On the Benefits of acting like a grown-up, even when your heart says no

It would've been so easy. SO EASY, to go south with it. I could've sat in the corner, folded my arms, crossed my legs and said "Fuck this show, fuck Macy Gray fuck that club and FUCK EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM! I admit there was a part of me that wanted to say exactly that. But I didn't. What I did say, and what I did do, and what ended up happening later surprised even me.
Flashback; weeks prior. I look at a text message I just got from Tony. "Mozambique(a club we play often) wants us to open for Macy Gray on June Eleventh. Are you available?" Of course I say yes. A week or so later we're at rehearsal and Tony announces that not only will Upstart be opening for Macy Gray; we'll also be backing her up. As I begin to respond enthusiastically however, Tony hits me with the dreaded "...actually...."
We've all heard that "actually". Always said in just that tone that translates into "Pump the brakes, turbo!" Turns Out Macy is bringing her own bassist. Not her own Keyboardist, not her own guitarist, just her own BASSIST. Elliott's ego, you may now report to the basement.
I went home after rehearsal was over. I moped. I fumed. I paced the floor. I calmed down. I told myself, hey it is what it is; Deal. I told myself(ok, my girlfriend told me) hey if it's good for the band, it's good for you. I dealt. I didn't like it, but I dealt with it.
Monday before the gig. Band rehearsal. We'd been given a list of the tunes Macy would perform and Tony had worked up charts for everyone. As we work on the songs, I still can't help but think, "Do I need to be here right now?" Heck with it; I'm this band's bassist, I just won't be on Saturday night. But this is Monday, so I'm not gonna act like a punk about it.
Saturday of the gig. I wake up. Another rehearsal is scheduled for a few hours before the gig to give Macy's bassist a chance to run through the tunes with the band. "Well," I told myself, "if I'm not playing, I might as well do something helpful." I throw on some headphones and work up a few more charts for some other Macy tunes. My logic is, she could go through her whole set, be really feeling the gig, and want to do a few more songs. I figured I'd do a few charts just on the off chance so Upstart would be ready.
Rehearsal later that day. The bassist playing with Macy turned out to be Lonnie Marshall! In some circles Lonnie is well known as the frontman/bassist for Weapon of Choice, a band I had been a fan of since college. His brother Arik played with the Chili Peppers during John Fruciante's first hiatus. When I moved out here to LA, I learned that he was part of a camp of well respected musicians from the South Bay area. Macy had known and collaborated with Lonnie for years. I had met Lonnie a few years prior and was actually pretty cool with him. That being the case, the situation bothered me a little less. But only a little.
Upstart ran through the tunes with Lonnie. I sat there and tried not to look too uncomfortable. at some point I mentioned that I had some extra charts on the off chance Macy wanted to do a few more. Rehearsal done, we all mounted up and headed down to Laguna. The plan was for Upstart to do the first set, then Macy and Lonnie would do the second set with the band.
The first set goes pretty well. We're tight, the crowd's into it, Energy level is pretty high. Then the set's over. I step off the stage, hit the bathroom, and prepare to find myself a comfy bar stool. I'm chatting with some friends when Tony taps me on the shoulder "Hey Elliott, do you still have any of those charts you said you did?"

Huh?

"Sure, what's going on?"

"Macy's decided that she doesn't want to do one of the tunes we worked on, she's not feeling it. She wants to know if there's anything else that we know that she could sing instead."

Wow.

The funny part is that the one she decided she didn't want to do was the song that we'd spent the most time working on. Figures. I grab my gig bag and pull out the charts I'd done. I talk through them quickly with the guys, and let Lonnie know we've got another tune. The replacement tune is Do Something, Macy's first single from her first album. No here comes the really funny part: Lonnie Doesn't know the song! He looks at me and goes, "I never learned this one man, I think you'll have to play it..."
I am flabbergasted. This is Lonnie Marshall. He's A.) Known Macy for years, so shouldn't he know this tune? and B.) the quy who played on HIGHPERSPICE!(find this record and listen to it and you'll know what I mean) Shouldn't he be able to figure it out? Oh well, once again it is what it is. I guess I'll have to play Do something.
Second set begins and Macy joins us onstage. She's been sequestered in the back, so this is the first any of us have seen of her all night. She seems to be about 7 feet tall. We kick into "Do Something" and she seems comfortable, Swaying to the groove and crooning that distinctive raspy alto. For better or worse, she sounds just like she does on recordings. The crowd is enthusiastic, singing along, showing the love. It's a bit more crowded in there than we've ever seen it, but only a bit. Oh Crap, something doesn't sound quite right. I realize it should be E Minor, not major. I look at Andy, the guitarist. He already knows. I mouth the word "minor" to Jarod as he looks up from the keys, he nods, makes the necessary adjustments, and continues. No one else seems to notice. Lucky.
Verse, Chorus, Verse, Bridge, Chorus, Bridge, Breakdown, Chorus. Done. We finish Do Something and I unplug, disembarking to make room for Lonnie, who will take it from here. He Daps me up and asks "any way we could both plug in?"
"It's all you man." I thank him and step down from the stage. I feel I've accomplished all I've needed to this evening. The rest of the night goes off without a hitch. After 3 or 4 more tunes, Macy says her thank yous and she and Lonnie disappear into the night. We finish the set in grand fashion. After thanks you's, accolades and our various post Mozambique rituals we all go off on our ways home.
Later that night, I get a text from Adryon, our singer, saying "You really made the save having those charts ready. Good looking out.
It would have been SO EASY. I could've been a kid about the whole situation. I did the opposite of that, and everybody won.