K&W at Yorba Linda - 08Sept2006

I hadn't been out Yorba Linda since February (though Warren had). It's a pretty nice setup, and we usually get a decent response, if not-so-much by way of tips. It's remarkable how much the architecture influences the success of the performance. You can do bad in a good joint, and do good in a bad joint, but the other two combinations are far more likely.

I felt like it was a lot more of a "classic" K&W performance than last week at SCP. I was more relaxed -- both generally, and in regards to the Live CD Song Capturement Project -- and less focused on getting specific songs. Probably that was due to the audience's non-rapt, but extant, attention, so I was playing songs I thought they'd like, and a lot of requests.

Unfortunately, Warren wasn't feeling well, so he just kind of pretended to be playing, very quietly. I guess he was afraid to try to play out loud while his head wasn't in it. I carried on, of course, and my voice was in excellent form again. It sure is fun to be able to hit those high notes without feeling like I'm straining, and sounding like it.

Surprise of the night: a young girl who arrived late and didn't see the song lists asked for "American Pie". Geneva also likes the new rendition that Madonna put out, so I had written it out and put it in the "Learning Section" of The Book, and I've been tinkering with it, but never did it in public. Since this girl asked specifically, I played it, and pretty much got through it (though it was (and Madonna's is) a truncated version). Fun.

We may have even picked up a song or two for the CD, but it would be better to get them when Warren's actually audible. Next time is loud, bang-ey, Costa Mesa though, where the odds of getting a quiet take are pretty slim. Good chance to just let the recording go and have fun, though.