Performing at the Ward Party

This photo shows me performing at our ward party on February 23, 2008. I sang two numbers: my song "Changes," a lover's lament that I originally wrote in 1983 (portions of which I had to re-write because I'd long forgotten the words), and the old Julio Iglesias song "Pregúntale," which was a hit in the Spanish-speaking world in 1979. I used my new "Classic 60s" Fender Stratocaster, my Line 6 Spider 112 amplifier, my Squier PA system (which I've had for nearly a year but had never used before in public), and an "On Stage" microphone/mic stand that I bought from Guitar Center for $20 (total). I always have great difficulty remembering lyrics to songs -- which is aggravated by the nervousness I feel when performing in public -- so you can see I had to use cheat sheets taped to my mic stand. I made a few slight boo-boos, but at least I made it all the way through both songs with no major breaks! I think most people at the party were significantly more entertained by the karaoke and the limbo-dancing than by me, but that's typical. (Photo courtesy of Steve Plimpton.)