Local lad made good!

Hi guys, it's Mike (Elwood) here.

Some of you may have read my earlier post about my feelings in the lead-up to our show at Colchester's Mercury Theatre, as it was my hometown show. Well, the show was last Friday and it was absolutely fantastic! I couldn't really have asked for a better crowd. They were really vocal & enthusiastic right from the start. The roar that went up when I first walked onto the stage nearly took my breath away. Then it was on with the business of the show, which went off without any real cock-ups, other than the few very minor hiccups which tend to happen when we haven't done a full theatre show in a while (it's been about 3 months I think, having spent the summer playing mostly festivals). The most significant hiccup however was courtesy of yours truly, when I proceeded to launch into the introduction for My Girl, before being politely informed by Tracy that the next song was supposed to be Looking For A Fox... whoops! But I suppose a momentary lapse in concentration is forgivable on a night such as this, and I think we got away with it. At the end of the show, the audience were brilliant. They made plenty of noise and showed fantastic appreciation for the job we'd done. The ovation each band member received when introduced were some of the best I've heard.

Then straight after the show finished, it was time for myself, Mario and whichever members of the band were available, to head out into the theatre foyer and meet the audience. We do this after most theatre performances (if the size of the Front of House allows). But this time was obviously very special for me. I saw all the people who'd come along to see the show, including quite a few that I had no idea were coming and whom I hadn't seen in a few years (including my former Head Teacher!). It's always a buzz to meet the crowd after the show; chatting to them, thanking them for coming, signing whatever CD's, programmes, etc they've purchased from the merchandise desk. Although tonight, all the autograph requests and photo ops appeared to be a source of a little surprise and much amusement to the friends of mine who've known me for so many years! The band are now on a high, really looking forward to the next show and so am I. So I'd just like to thank everyone who was there that night. You gave us a great night and I hope we did the same for you.

Well, it would appear that I've rambled on sufficiently now. I was hoping to be a little more succinct this time, but those of you who've read my past blogs will know that brevity doesn't appear to be a feature in my writing. So, once again, thanks for reading this and thanks for supporting the show... now go and do something more productive!

Love & kisses Mike 'Elwood' Hyde (theatre luvvy and local celeb!)

Nice one Mike- but what on Earth could be more productive than blogging?!? L.H.