I like entertainment. I am willing to pay for entertainment. Now this combination is quite difficult to find among Indians where we are so used to freebies. So when people like me exist, we have only one expectation - to get entertained. Sounds simple enough doesn't it?
Here's the back story. There was a concert I attended recently where four amazing kids from a singing reality show came down to my city to perform. Their voices sounded just as good as they did when I saw them on TV, maybe even better. But overall the show was quite disappointing. There were so many gaps in the middle of the show, the singers weren't sure how to keep the audience engaged (they're kids, they did try though). To avoid those gaps, the kids tried to sing their next song as quickly as possible, (which is sweet) except that their voices couldn't handle such back-to-back singing. Now there was an emcee in this show who did bare minimum and assumed he was amazing and the people loved him (sigh!). Since he was effectively kissing ass, his paycheck would come through.
I paid a lot of money for my ticket and what's more important was my Saturday evening time. Was I entertained? Meh! Now don't get me wrong, the kids were great. They are such brilliant singers and they might be the only saving grace of the evening. But I would've preferred to watch this on TV with the editors doing their thing and delivering some crisp entertainment. The funny part is I don't know whom the hold accountable is this case.
The sponsors. They felt like they have done Chennai a big favor by bringing these kids here for their first ever concert.
The emcee. He did not know the composition of his audience and didn't know how to connect to them. Language was a huge barrier. If this happened in a less sophisticated auditorium, I'm sure he would've been boo-ed away.
The musicians. They tried to keep up with the singers, but clearly they hadn't rehearsed before. Or matched tunes. Or knew what key to play in. There was a lot of back-and-forth between the singers and the band leader.
The singers. Their first concert, so I'm assuming they didn't prepare for the gaps between songs. One of them showed some leadership and gave some background about the song that they were to perform, so the others followed suit. Given the fact that they are under 15, I don't think it's right to expect too much off them.
The organisers. Who or where were these guys?
Now to top it off, the emcee announced on stage that these singers were singing with the musicians for the first ever time without any practice. "Wow, give it up for them", he said. 😕
Are you kidding me? I gave you my money to be entertained. You're doing a fairly average job and now gloating about the fact that there was no practice or rehearsals? Give me my money and time back!
Anybody in the music industry can vouch for the fact that you need to rehearse before you do live shows. Now present before me a spectacular show and tell me there were no rehearsals, I'd be surprised! Present before me a half baked show and expect me to clap for no rehearsals - No.
I don't understand why we worship under - preparedness. Yes spontaneity is good, but that doesn't mean you come under prepared. Spontaneity can be showcased when you are ready for any possible scenario and yet right there at that live moment, you're faced with something new.
The kids practiced their songs themselves. They should have practiced it with the live musicians too. The organisers should've known there'd be breaks between the songs and handled it better. They should've analyzed their audience and brought in a more suitable emcee who does more than just kiss-ass.
Practice makes man perfect. Haven't we heard this time and again? Loads of practice makes you so perfect that you are effortless when you need to perform. You cannot be perfect unless you practice. You cannot beat a hundred gundas unless you first go to the gym and build some muscles. Films are unrealistic. And being filmy is overrated.
If you want my money, you better be worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment