My worst, most painful gig of all time...

Delicate subject, I have to watch my vocabulary here.

A few years ago I had a problem in my backyard, if you get my drift. Derriere issue. It was painful. And, as you well know, drummers are sitting at all times. I had intended to skip the gig, have the guys hire another drummer.. but for whatever reason, I forget now, I didn't.

Less than a full set into the gig I thought I was going to die. I told the guys at break I wasn't sure if I could make it to the end of the gig. Rick, our bass player, said he had some vicodin. Rick is a hypochondriac... there isn't a medicine, pill, made that he doesn't carry at all times... I don't know who his doctor is but whoever it is has no problem writing prescriptions.

I gladly accepted, first vicodin I had ever taken. Now here is the funny thing about vicodin... for me anyway. I think most people will attest to vicodin 'relieving' pain... not so in my case. The pain remained.. but here' the funny thing, the vicodin made me not care about the pain. Well, to a great extent anyway. Point is: It got me through the gig.

Never the less, the first half of the first set without the vicodin made for my most painful gig memory ever.

I've been playing in a band for so long.... 54 years now, that as you would expect I've played with high fevers from various illnesses, injuries ( I once played 11 gigs IN ONE WEEK with my left arm in a cast), and several other maladies.

Now reaching the 'elderly' years that phenomena is more likely the case than not.