So, yesterday we were doing a house party gig for the 50th birthday of Simon, a friend of our drummers. We were to get there around 4-4:30pm to set everything up - two of the guys were there already and I turned up just before 4:30. Beautiful big house, and a lovely bright summer afternoon. Simon greets me at the door and points to the garden where I can see the guys setting up, I wave and Simon says 'just go straight through.....I walk forward and....
BANG!
I walk straight into a huge glass patio door that he'd forgotten he'd shut! No way you could see it was there!
So, really bad gash on top of my nose, in shock and semi-concussed, blood pouring everywhere and just won't stop. One of the guys in the band takes me to Barnet General Hospital where, being a Saturday, this is their busiest night and its 'very busy' even by their standards. I'm waiting for an hour just for triage so they can put a bandage on my nose to hold the bleeding. Then another 30 minutes until the nurse sees me to glue and put tape strips on my nose (they don't use stitches any more for this type of thing). Normally I'd have had to wait longer but I explained I had a gig for a young couple's engagement party (slight variation, but thought that would get more sympathy from the young nurses/staff - which it did).
The guys were texting me throughout to see how I was doing, and at 7:15 come and get me and we rush back. Our drummer, bless him, has in the meantime set-up all my gear ready but we have to do a sound check whilst guests are ariving (which we wouldn't normally do, but we had no option).
Simon and his wife (hosts) were really apologetic, and the word had got round to the guests as to what happened - everyone was asking if I was OK throughout the whole evening and saying I was a real trooper for playing, which was very sweet. We did two sets - 20 songs in total, and although my concentration wasn't at its best for the first few numbers, we went down really well and rocked the place.
But not an experience I'd like to repeat though!
I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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