Last week, I had my first performance with my newly-formed band at a music festival in Victoria Park. Not being plain sailing, but the experience has become a “special” and unforgettable memory of mine.
The music festival was an event for all young music lovers. That day, I arrived half an hour before my show time to meet my band members, but guess what? The venue had been crammed, full of people and there was hardly a breathing space! Can you imagine that scene? Anyway, I squeezed through the crowd and went backstage for preparation.
We were sitting on the sofa waiting for our turn, when a staff member suddenly rushed in and told us to perform earlier, due to the absence of the previous group. The news came as a great shock, causing me to accidentally splash my cup of coffee onto my white skirt! Yet, not having enough time to deal with it, I was forced to go out to the stage in this filthy, grimy, and nasty look! Poor me!
The place we performed was an open area, with a rectangular platform located at the centre. Seeing such a vast number of viewers, I was totally amazed but at the same time a bit uneasy because I’d never had a performance in front of so MANY people. Yet, I walked up the stage calmly with my members. Wow! I could feel that many pairs of eyes were staring at me. Would they love our performance? Or were they just teasing my outfit?
Anyway, with the start of the music, I nervously sang out. It was a slow and romantic song. At first, I saw the sea of people not paying much attention. Some of them were glued to their mobile phone screens, whereas some were chatting with friends beside. I was even more anxious! However, as the melody went on, some of the audience started to look up at me, and I could even hear some voices following to sing along too. We were so pleased, and I was motivated to sing more loudly and confidently.
Yet, peace and good things didn’t last long. Guest what? All of a sudden, it started to rain cats and dogs! All of us were in panic, and were running round like headless chickens. Fortunately, we promptly found a covered area, where we could continue our show. The next song was “Singing in the rain”. It was such a coincidence, wasn’t it? This was a lively and relaxing song. The atmosphere became joyous again, with even more audience watching. I scanned the crowd in front of me. Some little kids were shaking their bodies according to the beat, while some others were recording a video with their phones. Yes, I made it! Our performance finally met with loud applause.
That day, I experienced ups and downs, thrills and spills, laughter and tears. It was really an extraordinary experience, wasn’t it? The chapter of accidents had caught me on the wrong foot, but the active involvement of the audience really touched my heartstrings. In hindsight, I think the show could have been even better if I’d been less worried and uptight, and of course more careful. A singer who wears a confident smile will be charming. Do you think so?
This was definitely a precious learning experience, which helped me grow to be more mature. I hope there’ll be another chance for a concert soon! I’ll surely improve next time. Let’s wait for the good news! Stay tuned!