Horror Story: Teardrops on the Piano
By Joyce Brite
I have to share an experience I had this past week while attending the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Although the outcome of the game was less than pleasing, it was an enjoyable time. We were at a piano bar in the West End section. They had two old grand pianos with shiny new keys which sounded great. The entertainers worked in pairs, one at each piano. They played everything from the 1950's to the 1980's, from rock to country, and took countless requests to the delight of the crowd. They had so many requests for the K-State fight song, which they did not know, that they finally took the music off the Internet to play for the fans.
The only thing that bothered me was the condition of the cases of these pianos. They were quite distressed and battered. One of the cases had an area on top that was missing several layers of veneer and appeared to be gouged out. I soon found out why -- when the second pair of entertainers came on stage, the first pair lingered until the opening song was over. A member of the first pair started banging a tambourine on the gouged out area of the piano. He wasn't just tapping it, he was _pounding_ with force. Ouch!!!
I then noticed that this same piano was fastened to the stage floor with an L-shaped brace. The brace was probably a necessity due to their emphatic playing style, even going so far as to use feet rather than hands on Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire." If you were wondering how that used piano you purchased got into such sad condition, now you know! I could hear the restorers on the MMD mailing list crying loudly over the beating these pianos took!
Aside from the abuse the pianos endured, the entertainment was great!! -- And the audience was enthusiastic! If you are ever in Dallas, be sure to visit Alley Cats located in Dallas Alley, in the West End section of downtown.
Happy New Year,
Joyce Brite
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(Message sent Fri 3 Jan 1997, 23:41:15 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.) |
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