Monday, September 19, 2005
Gig journal
Yesterday 5 Man Trio played the Kansas State Fair, which is not nearly as lame a gig as it sounds. Despite oppressive heat & humidity, and a bit of scheduling confusion, it turned out to be a good time. In the past, we've played as many as five or six days at the Fair, with multiple sets per day, but this year it was two sets on one day, the last of the fair as it happened.
The first set was at noon on the Alltel Gazebo, just inside the main-gate enterance. Didn't know what to expect in terms of a crowd on the last day of the "party on the plains," but we had a good deal of foot traffic and a few friends who hung out in what shade was available. I like playing on that stage, because the acoustics are so good. It a high wooden dome-ish roof over a concrete stage--perfect for acoustic drum sounds. I get a great big sound and lots of projection with a minimal effort. Would have been nice for more to have heard us, but truth is the near-by "Tigers of India" were the big draw. What does it mean when the white tiger is the one that most responds to your sound?
The 4 PM set was in the Farm Bureau Arena, between the Colgate Country Showdown and a popular hypnotist. Now, there was a time I wouldn't have been caught dead in any venue that had the word "farm" in it, but then again there was a time I would have gladly suffered disfiguring injuries rather than go to a state fair. In all truth, it was a good gig: the bleachers were full, and according to the Chamber of Commerce that means 1800 people were listening to us. And for a Kansas crowd they were enthusiastic. Kansas crowds are very reserved; you'll get some smiles, some head-nodding, laughter in the right places and enthusiastic applause, but very little leaping about, full-frontal nudity or acts of physical congress stage-side. This rule applies doubly so at "family" events (such as the fair), and when the audience reaches a certain median age. 5 Man Trio fans are so damn well behaved! There were a number of friends and fans in the audience, and that's always good to see, and in their fashion the general public dug it. Mission accomplished, but I could really go for some full-frontal leaping about every once in a while.
It occurs to me that if I'm keeping an online gig journal, I should take some "drummner's eye view" pics at the gigs, to more fully eludicate the experience for you, O Gentle Reader. Watch for them in future entires.
Only a couple of blights on an otherwise enjoyable gig. The scheduling problems turned out to be no big deal--we did our 50 minutes and so did everyone else. And I should mention that the sound crew did a great job for us, the soundman's nightmare of a band. But in the midst of the Farm Bureau crowd there was a lone heckler, far stage right and up front. I'm not sure, but I think it was the wanker who ambushed Dave just as we started, asking Dave to announce another act I believe. We made no adverts, so he is my leading suspect. Now, I do not mind a heckler qua heckler. See above: a well-behaved audience is not by definition the best in my mind, and I much rather an honest response than a polite one. Nothing worse than "That was interesting," when what was meant was "You suck." What I do hate, vigorously, is cowardice. If you're going to heckel, heckel and be known. Don't be an anonymous voice in the crowd. Stand up and express yourself, and be ready for a beating. It may not come to that, but have the sphericals to take it or shut the hell up.
And speaking of assholes: You will learn much about a man's character by giving him a token ammount of authority. Give a guy a name badge and put him on a gate, and he will rather be revealed as among the righteous, or his inner Nazi will come to the fore. The righteous will know intuitively that I can't carry a carload of percussion a mile through milling conrdogged crowds in 90+ heat and humidity with only 30 minutes to go before the set. The small, petty and useless man can't wait to exercise his empty power upon you, whom he sees as being in his control. Guess which species I encountered at Gate 2 on the last day of the Kansas State Fair? But as Marcus Aurelius noted in his Meditations, "If I say I have not been harmed, no harm has been done." No harm done, and I lived to play another day.
The first set was at noon on the Alltel Gazebo, just inside the main-gate enterance. Didn't know what to expect in terms of a crowd on the last day of the "party on the plains," but we had a good deal of foot traffic and a few friends who hung out in what shade was available. I like playing on that stage, because the acoustics are so good. It a high wooden dome-ish roof over a concrete stage--perfect for acoustic drum sounds. I get a great big sound and lots of projection with a minimal effort. Would have been nice for more to have heard us, but truth is the near-by "Tigers of India" were the big draw. What does it mean when the white tiger is the one that most responds to your sound?
The 4 PM set was in the Farm Bureau Arena, between the Colgate Country Showdown and a popular hypnotist. Now, there was a time I wouldn't have been caught dead in any venue that had the word "farm" in it, but then again there was a time I would have gladly suffered disfiguring injuries rather than go to a state fair. In all truth, it was a good gig: the bleachers were full, and according to the Chamber of Commerce that means 1800 people were listening to us. And for a Kansas crowd they were enthusiastic. Kansas crowds are very reserved; you'll get some smiles, some head-nodding, laughter in the right places and enthusiastic applause, but very little leaping about, full-frontal nudity or acts of physical congress stage-side. This rule applies doubly so at "family" events (such as the fair), and when the audience reaches a certain median age. 5 Man Trio fans are so damn well behaved! There were a number of friends and fans in the audience, and that's always good to see, and in their fashion the general public dug it. Mission accomplished, but I could really go for some full-frontal leaping about every once in a while.
It occurs to me that if I'm keeping an online gig journal, I should take some "drummner's eye view" pics at the gigs, to more fully eludicate the experience for you, O Gentle Reader. Watch for them in future entires.
Only a couple of blights on an otherwise enjoyable gig. The scheduling problems turned out to be no big deal--we did our 50 minutes and so did everyone else. And I should mention that the sound crew did a great job for us, the soundman's nightmare of a band. But in the midst of the Farm Bureau crowd there was a lone heckler, far stage right and up front. I'm not sure, but I think it was the wanker who ambushed Dave just as we started, asking Dave to announce another act I believe. We made no adverts, so he is my leading suspect. Now, I do not mind a heckler qua heckler. See above: a well-behaved audience is not by definition the best in my mind, and I much rather an honest response than a polite one. Nothing worse than "That was interesting," when what was meant was "You suck." What I do hate, vigorously, is cowardice. If you're going to heckel, heckel and be known. Don't be an anonymous voice in the crowd. Stand up and express yourself, and be ready for a beating. It may not come to that, but have the sphericals to take it or shut the hell up.
And speaking of assholes: You will learn much about a man's character by giving him a token ammount of authority. Give a guy a name badge and put him on a gate, and he will rather be revealed as among the righteous, or his inner Nazi will come to the fore. The righteous will know intuitively that I can't carry a carload of percussion a mile through milling conrdogged crowds in 90+ heat and humidity with only 30 minutes to go before the set. The small, petty and useless man can't wait to exercise his empty power upon you, whom he sees as being in his control. Guess which species I encountered at Gate 2 on the last day of the Kansas State Fair? But as Marcus Aurelius noted in his Meditations, "If I say I have not been harmed, no harm has been done." No harm done, and I lived to play another day.
