The Scorps
When The Scorpions asked Vixen to tour with them… we said YES! Not only was it our first tour of Europe.. it was also our first arena tour! Needless to say, we were all very excited.
The first night was mega intense. Germany. January 1988. We walked into our dressing room and The Scorps had left us 4 bottles of champagne and 4 dozen roses with a note that said, “Welcome to the big time.”
We were on top of the world!
Each gig was progressively better than the last. The stages were the biggest we’d performed on and after a couple of weeks, we’d gotten used to the size and were actually using the whole stage for what it was worth. Jan, the guitarist and I would run across the stage to play with each other. Janet was singing and strutting like a pro on these huge spaces and Roxy was her always consummate performing self.
The Scorpions liked us so much they asked their crew to help us out and suddenly we each had our own follow spot. Anywhere we went on the stage we could be seen. In front of 15,000 people a night! What an amazing tour this was!
One night, during the song “Cruisin'”, I looked over at Jan’s side of the stage and decided to run over to her so we could rock out together. I immediately went into my fastest running speed as it was a long way away. … and I didn’t quite see the cables in front of the drum riser.
Poof! Whiiir! Kablam!
Platform boots…Hair flying. Five feet in the air. FLOP!
I took what must’ve looked like a flying leap into the air and somehow landed on my back with my bass intact. (Always protect the instrument right?) I did a quick check to see if my bits and bobs were alright. Whew.
I was STILL PLAYING THE SONG!
Roxy leaned over her drum kit and mouthed the words, “Are you alright???”
She looked terrified! I nodded at her and smiled.
But now what? I had visions of Spinal Tap in my head and imagined myself needing the assistance of a roadie to get me back up.
Dammit. This felt embarrassing. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” was ringing in my head.
It had only been about 5 seconds but it felt like an hour. We were still in the guitar solo of Cruisin and my follow spot was lighting my every move. I managed to roll onto my side and that’s when I could heard and felt the audible sigh from 15,000 people.
Suddenly.. I knew. I had to make this rock.
I got on to my knees and kept my head super low while I kept jamming my bass and looking at the audience. I goaded them. Cajoled them. Their noise was getting louder and louder…
Until finally…
I stood up and the audience went mental. They cheered as if I’d scored the winning touchdown in a Superbowl game. I felt like Rocky.
Connect
Looking back on it, I realize. It wasn’t the fact that I’d fallen. Everyone does that. We all fall. We all try things that don’t give us the outcomes we want.
Most of the time, we dust ourselves off and give it another go.
What made this particular fall in front of thousands so memorable was… HOW I got up.
I involved them. I connected with them emotionally. By simply looking at them and using that connection to ask for their support, they gave it. They gave it to me and to the band ten times over.
Open Up
Part of Making Epic Shit Happen is to get vulnerable.
Get transparent.
Open up to whatever is happening and let it happen and then look at your choices.
If you’re filming a video and you flub it up, sometimes it works to let us see the ‘real’ you.
If you’re working on a big project for your business … how can you transform what looks like a setback into a lesson or even… a victory?
If I had gone with the negative feeling and simply been embarrassed, I never would have experienced the connection with 15,000 people cheering for me to stand up.
Allow yourself to expand. Allow yourself to fall.
Simply allow yourself to be and then you can see the choices that are right in front of you.
Join us in MESH and discover new ways to open up to your own amazingness. Your epic-ness awaits.
