Nebraska the Heartland, October 2010

It's 1am on Monday morning and the reason for blogging at this time is based on sleep deprivation. I actually blogged at 4am on Sunday morning but failed to save it and the battery ran out on the laptop. Boy, was I annoyed....not my normal expression there, but after all we are in Nebraska. The people are very polite so I must keep up appearances and watch my vocabulary.
To set the story in motion, the events began with the Twilight Lords performing at a private event in San Diego on Friday night. The show was to begin at 6pm at a rowing club on the bay. I left my home in the San Fernando Valley at 1.45pm as planned and arrived somewhat late at 5.15pm.....three and a half hours slogging down the 405. I had the PA and when I landed at the club, Will, Otis and Mark Shark were entertaining the crowd with cool jazz lounge lizard stuff. The familiar strains of "Breezin' " by George Benson greeted me as I lugged the PA into the reception area.
We kicked into high gear immediately and had the crowd rocking on the dancefloor for four hours. The high point of the evening for me was Otis singing Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean", (which I had never played before), and he reading the lyrics Googled from an Iphone by a guest, held in one hand while playing the entire drumkit with his other hand. Now I do know we can play anything...
At the end of the show, packed up, goodbyes said, I headed for home at 10.30pm and made it back in exactly two hours. By the time I was finished packing and hit the sack it was about 2.15am and I had to be up at 3.30am, leave at 4.15am for a flight to Omaha from LAX at 6.30am. You may be getting the sleep deprivation picture by now.
After a stopover in Phoenix, my flight arrived in Omaha at 1.45pm and I was met by manager Chris and her partner Pam who had arrived over the previous two days. I noticed most people were wearing red sweaters and teeshirts in honour of their devotion to "Big Red", yes, the Nebraska "Cornhuskers" were playing against Texas on Saturday....a very serious rivalry. Nothing happens here in Nebraska while "The Game" is on. The football stadium which holds about 85,000 becomes the third largest city in the state when there is a home game. We went right away to the supermarket for a few things and I bought a "Huskers" tee shirt...."When in Rome".... anyway they lost...no comment....they may be reading me here in NE...
After watching the game at the home of some relatives of Pam's, my friend Paula Ray came and picked me up and drove Chris and I to Lincoln where we had dinner and enjoyed a birthday party for Paula's friend Bob at her home. Paula was, at one time, President of the Celtic Arts Center in Los Angeles. By 10.45pm I couldn't keep my eyes open and politely retired. I woke up and posted most of what I have just written, at 4am.
It was so quiet here this morning, not a sound except the purring of the laptop and the sound of two sets of feline paws tapping accross the hardwood floors. No sirens, no helicopters...very different from where I live in the SFV. Then again, I'm drawn to exitement.
Went back to bed at 5am and slept 'til almost 11. Paula was making breakfast burritos for us and following breakfast we headed over to the Johnny Carson Theater for sound check for the 2pm concert. The show went very well and I learned, as I performed my program, that Nebraskans are very polite. I was joined at different points in the show by Irish dancers from the local "Thunder on the Plains" troupe and the girls explained to me at the intermission that that's how folks are here in the mid west, quiet, respectful and very appreciative. They did show their appreciation afterwards by purchasing CDs and lots of "Thank you's" for a job well done.
A group of us then went for coffee and then we all parted ways and I am staying in Lincoln with an old friend for the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to a game of golf in the morning at a nearby course and then a bit of touring. Tonight, Monday, we are going to Misty's, the most famous beef restaurant in Lincoln....sorry to all my veggie, vegan friends but there's an end cut of the best prime rib in America with my name on it this evening....
Catch y'all later....have a great day.....