Professional Entertainment

This past Saturday I was hired to perform at an outdoor corporate event. I arrived well ahead of my scheduled performance to coordinate with the other acts, check out the audience and figure out how to best stage my spot. I quickly realized there was no need. The opening band's gear took up the entire stage. There was no way to pre-set my equipment for a smooth transition. The band members were to perform from 4:00 - 6:00pm, but at 4:00 they were eating dinner. After dinner plus a few more beers, they sound checked and started shortly after 5 pm.

They were great musicians. But they were not a band. Between each song there was a long uncomfortable break as they figured out what they would do next. They never engaged their audience. As a result - they had a very small one. With their talents, if they treated the gig professionally, they could do very well. Instead, they became background music.

At 6:05, the lead singer announced they would take a short break and then come back. That grabbed my attention, because I was hired to begin at 6:30. I spoke with her to find out that they had been paid for two hours and since they started late, they figured they would play until 7:00. THEN they had to break down and head to another gig just down the road, where they would start at 9:00.

While I admire the fact they wanted to give the client what they paid for - the client paid for a band to start at 4:00. Depending on how fast they broke down, and how fast I could set my equipment and sound - my act was now going to be an hour (possibly more) behind schedule. In all fairness, this was a pretty laid back event and the important thing was that the crowd had a good time. I agreed to go on late, glad I carried lights so I wouldn't be performing in shadows.

When I finally started, the crowd came in. A full tent with people standing around the back so they could see. The show was fun, although a few of the V.I.P.'s I was supposed to play with had to leave before I ever started.

As a professional, I realize schedules change. An act should be flexible enough to work with the event to help things run smoothly. Causing the schedule to change because you were eating dinner is unprofessional. That was a classic example of an act only concerned about themselves - not the client's vision of the overall event.

The moral of this post is simple - if you are an entertainer - if you take money from a client - do the job. Plan ahead, get there early, stick to the schedule and make the client happy. If you are a client searching for entertainment - hire a professional. The difference to your event will be noticable.

BTW - Just a guess, but I bet the "band" started late at the other event too...