s in any business, preparation and advance planning are integral to getting the job done. But in the music business especially, there are so many variables over which we have no control, and at least twice we came close to disaster — showing us Who really makes the plans.
One time, Suki & Ding were invited to Baltimore to do an Uncle Moishy concert for Ptach. Our hosts were thrilled that the concert was already sold out a day before the show.
We arrived at the venue — a large public school auditorium — about two hours before showtime, but when we tried to get in, we found the doors were locked. I guess we’re early, I thought, but the lady from Ptach told me the doors were supposed to be opened by now. An hour went by, but still no sign of a custodian. We finally got through to someone from the school district, who said the custodian had had a bit too much to drink and was unable to come down to open the door. It was now half an hour to showtime and the people were arriving.
What’s a producer to do? “Guys,” I said, “we’re not getting inside. We’re doing this concert on the lawn.” Baruch Hashem it was a pleasant sunny October day. The only problem was that we had no electricity. Our keyboard player, Shabsi Parnes, noticed an open window, and we were actually able to thread down an extension cord, connect it to an outlet beneath the window sill, and plug in our instruments and mics.
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