But the best part was just what a wonderful day it was, the whole day from start to finish, and how God put me on the right path to make it all fall into place perfectly, and just how God threw me a bone b/c of all I've been going through lately. The biggest bone he coulda thrown me. And don't think I don't recognize it or appreciate it.
And may I just say (as I said on my Twitter) how incredibly friendly and generous and sweet and gentlemanly ALL of Willie's people are! Paul English is the sweetest gentleman ever (amazing when you consider he was a real badass back in the day!) and his brother Billy is just as sweet and friendly. I met Paul in the hallway of the convention center yesterday afternoon (I was working security for the Annual TX Sheriff's Conference), recognized him, and he just gave me a big ol' hug--and I was in uniform and he didn't even care, all that mattered to him was that I was a fan!!! Then last night as I was hanging out backstage (and I'd brought Enor w/me--I HAD to--no way would I have enjoyed the night nearly as much had she not been there!!!) Paul said "Have you met Bee Spears?" and introduced me. I saw Mickey Raphael and said "Oooh I'd love to meet him" and Paul said "Go right ahead, he's real friendly" and he was!
And they were just so tickled by me and kept saying how cute I was and they made me their personal security guard for the night and "fill-in bassist" if necessary and I got to dance w/Paul and so did Enor and Bee brought over his beautiful Epiphone bass ("They don't make these anymore!" he kept exclaiming) and let me play it and they asked me to handcuff Mickey Raphael and everyone took pictures and it was just ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE. Bee also gave me his phone # so I could call him and he offered to send me all kinds of DR bass strings and told me he gets hookups on all kinds of basses and amps and said he likes to help out young musicians like me!!! OMG.
At one point I couldn't resist it, I had to pull out the iPhone and show them all my FB profile pic and say "Here's what I really look like!" and they were all so tickled. Mickey asked me if I was a runner (after seeing my legs) and said yes, and also a bicyclist, and turns out Mickey is a road bicyclist. I later saw his pic riding bikes w/Bob Dylan's road crew! And can I just say how TALL Mickey is and how young-looking and HANDSOME?!?! Enor and I invited Paul and Billy out to the Big Easy w/us and Billy said he'd love to (esp. when we told him it was Zydeco night) but they had a 6am flight. I couldn't believe I was watching a Willie Nelson concert from the side of the stage and was hanging out with the band members! I'm talking like, hanging out with Mickey and Bee for like 30 min. and with Billy and Paul for like an hour! And since Paul now plays only on a song or 2 with Willie he was backstage most of the time and came and stood right by me for a long time!!!
God did this for me. There is NO question about it. I'm so sad/mad about having to miss the big CD release party tomorrow night b/c I choose to not see, hear, or be around you-know-who right now and I'm just so upset about having to miss the legends they are bringing in to play: Bob Margolin, Anson Funderburgh, and Smokin' Joe Kubek. I have decided I need to run out of town to Luling TX to have dinner w/Joel so I'm not anywhere in the vicinity of Houston TX tomorrow evening. Well... God threw me a bone, like I say, the biggest one he coulda thrown: he GAVE me WILLIE NELSON, PAUL ENGLISH, BILLY ENGLISH, BEE SPEARS, MICKEY RAPHAEL, and BOBBIE NELSON. To hang out with all night and to watch their show from the side of the stage and to share their food/drink/dessert and to take tons and tons of pictures with. God gave me a truly incomparable experience to make up for everything. I KNOW that, in my heart of hearts.
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