Chapter 12 - Parental Visit Then On The Road
Judy came up for a visit just before they were going to leave for tour number one, stayed for a week or so enjoying everyone's company, and sitting in the studio every day with Billy while he recorded some of the sessions before leaving for the city.
Bob caught up with her one afternoon and they both took a long walk into the forest around the property.
"What are you thinking about," asked Bob softly?
"I don't know Bob, I just can't get over how much she's matured in, what, six months. Being away from home is definitely agreeing with her."
Bob nodded but remained silent so she could collect her thoughts.
"She calls me three or four times a week and we talk for what seems like hours. It's almost like she's sitting across the table from me, but she's not there."
With a loud guffaw, she said "I'm thinking about getting a cardboard cutout to put in the chair across the table. When Maggie stops by we can just put it away."
They walked a bit more then stopped to sit on a log on the side of the trail. Bob could tell that Judy was missing her "baby". Maggie leaving home was one thing, but Chelly is her baby girl, and he could tell it was hard for her.
"So, how's she doing," Judy asked with a sigh, looking into Bob's eyes.
"She's doing fantastically Judy. She's nearly mastered all of the new synthesizers and with only about week or so before the first tour, she's got them down for when we hit the road."
As an afterthought, "Oh, like all the girls, she's got about eighteen million in the bank so far."
He thought Judy's eyes were going to bug out.
Then he asked, "Are you planning on coming to any of the shows?"
Having recovered from the shock, Judy smiled and answered, "I'd like to come to all of them, but I don't think that's possible, and I don't think Chelly needs a clinging mother bugging her while she's trying to concentrate on a naked audience."
Bob laughed. Chelly had obviously told her what Heather's professor had said, and that all four girls are going to be seeing a lot of naked people. Judy laughed along with him, picturing a stadium or concert hall full of fifteen thousand plus naked people.
"Judy, you're welcome at any of our shows. You just need to let us know at least a day ahead so that we can arrange a band pass for you. I think Janell's mom and brother are going to come to one of the LA shows, and Maryanne's folks to San Diego. The plan is to do two shows at each stop, and we'll be making 2 stops in San Francisco this first tour. Tentatively Bill's working on Vancouver, Calgary, one show in Edmonton, then Boise, Salt Lake City, and Denver for the second tour. We haven't thought much beyond that yet."
"Are you going to go overseas?" Judy asked somewhat anxiously.
"I don't see how we can avoid it. Half our sales are in Europe and Japan. If it were up to me, and it sort of is, other than I've turned that part over to Billy and his staff, I would do Cabo or Cancun, maybe both, Rio, London, maybe Moscow, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, maybe Ho Chi Minh City, that used to be Saigon, Hong Kong, and then to Tokyo to finish the international part. On the way back we can hit Hilo, then Honolulu for a few shows and do a couple three weeks R&R at the beach on Maui."
"That's pretty ambitious, don't you think?"
"Yes." After a short pause, "Yes it is, but we may only do one international tour like that, so I'd like to bill it as These Girls Around the World Tour, and then book them around the world, literally. It will probably be the longest tour we'll ever do."
"Yeah. That will turn into a few months on the road."
"Yeah, more than a few months. I like having lots of time between the shows. I don't want the girls to burn out the way I did when I first started out with 260 shows in a row in 14 months. That's insane, but we did it. Fortunately with the girls the scenery will always be changing, so it certainly won't get totally boring, and I've been to most of those venues, so I have a fair idea of the downsides. We'll just try to avoid them."
Judy asked with a chuckle, "Do you need any roadies for that tour? "
"We can always use roadies sweetheart, but it's not an easy life! The roadies actually work ten times as hard as we do. We'll be treating our roadies a bit differently than most bands, so we hope to keep them all for all the tours."
"I'm kidding, that's all Chelly would need. Though it might be fun to fly out to Sydney," she lamented. "Maybe I'll see if Janell's mom and Maryanne's folks want to spend some time in Hawaii. I'm sure we could all find something to do that wouldn't interrupt anything.
"Well, Hawaii is going to be R&R for the most part. As long as we're there I'd like to do a show or two in Hilo, and a couple in Honolulu before heading to Maui to relax for a few weeks or a month."
"If you end up with that schedule pass it along Bob. I'll let the families know it's in the works and that as soon as it's scheduled we can decide if we can fit any of it in."
"You'll know at least a year in advance I would think," said Bob. "An international tour takes a lot of coordination, what with, visas, passports, customs for all the instruments. Sometimes it can be a fucking nightmare. The big positive is that we'll be in our own jet so we won't be subject to the commercial airline nightmare."
Then he added, "We're purposely avoiding the Middle East. I don't want to expose the girls to that level of insanity. It's just not worth the stress involved in safety and security. Maybe once they can all get along, if it's before were feeble and using walkers, we can reconsider, but for now, no way."
"I understand completely," Judy commented. "You remember those two young violinists that were touring the world and actually canceled a show or two scheduled in Saudi Arabia I think it was." *
Bob nodded, and she continued, "I think they made the right choice. They were there to play music not to play politics. Since the powers that be couldn't seem to separate the two... I really think they did the right thing."
Bob nodded again, "Yeah, those two were phenomenal artists. I hope our four can handle the bullshit as well as those two youngsters did."
Then thoughtfully adding, "I'll tell you Judy, sometimes this business really sucks. Just let us perform without all the assholes and kiss asses we have to deal with along the way."
"Very few of the promoters are worth more than a cold bucket of shit, and I really get tired of dealing with all of their two-bit lackey's. That's one reason I turned the business side over to Bill; he loves that crap. He makes it a big game and he rarely loses. I just get pissed off and want to hit someone."
"Don't EVEN get me started on the media," he said with disdain. "You want to talk media and attitude? Go mention it to Heather."
Judy laughed, and nodded her head. "The media wasn't very kind to those two young girls, but it seems like they managed."
"Yeah, but they had to leave the country to do it," Bob said with some disgust. "And it was over bullshit. Personal shit that is nobody's damned business, but the fucking press just hounds and hounds and hounds. I think they get a tooth in and just won't let go. They're worse than a Pitt Bull, well, except the dog usually has some conscience. I sure hope we can all deal with it. Like I said, I just feel like I want to hit some of those jerks."
Then added, "I think I read somewhere that they're back in the country but not doing any more live performances. It's too bad, I saw one of their shows in LA and the vibe was absolutely electric. Man, they were good."
"Their road manager, Bob, is a real trip. I don't now how he puts up with all the surrounding bullshit, but he does it with grace."
They walked back to the compound and were met by Bill and Maryanne just hanging out in a gazebo. They sat down and talked with them for a while. It wasn't long before the rest of the girls had joined them for a lively banter session.
Michelle came in and immediately sat next to her mom. Bob could see that Judy was pleased. Chelly was well aware of her mom's mixed feelings.
"You coming to any shows mom?" Chelly asked.
"Bob and I were just talking about that, Honey. I think I might make some of them, but you don't need your mother hanging around."
"I know it's been hard mom, but you have to know like coming here for visits, you are welcome to come to the shows. We just need to know so we can get you a stage pass. I'll see if Bill can get you a photo pass, so all you have to do is show it and they'll either let you in or call one of us to the door."
Judy smiled warmly at her daughter and nodded her head. Bob looked on knowing there were some very mixed emotions on Judy's part. She heard what her daughter said, but knew also that she would be in the way and really needed to let go of the empty feeling she's had since Chelly left.
Maggie stops by far more often now, which isn't to say that she was avoiding Michelle. Quite the contrary, they both love each other very much, but Maggie also has a feel for what her mom is going through and tries to be there for her.
After a short time, Chelly stood up and asked Judy if she wanted to take a walk, the universal signal for "I have some private stuff for you". Judy stood up, they excused themselves and started down a different trail than Bob, and Judy had just used.
"How many trails are here?" Judy asked.
"I haven't got a clue. We've been here six months and I don't think we've found half of them yet. Bob's got a pretty good layout, and you really can't see other trails from the one you're on."
"Amazing," Judy observed.
"Mom, how are you doing, really?" asked Chelly quite seriously.
"I'm doing ok, Honey. I miss you bad some times, but I also know that part of life is raising your kids and then letting them fly with their own wings. I think it's hardest for me because you're my baby."
Chelly just acknowledged what her mother had said, and they sat on one of the logs that had been carved out of a huge downed redwood to make a seat along the side of the trail.
"Maggie comes over every couple days now, so that's really a good thing. I was getting the feeling that I drove her out and that's why she wasn't coming home that often, but I guess it was just that she knew you were there to keep me company and didn't want to infringe on our time."
"How are you doing with work and stuff?" Chelly asked.
"Oh, it's so-so. The bastards want to cut our hours again telling us that we're not making enough money, but remember I work in finance. They're not hurting for money, they're just fucking greedy. They end up laying off a few and just putting all the extra work on everyone else and expect everyone to just take it on. Honestly, I'm getting tired of it!"
"When was the last time you looked at your bank statement?" Chelly asked slyly. She knew Judy rarely looked at the bank information because it was always too depressing for her.
Judy worked hard for what seemed like very little and both of her daughters understood the sacrifices they'd all made being by themselves. They had a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs and warm clothes to wear, but there weren't a lot of frills but the girls never really lacked anything they needed.
When Judy sent Chelly to music lessons, it was a little strain, but it needed to be done. She was thankful now that she'd done it, though rock and roll wasn't her chosen path. They weren't poor by any stretch, but they certainly weren't wealthy.
"Why honey?" Judy looked at her concerned. "Is there something wrong with it?"
Then thinking about it asked, "Besides, how the hell would you know?"
Chelly looked at her mom with a smile, "I don't know mom, I just wondered."
Seeing the look on Michelle's face she queried, "Chelly, what have you done?"
Chell cackled softly and said, "If you haven't looked, I haven't done anything."
"Michelle Maria Tejano," Judy was getting a little exasperated. Mom was coming out.
"Mom, don't worry about it ok? I just made a small deposit for you."
"WHAT?? How? Can you do that?"
"Yeah, you'd be surprised how easy it is to put money in someone's account even though you have no access to get it back out."
"Chelly, what the hell have you done?"
"I told you Mom," she said mysteriously. "I made a small deposit in your account. You'll see it the next time you really LOOK at your bank statement."
"I can't believe you Chelly. You don't need to be doing things like that."
Chelly smiled warmly at her mother, put her arms around Judy and said, "It's the least I can do for the woman who raised me. Honestly, caring, loving, strict... sometimes too damned strict," she chuckled, "but I understand now. Do I need to say any more?"
Judy looked at Chelly through big tears getting all emotional knowing that her youngest daughter now understood at least a little of what she had put her mother through growing up. Normal stuff!
"Chelly," Judy choked through her sobs, "What is a 'small deposit' to you?"
"Let's just say you won't be bouncing any checks any time soon, and if you want to pay off your credit cards and quit your job, you have the option," Chelly said with a grin.
"Chelly, You can't do that!"
"Too late," Chell said with a grin!
"Oh my god, ship her off to make a few dollars and she's giving it away. What am I going to do with you?"
"You're going to keep loving me mom. Like Bob said that first night at the house, 'It's only money'. Mom, it's only been six months, and I already have more money in the bank than I will probably ever use for myself. You sacrificed a lot of your life for me, for Maggie. You brought us up right, and this is my opportunity to give back to you. Mom, I can never repay you for my life. I could give you every cent I have and it wouldn't be enough. Just humor me, okay?"
Chelly reached out to hug her mother more tightly and they both held each other tightly both sobbing openly.
Bob and Heather came rapidly up the trail and spotting the two women embracing, slowed their pace to make sure Judy and Chelly had either heard or seen them.
"We heard crying," Heather said quickly.
"Is everything alright?" asked Bob.
Judy looked up at them with bleary eyes and nodded, "Yes, everything is fine." Then looking at Chelly said, "I think it may be too fine."
Chelly giggled and wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and watched both Bob and Heather's looks turn to a "Huh" look.
Chelly looked up at them and said, "I just told mom that I made a small deposit into her bank account so she could pay some bills and other stuff."
"She said I won't bounce any checks, I can pay off my credit cards, and believe me she knows the balance of those damned things, and that," looking up at the two with renewed sobs, "she said I can quit my job."
Heather just sat down next to Judy and brought her face up so that she could look her in the eyes. She started crying herself and said to her, "Judy, I'd give up every penny I have to have my parents back, even if only for one day, so that I could let them know how much I loved them."
Now everyone was in tears because everyone knew Heathers pain, and that she truly meant exactly what she had said. But Judy also knew that the McArthur's knew how much Heather loved them. They'd said so many times at get togethers and parties.
Judy placed her hands on either side of Heathers face and looking deeply into her eyes told her, "Your mom and dad knew how much you loved them sweetie. Believe me, they knew, and I also know how much they loved you. Please Heather, never doubt their love or their knowledge of yours."
Heather wrapped her arms around Judy and both cried for a long time with Bob and Chelly on either side giving support. It wasn't long before Bill and Maryanne showed on the trail wondering what all the fuss was about. Bob saw them and just signaled that everything was ok, and to just leave them all to themselves for now.
Bill gave him thumbs up and it looked like he had to nearly drag Maryanne away whispering to her. She looked back over her shoulder but Bob gave her the thumbs up and waved them away.
After a few more tears things quieted down a little and they were just talking quietly amongst themselves. Everyone was lightening up a bit and things were getting less somber. There were even some chuckles over a few of the things they talked about.
Suddenly Heather seemed to remember something, and pulled Judy over towards her and put her face away from Bob and Chelly so that she could whisper softly into Judy's ear without the others hearing.
"Judy," Heather whispered very quietly, "I have to tell you, Chelly finally got her pussy stuffed."
Judy's head snapped back with shocked surprise and looked in Heathers eyes. She started to laugh hysterically. She was laughing so hard her sides ached. She looked over at Chelly and laughed even harder.
Of course Chelly was wondering what the hell was so funny, so asked, "What? It has to be funny, so share!"
Judy looked at Heather and they were both rolling they were laughing so hard. This had definitely broken any residual tension that may have been floating around them. Judy looked at Chelly like she was going to say something and as soon as she saw Chelly's face, started laughing hysterically again. She was losing control!
They finally all got up and began to walk back down towards the house, Bob with his arm around Heather, Judy, and Chelly holding hands. Chelly giving her mother sideways glances, but each time she did and got caught, Judy would just start laughing again...
Bob looked at Heather with a queried look. She looked back and smiled brightly with a smug look on her face. He whispered to her, "Well, are you going to tell me?"
Heather looked at him and began to laugh again, but shook her head, "Nope."
So, laughing, they got back to the house and caught up with Bill and Maryanne who gave them all really strange looks when they bounced in laughing so hard. The last time they'd seen everyone they were crying.
"What's that about," Maryanne threw out to nobody in particular.
Heather looked at Judy and both started to laugh again, but she managed to choke out, "I just told Judy about something that I'd remembered, and it's pretty funny."
When Chelly heard that she looked at Heather and gasped, "You didn't... Did you?" Chelly's eyes conveyed extreme shock and got huge when she was addressing Heather.
Heather just nodded her head and began to laugh hysterically again.
"Heather... Shit... I don't believe you would tell my mother THAT," Chelly said incredulously. She started to blush brightly, and then looking at Judy started to giggle and chuckle herself.
Maryanne, clueless, looked at Heather, and exasperated asked, "Good god, what did you tell her Heather?"
Judy looked at Chelly, who now knew what she was laughing at, and said to Maryanne, "Heather told my mother, Maryanne, that I'd had my pussy stuffed."
This caused both Judy and Heather to start all over again. Maryanne's jaw dropped, and now Bob was laughing too.
Once they had all recovered a little, they sat around the table in the kitchen and everyone heard the story about Michelle and Judy's prediction about Chelly getting stuffed.
-----
A couple days later Judy headed for home and the group went back to their routines. Bob was only doing practice every other day by this time. He'd told them that they didn't need the practice because they already had everything down. There was something called "too sharp".
"We'll do a couple concentrated sessions before we leave," he told them. "I think it'll be a good idea to play at least the first three sets all the way through before we hit San Francisco. That's the same as doing the first show, it'll give you a better feel for the cadence we'll try for on the stage."
Bob handed out sheets to show everyone the first three sets and the encore that they figured to do the first night. After taking a look at the schedule they sat and discussed the list and their options.
The first show was to have the standard three sets and an encore. This is the list for the first show.
Show 1 Set 1 36m:59s
The Feeling Begins - Peter Gabriel
Helplessly Hoping - Crosby, Stills, & Nash
Sunset Grille - Don Henley
Devil Inside - INXS
Compared to what - Les McCann/Eddie Harris
A kind of Magic - Queen
Walking towards paradise - Robert Plant
So you want to be a rock and roll star - The Byrds
Show 1 Set 2 43m:37s
Beach Boys Medley 22m:37s
Be True To Your School
Dance, Dance, Dance
Catch a Wave
Little Deuce Coupe
Fun, Fun, Fun
Shut Down
Surfin' Safari
Surfin' USA
Surfer Girl
In My Room
California Girls
Shoot out at the fantasy factory - Traffic
Lawyers, Guns and Money - Warren Zevon
My heads in Mississippi - ZZ Top
Susie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Show 1 Set 3 43m:21s
Classical Gas - Mason Williams --- Done by Bob, Maryanne, finished by Heather
Black Velvet - Alannnah Myles
Sweet Dreams - The Eurythmics
Wake up little Susie - The Everly Brothers
Hole Hearted - Extreme
Gold Dust Woman - Fleetwood Mac
Freedom 90 - George Michael
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Spring - Leah West
The Heart of Rock and Roll - Huey Lewis & the News
Encore - (1) 10m:16s
Hot for Teacher - Van Halen
Dust in the Wind - Kansas
Where Have all the Flowers Gone - The Kingston Trio
Find the Cost of Freedom - Crosby, Stills, & Nash (Acoustic) --- Vocals a Capella
They reviewed the first shows offering and made some adjustments to add additional continuity, but for the most part they were all happy with the choices of music. They were going to script ten of them, so this was just the first.
Bob looked around the room and decided to discuss some of the observations he'd made over the months, things that could enhance the overall feel and look of the band on the stage. The girls listened with great interest.
"Something I've noticed in practices, is that once the music starts and the 'show's going', Janell takes control of determining the pace. I've also observed that Heather is, more or less, the 'boss' and you all look to her for that leadership, but Heather always defers that leadership role to Jan to set the pace once the music starts. Jan, you're excellent at doing that and you keep us all on track."
"That said," he noted with a smirk, "I like to screw around a little because it keeps the fun in what we're doing. I've impressed on you that we should just tick off the tunes and be professional in all that we do, but we still have to have some fun. Trust me, by the third or fourth show, you're going to want some levity. Understand there is more to doing a show than just the music. The music is important, but so is how it's presented."
Then looking directly at Janell, "I love the way you click the numbers off and keep us on pace Jan, but we also need to have some fun. It doesn't mean we dick around, we just need to be light with ourselves."
Bob looked around the room to see how these observations were being received... So far so good, "I think we are all anal about our music, but sometimes we can be too anal. Do you remember what Billy said in the booth that day when we were getting you guys ready for the first fill ins?"
Looking around seeing blank faces he continued, "When Jan said she'd get pissed off if she spent hours doing a fill in and it wasn't used? It's part of how we get to perfection, and that there were six of us striving for the same goal."
They looked around at each other and nodded letting Bob know that they remembered the conversation.
"So we need to mess with each other, maybe even tell a few jokes, just to keep things light, but like everything else we do on the stage, Jan should be in charge of the timing. Like between a set of tunes, instead of clicking off immediately, you can say something, maybe like a "yeah", which tells the rest of us we can have a few seconds to give something different to our audience. Then when that "time" is up, you just say something like "ok" which is like the 10 second mark, and in 10 seconds you click us into the next number. Or if what's going on needs more than an additional 10 seconds, the "ok" signal can let whoever is "screwing around" that once they're done, everyone will hear the clicks. Jan is extremely proficient at managing the pace. I think you all have made an excellent choice in our stage leader." Bob looked at Jan with a smile and nodded his head reinforcing what he'd just said. Jan blushed a little, but smiled back.
"We can even mess around a little while we're doing a song. Like Chelly and Maryanne or Hey and me, or any combination just messing with each other. Not to mess up the music but to give the audience the impression that we are having a lot of fun entertaining them. As serious as we are, we do find it fun to do what we do! We need for the audience to sense that as well. It's called showmanship. We're not just musicians, we're also entertainers."
"If we're too serious, we'll appear stiff, and the audience will sense that stiffness. It may even detract from their enjoyment. We need to interact with them - maybe even do a few sing-along tunes. Hell, our audiences will probably know every tune we do, so a sing along isn't out of the question. Lola is a prime example."
Then chuckling, "Shit, one thing we can do for some laughs is just have Jan stand up so everyone can see her get-up. One of us can make a comment about it to draw attention to her appearance."
Then after a thoughtful second or two, "It could be one of the times she swaps headbands or takes a big swig of water. Something that the audience will be able to see that we're having fun with it too."
Everyone laughed loudly at that, even Jan, but she did scrunch up her face and give Bob a mock dirty look.
"Another thing we can do, is Jan can do her 'stand up' during the first set, and when we all come out for the second set, we can all have changed into something similar to what Jan is wearing."
Then looking at the smirks all around, "No, I will NOT put on a hot pink sports bra!" They all laughed at that, but got Bob's point and knew he "heard" what they had been thinking.
Then with a huge grin added, "Although, now that I think about it, I could put on a hot pink something to make it look like that's what I'm wearing. That should be worth some laughs and comments from you guys; let them fly. Then we get into playing, and every so often during that set you can make more comments about 'Bob's hot pink whatever it is'. The audience will get into the whole thing."
"We'll get laughs with those kinds of antics, and it will keep the show light and interesting. It's all to enhance the enjoyment of the music. We're not comedians, so it's just a little short side shit, but think about it.
It doesn't have to be rehearsed either, just ad-lib. You can also work with each other to come up with some routines that the rest of us don't know, so it's spontaneous. If it is spontaneous, it will feel spontaneous."
Again everyone laughed, and nodded their heads. Chelly picked up looking at Jan and with a giggle, "Jan will have to tell us where she gets her wardrobe."
Jan looked at Chelly with a bright sparkle in her eyes, and stuck her tongue out at her.
"Careful Honey, I'll give you something to do with that," Bob said before he could call it back. He hadn't meant to let that one fly, but it was too late now.
"Ok," Jan said with a gleam in her eye. "Your room or mine?"
Everyone's jaws dropped, and they all looked at Jan like she'd grown a third eye, but Jan just giggled, "I can't help it. I liked it."
Bob knew what she was referring to, but didn't think anyone else did until Maryanne quipped with a grin, "Tasty, Jan? You little devil you! And all this time..."
"Annie," Jan whined blushing brightly, knowing everyone now knew, as if they hadn't before, she had very much enjoyed her oral experience.
"Does that make sense to you all?" he asked trying to change the subject. "Any other ideas or suggestions?"
Once they were refocused, consensus was that it was a good idea but that they'd have to work on how to accomplish it since it wasn't a "natural" thing for them to do while playing. They needed to become "natural" things in their routine, and there was nothing that said that some of them couldn't be rehearsed.
Heather chuckled about being the "boss", but understood what Bob was saying and Jan acknowledged that she was pretty anal about the timing, which is why the group looked to her for the timing. Besides, she had the sticks and they were more unobtrusive than one of the others saying, "One, two, three..."
Maryanne spoke for the rest of them when she said, "I think those are very accurate observations, Bob. I think we all look to Heather for leadership in what we do." Everyone nodded their heads agreeing with Annie. "I don't think it has to do with the fact she's the oldest, at least that's not it for me. For me it's because she is so good at keeping us on track, learning new music and things like focus. She's also the one that drove us to excel, and she's really the biggest reason we've become as good as we are."
Heather blushed, but didn't say anything. She knew the girls all had that kind of respect for her, and she returned that respect in kind.
Chelly picked things up, "Totally, Maryanne. I think we look to Jan for pace because she's always done that. Once we start to play someone has to be in control of how we play, and Jan has always been who we look to. That's how the clicking of the drumsticks started. We all have our roles in how we do things, and Bob you've added a new dimension to that. I think you're totally right in that we need to loosen up a little. There are times when we are just too fucking serious about stuff. I think in that light, we'll have to look to you for getting loose. I know we all have great senses of humor, but we don't bring it to the music."
"Well, the Dueling Banjos swap, the Classical Gas thing ... it's all fun. Yes, it does show off your abilities, but it's fun to do that kind of thing, and if we ham it up, so much the better. We should come up with some more things like that. Think about it, and we can practice some of it when we do our show run through."
They all thought that was a good idea, so as the time ticked down they were occupied with all of the last minute preparations to be gone for 6 weeks. Clothes, toiletries, books, music, anything they could think of.
It all went into road chests to be loaded on the trucks and airplanes. All of the personal stuff went into three of the chests, Bob and Bill using one and the girls the other two. Those chests, with the addition of the roadie's things would follow them to the hotels, while the other crates went to the concert halls.
They also trained the road crew that would be accompanying them to each venue. They were all professionals and were a really good example of how a group could be professional but have a lot of fun at the same time. Over the tour they would show the band that even though there was a lot of grab ass going on during set up and tear down, that when they came to the stage, everything would be exactly as they wanted it - every time!
Janell taught a couple of them how she wanted the drums set up, so that she didn't have to spend much time re-adjusting. She got lucky because the guy assigned to her was a drummer himself, so he had a feel for what she wanted, and when she told him something he could relate easily. The lady that was assigned to her was just as good, but didn't play herself.
Jerry would continue teaching her the ropes so that in time she could set Jan up the same way he could. Jan watched the interaction with interest, because Jerry treated her as an absolute equal, explaining the why and the how so that she would be just as aware as he was. There was no ego-tripping at all.
Bob had done that on purpose. While reviewing the resumes he noted that Jerry was a drummer so it only made sense. It was to prove to be a masterful decision.
Michelle showed her "assignees" what order to put the keyboards onto the stands for both her and Maryanne, also where they all plugged in. She had color coded and numbered all of her connectors because there were a lot of wires. The boxes were all electronically tied together somehow, and she had pre-programmed some of paths so that she could be playing two of them simultaneously with one keyboard. It also connected Maryanne's keyboard and synth directly to hers. That would play out later when the two of them came up with ways to have some fun.
The last couple days were pretty interesting. They had done their show run through twice, even putting in the switches they had talked about. They worked really well, and would provide some break up of the usual routine. They even worked on a "speech" that Heather would do only at the first show following the opening number.
Things were really getting crazy around the ranch. Bob had been through all of this before, but it didn't calm his nerves all that much. He just understood that it was going to be that way and that he just had to deal with it. The girls hadn't gotten to the "deal with it" stage yet, so they were bouncing off the walls, stressing over everything.
"Relax ladies," Bob told them numerous times, "Everything is already gone. It's all on the trucks and on the way to San Francisco. There's nothing to do now except enjoy the buildup then play the music."
"Easy for you to say," grumbled Maryanne.
"Yeah Bob, you've been down this road before and you said you still wanted to pee your pants, so how do you think we feel?" added Chelly.
Janell and Heather were unusually calm. They had climbed into themselves and found a calm before the storm. They both just looked at Maryanne and Michelle with smiles.
"How the fuck can you be so calm," snapped Chelly to no one in particular.
Heather quietly answered, "You have to realize Chell, that there's no longer anything you can do. The train is on the track and the engine has pulled out of the station. Anything from here until we play the first note is totally out of our control. If it's out of your control, worrying about it will only give you heartburn." She shrugged her shoulders and gave Chelly and Maryanne that "what can you do" look.
Chelly mumbled, "You've been reading Bob's Zen books again."
"So you're trying to say you're not nervous." Maryanne growled.
"No," she answered firmly. "I'm scared out of my pants. I know what Bobby is saying when he says he wants to piss his pants. I'm right there with him. But again Annie, there's nothing I can do anymore but try to get mentally ready to do the show. I keep playing the first set in my mind over and over and over again. I know we'll each have a play list so we'll know what's next. Hell, Billy's even set up a teleprompter that will give us the right order in a little box at the front of the stage. We all know it's going to be on total autopilot, but it still scares the shit out of me."
Then added softly, "Yes Chelly, I've been reading those books on Zen and Buddhism. When you accept that 'it is what it is' and you decide to 'go with the flow' you can find an inner peace, and that will carry you through dealing with the inner turmoil. It's deeper than that, but when things are no longer in your control, why try to keep controlling them? There are better things to spend your time and energy on. Control those things you can, and let go of those you can't."
Bob smiled and nodded his head.
Chelly got a stormy look on her face, but didn't say anything negative. She'd talk to Heather about it later.
Maryanne just looked at all of them, then put her hands behind her head and lay down on the couch. She closed her eyes and started to do what looked like breathing exercises.
Janell, like Heather, was just calmly sitting in an easy chair trying to remain calm. It was a good front on the outside, but like all of them, she was a tornado of emotions on the inside.
It got very quiet in the room as everyone realized that in 24 hours they'd be playing in front of 25,000 people. They'd played all of this music hundreds of times, but Heather was right, when the clock strikes "start" they will all switch to autopilot. They all knew that, but it didn't manage to calm their nerves any.
Bob walked into the kitchen and pulled out two bottles of the fine Napa wine, and took six glasses out of the cupboard and walked carefully back into the "utility space" they used for "hanging out".
He poured each of the girls a full glass then filled his glass as well. Bill didn't want any wine, so he went to help himself to a glass of lemonade. Bill had done this so many times he was already on autopilot, but Bill didn't face the audience directly.
Bill had read the books too. He'd already been to the hall, set up and tested everything so instead of staying in the city alone, he shot back up to spend the time with Maryanne and everyone else. He'd also reported that everything was set. The roadies had already set up all the gear and it was just waiting for tomorrow's sound check.
When Bill returned to the room, Bob looked around at everyone and got a huge smile on his face. He raised his glass to propose a toast, "To a kick ass tour ladies. May all the audiences be gentle and may the negative bastards in the media rot in hell."
"Here here," said Bill.
The girls all started to grin but remained silent, all nodding their acceptance. Nobody drank the full glass, but sipped it slowly while the conversation touched on any subject other than the upcoming tour.
Between Bob, Heather and Bill it continued to touch on the philosophical, using Zen as a starting place. It was enough of a diversion that Chelly and Maryanne relaxed a little without really sensing it right away. Bill ran them through some basic breathing exercises and worked on "blanking the mind" so they could let their minds flow freely.
Each found and worked with their own mantra and by the end of the evening all were feeling a little better, though all remembering what Heather had said about being calm and peaceful but still scared shitless.
Having read the books as well, Janell was a leg up on Chell and Annie, but like any of them, didn't "rub it in". She just sat calmly and provided an example for the others.
When it was time to turn in, Bob knew that none of them would get any sleep. While they were gathering their things he said to them knowingly, "Listen ladies, I know it's going to be a rough night sleep-wise, for me too. Just try to relax and let your mind drift, even if you don't get a lot of actual sleep you'll relax and get some rest. Chances are you'll sleep anyway, but you won't think you did."
They all looked at him and tried to smile, then as they turned to head towards the bedrooms, he said to them softly, "Everything will be fine. Trust me, you ARE the best of the best."
Bill added, "Try your breathing exercises. Don't think about anything else, just breathing in the good, exhaling the old. If you can only concentrate on that basic bodily function, chances are you will be asleep before you know it has happened."
Chelly and Maryanne looked at him skeptically, but in the end Maryanne would lay calmly with Bill and Chelly would gain a calm from Janell and Heather.
When they got down the hall, Heather put her arms around Bob's neck and kissed him very passionately.
When their eyes met she whispered, "Bobby, I'm going to bed in with Janell and Chelly tonight if it's ok. I think Chell needs the moral support. I'll see if Jan wants to come over to be with you."
Bob smiled at her, "Baby, you know it's ok. Enjoy, but get some rest. Ok? If you three want, you can come in and join me. Don't put any undue pressure on Jan. Just make it a soft suggestion and drop it. She can use it as food for thought and decide what she wants to do."
Then added with a smile, "I doubt seriously that I would molest her tonight anyway. Shit, I'm in the same boat as all the rest of you, but having been there before, I've just learned to deal with it."
"Yeah, makes total sense. We may join you Hon, thanks. I think we may probably sleep better than any of you. I really meant what I said. It's no longer in my control."
"That's a great attitude Hey. If not before, I'll see you in the morning!"
Interestingly, by morning three of the four of them were in Bob's bed together, fast asleep, in each other's arms. Togetherness.
Maryanne and Bill did a sneak and lay down on the second bed in the master, so in the end all six of them were in the same room, peacefully sleeping when the alarm sounded interrupting what none of them believed happened.
-----
At 9am Friday morning the limo pulled up to pick them up. First stop was the hall where they'd do a sound check, make sure their instruments were tuned and in their proper places.
Things had calmed down a bit with all the girls withdrawn into their own thoughts. This was a good thing, it made them more aware of what was happening, and so when the limo pulled up to the curb they tumbled out and immediately looked up at the marquee.
"Wow," gasped Janell. "It's really happening."
Then after a short pause, she looked at the other three girls and Bob, "I am sooo looking forward to this show. I'm as nervous as a cat in a room full of Dobermans, but I have no doubts. We are good musicians and we'll prove it to everyone tonight!"
Bob just smiled and nodded his head. The girls looked at her with far away looks on their faces like they hadn't heard a word. Maybe they hadn't.
They walked through the door to be greeted by the promoter and some of his cronies, who immediately began attempting to kiss their asses. They showed them to the "dressing rooms", then on out to the stage where, just like Bill had said, their instruments had already been unpacked, assembled and tuned by the road crew.
Bob noted to the promoter that they would prefer one "dressing room" since there would be no dressing. He told him that they all lived together so that they were all used to various stages of undress and didn't need to hide from each other. They'd feel a lot better in one room anyway.
Bob got a wide-eyed look, and chuckled as he walked away to join the ladies on the stage.
Janell was heaping praises on Jerry, the roadie that had been assigned to set up her drums. He and Sarah were both blushing brightly because this beautiful woman was telling them how great they were.
All of them already knew that Janell was gay, Maryanne and Heather taken and Michelle not interested, so any attempted shenanigans were nipped in the bud. They were all going to be together for the next 6 weeks so friction isn't something anyone wanted. Besides all of that, the roadies knew how well they were being taken care of.
Most dragged their girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses or SO's with them on this tour since it was going to be all west coast and would be done on a bus, at least for the roadies. Because of all the promotional bullshit involved in doing a rock'n'roll tour, the girls and Bob would have to fly.
It was this promotional bullshit that cemented Heather's feeling towards the press. With the exception of the first show, they were booked into local radio stations, TV stations, had "on the street" interviews with some of the national outlets, the gamete. Actually Heather didn't mind the national crews as much as the "local yokels," as she referred to them. All of them got really tired of the promotional piece, but it was part of the whole picture. Janell and Michelle seemed to be the most comfortable with the whole press routine, so they willingly took the front. Like Bill did with the business bullshit, the two of them made a big game of it, a game at which they excelled.
They all had to be in the next venue quickly after the last show, so they flew while the roadies meandered in busses. The girls envied the roadies in their serenity.
Bob was only waiting for the paperwork to be completed on a lease for a private jet for them to use on tours. He'd learned a lot of years ago that charters, or private leases was the only way to ensure that you and your equipment got from point A to point B with any assurance. Commercial flying was, as he called it, a cluster fuck. Lost baggage, lost instruments, damaged instruments, flight delays, you name it. He couldn't believe that some of the airlines could remain in business. Over the next 20 years many wouldn't.
Chelly had already turned on her equipment and was checking to ensure that all the connections had been made and that all the boxes were "talking" to each other. They were, and she heaped praise on the two young women that had been assigned to both her and Maryanne.
Maryanne took stock to make sure all of the things she needed were there including the doudouk. She would keep all 30 of the reeds with her in a case most of the time. She had to start wetting at least one set about thirty minutes before the show to make sure they were the right dampness to play. She had also enlisted Jan and Heather to suck on two others just in case.
Heather had her amps turned on and all the foot switches in their proper place. She was looking over the different instruments picking each up, checking the tune, and ensuring that it was operable. The last thing she wanted was to pick up a guitar and have it be dead. It wouldn't be a showstopper, but in her mind it wouldn't be cool. Each had a specific property and sound that she used on different tunes. The Strats were hard and sharp, where the Gibsons, with their hollow bodies were mellow and a little softer.
Bob just sat on his stool watching the girls prepare. He'd checked out the 3 bass guitars that he was carrying this tour. All were in tune. He'd learned to trust the roadies a long time ago, so unlike Heather, he just picked up his guitar, hit each string, and was done with it. He expected it to be right. They were all working just fine, so he just sat with the Jazz on his lap waiting for the girls to finish their nervous fidgeting so they could get down to the sound check.
They had to wait for Bill to get in place and turn up his multitudes of equipment. He'd give them the thumbs up when he was ready, and over the monitor speakers talk to each of the musicians individually to check the instrument levels, then when that was completed, they'd step up to the mics for the vocals to check the levels on them.
Because Jan had so many drums to play, Bill had an entire board just for the drums. Thirty-two channels for 23 mics, but damn, it sounded so good when she played it was worth the extra hassle of having to make her play every drum and cymbal to ensure the levels were right.
After all the levels were where he wanted them to start, the band would begin to play some of the music they'd planned for the evenings show so he could preset some of it. He had to use the headphones because in an empty hall the acoustics would be totally different than when the hall was full of people. It was his experience that allowed him to set things up in an empty hall in such a way he needed very few adjustments after the hall was full.
Once the hall was full he could use the canned background music to give him a basic feel for how his settings would work. He rarely had to make many changes, but that's what experience gives you, and Bill had been doing this for almost eight years.
The sound check went without any issues, a testament to the roadie's thorough attention to detail. Bob had chosen them for their experience as well as attentiveness. These guys and gals were some of the best equipment people in the business. Most would work every show the girls did, turning down offers from other band managers, many for more money. Despite what everyone thinks, it's not necessarily "all about the money".
Bill knew what was happening in the background, and made sure that they were all well taken care of. They didn't stay in dives, they stayed in the same hotels the band did. He usually would have the whole floor leased so that they could come and go as they pleased and not disturb other guests. They ate at the same restaurants as the girls instead of being relegated to fast food hell. Word got around and there was a list of professional roadies that would fill any vacancies immediately.
They went back to the dressing rooms and looking around, found one that was big enough for all of them so they just moved in. They all looked at each other smiling. They were ready.
"How's everybody doing?" asked Bob hesitantly.
Each of the girls said they were fine, nervous but looking forward to this evenings performance. The sound check had let them mentally prepare for the size of the hall, and a hundred or so people being there listening released some of the tension they had been feeling. Twenty-five thousand people could fit in here? That's how many tickets they'd sold in the space of four hours, and every ticket had a seat.
"We've got four hours to kill," said Bob. "What do you want to do for now? Maybe get something to eat?"
"How can you eat," asked Heather? "My stomach is so tied up in knots I'd probably puke."
The others nodded in agreement, but he insisted, "You need to take in nourishment. You are going to literally work your asses off tonight, and I mean both physically and mentally. It's not like working out in the studio. When this show is done, you will be sooooo fucking exhausted, trust me on that one. Been there, done that, and I've got a whole closet full of T-shirts.
Janell looked at them and said, "He's right you know. I have to make sure there's at least a dozen large bottles of water available. Jerry said he'd keep an eye on the water and Gatorade to make sure I didn't run out. We only played for about 45 minutes just now, I drank three bottles of water and I'm sweating like a pig. It'll be worse tonight when the lights are all on."
Michelle mockingly started sniffing the air, "Phew Jan, you need a shower already."
"Ok," she said with a sly smile. "Wanna join me?"
Everybody laughed loudly releasing a lot of the pent up tension. They stood up and walked out in search of nourishment.
When they got to the restaurant and sat down, they ordered and started drinking their water. Heather looked at Jan making eye contact, then said, "That's pretty fucking nervous Jan."
Jan was stuffing a piece of bread into her mouth, but managed to garble out, "Yeah Hey, it is."
After looking around the table seeing all the looks saying, "what the hell are you talking about," Heather just shook her head and laughing out loud said, "Yup, being as nervous as a cat in a room full of Dobermans is really nervous."
Heather had caught Jan's little speech, but it didn't seem like anyone else had. They looked at the two of them like they were crazy.
The girls were totally animated at the restaurant each cleaning her plate once the feeding frenzy started. The nerves, though still strained, were calming somewhat as the time grew closer. They each knew inside themselves, that as soon as they started to play, everything would be just fine.
They just needed to survive until then.