& once i did, i was onstage. picking up a red telecaster and tuning it. also onstage, another guitarist, a woman i didn't recognize (and in the dream haze, i knew it wasn't anyone; just a stand-in). we started playing a single chord boogie. there were a few people around the stage, talking, drinking. scattered cheers.
i remember it felt good. it felt like the actual exhiliration of playing for an audience. we finished to light applause. i looked at her. she nodded. we started a blues.