An Experience to Remember…

Okay, debriefing from the Dallas Symphony show has taken me a little longer than I’d hoped.  It was an experience of a life time, to be sure!  Wow… I just loved the power of the Horn Section during the cries in Rhiannon.   A totally different dynamic to a performance like that then even a band that’s really cranked up.  Interestingly, the volume is actually somewhat lower on stage but the intensity of the huge number of instruments all SEEM to add up to something bigger than life!  I just loved it!!

I’ve been sitting in my Hot Tub here at home a couple of times reflecting on things and I have to say I did find the demographics at the shows to be a little puzzling.  There were some younger people there… as young as 10 years old, but not that many.  You WOULD expect there to be a larger proportion of elderly people as they are the major demographic holding season’s tickets.  I know symphonies book a Rock show like this to help diversify their audience base but I don’t think they advertised the show to anyone but their seasons ticket holders.  Even though the shows were very well attended, it sort of seemed to defeat their desired out come I should think.   Not my problem I suppose… but none the less, puzzling.

There would be a few things I’d do differently, if I ever had an opportunity to do this again.  I’d like to address the symphony as a group to jump start a bit of a relationship with them right up front.  Just to get everyone on the same footing.  In a group that size, sometimes the feature artist is looked on with a bit of disdain as you are seen to be there to usurp their moment in the spot light.  This is very counter-productive to getting a good show together in short order.   I’m no diva and I need to be sure it doesn’t take me all weekend to let these people know I am soooo unbelievably honored to be performing with THEM…. with an emphasis on “with” and “them”.  In the end, it was all good.  The audience was never the question.   They loved the show and were very appreciative…  For me, it will be a memory to last a life time.