OT: "The confidence of the amateur"

[MathOfInsects]

My mother used to use this phrase. This Tuesday's gig brought it back to mind.

 

This was a three-act bill on a country show. Headliner was a signed/endorsed band fronted by a former American Idol contestant. (Not that one, much farther down the food chain. But suh-mokin'.) Kenny Chesney sending bottles backstage, contest winners back there, that kind of thing. Not famous, but working.

 

Opener is a country songwriter, one song on the radio (market by market, nothing big). He met the headliner when they were both at an in-studio (radio) and the headliner was coincidentally playing his (one) song, just because they liked it. They didn't know it was his. When they found out, they invited him to open for them. (He was my boss that night.)

 

In the middle is a "Sensitive Chick" singer-songwriter that no one's quite sure how she got on the bill. The running assumption is that she knows someone at the venue.

 

Skip over her showing up late and asking to have the headliner's sound-check slot. ("No.") Skip over the posters she put up that made it look like she was the headliner and the others--were there others? hard to tell with the tiny print--were supporting acts for her. Skip over her endless sound check once she got one--three FULL songs--that pushed the timing past doors and required only a line check for the first act. Skip all that.

 

What I want to tell you about is what she did at the end of her sound check.

 

Remember, headliner is "real" band; Sensitive Chick is fifteen-of-'em-in-every-zip-code.

 

Her sound check ends. Before she leaves the stage (finally), she has her friend fold over the headliner's banner--tape the bottom to the top, so you can't see what it says.

 

She didn't put her own banner up there; she just didn't want the headliner's name back there while she--Sensitive Chick--was bestowing the magic of her Sensitive Genius upon the (headliner's) crowd.

 

Have you ever? I hadn't.

 

The confidence of the amateur.

[borntohang]

Smart move if there's a photographer around. We did the opposite a few times and 'accidentally forgot' to take our banner down as the headliners hadn't got one. Oops, guess our name is going to be in huge print on all the photos that are going to get used in the review!

 

We eventually ended up leaving that banner at a venue, so perhaps karma wasn't fond of that little trick after all.

[Synthoid]

Have you ever? I hadn't.

 

No, but I'm not surprised. It's certainly something I would never do but we are living in the days of "anything goes."

 

I remember something said to me by a wise man, "Let your friends and family toot their horn for you. Leave yours at home."

[richforman]

Annoying but in at least some of my experience, I wouldn't be surprised if that probably-unearned confidence and blind self-assurance on her part, ends up taking her far!

[AnotherScott]

The banner thing I get. Not just for photographs as mentioned, but also if they're looking to get any video out of the gig. I would hope she asked permission from the other band to conceal their banner for the duration of her set, but I think it is a reasonable thing to want to do if you're trying to generate some promo material out of the gig.

[Jazzmammal]

MOI, this is standard procedure from my POV. Look at all the movies or docu shows over the years about how some famous person got started and it doesn't have to be about music either. They're all about hustles like this, stepping over the bigger one to make room for yourself, etc. That attitude also makes you into the screaming bitch from hell but that's SOP too.

 

Bob

[Lindaru]

^

 

Must be why I never got famous.

 

:idk

 

[drawback]

The banner thing I get. Not just for photographs as mentioned, but also if they're looking to get any video out of the gig. I would hope she asked permission from the other band to conceal their banner for the duration of her set, but I think it is a reasonable thing to want to do if you're trying to generate some promo material out of the gig.

 

Her performance will end up on YouTube, photos on Facebook or whatever, as her self-promotion material, so yes, do it, but ask permission and return the stage to normal after.

 

On another note, MOI, glad to see you're returning to form!

 

 

[DulceLabs.com]

Ballsy to be sure. But also very smart and business savvy. As far asking first: probably the *nice* thing to do, but you know it's often easier to get forgiveness rather than permission.

[Reezekeys]

Maybe not so smart, if she pissed off someone who matters - like the promoter, or the headliner who might have a say in who's on the bill of his future shows.

[EscapeRocks]

Maybe not so smart, if she pissed off someone who matters - like the promoter, or the headliner who might have a say in who's on the bill of his future shows.

 

This x1000000000

 

We've seen this around here at various festival shows where we play.

 

Those people who act this way NEVER get invited back, and usually are last choice amongst the festival venues. It's a small world and all the promotoers know each other around here and share warnings, etc.. about assholes.

 

We have found, that when we (my tribute band) is opening for a mid-level touring act, that simply building a rapport with the headliner, and showing that we're not dicks, we can ask about moving things for our set, and they actually help. We also NEVER EVER go over our allotted time for sound check or our set. In fact we usually make a point to time the ending of our set a few minutes early to simply give the headliner more time between us getting our gear offstage and them to be in position.

 

It keeps us being asked back to play the bigger shows in the state, and has slowly led to us being asked to headline some of the big summer festivals here.

[RABid]

It is so easy now to blur an area in a video that I see no reason to take a chance of insulting the headliner by covering the sign.

[Doerfler]

excellent point about blurring.

[Lindaru]

Cropping, too.

 

 

[MathOfInsects]

I should give the context that she informed--rather than asked--the headliner. (After the fact.)

 

I did consider the photo issue--and you're probably right--but the status imbalance is such that it only would have helped Sensitive Chick to be associated with the Headliner. And the rest of her night left such a bad taste in the headliner's proverbial mouth, that this was just one more for the pile.

 

Drawback, that's a blasphemous lie. I was never in form.

[AnotherScott]

excellent point about blurring.

Videos of your act in front of a blurred sign are not much better than videos of your band in front of some other act's sign.

[Ledbetter]

Did she have a "manager" do this, or done herself? Lots of young musicians have advisors to piss people off for them.

[RABid]

excellent point about blurring.

Videos of your act in front of a blurred sign are not much better than videos of your band in front of some other act's sign.

 

Maybe, maybe not. But you see it a lot on TV. Blurred billboards, signs, t-shirts. The only ones that bother me are when they blur faces of people who have not signed a release. If blurring bothers you it is not that hard now to replace the sign with your own. Consumer video editing is getting really advanced, and easy.

[MathOfInsects]

Did she have a "manager" do this, or done herself? Lots of young musicians have advisors to piss people off for them.

 

We loaded in during her set-up and eventual sound check (which was actually our slot). My guy introduced me to headliner. One of headliner's guys came to her and said, "[sensitive Chick] just told [House Manager] that she wants our banner covered up." Headliner is already tweaked at Sensitive Chick, does the open hands and head shake thing like, "What the actual f*ck." Her guy says, "OK, I figured." He goes back to the stage to tell her no. I finish staging my equipment, and when she finishes her sound check, her friend tapes up the banner.

[AnotherScott]

Videos of your act in front of a blurred sign are not much better than videos of your band in front of some other act's sign.

 

Maybe, maybe not. But you see it a lot on TV. Blurred billboards, signs, t-shirts. The only ones that bother me are when they blur faces of people who have not signed a release. If blurring bothers you it is not that hard now to replace the sign with your own. Consumer video editing is getting really advanced, and easy.

Seeing blurred stuff on TV doesn't mean it makes a good impression in a promotional video. (The things you're talking about, I believe, are legal necessities that outweigh the distraction factor.) Plus not everyone has a clue about video editing. It's much easier to have it look okay in the first place. I put up youtube videos with some frequency... camera-->computer-->upload, doing nothing more than trimming the beginning and end. I'd have to learn how to blur, myself... and some people are baffled even doing as little as I already do!

 

That said, MOI said they asked permission and if it was declined she shouldn't have touched it, it's not hers.

[MathOfInsects]

I can't really say she asked. She said she wanted it done, [presumably, based on the part I saw] got a no, did it, and then apparently came back stage and told headliner that "I covered up your banner for my set."

 

I don't want to prelong her fame here; I was just stunned and amused by her hubris.

 

As much as I agree that those who make it often make it on the strength of that same hubris, just trust me that she is in no danger of making it.

 

 

[Steve Nathan]

In the middle is a "Sensitive Chick" singer-songwriter

 

Anybody I know ??

[MotiDave]

I can't really say she asked. She said she wanted it done, [presumably, based on the part I saw] got a no, did it, and then apparently came back stage and told headliner that "I covered up your banner for my set."

 

I don't want to prelong her fame here; I was just stunned and amused by her hubris.

 

As much as I agree that those who make it often make it on the strength of that same hubris, just trust me that she is in no danger of making it.

 

lol, I'm just glad she's safe

[MathOfInsects]

In the middle is a "Sensitive Chick" singer-songwriter

 

Anybody I know ??

 

Decidedly not. You might know players on the opener's album, though (although likely not him).

[MathOfInsects]

lol, I'm just glad she's safe

 

Freal. Headliner just hired opener (my cat, not Sensitive Chick) for a private show they're doing, he called me for gig, I am booked already. I said, "The timing might work if they add a middle act." He said, "Well, we know who it wouldn't be."

[rod76]

Why does it bother you so much?

[sunshadow]

yea but if you leave your banner up while the next band is on and they are reall ybad then the people watching might associate your name and banner with that act. so big fail if you do that. brand management. important. more important than passive promotion.

 

if i saw anyone else banner up during my act, like displayed in a way that would make people watching think that the name on the banner was my act name and brand, i would tear it down. and burn it. on site.