I had a gig opening for the movie Minions at Cedar Beach Park in Allentown tonight, with my friend John Christie. There was a big, inflatable screen behind us as we started in some uncertain weather around 6:30 pm for an hour set. As folks gathered on blankets on the grass, we set into our music and kids gradually came up, played instruments and danced. The local TV channel filmed some of the action and there were nice shots of the kids dancing, spliced in with some clips from the movie.
It turned out to be a nice evening. The rain never developed and there was a cool breeze. Some good friends showed up, including one of my old Lehigh professors, Bob Lucas and his wife, along with some other familiar faces. They were there for my music and not necessarily for the film. There were a lot of new kids and families to play for and it was cool to play for new folks.
It was the first gig back for John who has recently recovered from left shoulder surgery and right hand carpal tunnel work as well. He did great and I’m really glad for him. I can’t imagine what I would do if I couldn’t play guitar for four months.
There were costumed Minions roaming the field and several ended up front with us, dancing and reacting to our music. That was especially rewarding, having them support us with the kids. As I packed up, I went over to thank the kids who were getting out of costume for their support, and one lad asked for my card, He said he was a fan. I gave him a CD instead, and as I got in my car to drive off, he was commenting to his fellow minions that he had scored a CD from me. I may not be selling any of these things any more, but I’m glad I can spread them around among people who continue to support me.
The TV spot was a nice thing to find on FB when I got home though the Baby Shark link with tubby shirtless men was uncalled for. At least I got paid well.