Monday, May 9, 2016

Axl Rose Gains Huge Respect | The Show MUST Go On

Axle Rose was in a wheelchair with a busted leg (I guess) but he was front and center for the debut performance with AC/DC.



We aren't huge fans of AC/DC but the man delivered more than I thought he would and the summary critique is he kicked ass.


That need to play and the knowledge the show must go on are what separates the hobbyists from the professionals.  Probably not to any surprise, there are quite a few hobbyists in Second Life and generically they're known as campfire singers (i.e. hobbyists).  Hey y'all, wanna hear some Neil Young covers?

NO!


There are others in Second Life who are first-class professionals so don't be putting everyone into one tiny bucket.


Even if the venue owner is your good friend, you have, maybe, three strikes on no-show performances before you're history and you won't get staged again, at least not at that venue.  Understand this, musicos, as many don't.  In SL it's obvious but the ones in RL die off quickly and don't make the first cut.  The show starts when you say it will or you ain't no real performer.

If you go into a performance and there are constant problems, that's a killer as well.  Oh, it's because the girlfriend let the cat eat me bacon and now my kit doesn't work.  It doesn't matter what it was and no-one cares, just fix it and get on with it.  That can happen to anyone once because technical things do go wrong but don't let it happen a lot or your reliability for performances collapses and zero future gigs.

Even the real professionals have to cancel sometimes but that's always with enough notice so the venue owner, concert manager, etc has time to deal with the absence, possibly with a replacement.  That's life and sometimes it happens; it's only a problem when it's part of a pattern and that aspect is performance suicide.


Some get cocky and think, hell no, my kit is square, I don't need a sound check.  Every show needs a sound check and AC/DC did one before the set on top.  If they need one then what makes you think you don't.  Failure to prepare is not the fault of the venue owner.  You own it, musico, and don't expect be expecting to see many venue owners when your set collapses because you failed to do the pre-check.


We talked of this quite a bit this morning and there's no way to cure it since the phenomenon is always part of music.  Some treat it like hobbyists and some as professionals.  That's true for every venue all the way down to the corner rock bar (which just might be the coolest place you will ever play).

Something some may really hurl over the idea music is more important than sex.  If you don't understand that one, girlie, don't ever hook up with a musico.  For any seriously-committed musico, if given the option of choosing sex over music, what's your guess as to the answer?  And, yah, we think you already now.

Look around me as the only things I kept at all costs when my life collapsed was the music kit.  It wasn't clothes for trying to be the cool guy with women or anything of that nature.  It wasn't even my slinky li'l imitation sports car (Chrysler Sebring) as I gave it away.  The person needed it more than I (shrug).  That's precisely how it went down too.  There's more to that story but nothing you will see from this buggy blogger.


If I tell you I'm going to play then I will be there and my record is clear to 2006 for live in SL.  I won't cancel a gig unless the house is afire and the police are coming.  Hang on to that thought, kiddos, as that's what makes the difference.  Whether my jams suck or they don't is secondary because if I don't show then the quality of the jams is irrelevant.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Axl Rose should even be there
AC/DC lost all my respect when they threw Brian to the curb.
He has fronted the band since Bon Scott drank himself to death.
And now sorry chum we dont need you anymore. Hope your hearing recovers soon
What losers.

Unknown said...

Well, can't say too much about the band as they aren't huge favorites anyway but I do really admire the way Rose stepped up to it while being heckled relentlessly by AC/DC fans for even trying it. Yep, I respect that.

Overcoming adversity, blah de blah.

Anonymous said...

Never liked Axl Rose for much
Now Slash is another question
Axls Chinese Democracy album is crap and took forever to be that bad.
He should have stuck with GnR
and opened for the Stones when it was offered Maybe he would have been included on Desert Trip

Unknown said...

I really can't critique the guy because I didn't follow him all that much. "Welcome to the Jungle" was the only GnR song which really grabbed me. I do respect the showing up and making it happen with AC/DC and that's with any history, plus or minus, behind him.

Slash is a whole different story as I see him as walking excellence and a classy guy. What do I know if he's really classy but he comports himself well to any appearance I have seen and, obviously, smokin' on that guitar.

Anonymous said...

GnR has many straight up tunes. Too bad Axl sings
Slash has always had issues finding a decent frontman Velvet Revolver had Scott Wieland from STP
He could never start a show on r
time

Unknown said...

Yah, I saw him the other day with a deliciously intricate introduction to a song and that broke into basic-model thrashing with whatever band he has joined now. The man is so much better than that!