Inverse proportion

[hackerguitar]

When you're a kid, preparation for playing live is usually somewhat fussy - you have to get dressed up, and there's waiting, and nervousness, and WOW BANG YOU'RE IN FRONT OF PEOPLE PLAYING and then, if things go well, there's cake

Comments

[debg]

Not really - on the two-day rock show setup, that is. They're generally taking that long because the fans want and expect a particular level of Big Stuff. For whatever reason, most modern audiences have come to associate massive stage sets, innovative lighting rigs, and all the rest of it with "this is what I'm paying my money to see! SHINY!"

Me, personally, no. I'd pay as much to see Keith Richards and the Expensive Winos playing a 500-seater with no tech effects as I would to see the Stones.

But I actually go to hear the music. And I have an attention span.

[hackerguitar]

The bit about the large rockshow was largely rhetorical - I recognize that there's theater involved in that, and theater takes preparation, Thornton Wilder's dictum notwithstanding. OTOH, I look at shows like Lady Gaga or whatnot where the music is coming off a chip and it's mostly about dancers and choreography, vs musicians playing instruments with dramatic effects, and see the former as rather content-light. I'd rather see a good band in a small club without flashy effects than a bad band in a coliseum....

[debg]

Oh, so would I, every time. But we're in the mimority. The post-stadium band, raised on videos generations of fans out there have brought the demand for spectacle to a particular pitch.

I was recently editing Kinkaid #6, Uncle John's Band, for prepub, and there's an exchange beteen JP and Patrick on that very subject: why don't bands like Blacklight play smaller places? JP explains the entire financial reality of modern touring expectations for big bands and why 2,000 seat venues are simply not economically viable for a band with serious ticket demand.

[hackerguitar]

Why is it not economically viable for bands in that category to play smaller venues? Is it a matter of production costs outweighing the ticket sales of the venue? If that's the case, it makes sense, though I wonder if there's way to do it using reduced production values (e.g., less lighting and flash) and simplified rigs (e.g., single amp and simple effects chain). The cost of production staff probably makes that unfeasible, but it's an interesting thought experiment.

[arliss]

I will hear you play someday.

[hackerguitar]

Next time I'm in Seattle, I'll make a point of it. It'd be good to see you again!