OK, guys. I'm going to use you as a sounding board, so to speak.
The coffee shop next to my church hosts an "open mic night" every first Friday from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. Although this is targeted more towards the younger crowd, there's nothing that says an oldster can't get up there and perform, too.
I'm thinking of honing my "live performance" chops a bit and getting on stage and doing three or four songs (the number will depend on how many performers show up). This will cause me to practice certain songs with discipline and regularity, so as to be able nail them in concert.
Here are four songs I feel right now I could do without difficulty:
- Daydream (Lovin' Spoonful)
- Dino's Song (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
- Presence of the Lord (Clapton)
- Pride of Man (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
Some other songs in my "portfolio" are:
- Melissa (Allman Brothers)
- Little Wing (Hendrix)
- Thinking of You (Loggins & Messina)
- You Never Call Me By My Name (Steve Goodman & David Alan Coe)
- Ruby on the Morning (Brewer & Shipley)
Given that a lot of these are probably unknown to many of today's audience, I think I could pull them off as solo works (minus the balls-to-the-wall guitar solos as exhibited by Clapton and Hendrix). I even have a solo for "Pride of Man" worked out!
I used to perform a lot of America's songs, but lately I haven't been "feeling" them. I could always bring them back (I love their rhythms in many of their pieces).
So, would you sit through a short set of songs like these? I'm not asking you to judge them, as you don't know how well (or poorly) I play. If you were going to do something like this, what songs would you consider?