Sherwood Forest Faire, Week 1 (Patreon)

It's good to back at Sherwood Forest Faire!

Kenzie and I flew to Texas on Friday. On Saturday, we drove to the faire. Kenzie worked at the wine tasting, refilling water bottles. I had five shows throughout the day.

The day started with my 10:30 Cat Drinking Songs show. I was asked why they booked it first thing in the morning. That's on me. 10:30 shows are the worst when it comes to getting people out there. But if you love cats, you're more likely to actually make the show. LOL

The pre-show was a bit rough. I struggled to remember lyrics to songs I rarely play, like "The Cat Came Back... The Cat's POV". I sang maybe 3 verses before I gave up. But the regular show was a good one. Everyone was into the sing and meow along. But one of these days, I need to memorize my "Cat Shanty". It's such a great meow along, but I leave it out of most sets because I don't know the lyrics.

The cat show was on the Horseman Stage as usual. The rest of my shows were at Three Stags Pub. I made a set list and raced over to the stage. Andrew McKee was up on stage singing. He reminded me why I prefer singing original songs. He sang three songs in his set that I planned to sing, "Wild Rover", "Wild Mountain Thyme", and "Mingulay Boat Song".

Mind you, my versions are all VERY different. But seemed silly to do those again. So I winged my set instead, throwing in songs that he did not sing, "Slainte Mhaith, "Kilty Pleasure" and a sleepy version of "Mushrooms". I'm not sure where the energy went with that song. But in the middle of the song, I thought to myself, "I need to change the key during live shows."

I normally play the song in the key of C, but it was a struggle getting heard. I changed it to D later. Worked so much better.

The only problem I had with this show is I ran a bit long, until almost noon. But Opal and Jade were super kind and generous, this time, as well as the next time. I desperately need a time piece to keep track of shows (that's not a phone or a watch).

At 1:30, I had a my Hobbit Drinking Songs show. The show was packed full of LOTR fans. It's a really good show. Before it started a gentleman asked, "What are hobbit drinking songs" and "How will we know what to sing along?" I told him as best I could. One song in and he was singing along with the rest of the crowd.

Brobdingnagian Bards show was at 3:30. It was a 45 minute show. We packed it FULL of our best songs. We even practiced the songs at the beginning of the day so we avoided the problem we ran into last year when we were forgetting lyrics.

It started a little rough. But it was a fun show. Though I'm gonna fine tune the set list this week. We have a lot of great songs. But they need a special places in the show.

My final Drinking Songs show as at 5:15. I don't have many "suggestive" songs. But "Love Song to Alcohol" and "Widow and the Devil" both can fit that bill. I had a lot of fun with those songs.

All in all, it was a great day of shows to a full house. Saturday had a record 17,800 visitors. Interestingly, the tips and sales were not as high. Probably because the Three Stags has a small audience than Lionsheart Tavern that I normally play at. But also because I had to remember a few things when it comes to getting tips and making sales. It wasn't until Sunday that I worked some of those things out.

Some Highlights of the Weekend:

Opal and Jade. They've been at the faire for at least 10 years. I never watched their show before. But wow! Yes, they do bawdy comedy. But it's not the stereotypical wench show. They add a lot of heart by empowering women and reminding people that "consent is sexy". It was truly magnificent.

Andrew McKee. This is the first time I really got to sit down and watch Andrew perform. He keeps talking about it. But I haven't seen it. I did. Andrew sounds great! His vocals, in particular, are stronger than ever.

Pub Sing. One of my favorite things to do during Pub Sing is to watch the audience. It's magnificent to see the utter joy on everyone's face as everyone sings along. Truly one of my favorite experiences of the faire.

After Pub Sing, I met up with Kenzie on Saturday. One of the faire owners invited us up on top of the castle wall to watch a fire show. It was fantastic and Kenzie loved it.

I cannot wait until this weekend. Brobdingnagian Bards have two shows daily. Plus, I have my other shows. It's gonna be amazing!