Our last performance....

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Bruce Weldy
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Our last performance....

#1 Post by Bruce Weldy »

Forgive the self-indulgence here....

Due to the deteriorating health of my long-time friend and bass player, Arm's Length has played it's last show. This video is from our performance at Landa Park in New Braunfels.

It's very sad that I will soon lose a friend of over 45 years and the very best bass player I have ever played with.

We had the band over tonight for dinner and a viewing....lots of laughs at the mistakes, but all the time a certain feeling of loss was in all of us.

I'm just glad that we were able to get this videoed and sit down altogether to watch while he's still here with us. Life is short my friends, get all you can - while you can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MceiXlQ ... e=youtu.be

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Grant Bunter
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Re: Our last performance....

#2 Post by Grant Bunter »

Awwww that's terrible news for you and the band Bruce.

Sorry it had to finish up this way...
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Bruce Weldy
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Re: Our last performance....

#3 Post by Bruce Weldy »

Grant Bunter wrote:Awwww that's terrible news for you and the band Bruce.

Sorry it had to finish up this way...
Thanks Grant. It's been coming for three years, but has really hit him hard in the last couple of months. Cancer is pretty evil.

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y2kindyz
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Re: Our last performance....

#4 Post by y2kindyz »

That's the funny thing about time, when we are young it goes by too slow, then before we know it its a snow ball rolling and there is no stopping it. You all sound great.

It's a blessing the to have friends and having a friendship for 45 years is a miracle now days.

You are a blessed man.

I would love to hear some those stories. I am sure they would be great. You should think of recording or writing them down so they can be passed on. My Father is 87 and full of them. I keep trying to record him but i get too involved in the story and forget.

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Re: Our last performance....

#5 Post by David Raehn »

Dinner and a viewing....

So nice to be able to do that before you have to do it the other way around...

What a blessing!
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Bruce Weldy
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Re: Our last performance....

#6 Post by Bruce Weldy »

David Raehn wrote:Dinner and a viewing....

So nice to be able to do that before you have to do it the other way around...

What a blessing!

Well said.

Always wondered why we wait to have celebrations of life after death......why don't we do it while the guest of honor can still attend? I hope last night was a little of that.

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slavedave
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Re: Our last performance....

#7 Post by slavedave »

Really enjoyed the whole gig. It is obvious that you perform well together, let alone the fact that you are good friends. Agree that the bass playing was very complimentary to the rest of the band. Seemed effortless.
Thanks for posting.

Bruce Weldy
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Re: Our last performance....

#8 Post by Bruce Weldy »

slavedave wrote:Really enjoyed the whole gig. It is obvious that you perform well together, let alone the fact that you are good friends. Agree that the bass playing was very complimentary to the rest of the band. Seemed effortless.
Thanks for posting.
thanks....didn't think anyone would actually watch all of that. Plenty of mistakes, but we hadn't played in several months and just don't get the repetition that you need to clean up everything.

Earl is a great bass player, but the cancer has taken some toll on his speed and causes him a lot of cramping in his hands. We actually stopped that show a little early because he just didn't have anything left in the tank. That was back in June....

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Re: Our last performance....

#9 Post by Drey Chennells »

Bruce Weldy wrote:Life is short my friends, get all you can - while you can.
Hell yeah
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Tom Smit
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Re: Our last performance....

#10 Post by Tom Smit »

I watched the whole vid, broken down into 6 or 7 segments. It's obvious that the band has a relationship internally. I can understand that it is/would be rough to watch a friend start to slip away. It's good that the band could spend that evening together, dining. Wishing all involved, strength.
TomS

Bruce Weldy
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Re: Our last performance....

#11 Post by Bruce Weldy »

Tom Smit wrote:I watched the whole vid, broken down into 6 or 7 segments. It's obvious that the band has a relationship internally. I can understand that it is/would be rough to watch a friend start to slip away. It's good that the band could spend that evening together, dining. Wishing all involved, strength.
Thanks Tom.

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Re: Our last performance....

#12 Post by Disco-inferno »

I can't tell you how sorry I am to hear about your friend, cancer is a vicious disease that makes you feel very small in this big bad world. I wish you all the strength I can to overcome this loss. And you're right we have to live life to the fullest and be thankfull for every blessing we get.

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Re: Our last performance....

#13 Post by Scott Brochu »

Watched the show on the tube. You guys are tight. :clap: Many songs were well played.

Cancer sucks :chainsaw:
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Bruce Weldy
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Re: Our last performance....

#14 Post by Bruce Weldy »

Scott Brochu wrote:Watched the show on the tube. You guys are tight. :clap: Many songs were well played.

Cancer sucks :chainsaw:
Thanks.

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Bruce Weldy
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Re: Our last performance....

#15 Post by Bruce Weldy »

Well, it finally happened to today. I was at Earl's bedside as he passed this afternoon. It's was a tough road for him the last few weeks as he just deteriorated day by day.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a tribute song for him. I told him about it, but warned him that it was in the "past tense" about him. But, he wanted to see it. He liked the words, so I set out to get it recorded. I had really hoped that he could play on it....I know that sounds kinda' strange, but it just made sense. Unfortunately, he was just too weak.

So, the guys in Arm's Length did their parts and I brought in a bass player who is probably the closest I could think of that had Earl's chops and could do it justice. The cherry on the top was that he played Earl's '65 Jazz on the track.

I was able to get it together and played the song for him on Saturday and Sunday. He smiled and said the bass player was good. It was getting harder for him to communicate - but music spoke to him until the very end.

The day he told us that he had cancer, he asked us to keep him playing music as long as we could. To that end, he made it into the studio about a month ago and laid down his last track on on of my tunes. Because of the weakness in his hands, he had to play that one on his '63 Precision fretless with flatwounds. Not really his signature sound, but he just couldn't pay on frets anymore. When we finished the session, I had to carry his bass to the car for him. That was his last performance. When that tune is finished, I'll post it.

But, for now.....here's the tribute to my old friend. Earl's Gone

https://soundcloud.com/bruceweldy/earls-gone

RIP Brother

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