My friend Todd Newman passed on this gig a couple of days ago when he, unfortunately lost his voice. Damn! So I signed up to take his place on Sunday and it turned out to be good weather, not too hot and a slight breeze. Three sets spread out over 4 plus hours in the children’s stage (Das Kinder Ecke), with a Marty’s Flea Circus and a puppet show. Bales of hay for seats and a rickety pa, and a long walk from the parking lot to the stage. I made it in the nick of time, set up and launched into my first set at 3:30. All three sets gathered small crowds, some families and assorted curious folks.
I was glad that I could recycle some of my material over the course of the day; I needed strong stuff to keep a crowd and a couple of families came back for a couple of the sets. There were some great moments with a family of grownup women and their grandma in a wheelchair. She had a great time, banging her tambourine along with the songs and her daughters and granddaughter had a hoot and a half. There are always wonderful moments of engagement, too numerous to remember.
One particularly bright girl caught on right away. She and her family stayed for two sets, and she danced, skipped, played with scarves and other movement instruments. She was totally engaged and was a delight for the rest of the people in the audience. Everyone fed off of her energy, including me.
As I finished my last set around 7:30, I gave her a CD. A few moments later her father handed me a twenty. I waved him off. She contributed so much to my effort today that I simply wanted to pass on my recorded music to her and her family. Seeds planted for the future.
It was a long day and I was whipped by the end, including the long walk back to the car with my bag and guitar and the drive home. I was righteously weary, and I have the 4th of July to recover.