Article author, Billy Kirsch, is a Grammy & Emmy nominated, CMA & ACM award-winning hit songwriter, keynote speaker, and music team building facilitator. Billy’s unique abilities as a facilitator, leader and performer are the foundation of his highly successful corporate event programs, Team Building Through Song® and Harnessing Your Creative Power. The presentations help people rediscover their creativity to become more innovative and engaged in their work. Learn more at kidbillymusic.com.
A long time ago, when I was a teenager, I used to think everything would fall into place if I could only book a gig. Every chance to play out was exciting. The good news is I still have that same enthusiasm every time I book a gig. But I’ve learned that once the gig is booked, nothing falls into place magically. It takes careful planning and production to pull off a great performance. When I go to work, I need to know with 100% certainty that we’ll have everything in place at the gig to deliver what I promise: a great show. This takes thought, experience, and follow-through.
Failure is the best teacher.
I’ve learned the hard way to not take anything for granted. Here’s an example of how something you never thought could go wrong, goes wrong.
I was presenting my musical team building program at a resort in southern California. My client had the obligation to provide all of our Audio-Visual (AV) equipment and I’d sent them a complete list of our AV needs. As a lifelong musician, I only knew about one kind of DI (direct box). That’s the kind of DI that I can plug my keyboard or acoustic guitar into, using a 1/4 inch instrument cable.
So…my team and I got to this fancy resort, miles from the nearest music store, and the DI’s were not made to interface with instruments. They were totally different from anything I’d ever seen and yet they were, technically, still DI’s. Let me tell you, this wasn’t fun and the people we were performing for didn’t understand anything about technical difficulties. All they knew was that they could hardly hear the acoustic guitar and we couldn’t even use the keyboard.
My takeaway from this experience was to develop a very specific list of our production needs. I call it my idiot-proof list and it really comes in handy!
Make a list, check it twice.
I now send all of my clients a detailed production list before each gig. Here are some examples of things I’d never thought I’d need to spell out, like with the DI issue above.
- Audio DI (direct box) with 1/4 inputs to interface instruments with PA
- Audio stage monitor. This is a good one. It had never occurred to me to specify “audio” when asking for a stage monitor. I showed up at one gig and the only monitor they had on stage was a video monitor. We could see ourselves, but we couldn’t hear much!
- A/C power strip to be placed near keyboard. Another good one here. Most keyboards come with short power chords so if the only power strip is 12 feet away at the back of the stage, you’ll be in trouble.
The above are just a few examples of how you’ll need to think about your own production list and make sure to spell everything out. Don’t take anything for granted.
Become friends with your AV person.
Let’s say you’ve taken all of my suggestions, and you now have a production list that’s thorough and clearly communicated. Are you done? No, you’re not done. Follow-up is very important. Typically the person who hires you, whether it’s a private client or venue owner, will be the person you send your production list to. But those people won’t be setting up for you or running sound. So you need to make friends with the AV person. Ultimately you’ll be in their hands.
As part of my requirements, I tell each of my clients that I need to speak directly with the AV provider before each gig. This allows me to get on good terms with the AV people and explain to them what our performances entail. Not only does this ensure that the equipment we’ve requested will be provided, but it also ensures that it’ll be set up correctly to make our load-in and soundcheck smooth and relatively easy.
Be firm, but keep it light.
You can tell I like to have control, but I’m not a control freak. Once I establish that the people who hire us understand our needs, I try to keep it light, and most importantly, I let the professionals do their jobs. When I speak with the AV team at a venue, I always take time to get to know them—to show courtesy and express enthusiasm that we’ll be working together. Once you’ve established your needs and expectations, allow yourself to focus on what you do best as a performer or presenter.
Author info: Billy Kirsch’s body of work includes award-winning songs and career songs for the artists who have recorded them.“Holes In The floor Of Heaven” recorded by Steve Wariner, won a Country Music Association song of the year award, was nominated for a Grammy award and was a number one hit. Top 10 songs, “Is It Over Yet” and “Come Some Rainy Day”, both recorded by Wynonna Judd, have become standards in the repertoire. “Stay Gone” launched singer Jimmy Wayne’s career as a Top 5 single.
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