FOH at Large

At this point everyone is well aware of the Fyre Festival debacle that took place a short while ago that was spearheaded by self-proclaimed tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland and the entertainer Ja Rule. Whether the Fyre Festival failure was due to a lack of foresight and knowledge or an excess of hubris and greed is still to be determined as the two promoters will likely be wrapped up in multiple court cases for a good long while. Although it can be argued that McFarland and Ja Rule (a.k.a. Jeffrey Atkins) were overly ambitious in their attempt to create an exotic high-end concert experience, it should also be understood that — regardless of the various extenuating circumstances involved — there are certain basic requirements that need to be fulfilled to ensure for a successful venture of this sort.

Much like everybody else on the planet, I have recently been distracted by the daily news and non-news reports regarding the present administration. Since the inauguration, new shocking and head-scratching revelations have been brought to light on a daily basis, thereby making our collective reality seem like an episode of the television shows, House of Cards, Veep and Homeland all rolled into one. While it is amusing and entertaining to watch the heroes and heroines of these shows melt down and self-destruct due to their self-serving attitudes, the comedy and irony of these scripts is lost when translated into our real-life experience.

On Wednesday March 8, 2017, upon touching down in Seattle, the Italian band, Soviet Soviet, was questioned and held overnight in jail before being ushered to a plane that took them back to Italy. The three musicians were traveling under The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program, an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Rules and regulations are stultifying and, though we are all aware that certain guidelines are required to maintain a safe and healthy work environment, nobody appreciates being bound by directives that add to our cost of doing business. Considering that we are professionals with many years of experience, it is almost insulting to be told by outside sources how to do our jobs. In many instances, we ignore various rules altogether, as they just don’t seem to apply to what it is we do.

Trying to have a conversation about “Obamacare” opens the door to a maelstrom of hyperbole, rumors, partisan fear mongering and polarizing finger pointing. Having a similar conversation regarding “The Affordable Care Act” elicits a kinder and gentler response to the conversation even though — to quote William Shakespeare — “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

“Well, opinions are like a**holes. Everybody has one,” is a quote by Harry Callahan in the 1988 movie The Dead Pool. Another version of this quote is, “Well, opinions are like a**holes. Everybody has one and most of them stink,” and lastly the best selling author Simone Elkeles embellished the quote to read: “Opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one, but they think each others’ stink.” While there are a few more versions of the same quote, I have opted to leave them out, since none of them serve to enlighten us any further than the snarky gems previously stated.

One day, in the not too distant past, I found myself wondering if I had stepped into an alternate universe. I was providing a monitor rig to the morning TV show, Live with Kelly, consisting of a microphone package — including a few wireless mics, a console, a split snake, in-ear monitors, monitor wedges and a tech to set it up and run it. Over the last 15 years, as the show morphed from being Regis and Kelly to Kelly and Michael to just Kelly, I — as an agent of S.I.R. NY — have been one of the show’s main providers of backline and audio for incoming bands that were in need of a monitor package of more than two or three mixes.

There are very few rights and wrongs regarding the sound of a live audio mix, and while there are multiple ways of arriving at a final result, the ultimate criteria for assessing said mix should be that it sounds and feels good in the space one is trying to fill. Of course, this is a challenge thate seems to be right out of the Idiot’s Guide to the Sound Universe — a real “Duh” moment — but we all know this task is easier said than done.

I have a confession to make. Like many other folks in the business of audio, I am a recovering gearaholic. While having a compulsion for collecting equipment may sound somewhat innocuous compared to other forms of addiction, I can honestly stand before you and say that the habit is real and the consequences of said craving can be severe and debilitating.

It’s finally happened. The day that always seemed so far away has arrived with not quite as much fanfare as I had imagined, but certainly with more impact than I was prepared to receive. That’s right; I turned 65 years of age and while my inevitable demise is not as imminent as my life insurance policy makes it seem, the implications — as well as the realities of my chronological calculations — have sunk in. I am old, and the beginning of my twilight years has officially commenced.

Back in the last century — when I spent a good deal of my time on the road traveling from gig to gig — we would arrive at the airport, check our luggage and gear, hand in our tickets and board the plane. If the flight were international — whether originating from the United States or some other country — we’d face the scrutiny of some austere border guard as they looked between our passport picture and us. Satisfied that we were who we said we were and that we were not transporting any fruits, vegetables or exotic animals, the guard would then approve our passage with a passport stamp and usher us through to our flight.

Many artists are imbued with an intangible quality that makes them compelling to an audience or a viewer. For that matter, many politicians, athletes and business people maintain an intangible aura that often defines their careers as well and — while they may be analyzed, criticized and ostracized for all their quirks and idiosyncrasies — they still preserve a quality that makes them persuasive and successful in their chosen profession. If we examine the strengths and weaknesses of athletes such as Muhammad Ali, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, we can come up with very definitive reasons for their success, but while their records might be exemplary, there is still an unlabeled intangible quality that propelled each of them to notoriety, fame and greatness.