JEFF PIKE - ABBA MANIA - FALL 2021 TOUR BLOG - DAY 7

November 3, 2021
The Grand Theater
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
​www.thegrandoshkosh.org

Check out the TOUR page for all venue and ticket information for upcoming dates.

As predicted, my sleep was indeed haunted with nightmares, and once again, I was up early. Too early, of course, but that is just how my body likes to roll, whether I like it or not. After all I have tried to help me sleep through the years, it is pretty clear that I do not have a sayso in it. Anyway, since I was up early, I did my best to get as much work as I could get accomplished all day before we had to leave for the venue at 3:00 pm. 

The bus ride over was fun, for somehow, we all found ourselves packed in the back of the bus, sharing stories and laughing. Again, having the luxury of doing two nights in the same venue does indeed have many perks. Not feeling quite as rushed and being able to relax does wonders for the morale and everyone's performance. 

Soundcheck was at 4:00 pm, but I needed a coffee fix first. I found a quaint little coffee shop just down the road which had a great cold brew. I was relieved it was top quality, for it took them a long time to get my order to me, and I was almost late for soundcheck. Not that it would have mattered, for Benny needs a buzz before he beats on the black and whites. (I am talking about piano keys here, not people. No need to get offended) Soundcheck went with little incident, for we had everything pretty much dialed in from the night before. A few tweaks here and there, and we were good to go. 

After soundcheck, I retreated to my cozy, warm little dressing room to get some rest and some more work done before our 7:30 show. The dressing rooms in the basement area are like a small maze, and again, quite haunted. So when I was walking them alone after the show, I did feel a bit nervous. I kept waiting for a robust cold chill or a tap on my back. Through my conversation with Jim the night before, I learned that the most active ghost in the theater is "Percy," the original stage manager from many, many decades ago. He never does any harm, but he likes to make his presence known from time to time, especially around the stage area. He also told stories of a little girl and a dog that also show up from time to time.

We took the stage tonight with a bang and never let the audience go. The Abba Maniacs was fantastic, and so were we. This is a good thing because band management was video recording the entire show for promotional material, and the venue was live-streaming the show on their website for paying customers. Ok, now before many of you become upset about the live stream, you have to know that we did not find out about it until about 30 minutes before showtime. To the few people we knew who were able to purchase a ticket and watch it, all of the reviews were stupendous. We are keeping our eyes and ears open to see if there is a way we can offer that to our audience again - stay tuned.

So, the curtain falls after the final bow, and Alison turns around and is freaking out. She has a small hat very firmly pinned to the back of her hair. It is on tight and will not come off until those pins are taken out. So, directly before the curtain closes while still on stage, she feels the hat completely come undone and snap forward. She says it felt just like someone undid it and popped it forward with force. It has never happened before, so she believes without question that it was 'Percy.' Of course, so do I. :-)

After the show, when I was all cleaned up and my wardrobe was packed, I still had a couple of hours before the bus left. The square we were parked on was so beautiful, more so in the fall than winter. I felt a bit melancholy, so I decided to battle the cold and walk around for as long as I could stand it and get in my steps. I am glad I did, for it helped get my mind off ghosts and things that go bump in the night (or onstage) and back to thinking how blessed I really am to be able to travel with such amazing people and to do what I do for a living. There are big highs and big lows, but it is a huge blessing to be a working musician and part of this band. A little gratitude never hurt anyone. Ok, Benny is tired, and I need my beauty rest. Sweet dreams....
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