The Tiger Journals
#2: Strange Familiar
25th October
2004
The routine you get into when you learn
songs for performance is one that you never really forget, regardless of the
time in between rehearsals. You nail your parts, be they instrumental, vocal or
both, and commit them to memory. When the parts come as second nature, then you
are ready to proceed with putting the show together.
Those live recordings (see last journal
entry) came in very handy, thank you very much. Hearing my parts played back to
me refreshed many blank spots in my memory, and the whole picture became
immediately clearer. After more meetings, we have decided on a repertoire for
the shows, and put the songs in running order. Seeing the set lists on paper has
made the collection of tunes look more like a gig, and the reality of what we’ll
be doing has sunk in a bit more.
As well as press and poster advertising,
Dave, Don and I (accompanied by manager Russ Crosby) did an afternoon personal
appearance at the concert venue, meeting and chatting with people who came to
buy tickets. These things can sometimes be a necessary evil, but this time there
were many familiar faces, the general sentiment of the fans was overwhelmingly
positive, and some of the memories these people had from past gigs were amazing.
A couple came to see us who had met at one of our gigs, been together for
fifteen years since, and had three children in that time. An ‘Oprah Moment’, for
sure! Another fellow had cut his hair after Ice Tiger had broken up, but had
kept the long locks. In honour
of our return, he was going to go to a hairdresser and have his tresses braided
back in as extensions. Now, that’s dedication!
All of this is a huge ego boost of course,
but there’s more – having a clearer perspective on the whole thing now, I see
just how much Ice Tiger meant to a lot of people. Their reaction to our reunion
has been nothing short of humbling. Our gigs weren’t just a night out to these
fans – it was a way of life for the hundreds of Perth punters who would spend
every weekend in our company, cheering, dancing and forgetting their workday
worries for a time while reminding us (the band) why we do what we do.
I guess it feels a little more personal
now – If it meant that much to these music fans, and the years haven’t
diminished the memories, then my very best is the least I can do in return.
My moments in solo rehearsal preparation
are the times when I can ruminate on such things, because when rehearsals proper
start, there’ll be plenty more to worry about!
Graham Greene
