—by Faye Fishman

During the pandemic I wondered if I’d ever play for a live audience again. So I was happy to hear from a senior community director who was asking me to play outdoors in a gazebo for a wine and cheese tasting. I had played for them before but never in the gazebo. Great, outdoors—what could go wrong?

Because it had been a long time since I had a gig (not counting Zoom), I made sure to go through my checklist—backup strings in bag, cables for the amp, all my music, sweater in case it’s breezy, etc.

It was a beautiful day and I was practically humming to myself while setting up. Everything in place, I sat down to see how the set up was, and then it happened. A gorgeous, lovely breeze.  I watched as my music gracefully turned about five pages. 

I packed everything but a clothespin or clip. Panic! That breeze was there to stay. I searched my bag and luckily, I had painter’s tape to tape down the cables of the amp. 

I ripped a small piece of tape and had to tape down the top page to the binder with my little piece of painter’s tape for every page turn. I would have to pause every few tunes to wipe my fingers that were getting sticky. Half way through I had to get a fresh piece as it was no longer sticking. But it worked. 

It was a great gig, and I had lots of fun. But I now use an iPad for my gigs. You never know when a breeze will come up. •