Keith in Laguna Beach -- Sunday, 20July2014

I didn't really intend to go down, but I wasn't doing anything else, and a girl who had bought a CD the night before but had mistakenly taken the Kids' one was wondering (by email) if she could trade it in, and I felt bad about that, so I told her I'd be there. I didn't really have a full charge in the batteries, so I didn't know how long I'd get to play. Turned out: four hours -- I played from 3:30 until everything just slammed off at 7:30, right in the middle of "Let It Go".

It was a pretty slow day, though. I should probably quit thinking that Sunday afternoons are a good time to go down. Of course, come wintertime, I'll be wishing it was as "bad" as a summer Sunday...

I did have some cute kids and a sweet couple on their first date (to the beach?!?). The girl was a big Disney song fan, so the guy wanted me to keep playing for her, 'cuz it was really making the date special.

I kinda turned into a circus, though. I was on the ice cream corner, and the Tommies came and set up on the Fingerhut side. Then, to our horror, Sanchez showed up and since the corners were taken, he set up in the alcove of the art school museum, just a few shops down the street. And of course, although he could have set up in the alcove corner facing *up* the street, he deliberately set up so he was aimed diagonally across the street straight toward the Tommies. What a jerk -- but at least the Tommies had prevented him from setting up across from me.

And then, when my amp shut down at 7:30, since my car was close and I still had lots of time in the meter, I put my stuff away and came back to listen to the Tommies, and chat with the big sister and little brother. Apparently there's been some drama between Sanchez and the homeless people (who hate him) and some other musicians (ditto). The guy does show some impressive determination, coming back again and again in the face of such animosity...

Anyway, right after I abandoned the ice cream corner, a guy came with his electric guitar and mic, and stood up on the side bench like it was a stage and started his screech-singing songs. He was way too loud (surprise!) and his amp was pointed straight at the Tommies, too. Fortunately, he just played 4 or 5 songs and left.

But about that time some teenage girls were hanging out on the Fingerhut corner, waiting for a table at the pizza place, and decided to do an impromptu "talk show", telling "jokes" to passersby, asking them when their birthdays are and then singing to them, regarless, and generally being obnoxious. The Tommies couldn't take it, so they packed up and moved over to the ice cream corner. The danger was that Sanchez would notice the Fingerhut corner being empty and move over, but I'd had enough craziness for one night, and went home.