The call time to Cabana Taps was 6:30 to add our names to the signup sheet to perform at their open mic at 7.
I arrived at 6:15. I sat in my car and reviewed my note card multiple times. The card has my list of topics bulleted for my set. I re-watched my recording and noted the good and not-as-good bits.
I was feeling tired after eating too much food for dinner. This is important to note because it affected my energy. I had planned to rehearse my set in the car, but I was parked facing a coffee shop window and wasn’t ready for an audience.
I entered the bar and walked to the back room. It was a good-sized room with a back bar and a stage. It also hosted a couple of stereotypical “new Nashville” New Country wannabes and a small group of onlookers. I wondered how they would get rid of this group in thirty minutes for the comics to take the stage. That wasn’t the plan.
The comedians were shafted with performing in the front bar near the entrance. Each comic stood just a few feet in front of the bar.
On one side of the room were comedians waiting for their turns at the mic. The other side was lined with a bunch of barflies. At the end of the bar sat a couple of chatty women and two dudes with cowboy hats who talked through all of the comedy. Classy.
Once again, I arrived early to signup. Once again, I waited until the third from the last to perform. I didn’t go up until about 9 pm.
Luckily, I had Kaitlin and Amy with me in our booth. Amy also brought her husband and daughter to watch her perform. Brave of her. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to bring my family, but maybe… maybe.
What sluggishness I felt at 6:15 felt way worse by 9. Sitting for three hours on a wooden bench also triggered my back pain. I have an MRI scheduled and more PT next week. Severe back pain sucks.
The energy of the room was lame and a tad bit hostile. One barfly occasionally heckled poorly. Some comedians did their same sets from Cafe Coco and didn’t get laughs as they did previously. Even most of the comedians had left before my set.
I was flustered. I hadn’t rehearsed as I should have, and I knew it. Kaitlin and Amy said it was good, but I know it could have been better.
I did integrate a change that I came up with after my first open mic. At the first set, I joked that Canadians assimilate well. You can’t tell they walk amongst us. But you know they are here because poutine keeps appearing on menus across Nashville.
That bit got no laughs, and I realized the audience probably didn’t know what poutine is. It used to be on Cafe Coco’s menu years ago, but I didn’t see it listed when I arrived.
During my second set, I decided to ask the audience if there were Canadians present. I intended to include the poutine joke only if Canadians were present. Of course, there was hardly anyone in attendance in this case, so I cut the joke.
The lesson here is to know what bits work best for specific audiences.
I have a call scheduled with a speaker and comedian friend, Kathy Klotz-Guest, who will watch my first set from Cafe Coco to give me feedback. The recording from Cabana Taps is too cringeworthy for me to share with anyone.