It was my second time performing for ‘Finally Fridays’.  Its a really cool gig that’s a lot of fun.  Patti and Allison share a lot between their stores where they feature the live entertainment.  There’s a few tables and candlelight, a nice vibe.  I was fighting a nasty sinus infection which was affecting my ability to think clearly and sing clearly,  and my equipment was acting up.  If its one thing that drives me insane its faulty amplification!  I wasn’t having the best set and  I was losing my Zen.

The first ray of sunshine came from across the street.  A lady had parked her car to stop and  listen to my set.  She was the only person listening when all of a sudden Angelina showed up.  Angelina was this sweet little, excited dog that popped up to the window to have a listen.  She seemed to really like the set.  She would wag her tail excitedly and just watch me from her owners SUV as I serenaded both dog and owner.

Later Angelina came up to say hello.  She was a

little shy but still very excited and I snapped a few

pics.  Angelina sported some all American neckware.

For the first hour and a half it was pretty quiet.  It

was chilly and a little overcast but still there were

people who would stop and listen.  On one

occasion a couple with a young boy stopped.  He

was digging the tunes and his face just lit up.  Later

his Mother told me he was autistic and  said he

has great difficulty just being still.   Music helps calm

him and he really enjoyed my set.   Moments like

those remind you.

I was still delirious but the encouragement from

these new fans kept me going.  I’m into the second

hour and a half of my three-hour  set when

I start to notice yelling from across the street.  ‘Its probably a wild party somewhere’ I said to myself.  I thought nothing of it and continued on.  My nasal passages started to loosen up, I’m singing better at least, and a few more people show up to stop and listen.  A young couple stopped across the street and I sang a few songs right to them.  Next thing they hop over and pull up a few chairs.  As I’m performing, two more people show up, and then a few more.

Just then trouble blows in.  A roving back of teenage girls are walking down the opposite side of the street and they shout, ‘You’re awesome!’, ‘We love your music!’  Then they cross the street and proceed to exclaim they’ve been listening to my entire set by the pizza joint down the street from where I thought there was a loud party going on.  “You need to be on American Idol!!”, they demanded,  at which point I asked them to put in a good word to Simon Cowell for me.  Brianna, Savannah, Michaela, and Ryan were extremely enthusiastic.  My new friends sat down in front on the concrete and helped me keep rhythm  by clapping along. 

There on Haddon Ave, on a Friday night, something special was happening, people were building community.  Instead of going to a movie or watching TV this unique group of people went for a walk downtown in their hometown.  They explored the great shops, they heard some new tunes and most importantly they met their neighbors and they experienced ‘CONNECTION’...

My new fans asked if I would autograph their arms as most teenagers prefer,  at which point I offered that postcards work pretty well too.  Lamenting that they had no money to purchase a CD a call was made to Mom and sure enough she stopped in to save the day. 

If I make it to Carnegie Hall that would certainly be a great day, but nothing will ever beat moments like this, when you’re out there on your own, not a soul listening and you’re just singing out to the night when slowly one fan at a time something special starts to happen.  It reminds me of those famous lines from Bessie Stanley’s poem on ‘Success’:

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

Thank you to my new fans for listening and building community, and to the next American Idol, Michaela, keep singing to the stars!