WE DID IT!!!

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, I have now officially made my debut as a drummer! My first public performance is done, sorted and over.
What a relief!
When we had to start playing the opening number my hands were shaking so much I couldn’t control the drumsticks. Thankfully the bass player was sitting beside me and said “Just close your eyes and pretend you’re playing at home.” I followed his advice, and it helped. It’s hard to get freaked out by the presence of an audience when you can’t see them. 
The kids on stage were 300 times better than they’d been at any rehearsal, and it became very clear very quickly that the people watching were behind them all the way and couldn’t care less if everything wasn’t perfect. That took the pressure off and helped me relax, and I’m convinced my drumming improved as a result. By the time we got to the finale, I would go so far as to say I was enjoying it! 
The headmaster got on stage at the end and thanked the kids for all their hard work (cue rapturous cheering), Hannah for putting the show together (cue ’whoops’ from the children), the staff and friends of the school for attending and sorting refreshments (cue enthusiastic clapping) and then us in the band for providing musical backing (cue polite ripple of applause)
But hey - we didn’t do it for the accolades, we did it for the fun of it.
That’s the ‘school’ performance sorted, now we just have to turn up tomorrow for the two ‘community’ shows and then it’s done. Should be a good day really. People from the local area can come in and pay a quid to watch and it all goes into the funds for the theatre group. The local scouts and brownies and beavers and cubs etc are coming, and a crowd from a couple of old folks homes. Be nice for the kids if it’s well supported. But we’ll make it a fun day anyway. We’re all taking food and drink to have between shows, and they’re lighting up the Christmas tree in the evening. All very festive. And hopefully, now I’ve ‘popped my cherry’ I won’t be so nervous when we do it again. It’s hard to sit comfortably on a drum stool when you’ve spent an hour in the toilet with your arse turning inside out. 

RC 9-12-16