It’s a little bit funny
This feeling inside
Elton

What is it about music that brings us to such a different place?

Julie and I attended a dinner party last night, a good one. Great food, thoughtful, interesting conversation, beautiful house, the whole bit. A nice, memorable night. That would have sufficed for a damn good Friday.

Just as I thought things were winding down, a sing-along broke out. A few of us broke out guitars, got tuned up, ready to go.

But honestly, the room felt tentative at first. Requests didn’t match repertoire. Singing was reserved. Songs started strong, and petered out after a verse or two. To me, it seemed like a fun idea, but it just wasn’t happening last night, wasn’t clicking. I was ready to pack it in.

But then, somewhere, we hit a groove.

I’m not sure, but I think maybe we stopped worrying about what everyone else was thinking, and we started playing. And I mean playing, like kids play. And I have to say, it’s amazing what people can do when self-consciousness slips out the window. People can sing, man! People I never knew could sing can really sing.

And there is an undeniable exuberance that goes along with that. It was very cool.

At one point, I left the room to search for a replacement A string. I love when strings break – makes me feel cool. Alas, no replacement A was available. My trusty Martin and I were sidelined for the rest of the night.

So I returned to the hootenanny and just watched for a while. There they were, about ten faces, full-voiced and belting out one song after another with abandon. Inner rock stars breaking loose. Requests ran the gamut, a sensible John Mayer or Sheryl Crow mixed in with the likes of Neil Diamond, Styx, Journey, REO Speedwagon.

And everyone was beaming. Stopped me in my tracks for a moment. These are grown-ups. Playing, singing, full of joy. A mighty, kickass sight.

This is the kind of thing we need to do more often.

And I wonder, what if we had just packed it in? We would have missed it, and the better story would have gone unwritten.

Whatever it is, man, sing your song.