Yeah I'm not a busker myself but I've found "middle America" and more humble populations to be more generous in general. It's not the rich who typically empathize with someone on the street, it's a working class person who's been there.

Sounds like you're talking about a one-time thing then rather than a sustainable practice. I think if you loiter in front of a gas station you will be rousted by police in much less than a week.