Play It Again Cam
UPDATE: When I wrote this, I wasn't really in the right frame of mind, and missed out a little bit, and seeing as my mate Alice wrote it in the comments section, I decided to cut and paste it and add it below. Yeah I know, I'm being lazy, but it works for me! lol Thanks Al *wink*
It's been a busy busy week. Cameron has been sick with the flu, and has in fact only spent half a day at school the entire week. He's been in bed most of this week, head pounding, body aching and basically just feeling miserable in general. Ryan appears to have succombed to it himself this morning, so today they are both home.
Under these circumstances, it's been unfortunate because Cameron's been involved in the College Music Variety Show this week. If you include the dress rehearsal, it's been spread over 3 nights, Tues, Wed and Thursday. He was only playing two items, but it was enough to start a small panic going on behind the scenes for some. By Tuesday afternoon the phone calls started....students in the band he was drumming for were anxious he wouldn't be able to attend. Then the music teacher herself ringing to find out how he was and asking if he was up to performing.
He was loathe to let anyone down and I went along each night with the thought of dragging him home as soon as he'd finished his item. He was performing in the first part of the show, so I figured he wouldn't have to be out of the house long....it would be a relatively early night and he could get back to his bed. That was the theory anyway. As it was, I think his body was pumped along by the adrenalin of his performance and he managed to get through the rest of the night watching his peers perform their own items. And I'm so glad he was....because if we'd come home early I would've missed Alice's daughter performing in the third part.
Candice sang a duet with her friend called "His Eye is on the Sparrow"....they dedicated it to the young man (18) who took his own life a couple of months ago. These two young ladies gave me goosebumps, their voices blending together in striking harmony...rich and true of note. The audience were captivated...I know I certainly was...I was wiping away tears by the end of it. I couldn't have been prouder of her if she was my own. Candice doesn't sing very often in front of others, and I so wish she would, she has such a beautiful voice...it needs to be out there where the rest of us can enjoy it. Alice was sitting in the row behind me....I sat watching her gorgeous daughter thinking "I should be sitting beside your mum right now". And saying that, it's probably best I wasn't....I've a feeling we could've ended up a blubbering, swollen-eyed mess.
As for Cameron's drum duo...the stage curtain opened to the two of them sitting behind their respective drumkits. And they were off....nothing but drums....moving in time with the beat, their sticks becoming a blur. The rise and fall of the toms....the primal sound of skins being struck ricocheted from wall to wall of the hall...the deep thumping thud of the bass drums trembling in the stomachs of the audience. The boys occasionally looking at each other for changes...switching back and forth, using just about every sticking combination you could think of. It was a powerful and passionate performance....a crescendo of tattoo, back and forth building to explode in conclusion with the thunderous crash of symbols. Damn I love the sound of drums...can you tell? lol
UPDATE FROM ALICE: "... I knew Cam hadn't been well that week, and just before their number ended... Cam got up... raced across the stage and behind the curtains... I was sure he'd done the old "exit stage left..." to throw up... but his mate didn't look peturbed at all... kept drumming and then Cam bursts onto the stage again... leaps into the air (and he's a tall guy so it was a BIG leap) and crashes his sticks onto the symbols as a finale!!! (then throws his sticks across the stage... it was fantastic..."
Cameron appeared to enjoy performing more on Wednesday night than Thursday. Wed night he looked more relaxed...there were even smiles going on behind his drumkit...he was having a good time. Thursday before we left home, he was apprehensive as to whether he could do it again...his health combined with the late nights was dragging him down...he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep up, or whether his head was going to deal with the sound. He was sitting rather stiffly behind the kit last night, his head barely nodding in time, looking rather prim and proper sometimes but finished it out and felt that he'd done well anyway. Understandably I was very proud of him.
When we got home, he was discussing with Ryan (who spent most of the night in bed himself) the performance and how he was thinking of getting a band together. Something that he could kinda fall back on to release some tension by jamming in a laid back fashion. The two of them were coming up with various names of their peers, who could play what instrument, who could sing etc.
Me: "Look...to help you...*heavy sigh*...I'LL sing for your band honey."
*silence*
Cam: *clears throat* "Thanks Mum, and while I really appreciate the offer...that won't be necessary."
Me: "But think of all the experience I could bring...the young merging with the old and all that..."
Cam: "True..."
Me: *looks at him hopefully* "I could rattle a tambourine or something"
Cam: "Yes...you could...but...um...no."
I quite liked the idea of becoming a rock chick....but alas....it seems I'm destined to continue just being a groupie.
It's been a busy busy week. Cameron has been sick with the flu, and has in fact only spent half a day at school the entire week. He's been in bed most of this week, head pounding, body aching and basically just feeling miserable in general. Ryan appears to have succombed to it himself this morning, so today they are both home.
Under these circumstances, it's been unfortunate because Cameron's been involved in the College Music Variety Show this week. If you include the dress rehearsal, it's been spread over 3 nights, Tues, Wed and Thursday. He was only playing two items, but it was enough to start a small panic going on behind the scenes for some. By Tuesday afternoon the phone calls started....students in the band he was drumming for were anxious he wouldn't be able to attend. Then the music teacher herself ringing to find out how he was and asking if he was up to performing.
He was loathe to let anyone down and I went along each night with the thought of dragging him home as soon as he'd finished his item. He was performing in the first part of the show, so I figured he wouldn't have to be out of the house long....it would be a relatively early night and he could get back to his bed. That was the theory anyway. As it was, I think his body was pumped along by the adrenalin of his performance and he managed to get through the rest of the night watching his peers perform their own items. And I'm so glad he was....because if we'd come home early I would've missed Alice's daughter performing in the third part.
Candice sang a duet with her friend called "His Eye is on the Sparrow"....they dedicated it to the young man (18) who took his own life a couple of months ago. These two young ladies gave me goosebumps, their voices blending together in striking harmony...rich and true of note. The audience were captivated...I know I certainly was...I was wiping away tears by the end of it. I couldn't have been prouder of her if she was my own. Candice doesn't sing very often in front of others, and I so wish she would, she has such a beautiful voice...it needs to be out there where the rest of us can enjoy it. Alice was sitting in the row behind me....I sat watching her gorgeous daughter thinking "I should be sitting beside your mum right now". And saying that, it's probably best I wasn't....I've a feeling we could've ended up a blubbering, swollen-eyed mess.
As for Cameron's drum duo...the stage curtain opened to the two of them sitting behind their respective drumkits. And they were off....nothing but drums....moving in time with the beat, their sticks becoming a blur. The rise and fall of the toms....the primal sound of skins being struck ricocheted from wall to wall of the hall...the deep thumping thud of the bass drums trembling in the stomachs of the audience. The boys occasionally looking at each other for changes...switching back and forth, using just about every sticking combination you could think of. It was a powerful and passionate performance....a crescendo of tattoo, back and forth building to explode in conclusion with the thunderous crash of symbols. Damn I love the sound of drums...can you tell? lol
UPDATE FROM ALICE: "... I knew Cam hadn't been well that week, and just before their number ended... Cam got up... raced across the stage and behind the curtains... I was sure he'd done the old "exit stage left..." to throw up... but his mate didn't look peturbed at all... kept drumming and then Cam bursts onto the stage again... leaps into the air (and he's a tall guy so it was a BIG leap) and crashes his sticks onto the symbols as a finale!!! (then throws his sticks across the stage... it was fantastic..."
Cameron appeared to enjoy performing more on Wednesday night than Thursday. Wed night he looked more relaxed...there were even smiles going on behind his drumkit...he was having a good time. Thursday before we left home, he was apprehensive as to whether he could do it again...his health combined with the late nights was dragging him down...he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep up, or whether his head was going to deal with the sound. He was sitting rather stiffly behind the kit last night, his head barely nodding in time, looking rather prim and proper sometimes but finished it out and felt that he'd done well anyway. Understandably I was very proud of him.
When we got home, he was discussing with Ryan (who spent most of the night in bed himself) the performance and how he was thinking of getting a band together. Something that he could kinda fall back on to release some tension by jamming in a laid back fashion. The two of them were coming up with various names of their peers, who could play what instrument, who could sing etc.
Me: "Look...to help you...*heavy sigh*...I'LL sing for your band honey."
*silence*
Cam: *clears throat* "Thanks Mum, and while I really appreciate the offer...that won't be necessary."
Me: "But think of all the experience I could bring...the young merging with the old and all that..."
Cam: "True..."
Me: *looks at him hopefully* "I could rattle a tambourine or something"
Cam: "Yes...you could...but...um...no."
I quite liked the idea of becoming a rock chick....but alas....it seems I'm destined to continue just being a groupie.
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