Wow! We learned!

It's so exciting to find out we can learn! After the gig at the cemetery ("people were dying to get in") we talked about how to improve and came up with a good list.
First, we realized we needed to work more on how songs start, and really get those beginnings nailed, so during the week we worked on any songs that we had confusion about.
Several people told us that when Mary and Allison sang together, Mary overpowered Allison. Not a great surprise since Mary really is louder. We traced the loudness difference in part to being at the mercy of someone else's sound system and having to set up in a big rush. That meant we didn't have good audio in our monitors, so we had a hard time hearing ourselves.
We also realized that was part of a third problem, that we felt disassociated from the group. We all came to the same conclusion about another factor in that, though; in the cemetery, we were lined up in a long row facing the audience.
So last night we had another gig, playing for the condo association of Lullwater condos. It was a real nice event; they set up tables in front of the old mansion that forms the basis for the development, had a caterer bring barbecue, beans, corn on the cob and cobbler, had some portable fire pits out in front of the band (it was WAY cold for an October night), and a lot of really nice people.
This time we brought our own sound system. Mike had repaired cables so everything worked well. I bought a new cart to lug stuff around. We got there two hours early so we would hve plenty of time to set up and do sound checks until we got it right. And we set up in a semi-circle, all very close to each other and standing so we could see each other as we played. Put it all together and we were all very connected.
It made a HUGE difference in our playing! We were much tighter, felt engaged through all the songs and, as a result, really connected witht our audience in a way we had not in the cemetery. This crowd was much more alive. Ha ha. (In the cemetery it was hard to hear ourselves over all the coffin). And we had a lot more fun, too.
Our practice paid off, too, because we really nailed just about every song beginning, and even did a lot better on some of the tricky endings of a few songs (where we stopped the instruments and did a capella harmonies very slowly to end).
Now we have yet another gig next week! What an amazing month. We have a rehearsal Thursday when we should be able to achieve perfection. Of course, repeating that in front of a real audience is another challenge. For my part, I realize my picking goes all to hell when I have lots of people staring at me, so that just means I need to practice perfect and then stick to what I practiced. I think.
Next Saturday, we'll be live around noon (I think) at the Avondale Estates Fall Festival. Y'all come out, now, here?