I recently worked in sound support at a New Zealand Maori festival and wanted to share with you something I observed.
The event wasn't well organized (they ran out of acts) and a fair bit of the show was made up along the way (which makes for an interesting day when you don't know what is exactly going on).
Anyway we got through it as we always do (it's a yearly gig) and look forward to the next one - knowing it will probably be exactly the same (we love being part of the show regardless).
They did have some excellent acts and amateur performances for a family day.
One volunteer performer had something that was memorable and her music - her story captured the attention of the crowd and drew them in.
This particular lady was visually impaired, yet had taught herself the guitar, developed a nice singing voice and recorded an album.
Her songs told a story of hurt but also of making a difference - she had no intention of wasting her life and was going to be a positive influence regardless of obstacles.
Just herself, an acoustic guitar and a microphone was all that was needed and the quality was there.
Compare this to the "professional" band who rocked up with overkill gear (the bassist ran their stack at maximum - giving us no control at the desk) and these guys were getting paid to perform yet obviously didn't have the attitude of excellence and dedication of the volunteer performer.
It was a case of "do the gig and let's get outa here".
They were entirely forgettable.
Get the picture?
A good friend of mine once told me that "Sometimes less is more".
Here's a classic example.
To your music success.
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