Small crowds still get a big show!

Tonight in Milwaukee, WI, we had concert number three of seven. A big change from the last venue, we had a pretty small crowd (no, smaller than what you're probably thinking), but we had a heads-up on that so it wasn't a surprise.

On the bright side, the presenter was very enthusiastic having us there, being a drummer himself and really enjoying our last visit to the area some...five years ago? On top of that, one of our ex-members, Mike (or "Mister Mike" as we call him) was there with his wife Chandra, also a good friend of the group. They took a two-hour trip from Madison to come see us, and it was a definite boost to morale having them in the audience and backstage.

As for the show, it was my best yet of the three so far, and as for the group overall, I think we were pretty strong. I made sure to get in some kulintang practice before the show to make sure the mental gremlins were exorcised, and later when I felt the most tired I made sure to "yell" at myself that "this is nothing; you aren't even close to tired!" It's a bit of a macho attitude, but it works every time.

Tomorrow five of us (including myself) leave for Ohio, for two nights of homestay and one workshop in there somewhere. Three others fly back and we'll meet their replacements in three days. The schedule from that point on becomes a lot more strenuous; drive unload play load-up repeat.

If anyone reading is curious about what goes on backstage before/during/after a show, I'd be happy to write about it. Otherwise, I'll keep on posting what I'm posting!