What it was like playing for Obama - May 22, 2008
All we can say is, "Wow." This was a terrific experience from beginning to end. I will share with you Giff's )bass player) account of the night...couldn't have said it better.
4:30pm - Band load in and setup
5:45pm - Secret Service show up. We're almost set up. The hotel banquet staff has completely surrounded the stage area with these barriers, no less than 8 feet from any part of the stage. Nobody is allowed to be any closer than that.
6:00pm - 4 more agents with bomb sniffing dogs enter the banquet room
6:05pm - We are asked to vacate so that the dogs can secure the room. Outside in the hallway, Secret Service have already blocked off the south end of the Sheraton ball room area. You cannot get down to where we are without going through a metal detector. There are 3 agents stationed there. At least 100 people are already lined up to get in.
6:25pm - We are allowed back into the room. We get a quick sound check.
6:40pm - Doors open, people allowed to pass through security. Airport rules apply, all metal out of your pockets, all bags searched, etc. We hang out in a little side room reserved for the band.
7:30pm - We start making our way to the stage. At this point, there are over 1000 people in the banquet room. Put my bass on and the place went friggin' crazy!
7:35pm - Our set starts
8:20pm - We're done. 9 songs in all. Some of Beth Schafer's songs and we also played all of Orleans' hit songs (Still the One, Dance With Me, Dancin In The Moonlight). We have to strike some of the gear in the front of the stage so that there is room for Senator Obama to speak and walk around without tripping over a bunch of crap.
8:30pm - Since we are now done, we are no longer allowed to loiter back stage.
9:00pm - A few announcements and such from the organizer of the event.
9:05pm - Senator Obama takes the stage. Place goes absolutely nuts. You would have thought that John Lennon and George Harrison were resurrected from the dead and that The Beetles were doing a reunion concert.
9:25pm - Senator Obama finishes his speech and is shaking more than a few hands in front of the stage. The 6 of us are escorted back stage for a meet and greet... (:-O
9:30pm - Senator Obama comes through the door, takes one look at us and says "You guys must be the band!". Guess he knows what a bunch of musicians look like. Many thank you's all around both from us and from him. Everyone shakes his hand. Beth hands him a CD of our music. "I'll put that right over here with my new FL Gators tie..." We all stand for a group picture with him. One of his staff has lined up about 50 copies of his book that people want him to sign. A staffer places a Sharpie in his hand, he's off signing and we're done. As I was leaving, I thanked him for his time. He said thank you back. Time to go pack our stuff.
9:33pm - Load out begins. We're loaded up by 10:10pm. None of us had any dinner, so we're all starving. It's off to Sam Snead's up the street for a salad and a beer...
Other thoughts:
He is the real deal. Not the least bit uptight. He has a very calm presence about him. It must be contagious too because all of his staff including all of the Secret Service people were very calm and collected. Nobody stressed or running around like their hair is on fire.
No media allowed in the event. There was all manner of local and national media at the front entrance of the hotel and out on the street. Anyone inside the event paid to be there.
There's already talk of us playing for another Obama event in Jacksonville.
4:30pm - Band load in and setup
5:45pm - Secret Service show up. We're almost set up. The hotel banquet staff has completely surrounded the stage area with these barriers, no less than 8 feet from any part of the stage. Nobody is allowed to be any closer than that.
6:00pm - 4 more agents with bomb sniffing dogs enter the banquet room
6:05pm - We are asked to vacate so that the dogs can secure the room. Outside in the hallway, Secret Service have already blocked off the south end of the Sheraton ball room area. You cannot get down to where we are without going through a metal detector. There are 3 agents stationed there. At least 100 people are already lined up to get in.
6:25pm - We are allowed back into the room. We get a quick sound check.
6:40pm - Doors open, people allowed to pass through security. Airport rules apply, all metal out of your pockets, all bags searched, etc. We hang out in a little side room reserved for the band.
7:30pm - We start making our way to the stage. At this point, there are over 1000 people in the banquet room. Put my bass on and the place went friggin' crazy!
7:35pm - Our set starts
8:20pm - We're done. 9 songs in all. Some of Beth Schafer's songs and we also played all of Orleans' hit songs (Still the One, Dance With Me, Dancin In The Moonlight). We have to strike some of the gear in the front of the stage so that there is room for Senator Obama to speak and walk around without tripping over a bunch of crap.
8:30pm - Since we are now done, we are no longer allowed to loiter back stage.
9:00pm - A few announcements and such from the organizer of the event.
9:05pm - Senator Obama takes the stage. Place goes absolutely nuts. You would have thought that John Lennon and George Harrison were resurrected from the dead and that The Beetles were doing a reunion concert.
9:25pm - Senator Obama finishes his speech and is shaking more than a few hands in front of the stage. The 6 of us are escorted back stage for a meet and greet... (:-O
9:30pm - Senator Obama comes through the door, takes one look at us and says "You guys must be the band!". Guess he knows what a bunch of musicians look like. Many thank you's all around both from us and from him. Everyone shakes his hand. Beth hands him a CD of our music. "I'll put that right over here with my new FL Gators tie..." We all stand for a group picture with him. One of his staff has lined up about 50 copies of his book that people want him to sign. A staffer places a Sharpie in his hand, he's off signing and we're done. As I was leaving, I thanked him for his time. He said thank you back. Time to go pack our stuff.
9:33pm - Load out begins. We're loaded up by 10:10pm. None of us had any dinner, so we're all starving. It's off to Sam Snead's up the street for a salad and a beer...
Other thoughts:
He is the real deal. Not the least bit uptight. He has a very calm presence about him. It must be contagious too because all of his staff including all of the Secret Service people were very calm and collected. Nobody stressed or running around like their hair is on fire.
No media allowed in the event. There was all manner of local and national media at the front entrance of the hotel and out on the street. Anyone inside the event paid to be there.
There's already talk of us playing for another Obama event in Jacksonville.
