We are revisiting short stories that Greg Adams (East Bay Soul) posted on Facebook a few years ago. We will post one of these stories every Sunday for the next few weeks.
Greg Adams: “My good friend Gregg Phillangaines calls me up and asks me if I’m busy on December 3rd. I have nothing booked so I ask him what’s up. At the time he was playing with Toto, so I figured it might be a record date with them. Gregg’s a kidder, and he keeps asking little questions to get my curiousity up. “Wanna do a show?” “Wanna do a TV show?” “Wanna play with Celine Dion?” Wow. Didn’t see that one coming. Why yes. I can be available for that. Turned out the show was going to be the Grammy Awards Nomination Show on prime time CBS. I’m sure you remember how both the Grammy and Oscar awards nominations were announced live early in the morning not so long ago. If you were on the West Coast and you got nominated, you got a phone call at about 5:30 am. This was the first time The Recording Academy was doing it live with an hour long show with several stars singing and playing. Celine wanted me to accompany her. How flattering was that? She was singing Janis Ian’s ” At Seventeen “. The night before the telecast, she was playing at the Staples, so that would be where we would rehearse during her sound check. I arrived at the appointed time and went through the song with the band before she arrived. When she walked onstage it was as if we were old friends. A hug and kisses on both cheeks. She couldn’t thank ME enough for doing this with her. Oh boy… After we went through the song a few times, she said she wished she had more time but that she had to finish up her soundcheck. More hugs. And as I’m putting my horn away, not ten feet away from me, she launches into that little old song she sang in Titanic. Oh boy! She delivered like the arena wa…s sold out. Not much takes my breath away, but holy s#*t. It was stunning. What a singer. Everybody knows what kind of chops she has, but OMG… Next day, Nokia Theater where the show was being broadcasted. I call live TV “hurry up and wait”. Also on the show were a couple of people you might have heard of: Mariah Carey, Christina A., Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters and more that I can’t remember. Each waited their slot to get the stage for rehearsal and camera blocking. We got about an hour to play the song as many times as they needed and wanted. Then the wait. And the wait… The live feed went at 5 PST to the east coast. We were called to the stage. The band went on during the commercial break to get into position. Celine and I stood in the wing to walk on. She first, then I’d walk on for my solo. Right before she was introduced, she turned to me and took my hand and s…aid, “I love you.” I kissed her hand and said, “I love you, too.” What a moment! Oh boy!”
