Each year, my band Joanovarc is offered a contract to play in a club in the touristy part of Israel called Eilat. Labelled as ‘the Vegas of Israel’, it conjures up images of casinos, huge neon signs and Elvis. Although it is nothing like Vegas, it is at the very pinnacle of Israel, the end of the desert and next to the Red sea; blue, warm and full of tropical delights.
Being full of tourists at the height of the summer, the steady 42 degree heat during the day forces people to enjoy themselves at night when it is slightly cooler at 34 degrees. The club that we play at is called the Three Wise Monkeys and is known for the live music and guaranteed to be pumping every night with people already having a great time before we even start.
From the very beginning of this year, I had struggled with illness. Nothing serious, but cold after cough after cold, throat and ear infections, pretty much anything that makes you feel like you’ve been hit by a bus but expected to ‘keep calm and carry on’. This was creating a small worry at the back of my mind, knowing that I had until the end of July to get well and get fit again. Stamina is needed for regular performing, regardless of what instrument you play.
Having done the Israel contact before, I was very aware that it is incredibly physically demanding. It is a 2 ½ hour high energy work out every night with no nights off. In the past I had suffered with Tennis Elbow, chronic back pain and sever hangovers so I knew it was going to be challenging having not done a single jumping jack or burpee in the whole of 2023.
As the weeks drew closer to the trip, I was thinking ‘I’ll go for a run tomorrow’ but of course, it never happened. The best I did was to actually feel 100% well in the couple of weeks leading up to it. I was torn between telling myself I’d done well considering I’d had a rough year, or punishing myself, knowing that I could have at least done some Mr Motivator workouts at home.
The first few nights of performing went very well. Busy nights, lots of energy, adrenaline and no blisters. My hip was hurting a bit during the days but I put that down to age. About two weeks in (maybe gig 13 or 14) my arms were starting to hurt and my biceps were very hard. My guitarist, Shelley, even commented on how I was looking ‘a bit Arnold Schwartzenegger’. I was tired, achey, and starting to panic that I was only half way through and really physically struggling, even though I was doing my 20 minutes of stretches before each gig and not drinking until after I played. I still had two weeks to go and I was feeling broken.
We were all invited to go with a friend to the desert one day and visit some ancient canyons. Having made quite a few mistakes the night before due to feeling like a bag of spanners, I decided that I would have a day of sleeping and resting as much as I could. I needed to reset my mind so that I could think positively that I was in a beautiful place, doing what I loved. I needed to ground myself and not beat myself up and just do the best I could. I didn’t even go swimming or go to the gym that day, I gave myself a full break from everything for one day so I could be better for the evening.
When I caught up with my band members in the evening, I was feeling refreshed, energised, and my muscles were softening up. I was gutted that I sacrificed a touristy day out to the desert with close friends but they said it wasn’t that good because there were loads of other people around. Even if they just said that to make me feel better, it made my FOMO diminish and I played the best gig of the contract.
Once I had broken that pain barrier, I felt a bit more invincible and made the most of the rest of my time. Sure, I now know that I can’t play very well after two glasses of red wine but I totally smashed it and had the time of my life. I learnt to live for the moment but rest when your body tells you.
I can’t wait for next year.