advertisement
FYI

Virtual Shows And The Sound Of One Hand Clapping

Oh, hi there, I’ll be the applause coach for your next live from the living room, pandemic concert.

Virtual Shows And The Sound Of One Hand Clapping

By Matt Zimbel

Oh, hi there, I’ll be the applause coach for your next live from the living room, pandemic concert.


Oh, no, believe me, you need an applause coach - have you seen any of these online and self-isolated concerts? The artists pour their hearts out, ramp up to the end of the tune. Boom! Nailed it! To a rousing round of um…nothing.  To a Grand Canyon of… silence.  Thank God it only lasts 10 minutes!  Or so it seems.

These between tune awkward silences appear nightly on my laptop. They remind me of something but I can’t quite place it. Oh right!  A funeral! You know that moment at the service when someone tells a great story about our dearly departed and we all sit there wondering, “should we applaud?  Is applause appropriate?”  AWKWARD!

advertisement

Look, I plan on being dead at my funeral, but that does not mean I want dead air.  I have instructed the event producer overseeing the production of my eventual passing that she is to insist on both storytelling and the right to applause. This was the only instruction given, that and to make sure the fucking crusts on the sandwiches are cut off.

Joel Plaskett's recent solo concert from an empty local coffee house in his Dartmouth neighbourhood featured applause sound effects recorded at what sounded like U2’s last show at Wembley. Joel would trigger it with a foot pedal at the end of the tune and then shyly smirk as he warmly acknowledged the, um, audience.

So, here’s the take away; To manage this silence you have to own it. Nod, right away, dive into another groove and start telling a story. If it’s not storytime, just move onto the next tune. Or have your co-quarantined road manager look to the comments section and read the feed.  “Big shout out from Bob in Saskatoon!”

advertisement

Or you could just pretend nothing has changed.  “Awesome! You guys are great!  See you after at the merch table!”

Sheltered in Place,

Matt

advertisement
M for Montreal
Courtesy Photo

M for Montreal

FYI

Billboard Canada FYI Calendar of Festival and Funding Deadlines: M For Montreal, Reeperbahn Fest

A roundup of deadlines for festivals, grants, conferences and other music business opportunities.

In a week in which the Canadian Heritage Minister announced a $32 Million boost to the Canada Music Fund, arts funding is a major topic in many people's minds. So here's a roundup of opportunities and deadlines for festival and conferences, grants, conferences and more.

Festivals and Conference Submission Deadlines

CIMA Road Gold certification. Awarded to artists selling at least 25K tickets during their Canadian tour(s) over a 12-month period - now open

keep readingShow less
advertisement