Performers

Performers amaze me!

I know what you're thinking..."you're a musician, wouldn't that make you some kind of performer?"

Technically yes. But let me explain. My musical upbringing and training was classical. Classical performing is very specific. There are no huge technical/electrical/mechanical issues that can arise. It's you and your instrument. Maybe a microphone. The audience is specifically there to hear you and are therefor respectful of what is happening. In some classical venues I could have heard a pin drop the audience was so quiet.

Fast forward to the kind of music I listen to. It's not classical. Therefor the performers amaze me. Recently I've seen some shows that put the performers through all kinds of situations. A noisy crowd, the power going out, the roof leaking onto the stage (almost right on top of the singer and his keyboard!) batteries dying in acoustic guitars, wireless guitar hookups malfunctioning, drunk audience members...Seriously how do they put up with all of this without missing a beat and keeping their audience captivated. Yet they all manage to with ease! As crazy as all of this sounds it doesn't even compare to the best on stage flop/recovery I've ever seen!

A neighborhood school where I grew up puts on rally amazing musicals. I went to see one awhile back. West Side Story. It was really good. There's a great scene at the end (sorry if this spoils it for you but if you haven't seen it yet then you're a little behind anyway.) There a fight that breaks out between 2 guys while a girl stands by. There is a scuffle and in the end one of the guys gets shot and the girl goes running and falls over him crying. It's a great scene. Especially when I saw it. Apparently during the on stage scuffle one of the fake swings accidentally hit the girl in the face...breaking her nose...on stage! Luckily just a few moments later the guy gets shot. So this quick thinking actress falls onto the guy (looking distraught over the fact he got shot.) She was down there for a bit longer then seemed necessary. Apparently she was waiting for her nose to stop bleeding. Yep, it was bleeding. Luckily it stopped quickly and she finished the show (it was almost the end.) And it all looked like it was supposed to be that way because the blood on his shirt just looked like a gun shot wound. It looked so real, like it was supposed to happen that way! In fact the only reason I new it wasn't supposed to happen that way was because the friend I saw it with had seen it already and commented "where did that blood come from? That didn't happen last time!?!"

After the show she went to the ER. Now that's one heck of a dedicated performer!!!