…so the other night, I’m sitting at Sidetracks, waiting to go on and do my thing.
I’ve tuned into the fact that while it doesn’t matter how few people engage me, even one person digging what I’m putting down can make me more confident, which makes me play a lot better. Sometimes, playing in bars, you don’t get that connection right away. So I figured: why not let the Internet do it for me?
I noticed my niece in Belgium “going live” on Facebook last week, and it occurred to me that it’s probably not hard to do. Less than a minute later, I had my phone, on its usual clamp on my micstand, broadcasting to all of facebook. I figured I’d play a few songs, then conserve the battery and go back to my chord apps. What I found was that you guys really like spontaneous live broadcasts! Like, REALLY like them. Like, 210 of you checked in like them. Like, you all watched my beard-cam for 2:15:00 like them. People were giving me requests, cheering me on — if the bar got loud, you just got more encouraging, and eventually they did too. The least I could do was keep broadcasting until my battery ran out — which, gosh bless it, didn’t happen before I hit facebook’s 90-minute limit, after which I took a break, recharged, then did another 45 minute set.
It also encouraged me not just to play some originals in my cover sets, but to dig in and do stuff that you guys like that I’ve neglected. I’ve always tried to write into my catalogue the vibes that it’s missing, but then I forget to go back and include the old stuff so I’m able to give other people the whole picture — this gave me a really well-rounded show.
Here are the breakdowns for both sets, and links to both — I’ll definitely do beard-cam again (and maybe I’ll figure out a better angle somewhere down the road):
Set 1: (here’s the link)
00:46-04:27: Wonderful Lie
04:53-09:20 : Not Giving Up
09:50-13:26: Hey Jealousy (Gin Blossoms Cover)
14:16-17:15 : The Game of Us
17:23-21:09: Jesus, etc. (Wilco cover)
21:17-22:12: Science Fiction Double Feature (half-assed attempt at the Rocky Horror Picture Show theme song)
22:45-26:59: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You (Bryan Adams cover)
27:46-31:19: Calling You Out
31:21-34:43: Island In The Sun (Weezer cover)
35:27-40:34: Just One
40:43-43:53: If You Want Blood (You Got It) (AC/DC cover)
44:10-48:07: Comic Tragedy
48:50-53:40: Heart of the Matter (Don Henley cover)
53:42-56:31: Superman
57:00-1:01:23: The Ballad of El Goodo (Big Star cover)
1:02:05-1:05:19: Up For Hire
1:05:43-1:09:13: You Don’t Know How It Feels (Tom Petty cover)
1:09:50-1:13:36: Sugar, We’re Going Down (Fall Out Boy cover)
1:13:55-1:17:20: Eternal Flame (Bangles cover)
1:17:25-1:22:38: I Love You
1:23:10-1:27:27: Weak (SWV cover)
1:27:34-end: America (Simon & Garfunkel cover (I screwed up and missed a verse but didn’t circle back because 90-minute limit)
Set two: (here’s the link)
00:37-03:50: Boy Meets Girl
03:56-06:18: Gimme Lil’ Sign (Brenton Wood cover)
06:45-09:34: Please
10:05-12:08: Vision of Love (half-assed attempt at a Mariah Carey cover)
14:44-18:18: It’s Only Natural (Crowded House cover) (f/Brian Halloran) (in the gap is a bad attempt that we decided to correct)
20:01-22:52: Just As Long As You Want Me To
22:53-28:22: Andrew (with a George Michael medley in the middle)
28:30-33:56: Use Me/I’m Her Daddy (Bill Withers medley)
33:57-41:00: Right On (medley in the middle: Roxanne (Police), When Doves Cry (Prince), F*ck You (Cee-Lo)
41:12-end: Medley: Teenage Dirtbag/Creep (Wheatus/Radiohead)