Things that happen on the bandstand
Part of doing live shows is learning to keep the performance flowing no matter what is actually happening on stage.
I have been in attendance of shows when a performer will literally stop the show because a volume level is not right or worse yet will stop a song half way through to start again because he or she felt it could have been played better. Some band members will choose to discuss a problem like a missed chord change, or a mistake in reading a chart, or simply a wrong note played. Although there is always room for improvement, discussion on stage in the middle of a set is not the time or the place. As a dance band it becomes important to ride out problems in order to keep patrons on the floor dancing.
For instance…
The second weekend in July Blueshadow is playing on The Patio at the Traverse City Holiday Inn and it is hot. We were about two thirds thru the first set when our lead vocal steps off stage. She calmly walks to the bar and sits down. The band finishes Easy with the horns filling in the vocals best that we could. Looking to our vocalist she lets us know she was over heated and needed a break. With that we played 2 instrumentals to finish the set. During the set break we put an extension on her mic cable and brought in a bar stool and set her up in the shade where she finished the night. The Band had to crane their necks to watch for cues. We played to an encore – a good night.
Another Time…
BlueShadow was playing near the Beach and it was windy. During the first set the music stands kept trying to blow over so we played with one foot on the stand base. Between sets the duct tape was brought out to secure the stands to the stage. Even with the stands secure the pages with clothes pins were blowing around and our bassist had a whole set blow off his stand. (As it turns out like most bass players he really isn’t looking at the chart)
Saxophone issues…
Last Friday we were playing at the Wild Pony for the regulars and a small wedding reception. Jerry has been pushing for more synchronized horn movements. I am all for that! This entails horn shakes, lifting the horns over the head and right and left shifts. I like to use a string type neck strap. It is less visible than an actual strap. Unfortunately it is not as durable. I have now broken two this summer. I do however, keep a spare on stage. A bigger disaster is losing a pad in the middle of a song. When this happened (as calmly as I could) I set the offending horn on the stand, moved offstag
e to my spare horn and assembled it. Came back on stage flipped on the tuner and tuned the notes that came up on the chart. This allowed me to finish that song. Before we started the next one I tuned the critical notes (tenor sax) C G AC. I was ready by the next downbeat.
There are many small and big issues that occur on the band stand and the trick is never let the audience or dancers know there was any problem. The Band Scout motto: Be prepared for anything and stay cool.
The Street Party…
Our next gig was a Friday Night Live. If you are not local to Traverse City Mi, let me explain. The Downtown authority during the summer months will block off the street and have a block party with entertainment. We were that entertainment.
While waiting for the tow trucks to remove the last of the unfortunate cars on the street, I noticed a local news van parking in a strategic spot. The tech guy started pulling cables. Not wanting to miss an opportunity I struck up a conversation. We talked about the cars being towed, where the BlueShadow Band would set up and more importantly where he was planning to shoot. He told me that I should meet with the on-air talent. A few minutes passed and a young woman approached and I was introduced to the reporter who was covering Friday Night Live. She looked familiar, and I soon learned that she had formerly been a hostess at one of the clubs where we had played regularly. Being as this was one of her first field assignments, she was pleased to report on BlueShadow band, a group she knew and liked. I introduced her to Joanie, our lead vocalist and presto a spot on the 6 o’clock news. More importantly, our band was the back drop for her report.
Setting up...
During set-up we discovered the only power source given to us was a single 20amp extension cord. This was not going to be enough. Jerry and I scrambled for a chain of extension cords and the nearest outlet. Pete fired up the P.A. and other various amps. Jerry and I hoped for no fires. It all worked to perfection.
Guest on the Bandstand…
Lately, we have been approached by local musicians during sets hinting to the band that they would like to perform a song with us. To me it all seems a little presumptuous. Jerry told me this will happen more and as the band gets known. He told me it’s a good thing. I will leave to him to decide who will play or not play. However, last night playing at the street party, a guy with a
tambourine decided to join the band unexpectedly. At first he stood behind Pete (our drummer) but soon became more emboldened and I found him standing right next to me. I tend to move when we play so after bumping into me twice the third time I gave him the elbow to let him know he had to back off. Thinking he left I turned around to find Mr. Tambourine Man playing his tambourine right in front of Pete’s face ala Will Farrell as the Blue Oyster Cult Cow-bell player on SNL(Saturday Night Live).
All in a nights work.
Until next time…
Part of doing live shows is learning to keep the performance flowing no matter what is actually happening on stage.
I have been in attendance of shows when a performer will literally stop the show because a volume level is not right or worse yet will stop a song half way through to start again because he or she felt it could have been played better. Some band members will choose to discuss a problem like a missed chord change, or a mistake in reading a chart, or simply a wrong note played. Although there is always room for improvement, discussion on stage in the middle of a set is not the time or the place. As a dance band it becomes important to ride out problems in order to keep patrons on the floor dancing.
For instance…
The second weekend in July Blueshadow is playing on The Patio at the Traverse City Holiday Inn and it is hot. We were about two thirds thru the first set when our lead vocal steps off stage. She calmly walks to the bar and sits down. The band finishes Easy with the horns filling in the vocals best that we could. Looking to our vocalist she lets us know she was over heated and needed a break. With that we played 2 instrumentals to finish the set. During the set break we put an extension on her mic cable and brought in a bar stool and set her up in the shade where she finished the night. The Band had to crane their necks to watch for cues. We played to an encore – a good night.
Another Time…
BlueShadow was playing near the Beach and it was windy. During the first set the music stands kept trying to blow over so we played with one foot on the stand base. Between sets the duct tape was brought out to secure the stands to the stage. Even with the stands secure the pages with clothes pins were blowing around and our bassist had a whole set blow off his stand. (As it turns out like most bass players he really isn’t looking at the chart)
Saxophone issues…
Last Friday we were playing at the Wild Pony for the regulars and a small wedding reception. Jerry has been pushing for more synchronized horn movements. I am all for that! This entails horn shakes, lifting the horns over the head and right and left shifts. I like to use a string type neck strap. It is less visible than an actual strap. Unfortunately it is not as durable. I have now broken two this summer. I do however, keep a spare on stage. A bigger disaster is losing a pad in the middle of a song. When this happened (as calmly as I could) I set the offending horn on the stand, moved offstag
e to my spare horn and assembled it. Came back on stage flipped on the tuner and tuned the notes that came up on the chart. This allowed me to finish that song. Before we started the next one I tuned the critical notes (tenor sax) C G AC. I was ready by the next downbeat.There are many small and big issues that occur on the band stand and the trick is never let the audience or dancers know there was any problem. The Band Scout motto: Be prepared for anything and stay cool.
The Street Party…
Our next gig was a Friday Night Live. If you are not local to Traverse City Mi, let me explain. The Downtown authority during the summer months will block off the street and have a block party with entertainment. We were that entertainment.
While waiting for the tow trucks to remove the last of the unfortunate cars on the street, I noticed a local news van parking in a strategic spot. The tech guy started pulling cables. Not wanting to miss an opportunity I struck up a conversation. We talked about the cars being towed, where the BlueShadow Band would set up and more importantly where he was planning to shoot. He told me that I should meet with the on-air talent. A few minutes passed and a young woman approached and I was introduced to the reporter who was covering Friday Night Live. She looked familiar, and I soon learned that she had formerly been a hostess at one of the clubs where we had played regularly. Being as this was one of her first field assignments, she was pleased to report on BlueShadow band, a group she knew and liked. I introduced her to Joanie, our lead vocalist and presto a spot on the 6 o’clock news. More importantly, our band was the back drop for her report.
Setting up...
During set-up we discovered the only power source given to us was a single 20amp extension cord. This was not going to be enough. Jerry and I scrambled for a chain of extension cords and the nearest outlet. Pete fired up the P.A. and other various amps. Jerry and I hoped for no fires. It all worked to perfection.
Guest on the Bandstand…
Lately, we have been approached by local musicians during sets hinting to the band that they would like to perform a song with us. To me it all seems a little presumptuous. Jerry told me this will happen more and as the band gets known. He told me it’s a good thing. I will leave to him to decide who will play or not play. However, last night playing at the street party, a guy with a
tambourine decided to join the band unexpectedly. At first he stood behind Pete (our drummer) but soon became more emboldened and I found him standing right next to me. I tend to move when we play so after bumping into me twice the third time I gave him the elbow to let him know he had to back off. Thinking he left I turned around to find Mr. Tambourine Man playing his tambourine right in front of Pete’s face ala Will Farrell as the Blue Oyster Cult Cow-bell player on SNL(Saturday Night Live).All in a nights work.
Until next time…
