The Majestic (08.25.11)

What a day! I got up early to make sure my son was ready to head out to registration for his middle school -- he's transitioning from elementary school, and it's a big step, as I'm sure you all recall. School starts next week, and I'm happy to say that he seems pretty confident about the whole thing (unlike me; I'm a bundle of nerves). His new school does something smart; in the afternoon, they had a day camp that was an orientation for all the incoming 6th graders, allowing the kids to get more comfortable and familiar with the layout of the school before classes actually start.

So, directly after my kid got home from that excursion, it was time for me to start getting ready for my show at The Majestic in Second Life. One of my top-tier Zaksters, Diana Renoir, was having her real-life birthday, and while I was fairly sure she wouldn't be coming to the show, I planned some special b-day tunes for her (after all her support over the last few years, it's the least I could do).

That 6PM hour in SL can be a real bitch. I am not exaggerating when I say there are often 50 live music events happening simultaneously at that time. It is tremendously difficult to scare up a good-sized crowd at 6PM on a weeknight, but despite having a relatively small audience at the Majestic last night, we had a lot of fun.

Small crowd, large fun. I guess it was a fun-sized crowd. Photo by Kat.

The show itself was also good, though my Martin guitar definitely needs a string change and an overall cleaning (which I'll be doing soon). As I've been prone to do recently, I reached a little deeper into my list of tunes and pulled out a few that I don't play often. I also decided within an hour of the show to perform a Doors tune that, for whatever reason, I'd neglected to try before. By the way, Diana ended up popping into the show during its later stages, and it was fun to be able to sing her a special "Happy Birthday". She also inspired me to imitate the birthday dinner from which she'd just returned, and Kat and I enjoyed a massive amount of sushi later that night. Oh, and if you're in the mood for some silliness, fast-forward the audio from the show to about 14:58, which is the moment I decided to go pantsless for the remainder of the gig.

LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE SHOW HERE

Majestic Set List...
*Impromptu Ode to Crap Mariner (Zak Claxton)
Off the Wall (Michael Jackson)
Shine (Zak Claxton)
*Alabama Song (The Doors)
Alabama (Neil Young)
Time Never Waits for You (Zak Claxton)
†Breaking Us in Two (Joe Jackson)
Pink Moon (Nick Drake)
††Mother's Little Helper (Rolling Stones)
Mother (Pink Floyd)
I've Been Waiting for You (Neil Young)
*Happy Birthday Diana (Zak Claxton)
Jane (Barenaked Ladies)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in SL.
†My last performance of "Breaking Us in Two" was, ironically, at The Majestic on January 30, 2009.
††Last performance of "Mother's Little Helper" was November 16, 2008.

Thanks very much to the people who helped support my show!
Diana Renoir, TheaDee, Lance Lomu, Kat Claxton, Triana Caldera, my manager Maali Beck, and Majestic hostess Tialicia Muircastle!