Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010, Nashville, TN., 6:56 p.m., C.S.T. (Mardi Gras Day!!)~

Dear Journal~

This won't be a long entry; am going to be performing within the hour; opening for Wayne Toups and his fantastic band, "ZydeCajun"!  They are like one of the hottest acts in Cajun/zydeco music!!

I am all ready to go onstage:  wearing my white pantsuit with the bright red crawfish emblazoned on the sleeves and pant legs (these crawfish are, in kind, surrounded by rhinestones) and my red crawfish earrings; also have on my cowboy hat and bright red boots.  I have been looking forward to this thing ever since I first heard about it and got invited to perform there!!  Now it's here, and I am having a total BLAST!!!

Of course, I have my accordions lined up on the stage:  three of 'em, all Martins.  I also have my fiddle, banjo, and guitar on the stage.  My band, "Cajun Spice", will be backing me up; we plan on turnin' downtown Nashville ablaze with our Cajun-country sound!! :D

Of course, we won't compare to the Master, Wayne Toups, but it IS nice to be asked to open up for him!  He is, like, a legend!!

Nervous??  You bet!  It would be stupid to say I wasn't!  I just hope we get through our set in one piece without any problems or headaches!!  I'm just glad the weather is co-operating (although it is a bit nippy; good thing I'll be under those hot stage lights; at least I'll be warm)!!

The main drag downtown is crowded with costumed people who all came to "pass a good time", Mardi Gras style.  Besides Wayne Toups (the biggie act of the night), there were also other Cajun acts represented:  Paul Gregoire and his band, "Rue Du Bayou" (they're Nashville's premier Cajun band!), "Bayou Heat" (another good up and coming band), Sheryl Cormier and her band, "Cajun Sounds" (another great band; they're from Sunset, Louisiana), and Langston Thibodeaux (only six years old; today was his first public performance; he charmed the audience with his accordion playing and singing; he was very good!).

In the meantime, my band, "Cajun Spice", and I will be taking to the stage in less than a half hour.  I am pumped up; I can't hardly wait to hit the boards!!  I just hope we do a good job for the Mardi Gras crowd!  It'd be horrible if we bombed!!

I am currently backstage, piggin' out on some crawfish and drinking some bottled water.  I would have a Coke, but I don't want to be singing and let out the world's biggest burp!  I could just see myself singing, "Jole' Blooooooooooooooooon" (burping here)!  LOLOLOL  That'd be awful!!  (I've done that before, more than once; talk about mortifying!!  Yikes!  LOL)  I will have bottled water onstage, so if I get parched from the hot stage lights, I can take a quick slug of my water and get right back to business!  :)

Nothin' like ice cold water and hot boiled crawfish to get me primed for my show in just a little over fifteen minutes from now!!  Yeeehaw!!!

Well, I gotta run through some quick riffs on my accordions, make sure everything's working properly, then do a sound check, and wait for our cue to come on.  Then we plan on blowin' the roof off of this joint!  We are gonna "Laissez les bon temps rouler" until Wayne Toups and his crew take over and turn downtown Nashville into one big Cajun party!! 

Take care, and may God bless you!  Laissez les bon temps rouler, and Happy Mardi Gras!!  AAIIEEE!!  (God, I love being Cajun!!  Cajuns KNOW how to party hard!! *grins*)

~Love, your friend, Ronee' Le-Anne.  :D