Warren's gone on vacation in Italy, but I went down anyway, and it was quite nice. I had nice people sitting on the bench almost the entire time. Indeed, I had gone down expecting to be mostly alone so I could try out some new songs and play with the drum machine (which Warren objects to), but I ended up playing requests almost the whole time, with no time left over to experiment.
I started off with Hotel California like always, but right away a lady on the bench bashfully requested "Kiss the Girl", followed by "A Whole New World", followed by "You'll Be In My Heart". She was clearly a big Disney fan -- and all those Disney songs quickly attracted a crowd of other people, who stayed and requested other songs, which attracted other people...
But unfortunately, basketball player by day / drunk by night Larry and his friend showed up all too soon. Larry was less drunk than usual, but he was still prone to repeatedly shouting out his requests (which I was obliged to ignore in favor of the wonderfully near-constant stream of requests from real "customers"), and trying to start up unwelcome conversations with the people on the bench. I watched him trying to chat up one girl to the point where she got up and moved over to the other side of her boyfriend to get away from him. It was gratifying that her solution wasn't to just gather up her boyfriend and leave, but a shame that she had to be called on to find a solution in the first place.
I finally asked him and his pal to move over and sit on the side bench "because you've heard me before" and to "leave the 'front row' for the tourists". They were pretty offended, but they actually did it, except when someone on the bench asked for "I'm Yours", and Larry slammed around the corner, "dancing" and flinging his long arms and legs in all directions. As the brave remaining people were scanning the list for a next tune, I quietly suggested that possibly a less danceable song would be a less dangerous choice, to knowing smiles from the bench people.
A nice elderly British couple came by with several requests, including "Puff, the Magic Dragon", despite there being no kids around. Then she asked for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" which isn't on the list, but it is in The Book. I don't normally do it 'cuz it's too high, but I was well warmed up and it was late and quiet so I went for it. And it went over quite well -- another group of people stopped dead in their tracks to listen. *That's* what I'm there for.
This blog post. Let me read you it.
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1 comment:
Well played sir. Hey, if you want to catch those elderly Brits, learn "There'll be Blue Birds Over the White Cliffs of Dover". It's like their version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
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