(this wasn’t taken by an adoring fan but by James’ nephew)
With black felt pens in pockets, the members of The Birds of Play arrived at Sally O’Briens last night to celebrate the one-month anniversary of our first gig, ready to sign autographs for our adoring fans. First to arrive was James Christensen who was accompanied by his nephew and girlfriend, fresh from their whirlwind tour of lovely Union Square. Next followed Dave Rogers who brought along his Nikon D70 to capture the exhilarating scene for posterity. Melissa Misicka arrived next wearing a shamrock green dress that eventually turned out to be more trouble that she had bargained for. Last to arrive was John McCarty who was accompanied by his wife, Lisa.
Things looked promising as the place was full of people (although there were more people at the gig) and they all seemed to be having a great time. For the most part, they were wearing green clothing and hats. Some even looked quite festive with battery powered glasses that lit up in different patterns. We found it especially touching that our fans would dress up just to meet us.
So with all The Birds of Play assembled, in the designated area we chose for the autograph session, we reached for our pens and waited to be overrun by our fans. A minute passed and the crowd seemed to be staying back. Perhaps, we thought, they were a little pensive about being the first in line. But as one minute turned to five and then 10, not one person stepped up to meet us. As the minutes continued to roll on, Melissa asked one of the bartenders that if all these people weren’t here to meet The Birds of Play, then why were they here.
The bartender replied that it was St. Patrick’s Day and folks were at Sally O’Briens to drink, laugh, dance, chat and listen to Josh Lederman and the CSARs.
Momentarily dejected we contemplated going home for the night but John then suggested we stick around and pretend that we were celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as well. So, one by one, we meandered into the sea of people and began drinking, laughing, dancing and listening to Josh Lederman and the CSARs.
By all accounts, we were able to blend in without problem and turn what started out being a disastrous night into a very grand one. Yay for us!
I look pretty darn menacing or like I have to go potty. DR