Fibber Magees (02.17.10)

I always have fun when I play at Fibber Magees. Always. Today, I began my show under the false impression that it might not be as fun as usual. And, of course, I was wrong, and everything turned out great as always.

I guess some details are in order. I arrived at Fibber Magees at about 20 before the hour, which is my standard time to get to a venue before one of my shows. It allows for three simple things:

1. I can set up my tip jar and stage props, and strap on my virtual guitar.
2. I can write/send out notices to various music-oriented groups in SL.
3. I can make absolutely sure the audio broadcast stream I'm supposed to use is working as planned.

Well, I got there and greeted the only other person present... my hostess, Phooka Heron. No big deal, since that early before a show, it's rare that people are hanging around waiting for my grand entrance. Steps 1 and 2 above went without a hitch. But then, Phooka asked me to make sure the main stream was working. There was a tone of doubt in her writing (I'm not sure how that works, but it does), and sure enough, when I tried out the stream, it was apparently already in use. Not good. So after awhile of trying to figure out why that was the case, Phooka asked if we could switch over to the backup stream. No problem. I entered the info in my Nicecast broadcast software, hit the "on air" button, and... still nothing! Uh-oh!

By that point, uh-oh number two was becoming apparent: there was no one there but Phooka and I! This, of course, was a blessing in disguise, since we were still screwing around with the stream issues. Finally, I restarted Nicecast and hoped for the best when I hit the broadcast button, and bang zoom! I was on the air. Problem #1 solved.

But that didn't help the second issue... that of "no people". But after having spent a few years and hundreds of shows in SL, there's one thing I've learned. Don't panic! Actually, and more specifically, I learned that if you stop whining and play music, people will magically show up. Well, it took a little while. After one song, I had three people there. After a few more songs, maybe ten. By the time I was 40 minutes into the show, we had a nice-sized and fun crowd of about 17. Not a huge audience, no, but like I always say, it's better than I would have had in the middle of the day in a real life coffeehouse or bookstore.

Anyway, the short of it is that we ended up having a great time, and I'm happy with the performance. After my last show (which was a Valentine-themed gig of nearly all covers), I got back to playing more of my original stuff today, and it was good to do a regular Zak show in SL.

Fibber Magees set list...
What I Got (Sublime)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (Crosby, Stills & Nash)
Fade Away (Zak Claxton)
Day After Day (Badfinger)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
California (Joni Mitchell)
Falling Down (Zak Claxton)
I've Been Waiting for You (Neil Young)
Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)
Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)

Huge thanks to the folks who supported today's show!
Teiki Aya, Ginger Marseille, Isobela Capalini, Tycho Beresford, maria Paneer, and my great hostess Phooka Heron!