The first day of rehearsals was not what Amos had expected. He’d come rushed from work, his head full of the stresses of the day. Holding onto the tube rail. He started to feel a rush of excitement flow through him. It hadn’t really hit him until that moment that he was going to his first-ever band rehearsal. However, when he got to the warehouse they were rehearsing in he started to panic.
He started to doubt whether what he was doing was the right thing. After all, he had never played with other people. What if he was terrible? What if he started playing and the other band members realised that they had made the wrong decision and more so what if when they performed he would be terrible in front of people and let everyone down?
He mustered up his strength and went in. Everyone was reasonably nice to him. After a lot of small talks and a bit of simple chat, they started playing. Amos, knew the songs, he’d been working on them every day for the last week, but when he began to play he was fumbling all over the shop. He kept making small mistakes and then band members started to take notice.
After a while, the band took a break. Amos was pulled aside by the drummer. “Hey man”, he said, “You know I can see you’ve got a lot of stuff bubbling about inside you. The way to make great music is to let go and follow your instincts. Unleash the person that’s inside of you. And if you make some mistakes in the process then that’s ok. We’ll be here to catch you, that’s what playing in a band is all about.”
When the session resumed Amos opened up. He started taking risks with his music and it was paying off. The other band members started to notice how incredibly talented Amos was. At the end of the rehearsal, it was made clear that their first gig in front of a live audience would be in two weeks’ time. The thought of this took Amos aback. He would have to confront the thing he’s dreaded all his life.
Every night for the next two weeks he spent hours practising. After work and on the weekends. It consumed him totally. He wanted to be perfect for this performance.
Eventually, the night came. He had spent the whole day thinking about it and now was about to go out on stage for the first time. He looked to the drummer who gave him a friendly nod and send ‘it’s going to be ok, we’ve got you, just remember to let yourself out, express yourself as best you can and you’ll be all right.
They stepped out onto the stage, there was a bit of fumbling as they set up their equipment, and then suddenly it was silent. The audience waiting in anticipation of the show to start. Amos could feel every cell in his body as he put his guitar around his neck and held the frets. Then “1. 2. 1,2,3,4!” And they were off. Playing their hearts out. Suddenly, in that moment, all the nerves dropped away and Amos was one with music and the audience.
When the gig was over he felt exhilarated. His life had opened a new chapter, he had made new friends and had become more than he thought he could be.
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