I'm rather surprised over all the detailed analysis & critique given to my recent gig shots. I posted my pics to encourage the rest of you out there (as well) to post pictures taken at your gigs too. So . . . let's see 'your' pics.

Matias: I luckily had no problems whatsoever with feedback from the speaker behind me. I was using my EV 757 dynamic cardoid mic and it never once picked up feedback. Actually, if any feedback were to occur (and it did'nt) it probably would have first come from the PSR2000's onboard speakers because the mic was situated much closer to these.

J.Larry: I was hired to provide the evening's dinner show music, in addition to 3 other acts: singer/guitarist (cocktail hour entertainment), a dance act (after dinner presentation), and DJ'ed dance music (later on). Whether a show remains just background entertainment or stands out as full blown show depends on how you choreograph it. As an entertainer, it's our job sense the 'feel' of the room and the mood of the audience. Once you know this, it up to you to direct where 'you' want to take it. Depending on the type of gig, I will (or not) use cheat sheets. For a casual, cheat sheets are fine, but for a successful solo 'show', it's definitely a distraction (not recommended). Generally, by the time the guests sit down for dinner, they have already intermingled & chatted during the cocktail hour, so by the time they're eating, they're ready to be 'entertained'. My first opening song (Big Band medley which included 'It Had to Be You', held complete audience attention, and then I shifted mood providing more mellow sounds (latin bossa etc), giving them a chance to focus on eating & relating
with friends again. I then bring them back with an audience participation tune which firmly cements their attention back for the rest of the set, allowing me to command full attention again, presenting a couple of classic ballads including: "I'll Be There" (classic Jackson 5 hit), and then finished off my show with the audience at the palm of my hands demanding an encore. It's all about pacing. The key to successful entertainment requires staying in touch with the energy of the room, and knowing how & when to move the audience.

An important thing I want to emphasize about gigging is that it 'requires' a lot of flexibility & adaptability because every gig brings a different set of unexpected circumstances. For this particular gig, I was hired to provide dinner show music entertainment. Part of the deal was that I could plug into the DJ's sound system, saving me the trouble (& saving them $) of having to bring my PA system. It was also clearly understood that I would be situated center stage during my performance. As it went, I ended up arriving (15 minutes prior to showtime) to find the DJ had already setup his equipment center stage. I could have easily created a scene and insisted he move his karaoke equipemnt stage left while I performed, but I'd also risk alienating him and he surely could have easily ruined my show by messing with the PA system settings etc. Though I wasn't positioned center stage, everything turned out well. The DJ went the extra mile to monitoring & maintain my sound levels throughout my entire showset. This included insuring the speaker behind me never caused feedback. I definitely would have never been able achieve & maintain the sound quality (while performing) that he could. In the end, both the audience & my client were happy with my performance, and even included a generous tip to express their appreciation.

Whew, I hope this answers all your questions. In the meantime, I hope others of you will post & share your gig shot pics too, so we can all critique and analysize YOUR pictures too death now too.

Scott


[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 06-23-2002).]