And it was by far the highlight of my summer.
So check it...
Last week we got the opportunity to do a really fun daytime concert at City Hall Plaza...I didn't think as many people would show up and when they did I was more nervous than normal w/ this being an "outside in my own back yard" type gig...local, in front of folks who either know ya or probably see ya out and about often type ish.
There are moments in life where you must embrace your humanness w/ such brazen authority that those around you may actually be taken aback? Well this day was one of those and yes, I revelled in the moment.
So the story goes as such: At a certain point in the concert I admonish the crowd to be wary of losin their inner child, to be cautious of falling into the trap of forgetting what it's like to simply play.
There was a waiding pool to the left of the stage and I'd been watching the kids romp in it the entire day...and I kept thinkin...ooh...kewl water and stomping in it and being wet just seems soooo much more fun than having to work! The kids had the right idea, THEY were the smart ones...they were unabashadely stomping, splashing, running and sliding in the small pool and I have to admit I was envious of their purity for just a second.
So during the "don't forget the child in you" moment...we begin to toss these beach balls they were passing out, around in the audience...the idea was to keep the ball in the air and doing so simulated keeping the child in you alive...so I enlisted the crowd and they, in their suits, skirts, heels and dress shoes began to reach for the beach ball to keep it in the air, keeping the child in them awake and alive...it was magical...
Then I say over the mic, "whomever drops it has to go and stomp in the water!", of course that'd be the redeeming action to regain your "inner child" after letting the ball drop...a game of sorts...on the fly. Go w/ me...
The ball comes toward the stage and it's too far for me to actually reach but I'm just LOOKIN for a reason to go get in this pool w/ these KIDS I been talkin about the WHOLE show anyway, so I let it fall to the ground. It bounces, I side eye the audience, set the mic down and take immense pleasure in makin a bee line to the water.
I step in, steady myself and prepare to jump as high as I can to appropriately splash the water but the mossy bottom of the pool, coupled w/ the slick soles of my polka dot vans come together as one and my feet totally escape from beneath me...like swooooosh!!!!!! I gasp. I realize I'm toosh down in the water just like the lil one w/ the plaid shorts earlier and for five whole seconds, I forget the band, the crowd and the cameras are there, smile miles wide and commense to waddle and splash in it, just like he did.
I could have been embarrassed and shocked. There were so many adults there. I hear the mayor may have even come through. I could see someone being thrown off so much so that they felt inclinced to stop the show, run off, crying for the catastrophe of it all and I was even tempted to be caught up like that for one nano second but then I thought to myself..."chile puleez, you been eyeing that pool all day! The heavens just made sure you wouldn't cheat yourself by only putting your feet in!" LOL!
And THAT my friends is the business. I told every person I spoke to about it for the rest of the day and even the folks at the Harbor Steps Concert about it...just to take it all the way there. And now I'm tellin YOU! Cause I'm hoping you'll get a kick out of it like I do.
The kid in me will NEVER die. Not if I can help it. Teeheheeheheh....
The link below is of a photographers reel from the SeattlePI who was gracious enough to spy my show and capture the moments...if you go to the link you can see pics from the show...if your patient enough to go about two thirds of the way through, you'll see me, toosh down, the moment I speak of, in that pool...it's hillarious and I'll never forget it.
http://blog. seattlepi. nwsource. com/spied/picks. asp?ID=123Just wanted to share! Hope all of your summers are turning out to be just as eventful a$$ mine...chuckle...
XOXO
Choklate