My final pitch in Stockholm. I didn't have a ton of time today (6.29.10) so I settled what had become my standard pitch - 7/11. I'd walked down from T-Centralen passing rubbish spots and rubbish buskers all the way down and that was the only free, promising spot. It was precisely a week (a little later in the day) from my first pitch in Stockholm and the same girl was working the fur store across from me. Further west on the road a decently talented pair of guys were singing Stayin' Alive and hawking their 50 SEK CDs.
I was determined to avoid the songs Id tired out a bit and wrote a short list of the neglected ones in my repertoire. It felt like a slow pitch but turned out rather better than expected, especially considering I played sparingly little of the oldies. Naturally, though, Fly Me to the Moon was the people noticed and tipped for - so after that I played Country Roads just to keep those tippers happy. I sang well despite a protesting throat, finding lower harmonies to preserve my voice much like many artists do live (like Sting did oh so disappointingly when I saw the Police in Cleveland).
A sunny day marked by a different crowd - almost universally forty or fifty somethings, many in package tours and most in largish groups. I've found that such groups are not prime for tips. Nothing truly memorable occurred aside from a few youngsters successfully eliciting compassion from their parents. At the end of my set precisely, the manager of the fur shop asked me kindly but sternly to move down the road. Of course, I took refuge in the bookstore.
On my way back (I decided to walk back to Pontus' to avoid paying the fare) I ran into the waiter from the other night on Drottninggatan. He clapped me on the back, shook my hand, smiled very broadly and wished me all the best of luck. I got back just in time to head off to have dinner with Pontus' wonderful mother at a charming little house on the French Island. Gorgeous food, wonderful weather sitting outside, the absolute best of company.
Earnings: 155 SEK + €2.60 + 5 DKK, 1.5 hours
Song of the Day: Fly Me to the Moon - Frank Sinatra
No comments:
Post a Comment