So I’m going to step away from all that metaphysical introspection for now, like anything else it’ll be revisited someday. Until then here’s this:
Last weekend was Canada Day, where some friends and I decided to take a stroll downtown to see what we could see and get some food at a pub; turns out all we could see were public performances, and well… re-read that title. My downtown area isn’t that big, one main street, 4-5 blocks long, lots of free entertainment and patios. In that span I experienced a handful of performers – they all sucked.
I say they all sucked not because they sounded bad or couldn’t play their instruments, but because they all seemed to miss the gist of my ‘communication’ rant from a few months ago. Basically same as I can’t control how people interpret my words, a band can’t control how a crowd reacts to their performance, but that didn’t stop ANY of the performers I had to walk through from trying.
First was the solo acoustic dude in the patio area of a coffee shop. He was running through a little PA and actually sounded pretty decent so long as he stuck to playing rhythm, nice enough voice, by the numbers sappy frat boy crap but whatever. There were about a dozen people sitting around as we were walking by and I figured whatever, we’ll give him polite applause as his song ends and take the corner to continue down the street. Except when the song ended, no one reacted. NO ONE. Not a single clap.
That's when I realized the people weren’t getting coffees and sitting on the patio to hear that guy, they were sitting on the patio
despite that guy. It’s not entirely true that there wasn’t a reaction, one older man actually started giving him pointers and asking if he knew something with a bit more pep. So the dude then kicks into ‘New Orleans is Sinking’ by the Tragically Hip. Not a horrible song, but when you’re just playing a solo acoustic set it sounds incredibly hollow when you drop the low E-minor groove to play the lead melody. It reminded me of advice Satchmo tried imparting onto a hard headed member in this thread -
http://www.musicbanter.com/talk-inst...ker-sound.html
Basically - if you’re not a full band don’t try playing a full band’s worth of song. Rearrange the piece to fit your own outfit; it will make you sound better. Instead buddy sounded like a weak, super hollow version of his cover of choice. Really though, if you’re a solo acoustic performer stick to solo acoustic covers or figure out how to rework the song.
Next up was a more traditional French-y band on the main stage in front of city hall. We’re still on the way to our pub of choice for dinner, having to walk through another crowd, and again they’re finishing a song, and just like the last one… NO REACTION. I figured some people in the crowd would have offered some polite applause but I was amazed by the silence. The band didn’t flinch.
Nope, they just kept on with their planned set, exactly as it was planned. After the complete lack of audience reaction the main vocalist starts talking to the crowd and explaining who they are and where they’re from and the style of music they play then drops this gem…
“Now it’s the part of the show for some audience participation, so we’re going to do an old traditional tune and we need everyone’s help with this. The chorus part is really easy, I’ll sing it for you and then you just sing it back, k?”
NO ONE REACTED WHEN YOU FINISHED THE PREVIOUS SONG!!!
So she starts and sings the bit, then one of the other performers repeated the line more softly, in what I’m assuming was meant to thicken up the crowd vocals, except the crowd was silent. Instead of recognizing the painfully obvious, they try it
again; the crowd probably just didn’t get it. Still no reaction. At least they just moved on and played the song after the 3rd start but still. How can you expect a crowd that didn’t even give you polite applause to sing along? How does a band decide that something like that can be rehearsed? It’s a wonderfully fantastic experience when it just happens, that’s what makes the band – crowd dynamic magical the back and forth / give and take between the two elements that transforms a performance into something more but it can’t be forced.
Sadly it’s not the first time I’ve seen a band try to force a crowd to play possum. The last time I saw QOTSA in concert their opening act actually made a disparaging comment to the crowd when none of the women in attendance turned out to be drunk enough to want to scream a fake orgasm
JESUS! chant for
their 2nd song. Really though, 2 songs into an opening set and you’re expecting the crowd to sing along / participate? By faking orgasms… WHAT?!?!?!?!
On the way back there was another band on the main stage, this time doing a classic rock number by the numbers. The Weight by The Band, we just happened to walk by for that most recognizable part with the vocal harmonies…
Annnnndd… annnnnddd….
AAAANNNNNNNDDDDD … you put the load right on me
Your sound guy should really know how to mix the levels on that part! Even if he’s not ‘your’ sound guy there’s absolutely no reason, at all, that anyone involved with any sort of music production (especially on the scale of a public stage for a national holiday) doesn’t recognize how a
classic classic rock tune that’s probably only been played 1 000 000 times in the last 40 years goes.
Nope. Lead vocals are fine, lead guitar is fine, everything else? PISS OFF! There is nothing else besides lead vocals and lead guitar in classic rock! The saddest thing is, I think they could have pulled it off had their sound not been neutered.
On the way back, a solid 2-3 hours later, my friend and I walked by Mr. Acoustic Man by the coffee shop again. Props for his tenacity I guess, he was still going. Still no reactions. Still no legitimate crowd of onlookers. And what do we get to hear as we walk away? All Along the Watchtower, just like Jimi played it, on an acoustic, with no backing track whatsoever…
