FraKctured - live performances - audient report

28/05/00 - Amager Bio, Copenhagen

From Trey Gunn's diaries at www.treygunn.com

May 28, 2000 -- Copenhagen, Denmark / Amager Bio -- show #2

Another great audience. We had a fantastic beginning to the set tonight. Very, very strong. Larks' was a disaster from the beginning and it crumpled away throughout. Although, I don't think it was SO obvious for the audience. Even Richard, our manager, thought it was better than last night. It must be the energy of us struggling to hold the piece together.

But, if Lark's was a disaster then Vrooom was an unleashing of unspeakable horror. At least for me. I completely lost track of where I was in the second fairy fingers section. And being as exposed as I was, well..... what can I say. I knew a viscous crashing was coming several bars before I hit the section -- I could feel myself losing my own presence. I played the first three phrases right on, and then I skipped over to the fifth phrase. Yikes, where am I now? By the time that I figured out where I was the rest of the guys had moved forward a few bars -- exactly where they should be. By then I was even further out. I knew that I had to keep a totally straight face and not stop playing. Just keep moving chromatically, feigning the air of confidence until I could figure out where I should be just before I need to be there. Eventually I made it (Yes!) and all wasn't lost. But it sure felt like it.

After the show Robert said to me: "Now you know what it feels like to be the guitar player on FraKctured. All the way through!"

I had one of the BootlegTV folks filming right in front of me tonight.
BootlegTV(www.bootlegtv.com) are a web-based company that are filming and releasing every one of our shows on the internet. EVERY single note of EVERY single show will be made available to whoever wants to hear and see it. Talk about balls: boy, do we have them! Warts and all. And, man, are there some stinkers. Yow!

Anyway they filmed all of the Nashville shows as well, but they filmed from the back of the room. Tonight I had Alex right in front of me for the whole show. I'm really happy that they are here, and I felt pretty comfortable with her being there. However, it IS an adjustment. I made the suggestion to them that, if they wanted to continue to use that spot (in front of me) as a "post", then could they stay there for the next several shows. That way I can really get used to it. If they were to move to a different spot the next night and then back in a few nights, I never would really get settled in with it.

I also made the suggestion that it would be best if I could have the same person, in front of me, for three of four shows before they switch to a different camera operator. That way I can get used to each person individually. The reasoning for this is that there is personality involved. If there was going to be an anonymous person filming me -- one who I don't know and never will, for a one-off performance -- then that is one thing and I don't have to orient myself. However, these three folks are travelling with us for the whole tour and we are getting to know them on a personal basis. They are definitely becoming part of our 'team.' So, this brings in the issue of personality on-stage.

One thing that is really fantastic as a performer is when you know no one in the audience. In those situations then, somehow, the 'personal' can stay out of the show and something 'universal' or bigger than yourself can potentially come into the performance. That isn't to say that this same thing can't happen if you do know people in the audience, but it's a bit harder -- at least for me.

So, with these three folks who will be filming us, they have a tremendous impact on what is taking place. Just by their presence with their cameras, far beyond the fact that they are actually filming us. It's kind like if Richard Chadwick, our manager, (for some bizarre reason) had to do his job right in front of the stage. I COULD get used to it! And, WOULD if that was how a professional musician had to work. But, there would be an adjustment period. And Richard would have to be aware that every move he made was directly connected with what we were doing.

So, this long winded discussion is basically a way of saying that I need an adjustment period to having these folks be intimately involved in the performance.

The above example with Richard reminds me of a time when I did see a manager 'doing his job' on-stage with the musician's. It was with Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan at Town Hall in New York City. The house was completely packed, and my wife and I were in the balcony with umpteen-zillion Pakistani men dancing all around us. The Qawalli tradition is that the musicians earn their wage by the audience giving them cash directly. And the way that they do it is by, literally, throwing money over the performers during the show. So, you had people running up to the stage and showering the band with paper money. After a good strong bath of cold cash I saw Nusrat's manager, Secretary Iqbal, coming on to the stage. (I have another story about an encounter with him at Real World studios, but I'll let that pass for now.) Iqbal ran up and start collecting the money. And I mean, right up in between the musicians. If that wasn't enough, then he went over to the side, right behind Nusrat, but still on the stage, and started stacking up the bills, AND counting them!