I decided to shake my blues by going down to the Greenway to walk and play. I packed up my guitar bag and headed to find my place in the sun on a Sunday morning. As I walked, I naturally put my mind on walking, playing and the Greenway – my neighborhood outside of Godfreys.
As I walked past the blocks down the way, I was confronted with the various choices to settle down and play, and, of course, what would be a good space to perform. (I can’t shut it off.) I came upon an idea for another performance opportunity in my REAL hometown – the SouthSide. I could do a series of simply acoustic concerts at the quite (and quiet) diverse Greenway spaces between the crossroads. I could explore these interesting environments, celebrate the Greenway, its neighborhoods and diversity.
I settled in near Touchstone at a wonderful amphitheater, took off my shoes, took in the sun and cranked up some tunes I need work on – Giant, Nadine, Lions, Here Comes the Sun, and others. After a while, a couple of vehicles pulled up and several Hispanic families gathered to celebrate the green grass and the April temperatures. I continued to work on my tunes as two boys broke out a soccer ball. As the families connected, the toddler, the two boys and the older brother kicked the ball around. I finished my exercise and the toddler started to clap. I reacted to him and clapped too. It got everyone’s attention.
As I continued to work on stuff, my attention naturally shifted to my repertoire and what might be a good sound track for this place. As the morning moved on, the two friends played soccer games with each other, and as I finished a tune, they both clapped, and I responded in kind. Connections.
As the families packed up in their respective vehicles, I gave a wave to one of the boys and he waved back. Cool.