07/10
Power of the people
Last Thursday, at a sold out gig in Newcastle, New South Wales, the power of the people came through loud and clear. The artist Childish Gambino (Donald Glover of TV show “Community” fame) was booed off stage for a performance deemed atrocious. This guy apparently hid in a dark corner on his laptop of most of what had been billed a “live performance”…only getting up to perform a brief freestyle rap later in the show. The crowd was so riled by the sub-par performance, they obscenely heckled the performer, and wrote insults in the perspiration of the venue’s glass wall. The vitriolic disappointment continued online with attendees posting all over Facebook and Twitter. Childish Gambino didn’t help matters by, well, childishly addressing the issue with a tweet that read “don’t stress the irrelevant”. When musicians need their fans to pursue the career of their dreams, one would think a more mature response is in order.
In another part of the world, Tomorrowworld experienced the power of the audience backlash, after they locked people out of day three of the festival due to inclement weather. Attendees were stranded miles from anywhere, in cold rain. With options including walking miles to fight for a seat on a shuttle bus, or bedding down for the night in icy mud — the experience raised the ire of the people. Just like artists — promoters need the support of fans to pursue event production. Tomorrowworld’s parent company is already in financial strife. A backlash in popular opinion doesn’t help matters one bit.
At the end of the day, musicians and event promoters, plus everyone else working in the music industry do so for a love of the music and a love of creating memorable amazing experiences. On the other side of the coin, The audience spends hard-earned dollars on attending these events for a love of the music and a love of enjoying memorable amazing experiences. It is understandable then that a certain level of quality is expected. I just hope the artists and promoters of the future remember it is in their interests to look after those who enable them to pursue their dreams.