Countdown Entry #37   1:15 PM, Thursday, August 28th, 1999:   Friday, August 27th, 1999 - 9:30 - 1:00 AM BRIAN BORU'S PUB HOUSE (PART 2)   SETUP   WE NOW HAVE LIGHTS! That made the set-up roughly 45 seconds longer...getting very good at this. Set up in 45 minutes, tear down in 35. With the help of two very wonderful people. Very kick butt. AGAIN the ol' computer managed to have parts come unplugged, but that was easily remedied.   THE PERFORMANCE SET 1: OPEN 1 - UNPLUGGED - PARODY 1 SET 2: RHYTHM - PARODY 2 - HARRY SET 3: HATE - LOVE - STRONGER - ABBEY ROAD   Very good on my end. Other than Eleanor Rigby (which I didn't come CLOSE to hitting on the first note - it's a cold open), my voice held out with no problems, and it's nice to know it will be the last show I do without monitors. WHEW. It's been tough. The lights were nice...we tried 75 watts on two bulbs and it was a bit too bright...they're about 18 inches from my face. I'll throw 50 watts at me, and we'll be cool. Thinking of actually using a corded mic with a stand from now on. Gives me the freedom (strange as it sounds) to do a little more with my hands, and with the stand...and the cordless isn't really a big deal because, I never go more than 5 to 10 feet from the set-up. Also a cordless is $400 a corded is $100. Yes, the truth comes out. Adam is broke :-)   THE REACTION   (sigh) I knew he was coming, I should've remembered. An old friend from WTVN, Andy Bernstein - all the late show listeners will remember him as the guy who sang: "Time to close another Late Show..." ANYWAY, he spent roughly an hour telling me what I needed to do differently. Now I take this 2 ways. One, I love it. I want to hear what everyone thinks about the show. That's what's so cool about it. When you see it you get lots of ideas...oooh you could do this! You could do that! It's fun. The other way I take it is: "Unless you're offering me money...shut the hell up." :-) Heh heh... His heart was in the right place, but the first thing he said was "you've got to get rid of those lights..." (the ones ABOT and I had just spent the previous night designing and building)... "You need a big focused light in front of you with barn doors on it..." (good ones cost about $400-and for that matter, you cannot have your lighting depend on the venue you're playing at. How many places can allow me that much DEPTH! The lights I have now on my tv shelves...no extra room needed) ANYWAY, it went on like this for every break, and well after the show. The man told me how to FREAKIN' TEAR DOWN. "Well if you put the tv shelves on wheels you could just wheel the whole thing away..." Great Andy, how's it going to fit through THE DOOR. It was cool at first but I soon grew tired of it. Every single one of his ideas were things I already struggled with, but money was the barrier. The only thing he said that wasn't money related was that he thought that the live Adam should be the focus. I should stand more in front of the TVS and the guys should be back up. There, we just disagree. I'm part of a band, I WANT people to watch those TVS as much as me. So there's that. The rest though...good GOD. It makes me happy though. Because one day down the road. There'll be this guy who has a little money. And he will see the same things I see, and that of course Andy sees, and he will say the same things...only this time he'll invest and we'll be rich. Until that time - CHILL! Now, if any of you come to a show, and you have an idea...TELL ME! But think about it a bit before hand...like if it involves oh, I don't know, throwin' an extra $1000 into the show...uh...no. Can't do it. I've thrown all the little thousands that I have into it. If it's a set idea...TELL ME! If it's an opinion on what you liked or didn't like...YES! I love that. But telling me to set up the TVs in a different way, well...no. Believe me the reason this took 6 months from idea to the first show (november-may), was because of all these little problems. You may now see all the technical crap that had to be thought out. How to hold the tvs...how to transport the tvs...everything. My set-up now was the most economical and efficient way...I know it could look better, but TOO BAD! Sorry for the diatribe, but just needed to tell ya. I love it when you critique, I pray it happens at every show, but if it's monetary...I'm deaf. Thank you Andy for being so passionate though. Hit the lottery so we can go kick some ass.

 

 

AUGUST 1999