Our six-member band was thrilled to have been selected to sing on the main stage at Boston’s Copley Square, to help bring in the New Year. We decided to do a 1950’s & 60’s “Oldies” set in an attempt to bring some real highly-charged fun, and of course memories, to the “First Night” revelers. Singing outside at night on December 31st in good Olé’ New England is often not for the faint of heart, and of course this night was no exception, with bitter cold and high winds. I can remember standing inside the partially heated staging tent beside the stage and shivering with my winter parka pulled up tight…wondering if I would be able to sing at all outside on the raised stage. I was also thinking “how in heck are my bandmates going to be able to play their instruments with frozen fingers”?
Our set time arrived; I whipped off my parka and replaced it with a black motorcycle jacket and shades, climbed up on the stage in front of thousands of frozen New Year’s Eve partiers, our band’s combined adrenaline kicked in and off we went. People started to smile, people started to sing-a-long, people even started to dance and I could hear shouts of “we love you Paco”. I could simply not believe it…honestly. A life-long dream came true, to be bonding musically with a tremendous crowd. The band could not have been better, my voice survived, and although I was shivering noticeably and they needed to pry the frozen mic out of my hand by the end of the set, I was in heaven for sure! What an incredible blessing to have the chance to even be there with our terrific band. What a way to end one year and to begin a new one. Certainly one of my best life experiences ever…thanks to the First Night organizers and to Strega Entertainment, our Manager. WOW and double WOW.
