DonRoos wrote:
The thing that upset me most was the general attitude of the crowd. While we had world class performances on the stage, we had people who were standing right at the front of the tent, in front of the sound desk and getting in the sound guys way. And they were not paying the slightest bit ot interest in the band. And there were several groups just like them so I am not singeling them out. This is such an insult to the bands who are pouring their souls into the music and being ignored. There were people who were actually looking the other way! You certainly would NOT go to the cinema and stand round in the middle of the cinema, blocking peoples view and smoking so why does it happen with these music festivals?
I think the reality is that a blues and beer festival, like a lot of outdoor Cape Town concerts, is not quite the same thing as going to see a music performance under normal circumstances. A significant proportion is out there to have a picnic, drink some wine or beers, eat some food, and enjoy the outdoors with some live musicians playing in the background (for the atmosphere as it were). I think the musicians largely understand that.
You've got to ask what proportion of the crowd listens to blues, specifically (which is the brand attached to a lot of music outings in Cape Town), at home. I'm guessing not over 50%. It constrains to a large extent the blues standards that bands play. Many stick largely to the best known tunes that people will probably have heard in movie soundtracks. It's a divers crowd and the musicians are pleased to get up there and try to make sure everyone enjoys themselves and make sure they give the most to the pure music fans. But I guess it can be a bit annoying for some of those fans.
What I'm saying is that even many of the smokers in the crowd would not be thrilled to find themselves watching B.B. King in a smokey juke joint. ?