I was still pretty exhausted from the festivities the night before, but I was glad I could go play a gig for real money for a change.
I landed this mall gig from a lady who had booked me a country club in years past, so she knew what I did, and I knew I could ask a good wage from her. So, it was a perfect fit.
The mall has a ‘kids’ club’ that has occasional events for families, so this was a semi-Easter gig with Easter ‘buckets’, coloring stations, etc. plus an area for my music. They also had instruments for the kids. The flutes were not a good idea but the tambourines and clappers were a good idea.
Folks drifted in though it was hard to establish a ‘beachhead’ where the kids and parents could feel comfortable sitting down in front of a live musician. It took time but I gathered a crowd of kids and parents. It was nice to see folks taking it in from the balcony and other areas to the side. If fact, several older folks were having a good time watching the whole affair from the side.
I played a couple of sets over the two hours, broke a string towards the end and limped over the finale with five strings. The mall folks said that they appreciated my performance and would like to do it again. I got paid by check at the end of the gig. All this was good stuff.