Editor's Note: A recent survey was conducted by an individual who just happens to
be part of "The Posse" here at Texicana Music Central. The survey
was conducted on several of the music discussion groups on the internet
and the results were then posted on those music lists. Feedback
below is from both artists and fans. I thought it was
so well done and so helpful that I have added the results here for your
perusal with Dana's blessing. You may e-mail Dana with additional
comments at the e-mail address listed below.
Re: General Etiquette
A) Let me get my equipment set up, guitars tuned, and sound check
before we chat.
B) One request: when I first come off the stage, please,
please... LET ME GO PEE!!! I try to "make the rounds",
but sometimes on a crowded night, it's hard to spend time at all the
tables... so, please don't ever feel slighted if I miss getting around
to you, and rest assured that I am glad you're there (unless you were
the one yelling "PAT GREEN").
C)
If you want to see truly top notch audience etiquette, have the
live music experience of your life and really enjoy a show, go to a
House Concert.
D) It takes more than one fan to make an
artist successful, so let someone else have a chance.
E) Texas Music Artist Brian Burns shared,
“Just thought of another irritant in live performance situations: I'm 40
minutes into the show, audience is loving it, just got finished plucking
the last notes of "The Crash At Crush", sweat running off the end of my
nose, glasses fogged over, fingers bleeding, and some lady who hasn't
been out to a bar since the Carter Administration walks by and says,
"play something GOOD..."
F) I must say one of my
pet peeves is people singing along. I go
to hear live music so I can hear the performers.....not someone behind
me singing loudly along with the performer.
G) Another is people singing along like
they were at home listening to a CD. I didn't pay to hear them. All these
fail to show respect to the artists that they have come to see.
H) What made the evening a chore for us was
the drunk. We're parked close to the stage, singing along, when the
drunk decided to engage us in conversation. After a few more drinks,
he's acting more and more stupid -- acting like he's making a move on my
girl (while his own girl, not as drunk, just stands by). In the middle
of Charlie's set, the drunk says he's ready to move on to Cowboy's Red
River, and wants us to go along! I think my wife and I made like we
were going to the bar, or something, and stayed lost until he found some
other target for his drunkenness. On the good side, though, he did buy
us a drink. :)
Re: Requests at Live Shows
A) Yelling "Freebird", serious or not, is not cool.
B) Yelling out requests is flat out rude.
C) Would you walk up to a juke box and start punching in selections
without
first inserting coinage?
D) If you don't even know the title, you sure as heck shouldn't be
shouting
out a request. And it's even worse if it's requesting covers.
E) KNOW YOUR ARTIST.
F) Several agreed with the statement that "most artists prefer that when
it's
'request time' they'll say so".
G) Every artist, venue and crowd has their own personality.
H) There is one and only one proper way to make a request: write it on a
note of legal tender and politely leave it near the artist. He's/She's
trying
to make a living.
I) A $100 dollar bill is always appropriate!!
J) Actually, asking for ANYTHING while the performer is on stage is
impolite... disrupts the artist's train of thought (yes, there is an
actual
thought process that goes into performing music), and generally disrupts
the
show.
K) I don't think most artists mind hearing from the audience, and I think
most of them will tell you to shut up if they're not interested in hearing
your
requests.
L) One artist said "I am always expected to do the same song every night
I'm on stage no matter how long I perform, I'm just thankful I didn't
write
"Alice's Restaurant." I loved that.
M) I have been guilty of shouting out a request once in a
while, but it usually stems from a song just played making me think of
another
song they do. I don't think I shout out the request during a song though. I
have been guilty of writing a request and trying to nonchalantly place it
at
the feet of the singer while dancing.
Re: Autographs
1) Autographs During
Performance
A) Rude!
B) If someone is trying to get an autograph while an artist is on stage,
they
should be taken out and paddled with a 2x4.
C) Unless it involves a dying person's last request WAIT or contact the
artist through his/her business contacts if you can't wait until the end
of the
show.
D) Under no circumstances is appropriate to interrupt an artist on stage
for
an autograph. Under no circumstances is it appropriate to interrupt an
artist
on stage. Well, unless there's an amp on fire.
E) NO!
F) Autographs during the show? Only if you want to get your ass thrown out
the door early. Not just because you have to leave early.
2) Autographs In General
A) Most people with multiple items are usually polite enough to wait until
everyone else is through the line.
B) An acceptable number of autographs is difficult to put a
number on.
C) Know your artist and be respectful of others waiting.
D) I am always honored and pleased to sign autographs and
personalize CDs, t-shirts, etc., just not while I'm on stage. Being asked
to
write a paragraph-long message on a small CD face with a wide-tipped
Sharpie,
also, is difficult.
E) If they want to sign, they'll come out after the show. If they DON'T
want
to sign, they won't. I agree that there should be a limit. I actually
think
that more than ONE item -unless its a gift for someone else- is slightly
hoggish.
Re: Photographs
A) People are usually very gracious in allowing me to the front of the
stage
to get a couple of good shots. If anyone finds it distracting, please tell
me.
I want you to enjoy the show as much as I do!!!!
B) If you're 12' tall and wearing a big cowboy hat, be kind and let the
old
chick with the camera up to the front to take a couple pics and maybe
drool a
little. I'll appreciate it a LOT!!!
C) The key here is not to inconvenience the artists or the audience.
D) Click away -- just be careful that my image does not break
the camera!
E) When I was a manager, fans would often send photos they'd taken... most
of the photos are not so good (while a fan may see a shot as dripping with
emotion, often musicians will see a picture of themselves looking like
they're eating the microphone or grimacing horribly). I'd say, in general,
the fewer photos the better. I think its less distracting to the musician
than to the folks in the first few rows.
F) And no flash photos never, no way.
G) Photographers don't bother me except when they just stand there in the
way (of both seeing and dancing) thinking just because they have a camera
in
hand allows them the best spot in the house.
H) I would say no flashes during the show. Before or after great!
I) Often depends on the artist and the venue -- it they
allow it - - yeah one or two is probably OK - taking a whole roll is
distracting.
J) As far as pictures.... the usual request for those with photo passes is
that you shoot only during the first song or two. This sounds reasonable
and
considerate to me.
Re: Talking Over The Music
A) Yes, it is proper to "shush" someone talking and/or laughing over the
music, they should leave!
B) Talking over the music depends on the show. If you're at
Woody's Sports Bar in the audience you are going to hear the noise of the
game
on the TV's or the racket around the pool tables.
C) If you're at a House Concert you should expect to hear nothing but the
performers.
D) Is usually done by people who are trying to
compete with the performer for the center of attention... that is why they
invariably sit directly in front of the stage. Management should correct
the
situation, but they won't - don't want to run off customers.
E) I have corrected the situation in the past by either walking off the
stage in the middle of a song or packing up my equipment and vacating the
premises - this, however, cuts down on the number of available venues for
me to
play.
The most effective solution, in my experience, is for more attentive
listeners
to take Everett's lead and shushhhh the culprit.
F) I have tried scowling, shushing, asking people to please keep it down.
Once, years ago, at a Lucinda Williams show at the Iron Horse, I was next
to a
table that was prattling away. I leaned over and said, "you have no idea
how
little I want to listen to your conversation." One of the people looked
over
at me and said, "This is a bar. It's not the symphony." So, obviously,
folks
have different perceptions. It taught me a valuable lesson: when shushing
people, a gun works best.
G) If your at an outdoor festival - forget it - if your at an arena -
you
can probably forget it - if your in a bar - good luck, but if you are in a
club
where the primarily interest is listening to music tell your friend to
shut up.
If it's a stranger at a nearby table ask him to be quiet - if that doesn't
work
you can always ask someone at the club to do the deed and if that doesn't
work
- spill a pitcher of beer on them.
Re: E-Mail
A) It's up to the musician to set the pace. If they don't want it, it's
their place to say something about it.
B) Are you a friend or a fan? I hate jokes, prayer wheels, urban legends,
etc. in my email anytime.
C) Keep it musical and personal. Jokes, prayer wheels, urban
legends, etc. are extremely irritating, and people ramming their political
propaganda (most of which also belongs in the Urban Legends category) down
my
throat via my inbox makes me livid.
D) Artists -once they've got a career that keeps them busy- generally
don't
want to be emailed. Prior to that - when they're just starting out and
don't
have any team in place - it's probably appreciated. A rule of thumb - if
they post their contact info on their website, it's fine. If they don't,
don't.
E) Getting on Artist A's e-Group and promoting Artist B's show is
extREEEMEly impolite... unless (a) the two are on the same bill for that
show or (b) one of the artists is deceased (preferably not the one doing
the show). Faron Young agrees strongly with me on this point. ;-) I'm
sure it seems harmless, but from an artist's point of view, it kinda
cuts.
Re: Green Room
A) It's up to the musician to set the pace. If they don't want it, it's
their place to say something about it.
B) Unless you're invited, STAY THE HELL OUT.
C) I enjoy visiting and having a drink with my fans as much as
I enjoy performing for them, although it can get hectic trying to converse
with too many folks at once... I'm a terrible multi-tasker.
D) Many artists need some privacy after a show, they want a few minutes to
cool off and gain their composure before meeting the fans.
E) This is the presenter's job. It should be discussed with the artist
prior
to the show - "how tight do you want the door after the show"?
Re: Cell Phones
A) Was at a John Hiatt show the other night and a guy sitting behind me
kept
getting calls on his cell phone and then talking loud enough so that
people
on the other hand could hear him over the show -- finally the guy next to
him said something like " OK we get it - your the most important guy in
the whole place and we paid our money to come and listen to you talk to
your friends - would you please shut the damn thing off?
B) Anybody that uses a cell phone during a show or talks over the
performance deserves to be removed from the venue. If the management won't
do it, I'd say it wouldn't be very hard to take up a collection of a
dollar or two from each person surrounding them and say to the person "We
are sorry that you do not seem to be interested in this show. Here's your
money back. Go buy you a mirror so you can see the act that you seem to
love the best."
C) Cell phones CAN be used during a show...my buddies and I occasionally
dial each other up during a show for a "LIVE BROADCAST"...we know via the
caller ID who is calling, so the dialer never has to speak. Makes the one
left at home feel almost like they were there. And there are no taping
issues by any means, cell quality broadcast generally sucks...it's more
the thought that counts.
D) If you are concerned about the kids at home, put the cell on vibrate
and stick in your pocket. You can always get up and get out to get your
call or message.
Re: Dancing
