The Graduation

No, I wasn't graduating.  I had an all-day gig yesterday, playing for 3 graduation ceremonies (for Griffith University, at the Gold Coast).  Most boring gig, ever (so far).  We had a sound check at 9:30 (about 15 minutes, all up).  We played from about 10:15ish - 10:55ish, and a piece as the musical interlude (about 3 minutes), at about 11:40.  Repeat the last 2 steps at 2:15ish and 6:15ish.  So, less than 3 hours playing... More than 5 hours not playing...  We were informed in the initial email that there would be lots of break time.  Accordingly, I took along a book, my phone, and my phone charger - all of which I used - plus ear phones, which I left in my bag.  The other players didn't bring anything to do in the break times.  I read a lot of my book and played a lot of games on my phone, as well as texting and checking Facebook a lot - I would have gone totally insane without these things. 

The actual playing bit was easy.  On one hand, much easier than playing for a wedding (no 'it has to be perfect' pressure).  However, just before we started playing, we (and all the soon-to-be graduates) were told the ceremony (and subsequent ceremonies, obviously) would be live streamed for the first time ever.  Ooh, hello pressure!

The whole show was very finely organised and ran really smoothly.  Especially the 2nd and 3rd graduations - more instruction beforehand on the doff, faster reading of names - that's pretty much it, really.  And I trusted our contact would actually come and find us at the right time (as she promised she would, repeatedly), instead of wandering out there 10 minutes too early and being tempted to do cartwheels in all that lovely convention centre wide open space.  Well, in the bit that wasn't housing the hundreds of academic gowns.  And the hangers to accompany them. 

I was disappointed, though, to find our green room lacking its apostrophe.  Now that I think of it, I should have used a pen... Oh well.  Next time.