Well today I'm doing a Michael Jackson tribute show - theatre style. Far too much equipment, far too complicated, and it will be a gamble on if it's sound or lights who arrive with no knowledge of the equipment. I have decided that they will NOT be using my rigged VRX JBL system, but will be using their own, as the grapevine suggests they er, blew up the installed one at another venue. They've asked for 2 of my crew for the get in, but we are going to provide 6, as the in will go on forever.

If we are technically OK, then the show will be good. Musicians are very good, and the Michael Jackson is MJ estate approved (and MJ's ex-body double) but previous shows have been a disaster. Along the lines of "have you got a power supply for the MacBook, I left it in the office?" The answer was "No, that was my one you borrowed last show because you'd left yours in the office" - frantic qlab file copying saving the bacon, almost. Last show, the sound desk would not talk to the stage box, and the patch was wrong - so the faders did not work - all on full, and the musicians in ear mix was a screaming whine. Stopped after the first song, stopped during the second and failed totally on the third - I had to walk out in front of 1200 people and tell them the show was cancelled and it was a blues brothers moment - they threw things at me!! I hope todays went smoothly!

two shows of theirs back, they had MJs guitarist Jennifer Batten ready in the wings. ten secs before her entrance, she realised she'd not got the guitar pack, so she dashed on and plugged up to the emergency cable, neatly coiled next to the pedal board. Nobody had taken the tape off, so she couldn't stand up and played the solo on her knees!

So one 'just made it" show, and one abandoned one. I wonder what today's will be like. I'll report back. By contrast, the Drifters show was lovely - excellent audio, nice people, technicals sorted, and even better - a well known, rude, and grumpy British comic handed the mic to the stage manager and said "tell him that was the best sound for ages, but he's still a c**t!"

Still playing my drums a lot. Just started doing a local open mic night each month. Getting ready to potentially move back to USA. We'll see LOL. 

Hi Tony, is it ever good to hear from you and to also know you are still playing. 🙂

Possibly moving back the the USA, wow! You’ve sure had an interesting decade. 
 

Do you have an eta? Is it a welcomed move? Whereabouts? 

audiokid wrote:
Hi Tony, is it ever good to hear from you and to also know you are still playing. 🙂

Possibly moving back the the USA, wow! You’ve sure had an interesting decade. 
 <

Interesting is an understatement. In amongst living here was Covid, I was assaulted for the first time in my life at one my homes over a parking issue that a neighbour caused.. umm. Wife lost her job, started a new one.. and I discovered I could play plausibly on my drums to play with others during Covid, thanks to Jam Kazam then Jamulus.  Not 100% sure on move at all yet. Just a possibility, would be before end of this year :). 

Like every other amateur player in my area I came out of lockdown belonging to more bands than before; it’s taken all this time for the dust to settle a bit and things to get back to normal.

I’m not looking for live sound gigs now but do odd things for my village and will carry on doing sound for the function band I’m not going to play in for ever.

And then a bit more recording before I go deaf? I fancy doing more organ recording in local churches which I stopped nearly 20 years ago when I was unexpectedly diverted into outdoor SR for wind bands and orchestras. Perhaps some local ensembles? This is retirement, apparently.