The Show Must Go On: Part One

November 4, 1998

You have been practicing hard for months. You've got a number of songs ready to go. You've got equipment and lights. You've picked a name and a target market. So, are you ready for the show? Having the trappings of a show band doesn't really mean you're ready to do the show. Putting on a show that will set people back on their heels takes planning, skill, creativity, technical knowledge, and a lot of practice (and I'm not talking about the music here).

Let me start by setting the stage so to speak. This article is for show bands. Putting together a show band is quite different than learning a bunch of top 40 songs and going to the local pub to play whatever song people want to hear. Not that there is anything wrong with being a bar band, it's just not what we're here to discuss. A show band is a group with planned performances designed to show-off the powers of the band playing, not the bands whose music they cover. In most cases this will be an original music band or a band with some originals. Let's face it, a lot of bands would love to break out of the bars and be known for their own music.

The style of music here really doesn't matter, since our discussions will apply equally to all types of music. Believe it or not, music is music. Whether you're bouncing with a country band or laying back with a high powered jazz quartet, there is always one important factor that remains the same: the audience. To put on a successful show you have to move the people to emotion. It doesn't matter which emotion (e.g. happy, sad, mad, fear, etc.), as long as the audience feels it deeply. For the sake of this article, we are going to assume that your music is already capable of doing this. This article will be stressing the needs and techniques for packaging the music into something that the audience will believe, love, and buy. I've seen too many bands that have damaged their chances by having a bad presentation.

In writing this article it was clear that I was going to need some real life examples. So, I decided to use a band that I am very familiar with: mine. I've been playing with "Armed to the Teeth" for a while now. We are a three piece band (guitar, keyboard/guitar, and drums), doing mainly original rock'n'roll. (We want to be a four piece and we are currently looking for the right bass player. It seems that bass players in the Michigan area are at a premium.) We just scheduled and played our second experimental gig which went very well (more on experimental gigs later). Where possible, I will bring up real problems and solutions that our band faced.

So, with that said, it's time for me to quit yapping and get on with the show.

Set Planning

This is the highly overlooked art of placing the songs together in such a way as to take the audience on an emotional ride. Placing songs back to back just willy-nilly is the quickest way to get everyone to leave before the show is over. There are multiple philosophies on this subject, but the one I will cover here will be a tried and true model that has been used in all types of shows from Frank Sinatra to Kiss. The first thing you're going to want to do is map out a peaks and valleys diagram. Like a roller coaster, a music show should have big dips, small dips, twists and turns, and rest periods to build the suspense. The energy/attention level of the audience is an important thing to monitor and control. By creating a map of energy peaks in your set you can grab the audience, give them time to relax, and send them home with the idea that they have seen a great show. In the diagram below, note the flow of energy or emotion. The first and probably most important part is the big opening. Start with something that will grab the audience and make them interested in the rest of the show. Keeping the energy level up for too many songs will hinder the audience's ability to focus on the show. An audience can only be emotionally bombarded for so long. At this point, a rest is important to keeping a groups attention span. After a rest period the audience will be ready to go again. Pick up the pace for a while, but not as hard as in the beginning, and then let them rest one more time. Now, build to the big finale which will leave them wanting more. In the set list below (the one Armed to the Teeth used), note the use of emotional flow.

Energy Progession Song Comments BIG BANG START Midi Intro Mainly environmental-type sounds used like the slow climb to the first hill on a roller coaster. The Kat Instrumental, heavy hitting. Six Feet Under Powerful vocal number. TIRE THEM OUT If You Knew Me Better Lot of guitars, high energy, fun. (Drum Solo) Leopards & Doves Powerful bass number. (Shorter Drum Solo) Wasted B3 organ number with crunch guitar. Man Behind the Mask Powerful guitar song. REST Juliet Longer more melodic song. BACK UP Flashes Of Brilliance Keyboard solo, with many peaks and valleys in the energy flow. FINAL REST Talking to the Walls Soft ballad, mournful. I Just Wanna Play Soft ballad, lighter in mood. BUILD TO I Just Wanna Jam Second half of "I just want play", band intro song. High energy. BIG ENDING Armed to the Teeth Last song in normal set. Band ID song. Tear their heads off. ENCORE Jesus Christ Superstar Really let them have it. Big pipe organ. Detroit Rock City Actual last song. High energy cover that everyone knows. Get off stage whether they want more or not. Leave them wanting more.

L. D.'s guitar arsenal creates problem to overcome in set design.

This was not our first stab at designing this set. Our first set design wouldn't actually work due to technical difficulties. This leads me to my second point - will the set flow on stage? Our lead guitar player, L. D. Walter, changes guitars from song to song in order to get the tone he's looking for. Being our main front man and main lead singer, he needs time to change guitars and effect set ups without being noticeable in doing so. Long breaks between songs causes the audience to become jumpy and not focused on your show. It is the same effect as what causes a commercial free movie to be much better than one that is interrupted every eight minutes with sales pitches. I play keyboard and guitar, so I also need time to switch instruments and patches as well. Other things to keep in mind is musician rest periods after big numbers. Jeff Wears, our drummer, needs an easier song after his drum solo. Singers often have songs that are hard on their voices and may need a rest after that, or at least an easier to sing song. Let's take another look at that set list with technical issues in mind.

Song Comments Midi Intro Automatic. Allows band to get centered and our lighting director to set the mood. The Kat Both players on guitar. Six Feet Under Same guitar set up. (I sing lead) If You Knew Me Better Same guitar set up. (I sing lead) (Drum Solo) During the solo I get my keyboards set up, L. D. changes to bass guitar. Leopards & Doves L. D. sings a good warm up song for later. Slower drumming song also allows Jeff a well deserved rest before "Man Behind the Mask" (Short Drum Solo) L. D. changes back to guitar. Wasted More demanding song for L. D. to sing. Man Behind the Mask I sing this one and give L. D. a break. Juliet Good warm up for keyboard solo to come. Flashes Of Brilliance I'm beat after keyboard solo, get the stretcher. Talking to the Walls I play a lot in the next two songs, but it's easier ballad type of stuff. I Just Wanna Play I cover introduction while L. D. changes guitars for the last time. I Just Wanna Jam Band powers back up to big finish with high energy song. Armed to the Teeth Time to lay back and have fun. L. D. needs no more instrument changes. (Encore) Jesus Christ Superstar Detroit Rock City A quick change to guitar for me while L. D. fires up the crowd.

Obviously, your band may have an entirely different set of problems to account for, but all bands need to consider similar concerns. Note the attention given to making the time between songs short. L. D. or I are never changing instruments while there is no music or introduction going on. Sometimes the balance between technical problems and emotional flow is difficult to bridge. You may have to write/learn other songs to keep things going. In our case note the strategic placement of the drum solos.