This was the first of three gigs in 24 hours, and this was at a small town festival across the Lehigh River from Easton. I got there for a 1 pm set, headed to the stage with the big sound system. It’s then I found out I was off to the much smaller, pop-up tent stage in the kids’ area. No problem. I had a great sound system, and felt quite comfortable in this situation. So, nobody around but the sound guys, and I launched in, playing to no one in particular. I was playing the Cat Came Back when an older couple came into the tent, singing the words. This is a good sign. As they settled in, a young couple with a very cute boy toddler met them and pulled out a blanket. Seems they were aiming for my set.
As we played, I found out that the dad was raised on my music so was quite familiar with my material. I was particularly struck by the young boy. His eyes zoomed in on me and my guitar – one of those magic moments when a child discovers live music. Over the course of my set, the lad headed for the bag of instruments, glommed onto the maracas and started to play. There were some very fine moments with the grandchild, the grandparents and the mom and dad, taking some pics, playing with the child.
Often I play in front of next to nobody, but there are moments like these that define my craft. I finished up and headed out to my second gig in the afternoon, over in Applebachsville, PA for a Joyful Noise festival about 45 minutes away. Round one.