We have all suffered through bad live shows. Few things are more annoying than paying to have your time wasted. You put on your freshest outfit. You get the babysitter lined up and you step out ready to have a good time. You love Hip Hop so you choose to go to a rap concert. Sounds like a good plan for a great night right? Unfortunately it doesn't often go down like that. Here are the 5 Whys behind wack Hip Hop shows and ways for event organizers to avoid these mistakes.
- It started later than advertised. We've all heard the phrase "time is money" right? So why would you waste people's time by not keeping to a schedule that you chose? That aforementioned babysitter is going to hit your patrons' pockets hard if they come home late. Do you really want a crowd of angry folks? If the headliner is the cause, perhaps you should have written a clause into the contract so that the artist loses money if they are not on stage by a certain time. If the openers are the cause, let that be the last time you book them and truncate their set if need be to stay on schedule. If the DJ is to blame… who am I kidding? It's NEVER the DJs fault.
- The promoter did not curate. Have a plan or theme and work everything around that. Don't book Dead Prez and then choose openers that only rap about popping pills and chasing checks.
- Too many artists on the bill. The local scene is super important, but we all can't eat at the same time. When show planners try to put every rapper they know on the bill it leads to ear fatigue for fans. The undercard becomes a nondescript jumble of unfocused rambling and the one or two rising stars that might be performing get drowned out and forgotten. By the time the headliner comes on, fans are not so much excited as they are relieved that this show is almost over. If you need that many openers you're probably engaged in some type of pay to play situation and that is highly janky.
- Long breaks between artists. Let the DJ play to open up the show. If the headliner wants his or her DJ to warm up the crowd just before his or her set, plan accordingly (see item 1 about timing), but there are no good reasons for long breaks between openers. The venue might want you to do that so people are there longer spending money at the bar, but folks know their budget. They are not going to spend more than what they'd planned. You're just going to piss them off and they will stop coming to shows. On the other hand, a great show experience is a reason to celebrate. Who's down for a round of victory shots?
- The artists are rapping over their vocals. I've seen veteran national artists do it. I've seen locals do it. It is always terrible (Charles Barkley voice). If you are an artist, DO NOT DO THIS. If you're organizing the event, be adamant that the talent is prepared with backtracks specifically engineered for their live show. Having the chorus or some overdubs on the back track is fine, but unless you are doing choreographed dance moves like Chris Brown, I don't want to hear you rapping along with your CD version or lip syncing. It sounds like trash when you try to rap along with the full versions. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. Abort that mission.
A2BAY prides itself on fan first entertainment. Please let us know if there is something else that ruins live Hip Hop shows for you. Our shows consider your needs and we try to maximize your experience.
