They should have called it quits after “Dream On.”
Problem was, they dreamed too big.
I speak of the promoters of that mess otherwise known as “Laconiafest 2016.” They landed the biggest fish around, Steven Tyler, a god in New Hampshire promoting his first solo CD, to play a big parking lot at Weirs Beach. That’s a pretty massive haul. Tyler is rock royalty. Great get.
That’s when they should have tapped out.
But no, and I get it, they wanted to take the energy that Tyler and his band rained down on the pent up crowd of 7,000 on Wednesday night and stretch it out another four days. Their dreams got greedy, though, and figured the masses would be more than happy to feast on the scraps the rest of the weekend.
“Scraps,” that is, I’m assuming, how the promoters viewed the musicians that got screwed out of money and time during the rest of the weekend: as scraps. Shameful. But it happens in all walks of life. Professionally and personally. And it’s a terrible trait, but the accused are not terrible people. Just terrible business people.
And maybe just a touch terrible on the inside.
Again, I get it. That’s the thing about being a dreamer, as the promoters were. They hoped to recreate a killer rock show they once attended but felt, in the end, they could make it even better. So they dreamed up this metal filled fiesta in Laconia during Bike Week and it’s a solid dream. Leather and heat is a good combination. But the dream had holes.
Too many bands. Too many wires. And far too many fist in the fire.
Doesn’t matter if you’ve booked bands in an amphitheater or in the backroom of a pub. There’s a constant knot that sits in a promoters gut until they see all corners of the joint packed. Money is going out that door no matter what. Lots of it. And musicians, like pavers or trial lawyers, all expect to be paid at the end of the day.
Why is it that people need to be reminded of that?
But that’s the thing about the arts. The assumption is that the freaks will do it for free. But even the bearded lady gets paid. Or the barker in Key West. And it’s more than money that’s on the line. The good name of a band is on the line. And if you deem that act as an expendable, they become expendable.
Slowly killing the dream.
To be fair, I know very few — if any — lousy music promoters. I don’t hear much complaining from the bands I talk too. Yes, playing music for them is like breathing air. A must. But it’s the descent promoter that allows the artist to focus on making beautiful music during their time slot that’s the true music lover.
Unlike the promoters of LaconiaMess 2016.
I wasn’t there, I don’t know these men, but, sadly, they all must be banished to the Music Lovers Hall of Shame. They sold out the music, cheated it, took it for granted. Now, I insist, they must turn over their cassettes of metal mixes from the early 90’s and make plans to hot wire off those tattoos. The mullet goes too. That’s right. Call James Hetfield of Metallica and let him know you failed him.
And get a hold on those dreams. Then go and make things right.
– Rob Azevedo
Rob Azevedo, from Manchester, has been hosting a weekly radio show called “Granite State of Mind” for the past three and a half years which showcases musicians from around New Hampshire and beyond. “Granite State of Mind” is an hour long program that features artists performing live in-studio each week, now exclusively on WKXL. Azevedo also writes a weekly music column called “Sound Check” for the Concord Monitor and hosts a monthly “Artist in the Round” style series at New England College in Concord.
