Another Sold Out Show

 The Pat Travers Band was enjoying a hit record on the air all over the country when we shared the stage with them at the club. "Boom Boom..Out Go The Lights" was on the way up the charts, and to be opening for a band with this kind of visibility was a real opportunity for us. They were one of the bands that Annie was responsible for booking into various venues, and so, of course she was at the show. I think that she was there as much to see how we would do in that kind of situation...opening to a major headliner..as she was for Pat Travers. We knew this was an important date for us. This time, though, we were playing the club on a Friday night, and as an opening act, we would only be doing one set. This time, there were four songs that had to be on the list...the two from the new record needed to be included in the 60 min. set we were being allotted. By an hour before showtime, the club was totally overrun...packed with another sold-out crowd, and although I knew we couldn't take the credit for that, I knew that Avalanche being advertised on the bill had certainly contributed to that fact. I also realized that it didn't matter, because with a turnout like that, the energy in the room would just kick us in the ass, and the exposure we would get would just add to the momentum we were already enjoying. We hit the stage at 9:30PM, and we had a confidence as we got ready to start that was all-business. We  played very well that night, and the "new" songs were big crowd pleasers. It felt great to be called back for an encore... and we gave The Pat Travers Band a really good run for their money that night...and as the crowd left the club...many people were talking about...Avalanche. A week later, I got a call from Annie, telling me that I had a job if I wanted one...playing with Pat Travers as a keyboardist/guitarist. Although I remember thinking to myself that I wished I had gotten that offer three years ago, there was nothing to think about now. I told Annie "thanks, but no thanks...I already have a job," and I realized how far I had come... to be turning down a gig like that, for a band of my own that I felt had greater potential. And I was feeling very good about everything...