Dream CXL

I was touring with Hugh Cornwell on a massive tour of the US.  For the most part, I was keeping an online diary of the tour, posted after each concert with details of the show, the crowd, the songs, and so forth.  Hugh decided he liked me enough that he wanted me on stage, so I was to play bass during the first half of the show, while his regular bassist--a very friendly black guy with dark glasses and a beret--would do the second half.

I pointed out that I wasn't a very good bass player, but Hugh didn't seem to hear me as he went off to plan some more stage business.  His regular bassist came over and showed me a few tricks, told me to keep it simple and in the right tempo, and I should be okay.  He gave me a bass guitar that was almost rectangular in shape, with no neck and two sets of strings, so I set about strumming to get a feel for the instrument.

As part of the show, Hugh's ex-bandmate Dave Greenfield was to appear on keyboards.  I heard him tell his staff that he didn't like me and wished I wasn't part of the show.  I went up to him and introduced myself, and told him that I thought he was one of the five best keyboard players in the business, and that I always enjoyed his solos.  His vague apprehensive look softened into a kind of smile, and he told me we'd get along just fine.

Later, Hugh's ex-wife, Grace Slick, appeared.  She had long black hair that went down to the middle of her back.  She was very friendly and told me that she used to be his bass-player as well, and that he'd never really been satisfied with any players since she left.  She was going to appear in the middle of the show, as a surprise to Hugh, and accompany him on bass for several numbers.  She swore me to secrecy and I readily agreed, since it meant my own bass-playing duties wouldn't be as severely tested.