The Plush Chronicles, P4

In Which We Don't Want To Leave

With the final chords of Plush’s encore song, “Hate,” still echoing in our ears, and the crowd going nuts, bass player Ashley Suppa came over to the edge of the stage where Little Bean was screaming, bent down and the two of them raised horns like they were sisters.

Then, much to my surprise, as the lights came on and the crowd began to filter into the street, Ashley sat down at the edge of the stage and talked to my daughter. For a long time. So long in fact that I just wandered away and let them be.

I discovered later that my daughter had asked her for her phone number so they could stay in touch. Ashley had suggested instead that her dad (that would be me) reach out to her on Facebook and maybe they could. That is by far the most tactful and sensitive way of dealing with over-excited fans that I’d ever heard.

At any rate, it all made Little Bean deliriously happy. At one point, all four of the band members came back out on stage to talk and sign autographs for fans. And even Sorrowfuse stuck around at their merch table to do the same.

“I don’t want to leave, daddy,” my daughter said. And then, “do you think it would be ok if I did a cartwheel.”

“Pick a spot where you don’t run into anyone.” And so she did. Before leaving, she said goodbye to all the musicians. We said goodbye to Ray Haynes and all the music fans we met. By this point nearly everybody left in the room knew her, and said goodbye and wished her well.

Drummer Faith Powell signs Little Bean’s drum stick.

On the way back to our car, she was quiet.

“You ok?” I asked, my arm around her shoulder.

And then she said this: “I’m ok and happy, but I’m really tired and emotional so I think I might cry.”

I got down to eye level with her and said, “I kind of feel the same.”

But she was asleep by the time we left the parking garage, and as I drove home through the night - the music still ringing in my ears - I thought, how wonderful to be happy AND feel like crying at the same time. To be so moved, so overflowing with art and passion and joy to not be able to contain it, to let the tears come.

She’s so little and the world is so big. We have so much to do, so much to listen to, so many more people to meet. We have autographs to gather. We have words to write and pictures to take. To be there in the front, not just hearing the music, but feeling it - to set those emotions free, to be young and right at the beginning of tapping into the vast landscape of her soul and heart… and all because a couple bands just allowed her to be.

To be, not a kid. Not a fan. To be a human and for just a couple hours, to feel, to really just open up and feel the music. That’s what she meant. And that’s what we’ll do!

Can you find Little Bean?

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Housekeeping: Welcome one and all - especially all you new Plush fans - to Day By Day, a daily (mostly) journal of discovery where we talk about all manner of things: books, music, libraries, history, rocks and sometimes miracles and mortality as well. We are free so subscribe, and all our archives are free as well!

For Part One of this series, click here: Plush Chronicles P1. For Part Two of this series, click here: Plush Chronicles P2. For Part Three of this series, click here: Plush Chronicles P3.

And if you enjoy this little musical side adventure, please share to pages that might have an interest, or you’re own social media. Or bring a friends on board. We love growing our community!

To be clear my Plush fans, tomorrow, we’ll go back to our regular programming, which means a little essay each day on a variety of subjects: Music, yes! But also books, parenting, history and libraries. I hope you’ll all stick with us!

If you’re new to Day By Day, you can find out more about me and my books at my bookstore here: Dan’s Bookstore. Mine and Little Bean’s rocks field guides can be found there as well.

Day By Day is a free journal of essays, expressions and story-telling. No subscription cost. No ads. No algorithms. But if you’d like to buy me a cup of joe or Little Bean a juice box to keep us awake - much to my joy - you can do so here: Buy Us Some Caffeine or Sugar.