L3F1 MUSIC

Cymbal Stand

Some Handy hints When Planning a Concert or Show

It's no surprise that setting up and putting on a concert is a lot of hard work and when doing it for the first time, you can and most likely will meet many pitfalls on the journey. From someone smoking the non-legal stuff in the middle of the crowd to a young kid who drank too much, all these things have happened and are a hassle to deal with.

So, what exactly can be done? No one has the ability to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. There are many consultants out there with years of experience in organising concerts, outdoor shows and events who can offer there services. If you don't have the budget for a event organiser then here are a few pointers to consider if you are doing it yourself.

Book your bands wisely:

Obviously depending on the event, you will want to book bands, groups or artists that fit in with the kind of crowd you want to draw in. For example, booking a hardcore metal/punk band isn't the ideal choice if you're doing a fundraising for saving the tigers or raising cash to help the starving children around the world and you wouldn't hire classical singers and string music so a biker festival really.

The most important lesson to learn when booking your bands is: make sure that your opening acts are related. Don't book a country/folk singer to open for a band whose claim to fame is that they throw bags of blood over the crowd at the beginning of their shows. Which brings us to the following point: make sure you know everything that is going to happen at a show and make sure it is ok with the building codes and won't violate your deposit refund.

The amount of band you book depends on how long you want the show to go on for, typically an evening show 5-6 hours so an ideal amount of band here would be four or five, a few local band, followed by related smaller bands, then your big main acts. Two or three is okay if you are booking big name bands, but remember that few people book Tim Armstrong or Metallica on their first show.

You are going to want to give the concert-goers more bang for their buck, and you will want to have at least some diversity in the bands you book so that they will draw all kinds of crowds to the concert. Booking bands that are too similar will give you too few people coming to the concert, too diverse and you will end up with people not going to see their favourite bands because they dislike the other bands on the bill.

Keep the time:

Its really important to know the set lists of each band or at least have them on you at all times, you should know how many tracks they will play and how long the set will be. You should also try to monitor and manage how long it takes for bands to switch equipment and set up. Unfortunately, there is also the fact you have to make sure your bands are okay with the time slot given.

Advertise:

The best thing you can do to spread the word, be it a serious thing or just something to do every other weekend is to advertise your show. Stop at nothing. Print full size fliers, hand fliers, talk to everyone you know, publicise and advertise as much as possible.

Of course this all depends on the type of show you're putting on but, but you could try going into a few businesses and ask if you can put fliers up, going to the local schools and ask if you can put some up. Hand them out to the students at college, university, and if you know any students you can trust, hand them a hefty stack of fliers.

It's always important to get the timing right too. Make sure that if your concert is a month away, you advertise it early and correctly, don't put up fliers and expect them to last a month, and just forget about it. If you forget about it, so will everyone else. Put up fliers once a week until the week before the concert, and then start handing them out every other day, or even daily.

Also, don't avoid certain groups of people just because you aren't familiar with them or don't expect them to show up to a concert, or even if you just plain, flat-out don't like them. Each person who walks through that door is another price of admission, which will go towards financing your next concert and paying the bands for their time.

Pricing:

This is where you really set the tone for the entire event, There are many do's and don'ts here but if your charging an entry fee then its always important to remember If you are bringing in a big name, people will typically pay big to see them. If you are doing local bands, make sure there is a bit of diversity and charge a few quid and you will see your profits grow!

Talking of profits, the first thing to do with your profits is to make sure you set aside money for the next event. Venues can cost anywhere from £50 to £3500, and it isn't safe to rely on getting a security deposit back. Make sure you are covering yourself before you go too crazy spending that hard earned money.

Second thing to do is to make sure you pay the bands. They will want to play for you if you throw in some money here and there, and they will make sure that the followers of their music are as respectful as they are going to be. Pay according to the crowds they draw. Don't short them, but don't overdo it, either. If you feel a band doesn't need to be paid, for whatever reason, you don't have to pay them.

Thirdly, I suppose if you have any money left over after all of that go crazy! It was hard-earned, let me assure you, so if you have your eye on something, buy it! Keep a bit of those profits for yourself because if you don't, it will seem more like a chore to put these concerts on than anything.

Major pitfalls:

There are some things that happen at concerts that cannot be avoided. You will have to spend a good chunk of time afterwards cleaning the venue. There is help on hand out their though, you can use some of the profits to pay a cleaning crew, if you have staff then pay them a little extra or if worse comes to worse, leave it and loose the security deposit.

Unfortunately, some people are going to get in without paying. The best thing to do is to have only one entrance. Have all the bands bring in their equipment, if space allows, beforehand, so you don't have people trying to carry in a cymbal stand and get in for free. Its also important to make sure you set up a table and have someone trustworthy taking people's money. Get plenty of small change and small notes from the bank before the show because you don't want to be stuck without change.

Roadies and girlfriends are another way you can lose money at a show. Most bands have a bit of an entourage (whether they are world famous or just famous in their own little worlds) and they will expect to get in for free. Let the band know ahead of time what you expect. If you are making everyone pay, let them know. If you don't mind having their girlfriends not pay then that's great. Let them know they can have x number of roadies coming in for free and the rest will have to pay.

Now, alcohol and cigarettes are going to be other pitfalls, you are most likely going to have to deal with a few drunk unsavoury characters as well as people smoking in the middle of the crowd, and so many more atrocities. If you have someone who is big enough, have a bouncer-type guy there. If it gets too bad, call the cops.

They typically won't bust up a peaceful concert unless there are a lot of underage kids outside smoking and drinking. Kick people out when they will comply. When they won't, make sure you call the cops because the person who signed for the building is responsible not only for the building, but also for the people inside.

Vandalism is one of those things that you really just do not want to see, obviously. You will lose your security deposit if someone starts breaking the soap dispensers off the walls in the bathroom, if someone bashes in the drinks machine in the front of the building, or if someone decapitates a lawn gnome. There is no real way to keep these things from happening, but you can try to rein it in as much as possible. If you hear about something that has happened, go check it out and see if it can be repaired that night. But vandalism is one of those things that you really cannot control.

Have fun:

It's a cliché but it really is the best thing to do. Don't stress over the entire thing too much otherwise you won't be able to enjoy the concert. Appoint other people to stand watch at the doors and have a good time. You cannot stop all the bad things from happening, so it is best not to worry about it too much. Take all the precautions you can, and then go with the flow!

About the Author

Orbit Roofs and Staging are a professional stage hire company who provide you with the tools you need to put on a great show. With over 20 years experience you can count on them to have what you need to make your bands heard and seen.

What is the proper method of setting a cymbal on a stand so as not to damage it?

I mean do you put a certain washer first, then a sleeve, then felt etc. etc.

Somebody told me I need felt, a sleeve, and some washer. I don't know which washer to use and which goes on first.

Can you help me. I don't want to get keyholes, etc.

I'm not a drummer but I'll give it a shot.

As far as I know, from working with drummers, helping them set up, etc. You usually have a rubber/nylon sleeve on the threading, a felt washer, the cymbal, another felt, then the wing nut.

check out this video, it should help. http://www.ehow.com/video_2390134_using-mounted-cymbal-stand.html

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Cymbal Stand