Wait — let me rephrase that. I dislike going to shows because I usually end up being disappointed (hate’s a pretty heavy word these days, sorry). Why? I don’t think there is a decent explanation just yet…hence the article. But the simple answer is, I think, errors. Obvious (at least to me) errors in production and performance. Errors in customer service. Errors that could have easily been avoided.
Errors all around the mulberry bush. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve paid for a ticket for a friend and I (or my wife) and then sat there the whole time, criticizing the entire experience. I swear though, I am not the guy filling out the comment card at the end of the night — I’m not that senile yet. And it’s usually not the music or the act itself, it’s all the little things, the details that the untrained eye write off as “part of the live experience.” I also think that as consumers of entertainment we’ve become accustomed to the NASCAR syndrome — we just want to see a wreck. Okay, maybe that’s just me, but I’ve also been paid to be at the show and had the same reaction, so I can at least eliminate the money factor.
On Stage and Behind the Scenes
Ever since starting in the Biz, I’ve kept a pretty composed profile when at, or participating in shows. I used to perform as a musician and I was well aware of what public performance….at least decent public performance, entailed. The old adage of “amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals rehearse until they can’t do it wrong” rung quite true with me and my gang of bar-band compatriots. We worked our butts off, and we did okay for what it was. Which was not much, but hey, when you’re 20 and there’s a free bar tab and $75-apiece cash waiting at the end of the night, of course we were going to crush it. Everyone loves high expectations, right? We always did the best we could, said thank you to whatever host was paying us (and buying the drinks), and cleaned up whatever mess we brought in, and left before the management. So it was always seemingly business.
And then I started working behind the scenes — and it became all about business. Show up before on time, be knowledgeable and versed in the task. Know your craft. Know your objective. Accomplish said objective. Leave everyone happy and wanting more. Collect check.
That sounds Spartan and a little cold, but that was the reality when I relied on a weekend or a week’s worth of gigs. Get in, get out and leave them wanting to remember what number they called to get that level of service.
That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy myself while being disciplined. It was quite the opposite, in fact. The more I learned about the unique nuances of our business and the sheer amount of technical know-how required to achieve it, the more I dug in.
Gradually it went from, “Hey kid — plug all these in and try not to electrocute yourself” to “ That’s crazy — how did you figure that out?” to “I want to hire you to design this thing. I have no idea what it is, but I know I want you to do it.” At every step of the way, my vision for what I was doing sharpened, and my tolerance for ‘the same old way’ grew dissolute.
My current gig is working at a university theatre, so there is a lot of interaction with kids who are just like I used to be. It’s a happy thing, and usually I get a fresh group of bright-eyed kiddos that are every bit as idealistic as I used to be. And I tell them the exact same thing that I learned — rehearse it until you can’t do it wrong. And have a decent “B” plan…but more on that later.
Wow! to Meh… to Grrr!
There are many published articles about the “Mastery Curve” and “The Joy of Performance,” wherein people who excel at what they do can relate that performance directly to the sheer love of what they do. It’s been measured and quantified by people with much higher degrees than mine. The literal joy of doing it.
So why do I, hmm…what’s the best phrase here…dislike? Feel uncomfortable about? Can’t stand? Have a hard time with? Get angry at…going to shows these days? It’s what I said before for sure now — errors. Errors in everything related to the gig.
I recently went to a Broadway show and, mind you, I was a musician, so I love Broadway. But I bought tickets for my wife and I and we went to a pretty high profile production. I was stoked! Decent seats, a drink or two after a great dinner out, and then The Show! The theater smelled. Our seats were cramped and springy. The floor was sticky. The line array sounded like it was tuned by a half-deaf monkey on Ritalin. And the performance was half-assed. So when we left, I thought maybe I chalked it up to me being waaaayy too critical and not just enjoying the experience.
Was I feeling the effects of “Old Guy Syndrome,” or has something changed? I think it’s a combination of both, but here’s the analysis: Since I’m old and jaded, the line array was the easy tip-off. Tune your rig, kid. Period. I know I’m just the video guy, but if my meters aren’t banging at 0dBV, then yours and everyone else’s aren’t either. That started the slide down the rabbit hole….The theater seats and floor are just some FOH lackey’s lack of conveying what an experience is. Clean it up, for God’s sake. My wife can’t even put her purse on the floor for fear of some toxic crud seeping into it. It’s your job, just like the people behind the curtain and further back than that. And as far as the performance? Those were kids that were comfortable. They didn’t perform like it was their last meal. They were there for a check, a pat on the back, and another trip to another city on another bus.
If I sound angry, I don’t mean to. But I think the industry needs to step it up. Or I need to keep working in show biz and not attending show biz.
