Well, it has been sort of a point of pride for me that up until this past weekend I was the only member of Fun DMC to have a perfect attendance record. Now I should be clear, it’s not a common occurrence for members of Fun DMC to be absent from performances. However, after hundreds of shows, it’s not unexpected that situations would arise that would occasionally prevent band members from being present such as work commitments, funerals, or just planned vacations. In these events we’ve always had a back up plan that has seamlessly allowed for flexibility in scheduling for our band members without compromising the quality of a Fun DMC show. That all said, last Wednesday night was the first time an unexpected and unanticipated moment pulled a member away from a show in the middle of a performance.

Anyway, the scene is Mowie’s Cue for our Blackout Wednesday Show. The first set kicked off our first official show as a Coors Light band and in spite of excruciating back pain that occasionally pops up and Albert struggling vocally, things were progressing. Set 1 came to a close and that’s when things changed. Because it was a family emergency I won’t get into the details but after the first set I received a phone call – a bad phone call. It was a phone call that kicked me in the stomach and all I wanted to do was go home and be with my family. At the same time I was torn because the last thing I wanted to do was leave the rest of Fun DMC hanging. After briefly discussing the situation with Aaron Stanley, it was decided that it would be best if I went home. We agreed that I would get them through one more set and we would move any critical guitar songs up in the set list and I would be on my way. It was the toughest set I’ve ever played, mostly because I couldn’t keep my mind on what I was doing. I honestly don’t really remember playing it. I left Mowie’s Cue the moment the final song from Set 2 had ended and drove home in tears. I hated leaving my band family but it has long been understood in Fun DMC that the band never comes before family. And so I went home, leaving my guitar in the capable hands of Aaron. From what I understand, and they can fill in the details I’m sure, Set 3 was an eternity. Though I heard he did a splendid job, I know Aaron hasn’t picked up a guitar in quite some time and I’m sure it was not an easy task to push through the last set. In addition, by Set 3 Albert had completely lost his voice. We were quite fortunate to have both Liz Gall and Preston Searl on site that night. Both of them pitched in to help out where they could and from what I’ve been told, with everyone pitching in, the band pulled it off and the crowd at Mowie’s never missed a beat. The next day I received several messages from people who were at Mowie’s who were concerned for myself and my family. I can say that I have never felt more loved and am so thankful for my circle of friends who stepped up and gave me the flexibility to step out when I needed to.

Saturday – The Wedding

Following the show at Mowie’s it was apparent that Albert was not going to bounce back from his illness. And so Fun DMC would go forward that weekend as a four piece. Always the consummate professional, Albert did make every attempt to help out where he could, even showing up to load in at Illini Country Club. However, about 30 minutes into setup it was very clear that he was in no condition to be anywhere but at home in bed and so reluctantly, Dr. Capati bid us farewell.

In addition to Albert being on the mend, another member of Fun DMC had also fallen on hard times. That would be our trailer. As we rolled into town from our extended weekend in Nashville, Chad noticed that the rear driver’s side wheel was pushing out from the hub and barely attached to the trailer. Unfortunately, finding a replacement axle for our trailer has proven difficult and so in the mean time, Fun DMC has been utilizing a rental from Trailer Masters. This is an important part of this story so more on this later.

Fun DMC and the family and friends of Evyn Neumeister and Austin Beason gathered at the Illini Country Club on Saturday night for their much anticipated wedding. With entrances, speeches, dinner and dances completed, the bride and groom further charmed their guests when Austin took his place behind a piano and he and his new bride performed the Elton John classic, “Your Song.” The entire room stopped moving and every eye was on the newlyweds. It was a beautiful moment and one that none of us will soon forget. As for the rest of the night, well, let’s just say that the trend for hyped dance floors at weddings has continued for Fun DMC and there wasn’t a moment that the guests of Evyn and Austin weren’t owning every inch of that dance floor.

So back to our trailer. Eager to get home, our heroes worked quickly to tear down the show and load the trailer. Just as we closed the doors on our rented trailer, one of Illini’s golf carts came up racing out of no where, jumping the curb and slamming right into the passenger side fender of said trailer. Apparently, one of the guests of the wedding had a little too much to drink and thought it would be a good idea to steal a golf cart and drive around Leland Grove. Anyway, the damage to the trailer was significant enough that the authorities were called. Due to this currently being a legal matter that we are settling with the driver there’s not much more to say about the situation other than we stood in the cold an extra 45 minutes chatting with the Leland Grove PD regaling them with our account of the collision.

This Saturday we are making our debut at Tailgater’s in Le Roy. Everyone seems to be on the mend and we are looking forward to getting back on stage.