I made it over to the St. Peter’s Bakery gig early this time and set up out on the deck overlooking the French Creek Glen, a spectacular view, nice weather and a few folks at the tables. As I walked by a table of four upper crust folks, one gentleman asked what kind of tunes I would be playing. I said tonight’s gig featured Songs I Know, to which he replied,
“Will we know any of them?” I knew that I wouldn’t be getting any tips from them. – and I didn’t.

There were a few folks who liked what I did, including one woman who said she really enjoyed hearing songs she didn’t know, and that she doesn’t like to go out to clubs when she has to hear Jimmy Buffett, Jimmy Buffett…. I agreed.

As things slowed down, one fellow listened to Lessons from Pete and asked who wrote that song. I said that I had. I asked if he played and he said that he did, with a band called RagTime Willie. That rang a bell, and I said, “From Reading?” He said yup. It turns out he was a friend Jack Roberts, bass player in that band when I last saw them in 1979. That was quite a stab from the past. We chatted and compared notes on what has passed us by in the last 36 years. Amazing.

I picked up my $21 in tips, a loaf of French bread, a breakfast muffin and a stromboli for my pay for the evening and head back to Bethlehem after a two sweat day of freebee gigs. I don’t mind.