Last Call

This is the end of the road folks. My last weekend as a resident of the Tdot has come to a close. Three more sleeps and I'm gonzo!

Friday night was spent at dinner with my department. Of all the IT shops I've worked in, my coworkers are definitely the coolest cats. We ate at a great place on the Danforth called Mezes. I ate like a pig, which isn't always a good thing, especially when you've got a gig to do immediately afterwards.

As dinner was wrapping up, a lot of people looked too tired and too full to continue east to my gig.

I've grown a thick skin when it comes to people bailing on my gigs. It always starts with, "Oh of course I'll be there!!" But then usually around an hour or two before showtime, I get a ton of "Oh man, I can't go because (insert excuse here)."

And it's okay. I know live music ain't everyone's bag, and it's getting close to the holidays, blah blah blah. So I was totally prepared for zero work peeps to show up.

I left the restaurant about 20 minutes before I was due on stage to start the show (which resulted in a slew of texts from my boys wondering where the heck I was!) resigned in that I'd be singing to the bar flies and the staff. One of my managers was nice enough to give me a lift to the bar. (He couldn't make it to my show as he had family coming in from out of town that night.)

I was helping the boys set up when two of my coworkers showed up. YAY! I immediately bounded over to them to say hello, even though we had just seen each other twenty minutes earlier.

After I finished thanking them for actually showing up, I went back to the stage.

And then about ten minutes later, something happened that has never happened to me in the four years I've been playing with my band.

The rest of my coworkers arrived in one big group!

I think my heart just about burst out of my chest when I saw the twelve of them walk in.

In my mind I was screaming, "You like me! You really like me!" I can only imagine how big the smile was on my face.

They all stayed for a set and a half, which was even more than I could have hoped for. I totally rocked out and they were all duly impressed. :D

As awesome as Friday night was, Saturday night's show was a complete bust. Aside from The Comedian, not one friend showed up. Zero.

Wow.

So much for my big send off. Gah.

The Comedian suggested we rethink who we invite to our wedding. If my friends can't find an hour to come say goodbye to me, maybe they would just bail on our wedding too. And that would end up costing us $$$.

In spite of the fact that none of my friends came, we still had a freaking amazing show. The place was packed so it wasn't like no one was there. I told the crowd this was my last weekend in the city and nothing would make me happier than to watch them rock the dance floor. And they did not disappoint!

This afternoon The Comedian and I went to a performance of The Messiah at Roy Thomson Hall, with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. My coworker is in the choir, so it was extra super cool to be there.

I cried a few times during the show. I think it was a combination of the extraordinary performance and the fact that this would be my last show as a resident of the city. From now on, I'll have to make special plans to catch a musical or see the symphony.

I just sent The Comedian home with a car load of stuff. (Gawd, I have a lot of stuff!) Next time, I'll be in the car with him. And that thought cuts through all the sadness around leaving this city for good.