Re: More Brook/Gasparyan.

[Dave Stagner <dave@spnz.org>]

Travis Hartnett wrote:
> 
> This is one of my pet peeves--onstage apologies for poor 
>preparedness/lack
> of confidence/new material/being drunk/etc.  As far as I'm concerned, 
>you're
> announcing that you're about to suck.  If you're sucking, the audience 
>will
> recognize it all by itself.  Many times, they won't, and perhaps you're 
>not
> sucking.  I'd advocate taking all the credit for happy mistakes and 
>ignoring
> most unhappy mistakes.  Anything short of an amplifier bursting into 
>flames
> or howling mic feedback should pass without comment from the performer.

Which reminds me of a loopy performance... some years ago, i saw Steve
Tibbetts perform in Cedar Rapids.  Although the performance was
outstanding (indeed, astonishing), the sound was marred by a serious hum
problem with his electric guitar rig.  They worked around it by
concentrating on acoustic material, but he obviously wanted to let it
rip.  After one bout with chasing hum between songs, he said "There's a
ghost in the machine".  About a minute into the next song, one of the
speaker towers (about the size of a coffin) leaned forward and fell,
achingly slowly, to the floor three feet below, landing with the
tremendous *THUD* of something very broad and heavy landing square on
the floor at speed.  

Tibbetts and Anderson didn't say a word.  They didn't even break
stride.  They finished the song, then got some help picking the speaker
up, and finished the set.

THAT is professionalism.

-dave