The 80s

Ring The Alarm

I heard about the possibility of doing a Vegas show while I was having a mental breakdown on the plane over Eddie spilling the beans about my relationship. I didn't tell anyone what was wrong before because as soon as I heard about the show I damn near forgot who Prince was.

After doing this for so long, it's not many things that excite me and this was something that was a dream come true.

I've dreamt of performing in Vegas for as long as I could remember. The casinos, the lights, the high energy. It's the perfect place to develop an emotionally crippling gambling addiction.

My band and vocalists were warming up in the background. While I was sitting down with Jonathan who is my production manager and Hannah, getting ideas ready. We have 7 days before the show and we don't have any days to waste.

"Ok this is what I have so far." I spread the papers out on the table in front of them. "My whole objective here is for people to see....what they don't get to see."

"Ok." Hannah nodded, looking over my notes.

"I want this is to the most intimate performance I have ever done. I want it to feel like a jam session but with the tightness of an award show performance. I want it laid back and not too glamorous but I don't wanna miss a beat."

They nodded as if they were following me so I continued.

"However I wanna give them somethin' different. Now unless we have aerial silk dancers flying over our heads and waterfalls and all this." I mimicked little bursts with my hands. "Over the top Las Vegas stuff  then I suggest we do the opposite. I wanna show that I don't need any of that stuff. Just give me a stage, my band...some cool smoke and lights and I'm good to go."

"That's right!" Hannah nodded, snapping her fingers in a mini Z- formation.

"I want them to see the sweat, see the pain, the love, the soul and then at the end of the day when I take of the makeup and the outfits that its all about the music."

I looked over at Jonathan and he shot me a thumbs up.

"Alright." I took a seat and started to go through the papers one my one, going through all of our ideas and trying to come to a clear conclusions.

Jonathan pulled out a sample drawing of the stage set up.

I cut my eyes looking it over. "See it seems to me that the band is too. far. back." I placed my pen to where I wanted them. "I want the band in their face and me in their face."

I had to sneak in a couple of days during our soundchecks to see if their was even a possibility of us doing this show. I had to stop going out completely because I had to work my voice overtime if I was going to do this show and finish this promo tour in one piece. And I still do plan to tour in 88'. I know that for a fact.

I looked down at my notepad as I was multitasking listening to Jonathan and writing out the setlist for the Vegas show. All of the shows start with the music, it's the most important part. The arrangements, the setlist. The order of the songs, the flow of the show, all of the little segues and band breaks and if I do a bunch of songs, which part of which songs are we going to perform. That's the first step of the show.

"No!" I blurted out. I looked up and they both looked confused.

Jonathan looked startled. "Excuse me?"