As the people who follow this blog know, I have a family band. It’s called “The little G Band”. If I can, I’ll attach a link to our promo video.
We usually play concert inside. And usually we invite as many people as possible and we try to deliver as energetic of a show as we can. We are a rock band. We have a drum set, a keyboard, a guitar and a bass. The last three instrument are electric. We need a plug to do our show. That’s pretty standard.
But!
But we’ve been asked to play in a park where there was no plug.
But, we’ve been asked to play at a festival where the stage is not protected from the weather.
But we’ve been asked to play without the guitar and use just the piano.
And we want to play.
We want to be able to say yes to every opportunity we have of doing a show.
So, what to do?
Here is the answer, but it’s not an easy one: adapt to the point where you can’t.
The for instance is this one: let’s talk about the gig in the park with no electricity. Without electricity, we become an acoustic band. Can we play acoustic? Not sure: we have an acoustic guitar, some djembe. That’s it. The grand piano is not in the picture, for obvious reasons. So, all of the sudden, the questions multiply: can we play for at least 45 minutes with just a guitar and a djembe? Can we get an electric piano that works with batteries? How much is it? Can we get an acoustic bass? How much is it? Can we get a mini amp for our electric bass? How much is it? Can we rework all of our parts to play that show? Is it worth it to rework our parts if we are going to do that kind of thing just once? Should we start branch out and start hitting cafes and sandwich places to play?
Now, do you understand my answer: adapt to the point where you can’t?
Of course there are some financial concerns, and I emphasized them. But there are also some others, many others: the preparation, the length, the efforts, the time (I have my children only on half custody, never forget that).
So, to every opportunity that doesn’t fit neatly into our format, I have to always consider all the parameters. Some can be handled, some cannot. And, more than that, I have to consider not getting mad the organizers who offered us a gig, because if there is something else that we can participate in, we would be very happy to do so. We do not want to appear standoffish.
So, in the case of the gig at the park with no plug, we had to say no. But not for all the reasons and questions I listed: my daughter has to take her S.A.T test that morning. Sometimes, no matter what you do, it’s cooked before you try to put it in the oven.