How to Improve Your Stage Presence:Ten Steps to Becoming a Better Perfomer

This is directed at lead singers, but this post about live performances has a takeaway for anyone in a band.

If your band is playing a lot of shows, or if you've done a lot of touring this year, at this point in the summer, you're either feeling energized. or tired. or frustrated.

Maybe things aren't happening the way you'd like them to, and you're wondering how to get people to come out to see you perform.

Touring or gigging is hard. Fun, yes, but hard, especially if you're trying to move up to the next step--more tickets sold, bigger venues, more music sales, more merch sales, better opportunities...whatever the "next" is for you.

Here's one way to boost your shows and move toward your "next" without spending a dime:

Improve your stage presence.

Everyone, at every level of the business, strives to be a better performer every night than they were the night before. Even Mick Jagger.

If you work on it consistently, and couple that with solid promotion, word gets out:  "Wow, they were absolutely on fire tonight!" Or "Wow, what a different band than they were before!"
I'd take improving your stage presence over spending an extra hour on Facebook any day, wouldn't you?


Yes, you still have to do the other things to promote yourself.. But at this point of summer, it's easy to become a little complacent with the show, or to slack off because you're tired and it's hot as hell.

Don't be that person. Don't be that band. Get up. Stand up straighter. Take a little extra time with your clothes and appearance tonight. Walk out onto that stage taller, and strive to kick ass.

If you're not the lead singer, discuss this with the rest of the band, so everyone's on the same page. (NO accusations. Just, "I think we can step up our game, me as much as anyone. I was reading this article..." and have them read it and this post. Be sure to include yourself in the "needs to improve" category.)

Otherwise, what will happen is, the one who's read the article will stand out too much, and the band won't look like a cohesive unit. Or, you'll have more enthusiasm than the others and your timing will be different because of your increased adrenaline, throwing the others off.

A friend of mine worked with a drummer who suddenly decided to improve without telling anyone. Can you imagine? Don't do that...

Resolve to make the next one your best show ever. Get everyone on the same page, get out there, and kick ass. Then repeat. 

Here's how to improve your stage presence:

http://musicbizadvice.com/advice/mbadc-performance-coach/from-lead-singer-to-front-man-10-ways-to-improve-your-stage-presence-and-entertain-an-audience/

Have a great rest of the summer!

Rand Reed
Founder, MusicBizAdvice.com
Follow me on Twitter @MusicBizAdvice .

Billboard Touring Awards 2013: The Hardest-Won Award

On November 14, 2013 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, live music industry behind-the-scenesers gathered for the Billboard Touring Awards, as part of the 10^th Annual Billboard Touring Conference.

Most of the awards were based on Billboard’s Boxscore numbers, with awards in a few categories determined with input from touring industry personnel. As its name implied, the Eventful Fan Choice Award was determined by fan votes on the Eventful event locator website. Country artist George Strait was awarded the 2013 Billboard Legend of Live statue. P!nk was named Billboard Woman of the Year, in addition to winning the Top Boxscore award, which is awarded for the year's top-grossing engagement at a particular venue.
 

Bon Jovi won four out of five of the awards they were nominated for. In addition to the Eventful Fan Choice Award, they won Top Tour (awarded to the top grossing tour), Top Draw (awarded to the top ticket seller), and Top Manager.  

Given that 2013 was Bon Jovi’s 30^th year in the business, and considering all they’ve been through during this touring cycle--guitarist RichieSambora’s no-show status for the second and subsequent legs of the tour, plus drummer Tico Torres’s two emergency surgeries during the South American leg and Tico's subsequent triumphant return--I was especially happy to hear the band won.

There will, no doubt, be some blowhard who writes a nasty remark or two about the “touring industry elite engaging in a self-congratulatory exercise.” (They’re so predictable, I have them memorized.)

I say, you’re Goddamn right they are. They should congratulate themselves.

Touring can be, and often is, physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting. On the performers’ part, to carry off a successful tour takes an incredible amount of focus and discipline. From behind-the-scenes, the planning and execution of a tour might be best described to someone outside of the industry as a lot like planning a huge wedding every night, as it's the only "real life" event most people can even begin to relate to in terms of scale and stress level. The difference is, on tour the “wedding” takes place in a different town every night, and you have to keep getting everyone and all the components of the reception to the church on time. Then you pack ‘em all up and do it all over again. And again. And again.

That’s why I’ve always considered the Billboard Touring Awards (and their sister awards the Pollstar Awards) harder-won, and maybe a little more special than some of the other music awards. During my career I’ve worked for and with some Billboard Touring Award and Pollstar Award winning promoters and agents, so that’s admittedly part of, but not all of it.

The thing that makes a touring award special is—and this is no disrespect to the Grammys or AMA’s, or anyone who’s won or been nominated for them—a Grammy-award winning song or album is made once, by perhaps a hundred or so people. An award-winning tour is made every night, by thousands.

Congratulations to all my colleagues and friends in the touring industry who were nominated, won awards, or even just came really, really close. You earned it.

A complete list of winners is here .

You can see who was nominated here .


©2013 Randi Reed and MusicBizAdvice.com . All rights reserved.

Letter to a Rude Guy: How Not To Treat People at a Concert (And What Happens When You Do)

Last week I aggravated an old ankle injury at a show in Anaheim, necessitating the use of a cane. For Bon Jovi’s Staples Center show a couple of days later, I was still on the cane so I used the opportunity to see what it’s like to be a differently-abled audience member (no industry perks, and without venue staff knowing I’m industry). I’d planned to post about that, but first I need to address an audience member who was at that show. At least six people saw what you’re about to read. To any guys reading this,  please be assured this is no reflection on your gender. There were plenty of rude women there, too. This person just happened to be the worst I saw. I wrote this the morning after the show.

Dear Rude Guy in Floor 1 at Bon Jovi Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, October 11, 2013:

If your behavior at the above-mentioned show is any indication, there’s nothing “dear” about you.

Out of human decency I will do you the courtesy of not mentioning our row number, or your seat number, in a public forum. But don’t think I’m not tempted to. You’re probably lucky I’m the one writing this instead of someone who does not consider the power of his or her words.

In the middle of Jon Bon Jovi’s Circle Stage* performance to my right, you barreled your way down our row to get to Jon, passing in front of everyone in our row without so much as an “excuse me.” As you pushed past, you inappropriately ran your hand over BFF @Jinjer ’s hip area, then knocked my cane off of the back of the chair in front of me, sending my purse flying and nearly toppling me over as I balanced on one foot. Had that chair not been in front of me to grab onto, I would have fallen; the only thing that kept me from it was a hopping lurch toward it on my good foot.

Someone with less mobility would have gone down. Someone with manners would have noticed their error and apologized and perhaps helped the injured party retrieve her purse and cane, or, at the very least, said a simple “excuse me.” You did none of those.

If you’d made a beeline toward the restroom after your loutish behavior, I might have been more forgiving, because you may have been ill. (You looked sober.) But no…

You proceeded to stand in the aisle that was next to me, blocking my view, and then you attempted to crowd me out of my spot in front of my aisle seat and claim my seat as your own. (My seat was a full-price ticket, bought through normal channels, by the way. I wanted to have fun and not feel obligated to “network” so I didn’t even use an industry buy. Your seat was at the other end of our row.) Then you had the temerity to nudge me and smile and try to be my concert buddy while I stood my ground (on my one good foot) and tried to ignore you as I clapped along in support of my favorite frontman.

Oh, but wait…There’s more.

When I shouted in your ear, “I’m balanced on one foot. Please move!” and held up my cane to show you--yeah, the one you never noticed you’d sent flying a minute ago--you ignored me and continued to crowd me while I balanced precariously.
  

This is why you were at the show without a date. And if you think that trolling Bon Jovi concerts for female companionship is going to help you, you are sadly mistaken.

Do not think for a millisecond that gold Rolex you were attempting to show off by pushing up the sleeves of your cashmere sweater will help you. It won’t.

Do not try to blame my icy glare--some might call it “the stinkeye”--and my lack of any friendliness toward you on the fact that Jon Bon Jovi was standing a mere few feet away. While that certainly wouldn’t help your case, Jon’s not your problem.

It’s you. More specifically, the problem is your behavior and demeanor.

You, sir—note the omission of a capital on that “S,” because you clearly don’t deserve one-- are an ass.

That is why, unbeknownst to you, while you were busy pulling out your camera, I caught the eye of the usher working the aisle, gestured toward you, and gave her the Security “he’s outta here” hand signal. She gave me a nod of recognition and came toward you immediately.

Until that show, it was unthinkable that I’d ever use it as an audience member. Even while working various artists’ shows over the years I’ve only had to use it twice, because most people are truly good people who just get a little carried away. I do admit to feeling more than a little gleeful when I used it on you, however. You groped my best friend’s *ss and nearly knocked me over, remember?

You then proceeded to stand in the aisle pleading with the female usher, which only made you look more asinine (I didn’t think that was even possible). You had no case, and she got rid of you as two members of Security--who’d silently moved in behind you without your ever noticing--stood ready to escort you out as necessary. (As it always does when I see Security move in on someone, the theme from “Jaws” ran briefly through my head.)

Let me guess: you didn’t get laid after the show that night, did you, Rude Guy?

While Security was dealing with you, I just rolled my eyes and shook my head and went back to watching my favorite frontman sing. You know…the guy who inspired me to want a music career in the first place. You know…the career where I learned that signal that made them send you packing.

Ain’t the Circle of Life grand?

And while all this was going on a few feet away from him? Jon, pro that he is, kept singing and didn’t miss a note, despite multiple audience distractions.

Amen.

“Have a Nice Day,” Rude Guy.

RR

P.S. The ushers and Security were very busy dealing with seat stealers and rude people that night. Thanks and kudos to them for doing such a great job.

Also, Staples Center Guest Services staff, you rock! Thank you for helping me get around that night. You went above and beyond, and you did it with a smile. I wanted to see what differently-abled concert goers really experience, so you didn’t know I’m industry ‘til now… Surprise! :-) Thanks again. I had a great evening, despite Rude Guy’s antics.

“The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are as*h*les, and the people who are not.”—Arnold Spirit Jr., The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

*For those not familiar with the show, that’s the part of the stage where Jon comes down front with his acoustic guitar to sing a few songs.

©2013 Randi Reed and MusicBizadvice.com .All rights reserved.

30 Years Gone? The Real Story of Richie Sambora’s Current Status in Bon Jovi

 I posted this to the MusicBizAdvice.com website last night.... --RR 

I hope everyone affected by the subject of this post understands why I’m writing it. Longtime readers of MusicBizAdvice.com know my mission: to give musicians the truth and help them protect their interests, even when it’s hard to hear. This post has certainly been hard for me to write.

Today I’m breaking my policy of never speaking publicly about an artist, because someone’s health is at stake, and our mutual friends and colleagues are worried. It concerns Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and his future with the band.

2013 is the 30^th anniversary of the release of Jon’s first single, “Runaway” and of the subsequent formation of the band Bon Jovi. Unfortunately, the band’s anniversary is overshadowed by Richie Sambora’s absence from their current tour to promote the band’s 12^th studio album, What About Now.

“Personal issues” was the explanation given for Richie’s absence. Guitarist Phil X was hired to stand in, and the first leg of the tour came and went.* Richie was still absent when the band hit the UK and Europe on the next leg of the tour, and Jon Bon Jovi said questions regarding Richie’s absence were best answered by Richie himself. (Bon Jovi have never been a band to air their dirty laundry in public, and as Richie Sambora’s employer, legally Jon Bon Jovi can’t speak about him due to privacy laws.) Meanwhile, Richie stayed mum and began promoting his fashion line with Nikki Lund, leaving fans baffled as speculation about his employment status went public via the tabloids. Now well into the band’s August break, Richie appears to be more focused on the fashion line than music.

I’ve been in and around bands since I was a kid, and I’ve seen this scenario play out before. From a personal standpoint, it’s especially sad to see this happen, because Bon Jovi was the first globally successful artist whose entire career (thus far) I’ve observed.

There’s much I could say about Bon Jovi from a professional and personal standpoint…like that time when, as a young intern new to the job, I picked up my boss’s phone to hear a voice I recognized from MTV interviews. It was Jon calling to negotiate his own deal. (It took maybe less than five minutes, everyone hung up happy, and it’s still the most amicable negotiation I’ve ever witnessed. I learned a lot from Jon that day.) Since then we’ve had many mutual colleagues and friends, and I’ve known the real story of what’s happening with Richie and the band for a while.

Again, it’s not my policy to speak publicly about artists. But the tabloid media are spreading tales that my colleagues and I know are lies, and it’s getting uglier, so here’s the truth:

1. Richie has NOT been fired. As one of my colleagues said, “Jon’s not going to kick a man when he’s down.”Additionally, Bon Jovi band policy is, as an original member of the band, Richie retains the title of “Bon Jovi Guitarist.” Whether or not Richie is actively using his title depends on him.

2. Richie is in control of his own destiny in the band, and there are conditions and parameters for his return if he wants to come back. He can’t just walk in and be welcomed back with open arms as if nothing has happened. Jon and the band love Richie and want him to be well, and his health is the most important thing to everyone. They want to welcome him back, as long as he’s healthy.

3. If you have a job, no matter what your title is, from Walmart Associate, to CEO of a Fortune 500 company, to Wall Street magnate, if there are multiple instances when you don’t show up for work and no one can reach you, there are repercussions. If you’re an athlete on a sports team and are a no-show without talking to the coach or the team, you’re suspended. If you’re in the army and you don’t show up, you go jail. And for all those jobs, when you show up, you must be physically able and ready to perform your job.
Being a rock star is no different. If you don’t show up or are physically unable to perform when you do show up, there are repercussions.

People count on you to be there: the audience who paid to see you (and maybe even traveled to do so). The fans who support you. Your crew members who take care of you and help you sound great and look pretty. Your Brothers onstage. Your singing partner. The talent buyer, record label, and partners in your 360 deal. Your corporate sponsors, and the TV and radio networks who invest millions of dollars to present your talent. The venue staff. All those people count on you to show up and do your job with the same excellence you ask of them.

4. It kills me to say this…but I happen to know there are multiple times when Richie didn’t show up for work, or was unfortunately physically unable to perform.

There are multiple, documented times when Richie was physically unable to perform in the studio and at the band’s important events– including live concert broadcasts attended by press and music industry people who are important to the band’s career. The “Unplugged” show in Brooklyn is just one example of an event when Richie was unreliable.

5. This is not about slagging Richie. It’s about concern for Richie’s health.

6. Everyone wants Richie to be healthy, happy, and well. They all love Richie and are united in this. There’s no “Team Jon” and “Team Richie.” It’s The Brotherhood.

7. The major news organizations who copied and pasted or cited the “Rumorfix” article as a source never called the Bon Jovi organization for comment. They did this to stretch out headlines and get more ratings and page views out of it. When people learn the truth, there’s no more story.

8. Someone who has a lot to gain–I won’t mention names–is orchestrating a full-on media takedown of Jon Bon Jovi, and they’re taking advantage of the fact that Jon, as Richie Sambora’s employer, is legally prevented from saying anything about Richie’s absence from the band. Even worse, the people orchestrating the attack are using unsuspecting, well-meaning Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora fans to do it.

That’s why I’m writing this: my colleagues and friends are hurting, and we all hate what these people are doing.

9. It’s painful for Jon’s friends and colleagues to watch Jon take the fall for his Brother Richie’s actions and take the high road while people make up tabloid lies about Jon. (Would you be strong enough to do that for a friend?)

Everyone I’ve ever known in the industry who has worked with Jon Bon Jovi says he’s a good guy who inspires decades-long loyalty. I’ve never heard anyone who’s worked with him say anything bad about him (and believe me, they say plenty about other people).

10. Everyone I’ve ever dealt with in the Bon Jovi organization has been a pleasure to work with. In any organization, the CEO sets the tone, and it comes from the top down. Bon Jovi’s teamwork, loyalty, and “can do” spirit start with Jon Bon Jovi.

One of the things people like about working with Jon and the Bon Jovi organization is that when the project begins, their first question is a sincere, “What can we do to help?” Or “What do you need from us?” Later, they follow up with “Do you have everything you need?” It’s such a simple thing, but Bon Jovi is the only artist I’ve ever dealt with who does this consistently.

So to see Jon Bon Jovi portrayed as the bad guy by people who have their own agenda (or by their team of minions who’ve never worked with, let alone met anyone in the band’s orbit) is unfair beyond words. It’s also unfair and disrespectful to Tico Torres, David Bryan, Hugh McDonald, and Bobby Bandiera, who have known and worked with Jon since he was a teenager. It’s also unfair to Phil X, who’s doing a fantastic job in a strange situation.

I’m not a spokesperson for the band, nor do I work for the band, but I’ll try to address some concerns Bon Jovi fans may have, based on what I know:

1. “The Brotherhood” is real. As a band, Bon Jovi may be big business, but they’re not just business. After 30 years together, the ones on the inner circle think of each other as Brothers. That doesn’t mean they don’t have disagreements, or that they don’t get angry or frustrated with each other. As in any family, you can laugh with your brother, you can cry with your brother, or you can be irritated or even angry with your brother, but you still love him no matter what and want him to be OK.

2. The band and crew hate the whole “Team Jon” and “Team Richie” thing. Jon hates it when the band’s fans fight amongst themselves. That goes against the concept of the Brotherhood. These are the guys who wrote “Undivided,” remember?

This situation isn’t about hate. It’s about love…tough love, but love nonetheless. It’s also about worry, and about fear for someone’s health.

3. The onstage chemistry between Jon and Richie was real. Here’s how I see it: I once saw a T.V. interview with Lucille Ball in which she talked about working with Desi Arnaz on “I Love Lucy”(a huge pop culture phenomenon of a TV show) and about making people laugh when their marriage was collapsing. Lucy and Desi were collaborative partners who were great onstage together. In the interview, Lucy said, “It helped to go to work.“ What she meant by this was, onstage, the magic was still there. I think that’s how it would be with the band if Richie came back healthy.

4. As to why Jon didn’t cancel the tour, this answer is based only on my experience in the industry:

i. “The Show Must Go On” for the people who bought tickets, and for the crew, who count on that employment. There are only so many tours out at a time, with very few crew slots available.

ii. Contractual obligations to AEG and the label. A recording contract includes promotional clauses that require artist and label to each do their part to promote an album, and a 360 label deal structure brings additional weight and meaning to the word “promotion”. Jon’s label is owned by one of the largest media organizations in the US, so it’s advantageous to keep them happy. Regarding AEG, the Michael Jackson O2 Arena contract for ten shows had a clause that gave AEG the right to sue for $24Million if Michael could not perform. You can imagine how large that figure would be for an entire long tour. (Tour insurance coverage varies depending on the situation…I’ve seen a situation where an artist with a cancer diagnosis had a hard time getting the insurance company to pay, and another where a flaky artist cancelled with no hassle from the insurance company. Then there’s the question of whether or not everyone in a given band is insurable.)

There you have it. I’ve given you facts and I stand by my words enough to post them under my real name. Hopefully, you understand this was written out of concern for Richie’s health and that no one wants anything to happen to him. He has not been fired, and the band wants to welcome him back if he’s healthy and meets the conditions and parameters for his return.

Randi Reed
Founder/Editor-in-Chief
MusicBizAdvice.com
August 27, 2013


*ETA 7/20/14: Correction: Richie actually was on the first leg of the tour and no-showed for the band's first show (Calgary) after the band's spring break. My apologies. Having been at some of those shows before that break, I should have remembered that.



I stand by the rest of the above post, and except for that one fact, I would write the exact same post today. Had I not been running on just a few hours' sleep before posting it, it would have also included this:
The Paramount Studios backlot show stands out for me, because having worked my entire career in sunny places, it was the first time I'd seen the band in a downpour. The band was great and it was a fun show, but I remember noticing something was "off" and hoping it was just the cold weather and rain, or hoping that it was the funkiness of restarting the engine again...Doing a show in the rain is a pain in the a** because equipment and water don't mix, and cold makes fingers stiff. And the first couple of times in front of an audience after studio lockdown are always weird for an artist, what with debuting new songs while sense memory about old ones comes back.

The show was outdoors, and although the stage was partly covered, things were leaky and there were puddles all over the stage--which Jon splashed and jumped around in like a little kid. I remember laughing as my teeth chattered and thinking, "For the love of God and rock and roll, Jon, don't slip and hurt yourself--the tour hasn't even started yet!" He seemed resolved not to let the rain get to him and to try to have fun anyway. Richie seemed not himself. But rain is harder on guitarists than singers (voices love moisture). Later, things became more obvious and as mentioned above, concerning for our mutual friends.

There's nothing I want more than for Richie to be healthy and happy.


















































 

Concert Review: Adam Lambert / Orianthi/ Allison Iraheta Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA 7/28/10

by Randi Reed
 
Adam Lambert: 
 
Having been a cheerleader of Adam Lambert from his first audition on American Idol, it was easy to say yes when a friend asked me to come along to see his show at the Pacific Amphitheatre...
 
…but I also didn’t know what to expect. Would it be the pseudo electronica alterna-dance Adam of his current CD, For Your Entertainment? Would it be the guylinered, leather-and-black-nail-polished “Rocker Adam” my girlfriends and I all crushed over during his early American Idol episodes?

What about the music? Would it sound like the album, or would the arrangements be the slightly guitar-heavier sound of his TV talk show performances of late? So many questions! Between you and me, after years of working in the live concert business and seeing “the man behind the curtain,” it was nice not knowing what was going to happen going in.

Adam Lambert is so good at what he does, and has such a commanding stage presence, it’s easy to forget this is his first major tour as a solo artist. He has a beautiful voice, which has become clearer and richer since Idol. His stage persona morphs easily from slightly dark magician-esque court jester, to gay cabaret rave dance host, to concerned friend of teens who are worried about feeling like a freak…all while somehow seeming to remain uniquely himself.

Watching him, I kept forgetting that, musical theater experience aside, he’s still pretty new at this. In fact, in my notes I’d just written “Adam Lambert is the male Cher”--which is a good, cool thing by the way; Cher is a fantastic performer--when I was reminded of his newness by a far-too-long “quick” change, complete with empty stage. That would never happen to Cher. Why weren’t the dancers sent out? Since the long “quick change” seemed planned into the production, here the problem stems from poor planning in production design and stage management, not necessarily Adam Lambert. Unfortunately, Adam’s name is the one on the ticket.

Until this point, I’d almost forgiven him for the fact that the show’s opening intro--a recording of “For Your Entertainment,” his CD’s title track--went on too long and that his entrance needed reworking. The logical thing would have been for Adam to go live and pop out from somewhere unexpected on the line “I’m here for your entertainment.” But that never happened. Instead, we were left staring at an empty stage with a backdrop of Adam’s face (from the CD cover) as the song played on…an unnecessary disappointment, and a waste of precious set time.

Additionally, though his musical theater experience serves him well, it hinders his performance as a pop star when it comes to crowd energy management. He commands the stage, but has not yet mastered the crowd. He had them, then the spell--and its accompanying energy--was broken by the long quick change, and then again later by an awkwardly placed introduction of every dancer (individually, by name) in the middle of a high energy dance number that had the crowd dancing only seconds before.

These issues likely stem from the fact that musical theater requires its performers to ignore crowd distractions and keep going according to script. Conversely, being a great live pop or rock star requires paying attention to everything happening in the crowd and ad libbing it to your advantage. … It’s a tough switch, but with his talent, Adam Lambert can do it. Until then, a few changes to the production design could help him out.

Oh, and as for the guylinered, leather-and-black-nail-polished “Rocker Adam”? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss seeing this side of him live. But sometimes guylinered, leather clad rock and roll guys are a dime a dozen. Unique artists like Adam Lambert are needed in this world. Adam’s message that it’s OK to be different is especially important for gay teens…or for that matter, for anyone who’s ever felt awkward or out of place. And that’s every bit as cool.

Orianthi:

One has to give guitar phenom Orianthi and her team a lot of credit for pulling together an album and tour after what was undoubtedly a difficult blow, both personally and professionally: Orianthi was the guitarist for Michael Jackson’s ill-fated This is It tour, which was in rehearsals when Michael died suddenly.

Had Michael lived, Orianthi would still be out on that tour as I write this. Knowing what it takes for a relatively unknown to put together an album and tour--let alone having to suddenly switch marketing plans while dealing with the death of your boss--I have a lot of respect for her.

Orianthi has fast fingers, good stage presence, and an interesting look. She clearly has strong rock roots—influences of Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, and even a little Slash are evident in her playing. Yet interestingly, she comes off as cheerful, not angry. In fact, Orianthi reminds me in a way of a blonde Suzi Quatro, if Suzi Quatro had a chirpily happy stage persona, sang songs with poppy choruses, and wore white or pastel leather…or perhaps she's like a young Lita Ford, without the F-you attitude.

Much of Oranthi’s music is radio friendly, which her voice fits perfectly. She sings it well, though her voice isn’t unique…not bad at all (if anything, she makes it look too easy), just not unique. Her first single, “According to You,” has a good, poppy chorus with lyrics delivering a surprisingly serious, positive message against emotionally abusive relationships. The juxtaposition works well, making the song stand far above the rest of the songs in the set.

On the negative side, her guitar work was a distraction rather than a plus at times, being a little out of tune and a bit sloppy on a couple of songs that had a more demanding vocal. On “Give Me the Bad News” it was…well, perhaps writing the word “atrocious” in my show notes was too strong, but close. Her vocals were fine, though, so reworking the guitar parts a bit would do the trick here.

Overall, Orianthi delivered decent songs, good stage presence, and a good performance, but her set still needs a little work...perhaps reworking the order of the set list or changing some of the arrangements to vary the tempos. But ultimately, Orianthi seems a good, accessible “starter rock star”…especially for girls who are past Disney but who aren’t quite up to someone more edgy and angry.

Allison Iraheta:

One of the frustrating things about American Idol has been its skill at killing a good artist’s rock cred. Idol’s core audience tends to be frightened by anything edgy or angry, and the audience that would usually like the edgier contestants is kept away by the perception that anyone who’s been on American Idol can’t possibly be cool.

This, I fear, may be the nemesis of Allison Iraheta’s career: the girl is just too cool for American Idol.

With powerful stage presence and a flirty-cool rocker chick stage persona, she comes off wise beyond her years. Her naturally raspy voice sounded a little tour –weary, but it somehow works for her, and sounded edgy and cool rather than tired.

In fact, she reminds me a little of the Divinyls’ Christina Amphlett, but with her own unique vibe, and I can see her potential to develop a similar cult following. But then there’s that damn American Idol thing hanging on her back.

She performed a good set overall, with a decent band, albeit with some “help”: it bothered me that I could hear her voice on the backup vocals and not just on the lead. With her talent, Allison Iraheta doesn’t need to resort to such tricks, which only further lessen her credibility in the rock world…which is a shame, because without the Idol mark on her back, I feel she could be a contender to be huge in the rock world. (A colleague remarked, “Maybe she could change her name and start over to get rid of the Idol thing?”)

All in all, I enjoyed Allison's set and would see her again; frankly, I enjoyed her performance more than Orianthi’s. Aside from the vocal help, the only major flaw I could find with Allison Iraheta’s performance was that it came to an abrupt end; she ran offstage with nary a “thank you”, bow, or goodnight.

But first tours are for learning that sort of thing.

RR


Follow me on Twitter @MusicBizAdvice.



ETA 7/14: a broken Twitter link and to correct a typo in Alison's review.--RR




© 2010-2013 Randi Reed and MusicBizAdvice.com. All rights reserved.

Are You Kidding Me??? (aka How Not to Play Live)

Heard on the car radio by MusicBizAdvice.com's Researcher Extraordinaire on the ride home tonight:

A guy from a signed band who's currently an opener was saying how he's getting quite an education from Dave Grohl on how to work an arena. Then came the kicker: "Hats off to him, because I don't think I could play for two hours straight."

WTF???

Loyal readers, if this is you, we implore you...

Get crackin'.

We can't even imagine stamina being a factor with the bands we grew up listening to (or even the first bands we were in or managed), because they were constantly either practicing or jamming. And being the 80's, there were pretty good odds they were um...impaired.

What the hell are you doing? Get off the computer and go practice.

Another Lennon-McCartney night on American Idol?

So American Idol is changing the performance schedule in order to do another Lennon-McCartney night.

Another night of butchering the Beatles. Heaven help us...

When the first one was announced, the eternal optimist in me had high hopes that a contestant or two might rediscover a lesser-known gem, rearrange it, and have a performance as good as David Cook's amazing "Hello" a couple of weeks ago.

After seeing the performances, I came to my senses.

As every decent musician knows, Beatles songs are something you sit around playing and singing at home with your friends on acoustic guitars.You don't dare actually sing one in public, because no one will ever do them as well as they did, so you can never really make them your own.

Not even the best of the best will go there, other than as a fun encore at the end of the night (often with a playful McCartney-style headshake in acknowledgment). Or at a tribute event for one of the fallen Beatles. In other words, those that dare perform them in front of an audience know the deal: those songs, and the Beatles' performances of them, were perfect.

So it's reeeeeeally awkward watching the less-than-the best use those songs to try to get their careers happening.

All I can say is...if they must, I hope they go deep into the catalog.

You can read more about song selection and choosing cover songs here.

New Section Over at MusicBizAdvice.com

Hi Everyone,

When I'm coaching someone in live performance, and in articles I write over at the main MusicBizAdvice.com site, I often refer to specific artists, songs, or performances as an example to get the point across...

...And since the beginning of MusicBizAdvice.com 10 years ago, we've wanted to implement video examples into the site by including video of artist's specific performances. Until recently, performance royalties and bandwidth expense made it impractical.

Therefore, we give you The MBADC Performance Coach. You'll find it in the left-hand menu over at MusicBizAdvice.com.

When you click on it, you'll find links to video clips, along with what you can learn from each performance, and what to look for that made us cite it as an example. (Where applicable, you'll also find a link to the MusicBizAdvice.com article in which we've cited it as an example.)

Each clip, and each artist, has something you can learn...whether or not the artist is in your musical genre, or whether or not you even like that particular artist. It's all about learning from the best, and expanding your creativity.

More links to video are coming weekly, as we find them. In most cases have specific performances in mind, so it sometimes takes a little while to track it down and find the best version.

In fact, as soon as I post this I'm off to continue the search for a clip of this one band that...well, I'll leave that for you to see later.

Make something great happen today,
Randi Reed
Founder / Editor in Chief, MusicBizAdvice.com