Fennick’s Invisible Encore — Backstage at the Moonbeam Music Hall, Fennick taped three paper stars to his guitar and invented a game called Invisible Encore. Read the full story →
Backstage at the Moonbeam Music Hall, Fennick taped three paper stars to his guitar and invented a game called Invisible Encore. The rules were simple: play one jingly chord, bow to nobody, and leave a thank-you tune in a place where nobody would see who gave it. His hooves clicked on the floorboards, and the curtains smelled like dust and peppermint polish.
He tiptoed into the empty spotlight circle, plink-plinked a silly riff, and aimed it at the balcony, the snack cart, even the squeaky trapdoor. “No clapping allowed,” he whispered, grinning. Then the house lights blinked on—just a little—and Fennick saw three stagehands high above, hanging stars, straightening notes, and sweeping confetti from the rafters.
So he changed the game. Every chord became a present: a bright twang for the ladder holder, a wobbling wah-wah for the broom, and a secret sparkle-strum for the smallest stagehand who had dropped her lunch pail. Nobody applauded. Nobody was supposed to. But the hanging stars swung in time, and if you spot Fennick’s biggest grin, you’ll know which encore he never meant the audience to hear.
