One Rainy Night in Weybridge

In bounced Dave and Tony, smiling, trombone case and trumpet case in hands.
The P.A. was set up; we stood in line, and started playing. Unbelievable! It sounded and felt just like it did twenty years ago; we just had time to run through the five songs we'd decided to play, and tried to push it too far by attempting Footsteps at My Door, which got so far, and then disintegrated. It was miraculous, though, that we managed to sound so together.
Daniel takes a Train did their check- a proper band, and a 1980s soundcheck, as I remember them. 'Just turn the bass down a little', 'I can't hear myself in the monitors', band members one by one standing out front, listening.
Tony leaned over to remark, 'Last time we played together, mobile phones weren't invented'.
Because we were finished first we were sent over to collect the fish'n'chips.
The guy in the shop was stressed, much to the amusement of the girl in the shop. 'Fourteen cod', he snarled to nobody in particular from time to time. They packed it in a cardboard box and Dave carried it back to the church hall, where the smell of hot vinegar soon pervaded the room and the sounds of rustling and snaffling replaced that of amplified band.
Ian turned up, all ready to listen and to film the proceedings, at which point my DV camera stubbornly insisted that the lens cap was on, even though it wasn't, and just wouldn't work at all. Stressed as the fishandchipsman, I spilled pomegranate juice down my dress, which luckily was red and kindly absorbed the accident.
We went on first, and in the gloom I could see people smiling, some even singing along. They knew the words better than me! It was such fun, honestly, and the guys played brilliantly. It was better than the old days, as we are all older, gentler and better players. What thrilled me to bits was that both Dave and Tony said they'd like to do more Horns gigs and I'm sure Paul will too.
I messed up a line or two, there was the occasional brassy mistake ('You're still making mistakes in the same places', wrily observed Sally, who used to be our live sound engineer, to Tony). It was fun: I smiled, I smiled.
Then of course, Paul joined Daniel Takes a Train, where he exhibits his versatility, playing lounge-bar urban soft rock. Everyone was rosy, smiling, eating Pauls sax-decorated cake. McSis was radiant, and cousins appeared left right and centre.
Earlier, I'd bought a pack of wine gums.
I ate only the red and black ones and left the rest. The night could not have been more perfect.