A Box of Rocs

Box Of Rocks, Part 5

Chapter 38

The day before we did the show in England, there was a fierce debate, and extra practice. Since it was England, they were going to do entirely British songs, ones from almost every act in the last fifty years. Everybody had their favorites, and if they had done them all the show would have lasted seven hours, so the horsetrading started. In the end, everyone lost, but still got to keep their favorites.

Following the tradition started in France, Titty started the show off screaming "Now listen here!" before breaking into Beast Of Burden, a Rolling Stones classic that instantly had the crowd roaring with approval. That was followed by Badge, the great Cream song, featuring Jon on piano and Mason on vocals, going straight from that to Obla De, Obla Da, using an arrangement that featured the horns from the jazz band.

After that we paused so everyone, performers and audience alike, could breathe. Mason thanked every one of them for coming, reminding them of why they were there, and asking for prayers for April. Her face appeared on the big screens, wearing a turban and looking frail, but with a huge smile on her face. The crowd roared, reminded of the reason we were here, and donations spiked the next day.

Aaron came out and did a fantastic rendition of Moondance, Mason playing a standup bass while Jon tickled the ivories, and when he sang, 'with you, my love,' the panties sailed like colorful raindrops onto the stage. Somebody took it upon themselves to count them later. 9,000, and they estimated at least 2500 more left on the field. A lot of them had personal messages and phone numbers.

They should have waited, because a few songs later, when he did Sex Bomb, by Tom Jones, most of them threw their bras because they'd already tossed their panties.

Zelda came out and did a duet with Maddy, a version of Perfect, by Fairgrounds Attraction. It was a light, bubbly pop song from the early eighties, and the crowd loved it. Al followed with Someone Like You, and when the cameras panned there were a lot of teary faces.

Then Mason sang Whiter Shade of Pale, playing the piano while Jon did the iconic organ part. Mason's voice soared as he sang, and the crowd stayed quiet. We woke them up again when we played Wild Thing, Maddie hamming it up on the kazoo part, leaving them with grins and laughter.

A little while later, just before the end of the set, they did Let It Be, again with Mason on a grand piano while Jon played organ. Al sang it as April's face floated on the big screens, and there were tears in the eyes of most of the audience.

That was the pattern, one quiet, serious or romantic song, followed by four or five upbeat numbers that got the crowd pumped up. Theer was a nod to Rockpile, doing Girls Talk, and Cruel To Be Kind. And we made sure the last song they performed was nice and mellow, leaving a good feeling as the show came to an end. It was the song they started with, Beast Of Burden, except now it was done with acoustic guitars, everyone harmonizing as we played.

We gave a nod to almost every major British act we could think of. Rod Stewart, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, and more. We did Traffic's Can't Find My Way Back Home, and Jaime did a really good job on vocals. Maddie did a haunting song by Amy Winehouse, and the crowd screamed when the ladies did Spice Girls, all trading vocals on Tell Me What You Want as they bounced around the stage in the red outfits, the color of the concert. They hadn't decided what the color for the States was going to be, but were leaning towards white.

What no one expected was the star power we collected. Ron Wood showed up, so of course we let him hang around backstage. Then it was Sam Smith, and in a real surprise, Adele. A few more noteworthy performers showed up, and most promised a big contribution. I still have the clip I filmed on my phone during the after party, with Adele and Sam singing a song, while Ron played acoustic guitar, and Mason played an acoustic bass. Most everyone in the room joined in on the chorus, and there was a lot of happy smiles when it was over.

The Internet exploded the next day, with videos breaking records. We sighed, the band was bone tired, so we collected Inga and went home. If you're good at it, and we were, rock and roll is an exhausting proposition.

I was more than happy to be in our house, overjoyed to just play with our son and relax. We all visited with April, and we all knew her time was short. She was almost a skeleton now, completely bald, and shaking uncontrollably. Maddie and Jaime were with her almost constantly, and one day when I visited April had the first real smile I'd seen in a long time. It turns out Maddie was almost two months pregnant, and she wanted to get married as soon as possible, so April could witness it.

It was probably the most quickly organized wedding in history. Four days later April, in a very nice dress with matching turban, was rolled into the church and parked beside the front pew. The string quartet played Canon in D as Neil escorted Maddie down the aisle. Mason, Jon, Al, and a couple of Jaime's friends from his old band were groomsmen, while me, Al, Titty, and Zelda, and a few of her friends were bridesmaids. They had bought new bands for the ceremony, and Maddie was wearing her grandmother's diamond. She had given it to her before she passed, saying she hoped it brought her as much happiness as it had her. They were together for 53 years before he passed.

The reception was joyous but muted, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house when Jaime rolled April out on the dance floor for the groom/mother-in-law dance, turning her in slow circles and gently kissing her cheek when the song ended.

They were getting ready for the next show, and Madie was surprised when Mason banned her and Jaime from practice. "Music is music. It'll be there long after all of us are gone, but your mother is here now, and you should spend every minute you can with her. It will be here for you when you come back."

Eleven days later, April passed in her sleep, surrounded by her family, and her family included all of us. I cried with a broken heart into Mason's chest, and felt his tears hit my forehead. He, Jaime, Al, Jon, Titty, and I were the pallbearers, and I couldn't help but notice how light the coffin was, holding the wasted body of a once vibrant woman struck down too soon. April asked them not to sing at the funeral, not wanting it to be turned into a circus, so we didn't, holding the service in the funeral chapel, with security guards to keep the press out.

Earlier, though, behind closed doors, they gathered around her with acoustic guitars, and sang her a few hymns we knew she liked. Maddie tried, but soon gave up and just cried into my shoulder.

The concert was supposed to be held the day she was buried, but Mason made sure we had written a clause into the contract saying it could be delayed if there was a death in the family. Mason did a video, apologizing, saying we needed time to grieve and to be patient with us, and we would reschedule at the earliest opportunity. That calmed a lot of the nasty comments down.

Chapter 39

Three weeks later Maddie showed up at the studio with Neil. "I brought Pops back to work. He needs to focus on the future and positive things, and this will be good for him."

She had lunch with us, and we talked for just a minute about April, before focusing on the music and future plans. Maddie was three tracks into her latest project, Aaron was about three quarters into his, and Zelda was just getting started. Mason was working with the Americana band he had produced before, and really liked the songs they were recording. All had tentative tours scheduled in about nine months. Aaron and Zelda were kicking around the idea of touring together.

We talked briefly about the Grammy nominations. The Americana group were up for two, Best New Group, and Best New Album in their genre. Box Of Rocks were up for a couple, as were Aaron and Zelda. Jon's jazz band was nominated for their latest work, and Titty's trio were up for Single Of The Year. Mason was nominated twice for best producer. There was a lot of talk on entertainment media about the new dynasty, but we took it all with a grain of salt. Mason said it best. "Can any of you remember what the song of the year was three years ago, or the artist or group? Fame is fickle in most all medias, but especially true when it comes to music."

We set the date for the American concert, and it coincided with the awards show, so we sent our apologies, and a few of their musician friends agreed to accept for them, if they won anything. Mason won for Producer Of The Year. Americana, their official name, won best new group in their category. All the rest barely lost out, and Mason thought a lot of it was just a backlash against their fame and ability.

The concert was held in The Glen Ellen Ampitheatre, in San Bernadino, capacity 65,000, and it was packed. There had been so many fights over what to cover we decided to do two shows, one there, and one on the East Coast, to try to be fair to the fans. We still had to do the one in South America, and Australia was having a fit, wanting us down there. They were considering it. It looked like the tour was going to comsume most of the summer and into the fall. Mason grinned, because now Maddie was four months pregnant, and said it would be a race to the finish. He gave her strict orders, with the backing of Neil. If she had the least bit of trouble, she was off the tour, no negotiations. She could still come along if she was able, but she couldn't perform. To put it mildly, she accepted the decision with bad grace. Mason picked her up and twirled her, saying he wasn't taking chances with his first 'unofficial' grandchild, and she just needed to suck it up. She melted and promised to be a good girl.

They finally fought out a play list, and proceeded to tear the house down. They started it out with an intense redition of a Lou Reed classis, Sweet Jane, based on a performance from the eighties, while he toured Europe. Al started it out with a blistering guitar solo that was four minutes long, before Mason ripped into the chords that told you what the song was. Mason sang the first verse, then Al sang the second, switching to rythm as Mason did his own explosive lead section. The horns from the jazz band kicked in halfway through the twelve minute performance, as Al and Mason switched vocals. The power of the song stunned everyone into silence, before they shook the field with the applause, as they got their breath back. They paid tribute to most every famous American act of the last fifty years, as least the ones they could fit into the performance.They would finish the playlist at the East Coast venue.

Chills washed over everyone as Zelda did the classic Etta James song, I'd Rather Go Blind, and the ladies paid tribute to The Supremes with Where Did Our Love Go, and You Can't Hurry love, interspersed with the Jimi Hendrix version of Bob Dylan's All Along The Watchtower. Mixed in were a song from Tom Petty, and Bob Segers' Night Moves.

They gave a nod to the blues, doing The Thrill Is Gone, an eleven minute version with blistering guitar work from Mason. Aaron sang I'll Sing The Blues Just For You, with Al on lead, and the horns came in strong for Sweet Home Chicago. Maddie did a version of Different Drum, using a ukelele as the main instrument. The guitar techs were earning their money tonight, because as soon as a song would end they would rotate another guitar in so they could retune, and in a couple of instances, replace strings. Mason broke a bass string, something really hard to do, when he was slapping it on a funk song.

Jaime sang Bang On The Drum by Todd Rudgren, just him on drums, Mason on bass, and Jon on organ. Mason did a bass solo far longer than the record, swirling around as he played, the tassels of his pants and vest standing out. Aaron came back out and sang Crimson And Clover, an old Tommy James classic. The women did My Lips Are Sealed, then jumped straight into Walk Like An Egyptian, the crowd screaming out "Way oh, Way oh," at the top of their lungs. Mason had broken the bass string when they did Word Up, but grabbed another when they went into September, by Earth, Wind, and Fire.

I think the biggest surprize of the night was a version of Get Ready, by Rare Earth. Jon had watched a live performance tape where there was a long, jazzy intro before they broke out into the real song. Jaime sang it, sitting up front behind a set of congas and bongo drums up front. Jon was a really good saxophone player, so Mason played the organ and Maddy was on bass. They gave a nod to the Eagles, doing Victim Of Love, Al tearing it up on slide.

After the show and the first encore, they played their final song, an acoustic version of the song they started with, Sweet Jane. It was kind of in a bluegrass style, and Jamie played the mandolin, something he had been practicing in secret for almost a year. It left everyone feeling mellow as they drifted away.

I had three groups of massuesses going, and it was still almost four before we left for bed. Before they got their massages, there was a meet and greet backstage. Dave Grohl, Joe Bonamassa, the guitarist and singer for Green Day, Billie Jo Armstrong, and the place went quiet when three big security guys came in, escorting Rhianna. She chatted for a minute before they started singing, doing some blues standards I'd never heard of, Come On Into My Kitchen, Keys To The Highway, Let It Slide, and a couple more. They would have played all night I believe, if I hadn't tapped Mason on the shoulder and pointed at a picture of our baby.

He thanked everyone and left, but Al, Maddie, Jon, and Jaime stayed for over three hours. They had one of the videographers tape it, then released it in pieces on Youtube, all proceeds of the advertising going to a cancer foundation. It dominated the site or a week.

We took a three week break, and they used the time to go over the playlist for the Brazillian show. It ended up being heavy on Latin songs. Al was bilungual, and Mason could hold his own in Spanish. Jon, a native French speaker, could do pretty well in Portuguese. The rest weren't, but practiced the songs they wanted to do relentlessly, until they were flawless as possible.

Chapter 40

Maddie was going into her seventh month, so we fussed over her constantly. She wasn't allowed to move or dance around during the show, and spent most of her time sitting on a stool. It didn't affect the way she played or sang, though.

The band did an interview with Rolling Stone. The guy was kind of fawning on them, praising the way we were going out of our way with the concerts, instead of focusing on our individual careers. Mason got a little pissed and it showed in his answer. "We're doing this in honor of a woman we all loved, in the hopes that somewhere down the road, when another woman gets the same diagnosis, it isn't automatically a death sentence, that she will live a long and productive life with people she loves. How do you think that stacks up compared to the adulation of the masses?"

He really didn't have anything else to say, switching subjects. "You guys haven't put out anything in over two years. Have you broken up? Is this your swansong before you go separate ways?"

Al said it best. "We've already got one album in the can, and enough material written to fill another. We were all independent performers when we got together, but from the first time we played together we realized that as talented as we are individually, it's nothing to compare to the energy we produce together."

Mason, Jon, and Titty reaffirmed it. Mason told him Box Of Rocks, as far as he was concerned, were always going to be a band, regardless of what they did with others. The others confirmed his statements.

They also interviewed Maddie, Jaime, Aaron, and Zelda, and they echoed the sentiment. "It's hard to imagine them not playing together. We've been to each other's shows, and they're nothing compared to one of their live performances. We all consider ourselves extremely lucky to be associated with them, because their very presence makes us all better. If you ever worked with any of them, you learn pretty quick good enough is not in their vocabulary. Mason can be relentless in the studio, and you might be chewing him out in your head, but you can't argue with the results."

They wanted them on the cover, but Mason had a different idea. It was a total shock, but the cover was April, at her last public appearance before she died. It was one from the wedding, her bright smile belying the disease ravaging her. The caption read: April, the reason behind the Box Of Rocks World Tour. Donations to various cancer causes spiked once again.

Chapter 41

We arrived in Brazil, going through the blazing heat of their summer straight to the cool hotel rooms. We were lodged in an upscale resort hotel, and between the support staff and the band, we basically filled it. Mason and I had a small suite with Inga, and the balcony oerlooked the beach. It was depressing to see, though, because both the water and the beach was thick with garbage, the water an ugly grayish brown. I was definitely not letting my baby anywhere near it.

They did the obligatory press conferences, with Al taking the lead. Her band had just released a single that was well on its' way to the top ten. so she talked a little about that before bringing the attention back to the reason we were there.

I put Mason on Dad patrol, threatening him with dire consequences if he let our son anywhere near that nasty water, grabbed all the ladies, and went on a shopping spree. Rio had some very good stores, designer labels, with enough local product to make for interesting purchases. We had a security detail with us, three huge guys and a petite woman who oozed charm but was the the boss of the group, and they obeyed her without question. I bought her a handbag she was eyeing, and she flamed red when I gave it to her, trying to protest. I guess I was exceptionally persuausive that day, because it was under her arm when we got back. Maddie got a couple of really nice maternity dresses, and a few for when she lost the baby weight.

The next day Mason, Jon, and Jaime disappeared, staying out until dark. We tracked them down to an open air cantina, finding them playing with the locals. Jaime was so inspired he and Titty went to a local music shop the next day and bought all kinds of exotic drums.

I wondered the night of the show how a country that had so much poverty in it could find the money for the expensive tickets, but they sold out, as always. They played a lot of songs in English, but with Al taking the lead, they did a lot in Spanish and Portuguese. Aaron probably would have set a record for flying panties if anyone had bothered to count. When he did 'Nossa' in perfect Portugese, I made a note of the many interesting choices in panties flying through the air, deciding the girls and I were going lingerie shopping before we left.

They nearly shook the stadium down whe Al did 'Gasolina', the Yankee Daddy song, in the style of Robin Adele Anderson, with flamenco tinted guitar work and horns. Then Aaron and Jon did another Yankee Daddy collaboration with Luis Fonsi, 'Despacito' that was one of the best performances of the song I'd ever heard by anybody. Jaime was also featured, front and center playing congas and singing. I wondered as the panties soared again if the women rotated from front to back, to keep a fresh supply of underwear flying.

Then Zelda came on, singing in that sexy, sensual voice, and boxers of all color and descriptions, flew up in the air. There were also quite a few male thongs, and my business mind kicked in, after I stopped laughing, of course, and I wondered if there was a used underwear market. We could make a fortune.