So by now you’ve likely seen some of the photos from myself and other band members from last Saturday night’s show with Resurrection: A Journey Tribute at the Bank Of Springfield Center. It was one of the largest crowds that Fun DMC has performed in front of (estimated between 4,000 and 5,000) and what made it even better was the crowd engagement. No doubt, many of our very wonderful fans were on site but in addition, we were surrounded (literally) by multitudes who had never experienced the power of Fun DMC before. It is always so much fun to watch the faces of first time DMC concert-goers as we put our unusual twist on the songs they know and love. Needless to say, the band has been on a high following the events of the weekend and we specifically thank Mike Austin of Mikey’s Entertainment Service for making it happen.

I spent the weekend considering just what made not only this show, but the entire experience so meaningful to me personally and I have to say, it’s the perspective of being able to look back at the journey. I posted a picture on Instagram earlier this week as I was inspired by something my wife mentioned to me. I was showing her a picture from the concert of me playing guitar in front of a crowd that stretches back as far as the eye can see. She laughed and said, “remember the time your band played at a Ponderosa dining room for like, three people?” We both laughed, but the truth of the matter is that we all have those shows. In fact, several area musicians also commented and shared similar experiences. And please understand, in keeping with the admonishment of Oasis, we are not looking back in anger. Rather, we are in awe of just how far we’ve come. Of course that conversation jogged my memory and so, in looking back on my musical journey, I’m all the more grateful of where we are now because of where we’ve been.

There have definitely been moments of complete frustration as doors were slammed in our faces, phone calls were never returned, or we were just flat out told, “we don’t really like your band” or “you just won’t draw a crowd.” We’ve all logged hours and miles handing out promotional materials, hanging posters, or even just rubbing shoulders with “the right people” in hopes that we might find an “in” to playing a venue. We’ve played free shows, all-ages shows, empty shows, and rained out shows. I’ve had bar owners walk up to me in the middle of a set and ask us to stop playing so they don’t have to pay us the full amount at the end of the night. We’ve played in small dark corners in nasty dives where you can literally smell the ’80s in the carpet. We’ve had backdrops fall over on us because of the wind and we’ve run for cover because of the rain.

But then, you get to play a show like last Saturday night. We were given 45 minutes to make a statement and I have to tell you, the band gave 110% every second they were on that stage. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder as the last song faded and took a bow to an amazing crowd who cheered us on that that hot summer night. When we were in the trenches it was hard to believe we’d ever get to this point. And we still have so far to go. But, in the words of the famous Phillip Morris ad, “You’ve come a long way, baby.”