Long Island Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay August 16, 2003

What a beautiful place! We had a great afternoon wandering around the rose bushes and the 150 year old trees. The sound check took a long time, which annoyed Glynn, though. It was his first show back since the heart attack.

When we got up on the stage something was wrong with the monitors, so I was thrown off by that, and started wondering if I would have to resort to telling stories immediately. Finally we got the go ahead to start. I sang the first song, at first thinking I had swallowed a bug as they were swarming around my face, but as the song went on and the show went on I realized I was having trouble breathing and my throat was closing. Unfortunately then I realized I was having an asthma attack onstage.

My mind raced as I thought, where is my inhaler? Back in NYC, I forgot it today. Oh, shit, I thought, gathering myself with each line and sang as loudly as I could into the mic, trying to remember what my (step)father had told me about adrenalin. I wondered inside if I should get a cup of coffee onstage, as that will dilate the bronchial tubes if they are closing. I finished the song, turned around and asked the monitor guy for more vocal. Then I realized some people were shouting something.

“What’s that?” I said, smiling , thinking they were requesting songs so early in the set. “We can’t hear you,” shouted one person. “More vocal!” shouted another. I realized this was turning into a full blown problem, so I said into the microphone, “Glynn, I am sorry but these people say they can’t hear the vocal, so maybe you could turn it up.” “We can’t hear the vocal,” someone shouted again. “Yes. I heard you already!” I snapped, beginning to lose my patience.

Throughout the set the problem would rise and fall and I was struggling to stay focused on the lyrics as sometimes I couldn’t breathe, and I was feeling itchy all over my throat.

Of course the second verse to Maggie May flew out of my brain, as did some others. The set began to have an odd tone, as I was imagining the audience felt that I had scolded them, and why shouldn’t they complain if they can’t hear the vocal? In the meantime I am thinking, they can’t hear the vocal because I am having trouble breathing. How dare they ask for more vocal, when I can’t breathe! But to say into the mic that I am having an asthma attack is to turn the whole show into an emergency. So I opted not to say anything, kept quiet and struggled through the whole show vowing NEVER to forget my inhaler again.

Most people reported it as a good show, with a warm audience, which they were, one on one, when I met them afterwards and signed stuff for them.

[Next: Harrisburg, PA - August 19, 2003 ]