K&W in Laguna Beach -- Wednesday, 19Jul2017

Started out pretty slow, except for a guy carrying an orange Bearded Dragon who told me that he'd buy my CD if I played "If I Fell". I told him I'd be happy to play it even if he didn't buy a CD, but he insisted. I played it, and he said that he figured I wouldn't be able to do the harmony 'cuz it's so clever. I didn't point out that one guy can't do the harmony on *any* song (he was unaware that I do have harmony from the box on lots of non-If I Fell, songs) by himself, easy or not.

The slowness gave me a chance to practice my two new kids songs, "How Far I'll Go" from "Moana", and "True Colors" from either the new kids' movie "Trolls" or 1986 and Cyndi Lauper, depending on how old you are. The Moana song is surprisingly popular with kids and teenage girls -- when "Frozen" was big, it was all over the place. Moana seems just as popular, but quietly, somehow.

"True Colors" turns out to be right in my wheelhouse, and a blast to play and sing, so I'm glad when someone spots it on either the Kids' or Grownup Request lists.

Early on, a group of 5 or 6 old ladies came and sat on the bench, deliberately ignoring us, refusing to look at me, and irritably declining to look at my proffered Request List. Who knew that the bicycle was the logo for the Grumpy Lady's Club?

A couple came up and were standing and embracing and waiting for a song. I played "Leaving On a Jet Plane", and apparently that was right on target 'cuz the guy got out a twenty and had her put it in the jar.

Two ladies came by later in the middle of "Wonderful Tonight", and when it was over, they insisted that I play it again. They were just so enthusiastic and effusive that I had to conclude that they weren't from around here. I asked, and one was from Venezuela, and the other was from Costa Rica. They stayed for a bunch of songs, and basically showed the Americans how being an audience is done.

At one point, I looked over and there was something non-green in the tip jar. People sometimes put weird things in there: business cards, bible tracts, origami, flowers, non-US currency, etc. I went to see what it was, and it was a change purse, full of change. When I counted it later, it came to $8.65. I guess somebody liked us, didn't have any paper money, and didn't want to dump so much loose change in the jar, so they just threw in the whole purse. Weird, but, thanks!