Putting On A Show

Recently, we had a meeting of the Magnolia Music & Medicine Show crew. One thing on the agenda was to resurrect the MMMS web presence. For about a year, we have been depending on FaceBook for our web presence. While FaceBook does a pretty good job, we felt that we needed a site of our own with all the information concerning the show With that decision, I decided to start up the blog posts again.

After the meeting, and since we had discussed all of the responsibilities associated with the show, I decided to post an article addressing what it takes to put on a show. Before we start, I would like to say that I think Eastman is very fortunate to have such a rich resource for quality music entertainment. Our local talent offers a rich variety to the mix. Add to that the professional touring act that headline each show insures a night of music that equals any show, anywhere!

So, how does one put on a show of this caliber? First, you have to have a dedicated staff that can follow through with all of the related job responsibilities. You also have to have great communication. This is a tall order considering that all of the volunteers (The Crew) have jobs, families, and other responsibilities. With that said, lets look at the process of putting on a successful show.

First, you have to schedule six dates within the year for the shows. This is not an easy task. You want to insure that the dates do not conflict with local events, personal band schedules, crew schedules, and holidays. Once these dates are set, the people that book the headlining act has to start the process of reviewing possible candidates for the shows. Once the acts are picked, the individual acts agent has to be contacted and an agreement reached on the date in question. Although I have no connection with booking the acts, I do know that this is a huge responsibility, and a lot of things have to be considered before an act will sign on to do a show. Logistics is a big consideration in an act signing on to do a particular show. Naturally they want the MMMS show to be within reasonable traveling distance of their show before and after our show. Consider that this process usually starts six months or more from the show date. Scheduling these shows sometimes begin a year in advance. Once a group signs on to do a show and the date is set, that doesn't end the responsibility of the booking staff. Sometimes groups will have conflicts that occur that will prevent them from performing on the show. It doesn't happen often but it does occur and you have to find another act, sometimes in short order. Why would an act break a contract? Several reasons, for instance, they might be approached by a booking agent about performing on a big concert tour that spans several months. This can mean big money and exposure for an act and you can't blame them. This is their livelihood and it would be hard, if not impossible, to turn down a bigger paycheck! During this process, a date might have to be changed since the headlining act might have an opening near us at a different date. In a case like this the dates will be changed to accommodate this schedule. A change in schedule such as this might be the difference between securing the act and passing on them. A lot of things have to be considered.

Once the act is secured for the show, the crew that handles promotions has to start their job. Show posters have to be designed and printed. Then as the show nears, the posters have to be distributed and displayed. The web presence has to be updated. FaceBook Events have to be created and promoted. Tickets have to be printed. Multimedia resources, such as YouTube videos, will be displayed during the promotion period. We are even starting up a email newsletter to let people know about the acts and show dates. All of these jobs will continue up until a couple of hours before a show. Within a few weeks of a show, members of the MMMS crew will be in contact with the act to insure that they are ready and to guide them to the location in plenty of time for load in and sound check.

Before each show, the theater has to be prepared. The entire theater has to be cleaned. The stage has to be set and decorated as well. Much of this prep has to be completed the day before the show. The day of the show starts early for the sound engineer. He, and his crew, has to start early loading in the massive equipment required for putting on the show. What seems like miles of cable has to be run and connected. The sound board, power amps, effects and monitors have to be placed and tested. Microphones have to be provided for each person on the show. The drum kit requires up to six mics alone. Each amplifier (such as guitar, bass, etc...) is mic'd for the best sound. Other musical gear requires a DI (direct injection) box and line for adequate connection to the mixing board. Each vocalist, Master of Ceremonies and speaker has to have a microphone.

At approximately 12:00 noon on the day of the show, the band members show up and start the process of loading in their equipment. After the equipment is loaded in and setup, all of the mics, DI connections and P. A. gear is tested. If problems are found, the engineer has to troubleshoot the problem and apply a fix. After testing equipment, the band has to do a sound check. During sound check, the sound engineer, has to set individual levels for each performers monitor (or "wedge"). Each performer has a monitor so they can hear the instruments and singers adequately. On the stage, it is hard to hear everything to an acceptable level due to several factors, hence the monitors. This takes a while and several songs will have to be performed in order to get the monitors set properly. For instance, in my wedge, I like a high level of the vocalist, lots of acoustic guitars, lots of kick drum and high-hat. I don't want any of my bass guitar in my wedge, I get that from my amp. I actually don't need any piano or lead guitar in my wedge due to the location of Ronnie and George's amplifier placement. Since their amps project well and are of a higher frequency, I can hear them well. Keep in mind, each performer desires personal wedge/monitor settings in order to do their job to the best of their ability. What we hear on stage is WAY different from what the audience hears. Whereas the audience hears a balanced sound of all of the instruments and singers, managed by the engineer, the performers hears a mix that allows them to hit the queues and marks just right. I set my bass amp in such a way that the drummer, Joe Jackson and keyboards, Ronnie Cadwell can hear it well. And since I set behind Karl and George, they are able to hear it well. It is really interesting on how the monitor mixes are set for each performer. On any given performance, the sound crew could have anywhere between 12 to 15 monitors mixes to keep up with. Not to mention the house sound. You have to hear certain instruments well enough to play the song properly. It is also important on the placement of the amplifiers that are used on stage. They are generally placed to project across the stage or angled so the band members can hear them.  After a successful sound check, the band has a couple of hours off before showtime. That gives them time to grab a bite to eat check their equipment and generally prepare for the nights performance.

The sound engineer still has to do a sound check for the local talent and headlining act. The local talent usually shows up before we finish so they can be ready for sound check. The featured act generally shows up around 3:00-3:30 PM. They have to load in and sound check before the show. So, as you can tell, the process continues right up to showtime.

The show crew members usually arrive an hour or two before the show. The theater will have people to handle ticket sales, people to hand out show programs, merchandise folks, and stage hands. The photographers get their cameras ready. The video recorder sets up the video camera and gets ready to record the performance. The person responsible for lighting prepares for the curtain call. Someone makes sure there is plenty of water backstage for the performers. Someone is responsible for lighting. Just before the show, the MC, sound engineer and band leader get together to make sure that everything is ready for the show to begin. Someone will be backstage to direct the different act as to when they are to enter the stage. Someone will be poised at the curtain when the show begins.

The house band positions themselves on stage ready to begin. Last minute tuning and going over intros are discussed. Steve Harrison positions himself just off stage. The sound engineer turns on the monitors, and opens the Master of Ceremonies mic. The lights are taken down. The queue is given to open the curtain. The music begins as Steve Harrison takes the stage. The bandleader starts the beginning song.  Another show begins. So much is going on backstage and on stage that the audience, hopefully, is never aware of. Occasionally the band has to work around an equipment malfunction or change in show order and keep the show going. All the while, the cameras are rolling, the music is playing and everyone is having a great time.

For two hours, everyone is focused on doing their job to the best of their ability. After the last song is sung, the process of taking the stage equipment down begins immediately after the group photos are taken. All of the gear has to be disconnected, packed up, loaded up and hauled away. Then photos and video have to be edited, the taped show has to be sent to the local radio station for playback the next day. Then the process starts all over again. The band leader has to choose the set list for the next show. The leadsheets has to be typed up, rehearsals start up for the next show. And all the work that just took place will start all over again.

That is just a portion of the work that takes place to put on a show. During the year you have people working on promotion, preparing show programs, acquiring show sponsorships, making arrangements for the featured acts, bookkeeping, updating the web presence and a number of other duties. In fact, I think we have somewhere close to 25 people that are on 7 committees responsible for putting on the Medicine Shows throughout the year.

All of this happens six times a year. Concluding with the November "Medicine Men & Friends" Show. An annual event showcasing the Medicine Men and all of their musician friends. It's a great show, and a great finale for the year.

Then it starts all over again. Getting ready for the upcoming shows. Meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page and all the bases are being covered. New songs, new shows, new featured guest artist. Six more shows to prepare for in the upcoming year. But then again, it never really ends......