I was all hype to do the same, then remembered my fingerstyle chops don’t actually exist 
Is it fingerstyle? Honestly I barely remember the theme. Haven’t played the original in forever. Yet, I can still hear the “The sanctity of this place has been fouled.” as you walk into the cathedral for the first time. 
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I think Tristram is part fingerstyle, part pick.
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“Song For Goerge” is a pretty straightforward plucker then.
OK, let’s assume it’s a virtual family gathering or everyone’s socially distanced on a tropical island or something.
I think if you’re an instrumentalist who is just not interested in singing at whatever moment, the dynamic is so different from a singalong that you can figure that you have five minutes of “attention span” regardless, so you might as well be self-indulgent. I remember someone at a gathering like that when I was a teenager playing one or two of the pieces from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, using the sheet music (they’re pretty short). I mean, we’re talking some of the best music ever, but, you know, one or two dozen people (who aren’t dedicated classical fans) gathered around listening to that, the experience is polarized to either “full and complete attention” or “complete background music.” It’s not like we were going to go through the whole folio. I mean, I would have dug it, but…like, in your situation, their burning questions and topics of conversation are more along the lines of, “how does online schooling and no SAT’s affect Johnny’s college application?” “when are we all going to get vaccinated so we can actually see each other’s faces again?” and “where’s the beer?” not “wow, that is some SWEET counterpoint!”
Frankly, if there were a few kids in the 6-12 year range, I’d smile and do some shred licks for them and let them hit the strings (while you work the whammy bar) and hear the wonder of distortion. They’ll love it, and the parents will feed off the energy and invariably say, “maybe we should switch little Jane from karate to guitar – look, she loves it!” That’s one thing about shred licks – they do translate to a goof-off/mess around/show off circus-y kind of thing, like, “check this one out…” “here’s one…” – I mean, this is really only if you have obvious confidence and command of the instrument. I’ve done stuff like putting the guitar on a table and playing the tapping section to “Eruption” piano-style (hands coming from the top of the neck). But you have to be not too “serious” doing it – that KILLS the vibe. Then, if someone says, “I learned a few R.E.M. songs when I was a teenager,” encourage them to play it and keep the party going. If you’re still itching to play, the guitar will work its way back to you eventually.
Sorry, I forgot you specified “acoustic!”
This was a heck of a lot easier when there was a reliable stream of playable popular music on the radio and MTV. All you’d have to do was learn the chord changes and…instant karaoke, with somebody going, “that’s my favorite song!” They (and the song) are the center of attention at that point, and that’s fine. And all you have to do is sit back and cue them on the words to the second verse (always the trouble spot!).
Regardless, simplicity tends to work in any sphere like this. I remember I was working at a studio just playing the basic “If 6 Was 9” groove to get a tone, you know, single notes, “duh-duh…duh-DUT” – in some ways, it’s the simplest thing ever. But there is a swing to it, and there is power in it if you get it pretty close to being “right.” So the stage mom who had just walked in was, like, “wow, that’s AMAZING!” – and I mean, saying it genuinely (and unexpectedly). Sure, we’ve all heard that in all sorts of contexts. But it really struck me at that moment, because, even though music is a shared language, the audience’s headspace is SO not your headspace. I already was in touch with that, but that kind of drove it home even more. I absolutely think that the fact I had a nicely miked up Victoria Bassman 4x10 going had something to do with it. It’s like putting on a disco record – all those classic songs are so well mixed. Do you think people are getting on the dance floor to a cheesy kick drum sound?
So you end up zooming out and going, “am I making a ‘good’ sound right now?” Because in so many ways, that’s what it comes down to. I’d rather hear someone playing “Pride and Joy” and really owning it than ripping something a lot “harder” and speeding up and slowing down or losing the “1” here and there. And if there is a serious/seasoned musician in the audience, in my experience, they’ll “get” what your doing.
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this is a CLASS reply
Expectation of response from playing guitar in front of people/online:
“Wow, you’re like, so talented. What are you doing later?”
Reality
“wow u suck lol also jimmy hendricks was way better than shawn lane. ps your gay.”
OR
“Frankly, I think your tone needs some work. You should listen to blues guitar; B.B. King could say with one note what you’re saying with 300. I pressed the dislike button on your video. It’s not all about shredding.”
“Black Star” intro
“Dee”
“Spanish Fly”
“Little Wing”
Honestly, I’ve been playing a LONG time, and I’ve had a lot of people over the years ask me to show them something on guitar that they can use to “pick up chicks.” Didn’t really cross my mind in the coontext here, but that’s not a bad filter, and the one thing I always show them is the opening pick-up to “Tears in Heaven,” the 0h2 low E, 0 A string thing.
That’s it, just those three notes. Play that in front of strangers, and one of two things will happen. Someone will say “Oh my god I love that song!” and you’ve at least got your foot in the door for a conversation, and what you do from there is on you. Or, no one will recognize it, in which case, no harm no foul, you’ve only played a couple notes that could have been a total random accident, so you haven’t really put yourself out there.
Not really the same concept here, but I think it speaks to your bigger point - something simpler but memorable is probably going to impress a lot more people than shredding a few scale runs will
I was more going after the idea that impromptu music for a general audience is a two-way street, communication-wise, with everyone bringing whatever they bring to the table. So you end up with this choice of either being self-indulgent or meeting the audience where they are at – and that’s a moving target depending on musical tastes, distraction level, (perhaps) intoxication, etc. I think five minutes of shred goof-off/show-off could be quite the parlor trick and potentially a lot of fun in the right context. So I wouldn’t deny that one bit. At the end of the day, flash playing (or whatever) is custom-made to be fun or to create peak moments. I think the hardest one to get would be something like “Animals As Leaders” in the original post, but if I was around and someone was playing that with command of the instrument, I’d definitely be digging it 110%. And if the mood was right, or there were a bunch of mellow Phish-heads in the room or something, I bet that would be MUCH cooler to play than cascading 5’s.
So really, the idea was, “are you trying to create a vibe that perpetuates itself beyond the obligatory 5 minutes that everyone will give you out of courtesy?” If the answer is “no, it’s all good,” then play the thing that will go over the general audience’s head but that will make the people who get you go, “now THAT’S cool!” If it’s that memorable for that person, you know, you pull off the obscurity that they thought only THEY were a fan of, they’ll remember it for 20 years, and it is one of those special things about music that we can create those moments to share together, or to show in really small ways that we’re not so “alone” or whatever. If the idea is, yeah, I could create a vibe that might actually go for 20 minutes and be fun, then you have a different set of considerations, and you have to make a leap to determine what sounds are interesting and draw people in – and how can I build on the musical language they know without bringing a vibe that I’m pandering or something?
The “If 6 Was 9” thing was to point out that swing, groove, and tone are absolute necessities if you’re looking to rock the house, and, since we can sometimes drift into focusing on minutiae or higher and higher levels of sophistication (in our minds), it’s easy to lull yourself into forgetting about the foundations of what makes music work for the listener. I think that outlook could just as easily apply if you’re talking about working out an extended run to get it to swing right. Once you get the mechanics down, phrasing is such a big part of where it’s at – that’s where the confidence of the player starts to come through. So simplicity isn’t some kind of answer on its own, but stripping things down to essentials (temporarily) can be a window to insights that continue to apply when you step things up.
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No, I got your point completely and thought it was extremely well taken, don’t worry. Or, at least, I think I did - that, if you’ve got five minutes, your focus shouldn’t be on doing something you might find impressive, so much as playing something that the audience can relate to and will be moved by.