Nothing can jack a guy’s pulse like the thought of being in a band. An innocent comment gets legs and the momentum spins out of control. All guys want world domination, and no form is as intriguing as idolatry from thousands of screaming fans. The simple discussion of this plan takes you to a fantasy world and gives you more energy to tackle the mundane reality.
That’s “sorta” what happened with the Fab 5. It bubbled for a couple weeks, then one fateful night after East Nasty we all agreed. We would form a band together. One that would spend hours and hours together, perfecting our craft until it paid off in front of thousands of screaming fans. And, unlike the most band talk, this became reality.
For the next few weeks, the band did everything together. We all wrote songs and brought our best ideas to the table. The big gig wasn’t for 12 months. It wasn’t quite real yet so we had time to relish in our newfound internal stardom.
We were rock stars who hadn’t played a gig. It was easy to talk about how great and how popular we would be. The 2.4 mile swim was a day at the beach, the 112 mile ride a country road cruise, and the 26.2 mile run a stroll in the park. But, eventually our record label would need to see some songs.
On January 3rd, the song writing began in earnest. The band started with 3 – 4 hour co-writes. We took raw ideas and began melding them into concrete production. The versus got tighter, the choruses offered more hooks, and it all had a better rhythm.
Once we had a few songs, it was time to rehearse. We spent hours at the studio, working on our chops until we got tired of playing, only to return the next morning. The band was tighter than ever, but time together creates tension. Suddenly, the amiable groove was disrupted by hints of individuality and the dingy studio wasn’t the glamour we expected.
The singer had his own interpretations of the songs. The drummer began to oversleep practice. The guitar player had the experience and questioned the methods. The bassist just wanted to rock. And the keyboardist thought we should put more focus on harmony.
The band sucked it up and worked through most of the differences, but some could not be overcome. Suddenly a rock n roll band, that hadn’t played one gig, had two managers and we all agreed to disagree on style. Long writing sessions became rare, but everyone kept writing great songs. Songs that would change each other and change the world.
The band played a few rehearsal shows and fans began to notice. People were inspired the Fab 5’s dedication and mission. Soon, those around the band began writing their own songs and that pushed the band harder. They realized what they were doing mattered. They were indeed changing the world and the people around them were a shot of adrenaline.
They were tired, battered and beaten. Exhaustion, tension, and injury had taken their toll. Each put their individual differences and personal issues aside to focus on the biggest show of their lives.
The late nights and long sessions returned. Each had drifted their own way, but to pull this off, they knew it had to be as one. The comradery, reflection, and support was too much to ignore. This was a not only a group, it was a band of brothers, no piece was more important than the whole.
But, rock n roll is hard. It’s nearly impossible to balance and even the greatest bands in history have had difficult moments. For the Fab 5, that moment came today when Mark called each guy individually and told them he was out. It was one of the most painful decision he’s had to make, but his body wasn’t holding up. A stadium concert wasn’t meant to be.
Everyone in the band was stunned. All those hours. All the hard work. All the focus and intensity. Done.
But Mark knows the show must go on and he will be leading the charge from the sidelines. Thousands of screaming fans can not be let down. The rest of the band will have to pick up the slack. We will have to fuse together and turn the energy of four into five. Mark will be there with us in spirit and every bit of thought, insight and support he’s given will help lift us onto the stage and pull off the biggest show of our lives.
We will lean on each other more than ever. We will pluck inspiration from +1 and +2 at every turn. We will lean on our coach. We will do it for Mark and he will be there with us as the lights go fade on the biggest show of our lives.
So well written! Really enjoyed this post. Never the outcome anyone wants after months of training but it sounds like Mark has a great band of brothers to support his decision.