Why didn’t I think of that?

Was listening to an interview the other day. It was from ancient history but something caught my eardrob.

The speaker, Mister Robert Wyatt of the progressive musical as semblance called “Soft Machine”, was talking about their sets on stage.

“Why play a one hour concert and not three minute songs?

You do a number and stop and everyone loses attention but if you keeping going continuously they can’t lose attention until you are ready to stop anyway.

Where the group can tune up but the audience shuffles around and lites cigarettes and…”

“Ah Ha” moment!!!

For anyone who performs to an audience, one must understand that the public gets bored easily and given half a chance will wander.

Unlike a book where the reviews have been wonderful but into a couple of chapters you mind starts to glaze over but you plod forward trying to find that sweet spot that will reward your expectations.

Every orchestra can acknowledge that after intermission, half the audience has left the building.

The next time you go to a concert (or check out a YouTube video of your favorite live act) and see all the seemingly confusion between songs. Maybe everyone has to retune or switch instruments or get a drink or fix a plug or take a leak or whatever slows down the show, but it happens.

If there is a good front man (or woman) who can keep the interest focused while all this other humdrum is going on with folks in black all scurrying around the stage and terrible sounds coming out of the speakers in hopes that the delays will be as short as lines waiting for flights.

If you give an audience enough time they will order another drink, settle back into some discussion about why China wants to land on the dark side of the moon, or any other distraction because the music is NOT playing.

I have recordings to remind me of those awkward breaks that the audience had to endure.

The worst were the dance numbers. Get everyone hopping to the keen riffs and pounding beat then a speaker blows out and everything comes to a grinding halt. While repairs or adjustments are being made, the dancers wander off into the distance.

Sometimes a slow song will bring them back to the dance floor so they can hang their sweaty teenage bodies on each other or you might as well pack up.

It is good advice: Keep the show going, no matter what.