I'm not exactly sure when, exactly, it happened, but the two gigs in La Crosse were wildly successful. I mean, we didn't hit platinum (250,000 more weekends and that'll do it), and no panties were thrown at the stage, but we played Common Swift music for strangers and they liked it. They danced and they sang along and they screamed. As a band and as individuals, I think we all came home feeling proud and excited and happy (also smelly and exhausted, but that's not the point).
At lunch in Westby on the way home, somebody mentioned that this might have been their best weekend ever - if not best ever, in the top 10 for sure. That comment got me thinking about what my top 10 best weekends ever are...and I'm having a really tough time coming up with them. Maybe later this week, I'll try and tackle that list - but for now, this past weekend is solidly in the top three. The stories aren't that great when retold; I get the feeling that only the people who were present for the trip are going to truly appreciate how cool it was. The two days were a blurry blend of jokes at everybody's expenses, the adrenaline rushes of playing gigs, and the giddy optimism after playing to our capabilities and impressing people.
The thing that I'm going to remember the most about the weekend was something Strutt said to me Saturday night at Nighthawk's. After we had finished playing, Milktoast started their set while we started to unwind and take advantage of the mostly open bar ("I'm in the band" is SO cool to say). We were all feeling good and I was dancing in our area of tables. Strutt said something like "I like you when you're drunk." I must have protested or gotten a look on my face, because he then amended it to "I like you when you're happy."
It's nice to be happy again.
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