Ask most musicians, and they'll agree: the very best recipe for a good show is feeling at ease and comfortable enough to focus 100% of your energy on the music. When other things get in the way -- pressure to perform well, technical problems, whatever -- it does nothing good for your performance. One of the things that often gets in the way of a good show for me is when I play a venue for the first time. You don't know the crowd, the view from the stage is unfamiliar, and you want to make a good impression (perchance to be invited back).
However, although last night was my first time performing at the relatively-new venue Arubia Introduces, I didn't have any of those problems. Why not? The venue is owned and run by a lady who has been a great supporter of my music in SL, Aurelie Chenaux. She's become a regular at almost all of my shows, so right off the bat, it's nice knowing that the person who runs the venue is completely familiar with your music (and apparently likes it). Second, Aurelie designed the place as a casual, open-air park environment. Don't laugh, but while your real-life body is always standing in roughly the same place (in front of a couple microphones and a computer, in my case), it makes a difference in how you feel based on the environment in which your virtual self is situated. Arubia Introduces reminded me of playing at any real-life park... very casual and fun.
The end result was that I had a great time, I played a good show, and it seemed like the crowd was digging it too, and I am very much looking forward to the next time I play at Arubia Introduces. Good times indeed.
Song Sample: "You're Like a Cloud" (Zak Claxton)
The Set List
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
Comes a Time (Neil Young)
Fade Away (Zak Claxton)
Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
Thanks Anyway (Zak Claxton)
Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)
Come Around (Zak Claxton)
Wild Horses (Rolling Stones)
California (Joni Mitchell)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Special thanks to the folks who supported my first show at Arubia Introduces!
Aeriona Bartavelle, Lizbet Loening, Talbot Nootan, Borealis Hammerer, Azurea Sands, Jordan Hazlitt, Triana Caldera, Zylina Straaf, Eth Tedeschi, Diana Renoir, Kat Claxton, Xerxes Ninetails, Siobban Smythe, Doug Drakes, and most of all, our hostess Aurelie Chenaux!
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