Stories Behind the Songs: “Onstage”
Not surprisingly, given its rather patchwork nature, “Onstage” took a while to write. The initial riff came in August 2004, before I started writing the opera. I began writing the song proper in February 2005 but didn’t complete it until the end of March. The tango-like beat in the section beginning with “We have worked so hard to make it…” definitely owes something to the Jimi Hendrix Experience tune “House Burning Down”. Also in this song, the “Won’t Do It Again” riff makes its first reappearance. To me it signifies the negative energy stemming from fear and bigotry.
“Onstage” was one of the Transposition songs on the set list when we put together a short-lived performing version of Chameleon Red in 2008. I must say, it rocked!