Seattle/Pioneer Square Show: July 21

Uh-oh. I think I'm in love. Tuesday night around 8pm local time, I arrived in Seattle and parked my car in a public parking lot. I got out and walked around the downtown area a bit, seeing a few music clubs, some cool stores and a bunch of cool places to eat. I grabbed a slice of pizza and then continued walking around. It was early but a long day of driving had completely exhausted me, so I found the Best Western close by and checked in. I didn't even go back to my car for my toothbrush - I entered my room, lied down, and was out like a light!

Wednesday morning I got up and managed to get cleaned up a bit. Wanting to get some sense of the city right away, I found a hop-on/hop-off guided bus tour near the hotel and got on. Immediately I began seeing and learning so much about the city. My plan was to take the full hour loop, only looking and learning, then decide what to do afterwards. But when we got to the Space Needle and the Science Fiction Museum, I couldn't help myself! I'm hopping off!!!

Again I've seen the space needle on television, in movies and in photos. But it is one of the coolest frickin' things I've ever seen in person. All of a sudden, on this bright, sunny, happy summer day, I realized I was in the park where Courtney Love addressed Kurt Cobain and Nirvana fans the night his body was discovered, April 8, 1994. It was a strange feeling of opposites.

On I went into the Science Fiction Museum, and oh my god was it cool! My geek flag was flying at full mast. They have the original model of the Death Star from Star Wars, the Borg headpiece Captain Picard wore in Star Trek: The Next Generation, actor scripts and tricorders used in the original Star Trek television series, and a really fantastic exhibit for the members of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. I saw great little films honoring members Anne McCaffrey and Gene Roddenberry. The whole experience reminded me one reason I believe I've always loved Science Fiction, although I'm far from an afficianado: the stories can transport us out of the B.S. we all get caught up in in our daily lives, to a world (or galaxy, or universe) where we can identify with our better, higher selves, free from prejudice and abuse, free to explore our own dreams and passions.

All right, enough of the laser rifles and star cruisers! I hadn't played music in a few days! I hopped back on the tour bus and got back to my car, pulled out my black Ovation acoustic guitar and strolled to Pioneer Square downtown. I unzipped the bag, took out my guitar, set my "Collin Daniels - CD's $5" sign out, tuned up, and laid full-on into some tunes. I played for about an hour in the square and had such a great time. Several people who were there to read or eat lunch were nice enough to look up and pay attention to me for several songs, and some generous folks were even nice enough to toss some cash into my guitar case. Playing music in the place where so many of my musician heroes got their start - Nirvana, Mudhoney, Love Battery, Screaming Trees, Gruntruck...they all started here, and now I was here, too. It felt pretty good!

My set list for the Pioneer Square show:

1. Home of Love

2. Binge

3. Beautiful Wanderer

4. When I Fall

5. Make the Escape

6. Into Debt

7. Alien Homeland

8. Name Today

9. The Door

10. I Luv the Twin Cities

11. C.F.A.G. (Crazy Fucked-Up Alcoholic Girlfriend)

12. Jagged Cross