Prove It All Night: With no fame or fortune, what keeps a band onstage? (1999)
chicagoreader.com39 points by NaOH 9 days ago
39 points by NaOH 9 days ago
I've played in bar bands (doing covers) for 12 years now. My current project is going on hiatus due to some members leaving and us having to find new ones. We played our last show very recently and were talking about how we have an actual fanbase that's grown through friends, spontaneous discovery, and social media primarily through my bandmates' doing. Before the show and between sets I'm always going out of my way to do something in service of the performance instead of talking to people in the crowd that are watching us.
It then occurred to me that a decent part of the reason that I perform live is a selfish one - on some level I'd rather demonstrate social utility by being a human jukebox than have to interact with people normally. Apparently I'd rather chug water and double-check the setlist after getting off stage than drink a beer and introduce myself to people. As ironic as it sounds there's a certain security to being on stage that insulates you from having to hang out with people while still scratching the itch to go out.
Maybe I'm psychologizing myself too much but it's a thought. Definitely something I'm going to work on regardless.
I celebrated my 25th year on stage almost three years ago. Mostly playing covers in bars.
There was a time when we were hoping to “make it” and we did release an album but it wasn’t very successful, of course. That band broke up a few years later but I kept going with different bands.
I can’t do it every week anymore, let alone every night. It’s very physically demanding, so once a month is plenty in my age.
But it’s still fun. A lot of fun. I can’t imagine ever stopping it until I can’t physically do it. It’s part of who I am. Long live rock’n roll \m/
“ As ironic as it sounds there's a certain security to being on stage that insulates you from having to hang out with people while still scratching the itch to go out.”
It does not sound ironic to me, and it reminded me of “To know them” by Eric’s Trip. If you don’t know the song, I think you’d feel at least partially identified by the short lyrics, regardless of what you make of the music.
I knew someone who played guitar in the band at their daughter's wedding, and at least part of it was getting out of having to socialize after dinner— and in particular to participate in a father-daughter dance.
Some people can make a living doing something they enjoy. "Success" is not fame, and vice versa (they are wholly orthogonal to each other), and I remember reading an interview with a member of Canadian group Saga, who in the US had like 1 top 40 hit in the early 80s and a few more minor ones in their home country, but ultimately they sell a few thousand records a year, and tour regularly in two "big" markets for them : Puerto Rico and Germany, and they seem to make roughly a middle class lifestyle doing so.
Beats being an accountant or urologist I suppose.
I suspect there's a similar vibe for cover band folks.
Really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing.
Performing is fun.
Played in a thrash metal band during the Halcyon days doing covers of the likes of Anthrax and Metallica and trying our best to write original material. Performing is fun but only a small part of the experience. Our band was one of a 1/2 dozen metal/speed/punk bands in town so when not playing we would be at each other's gigs. Many of us had rented sheds for rehearsing (decked out in secondhand carpet) so could often drop in on each other. Very much a community and something overlooked.
I believe the SF metal scene and the NY scene at the time was very much the same.
passion, of course! not everyone is chasing fame and fortune. most musicians I know play just because someone is listening, and often times that someone is only them!