starts and ends were together, and perfect. About Midnight, Gene came to me and asked, "Let me have just one drink... to bring in the new year?" Panic set in! I knew one drink and we'd be there 3 or 4 days, and we're a long way from home!. Immediately I knew why I was there, and why the Lord wanted me to go with him. I replied, "Now wait a minute! you want me to play music with you, you have to keep your agreements, and you agreed not to take a drink tonight!. "Please," he pleaded, "Just one to bring in the New Year!" Again I responded, "You have to keep your agreements, if you want me to continue playing music with you!" I guess he wanted me to continue with him, even more than he wanted the drink. even though I had no intention of doing that. It got him through the night, and we got back home early in the morning.
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