Ticket Price

I did something last night I haven't done in months: went to one of my boyfriend's gigs. I hadn't planned to go, but he kept asking me if I was sure I didn't want to come until (brilliant one that I am) it finally dawned on me that he WANTED me to go. So I went. It was as laid-back as a gig could be. It was at an open-air bar/restaurant that serves pub food and has a pool table. I mean really open-air...as in no walls, just a roof. It's in the courtyard of a funky (in a good way) shopping/art gallery complex.

So I was sitting there during this early (7-10) gig, listening to the music and watching the people, and it suddenly hit me what a tiny little globe this is. The guy who called him for the gig (someone he's played with many times) told the boyfriend the first time they played together that he also used to live in Portland and used to go out to hear the boyfriend play. And I was thinking what funny twists and turns life has in store for us. Here's a guy who used to go out to the best club in Portland to hear my boyfriend play...fast forward a decade and here's my boyfriend backing up this guy who we'd never heard of in Portland. It was an example of not only the obvious "big fish in a small pond" cliche (since this guy can be a draw here but would never have been in a larger market)...but also of humility. But here's the twist: my boyfriend (and I think I'm stating this pretty objectively) is most most humble and modest musician I've ever known (and I've known a bunch of them). So then I wonder: why has he put himself in a situation/circumstance where he's having to experience even MORE humility? That's the price of the "tropical lifestyle" ticket, I guess. Wanna live in "paradise"? Okay, better give up on having a real career as a performer...with fellow performers at your level. But not a day goes by that I don't wonder if that price isn't way too high.