After last year's WONYpalooza was such a big success, it was almost a given that the station would put on another benefit concert this year. Even though the GM and a local music aficionado were in charge of the planning last year, since it is a charity event, it was interpreted to fall under the category of a PR job, meaning it fell under my jurisdiction. Which was OK. I mean, it can't be THAT hard to put on a concert, right?
I did not realize that such a simple idea would kill any remaining trust I had in the human race.
So around mid-February, Miller and I started to look for a venue for the show. This was our first mistake; we should've started looking months before. Anyway, since the Bullet is on "bad terms" with the station, last year's place was out of the question, so we went to the Fox. They told us they only do one show a month since all their regulars like to listen to their MP3 jukebox (the guy was so proud of the jukebox), and said we could do it in July.
No.
Then we went to the Pub, who never got back to us. We were running out of places to hold this thing when Silva recommended Smokey Joe's Cafe. They said they were open to it. But when we brought this news back to the E-Board, we were met with resistance. Supposedly we had bad blood with Smokey's too. But since the end of the semester was coming quickly, we decided to say fuck it and do it there.
Now, the format of last year's show was probably 6 or 7 bands, doing whatever amount of songs they wanted, and it worked pretty smoothly. This is what we had in mind for this year's show as well. But we didn't take the J Factor into account.
What is the J-Factor? J stands for Josh, one of the biggest scumbag douches I've met in my life. Josh is the "booking agent" for Smokey Joe's. This guy used to be a member of the station years ago, and is one of those guys that ends up staying in the college town, I guess trying to keep living the college life for as long as possible. So Miller and I go in and talk to this guy. He tells us, and I quote:
"The show I used to do with PJ up there was the biggest show ever on that station. We got back the ratings, and it was the highest rated show ever on WONY."
Problem is we don't get ratings for the station; no company does ratings for college radio. So right off the bat I can tell this guy is an egotistical cockdick.
We bring him a list of bands who want to play the show. He says he only wants 3 bands with 45-minute sets a piece. Why? "I'm exercising my executive privilege here." Wow. You are so fucking gay.
But we were not in any position to bargain, we had to put up with it or not do a show. He tells us one band, Too Hot to Kill, HAS to play the show, because, and once again I'm quoting:
"When they play here, it's like God is living in the rafters."
"Fine. Whatever. But what about the two other bands. See that band, Stop Gavrilo? One of them is a member of the station. We want as many DJs bands as possible to play. They've played here before. Is that cool if they play?"
"Have they gotten any better? Cause honestly, they aren't too good."
This guy thought we were doing a private concert for him in his living room. This shit continued. None of the bands were up to snuff for the guy. He pulled some "I'm a mover and shaker" shit with his cell phone, trying to impress us with bands he knew to get them on the lineup. Every single one crashed and burned.
We didn't have the bands solidified until no joke 72 hours before the show. The guy got some band Groove Nation which sounded so gay I was scared no one would come. But Josh's great friends bailed on him the Monday before, 5 days before the show. They must really like you.
Anyway, so that was a struggle. But there was another, more frustrating, problem that plagued us literally until the day we held the show.
The Music Industry Club asked if we were up for a joint alumni weekend. We said cool, and since WONYpalooza was to kick off Alumni Weekend, we asked them if we could borrow their equipment for the show, since we did last year. They said OK.
Then during spring break, T-minus one week before the show, their faculty advisor decided they shouldn't have anything to do with WONY anymore, so we couldn't use their stuff anymore. Why they decided this out of the clear blue is still not unclear, but it was something we had to deal with. I spent the last days of spring break trying to call anyone I could think of and trying to find if we could rent the stuff. No dice.
When we got back, some kid in CUAC said we could use his stuff. Crisis averted, right? No. Two days later, he said his friend, who's band was rejected by Josh from performing in the show, didn't want to let us use his stuff. We don't have equipment 3 days before the event.
Then we find out from a kid performing in the show we could use his. Crisis averted, right? No. He then decided he didn't want his stuff to get broken at Smokey's, so he wouldn't let us use it. Now it's one day before the show.
But the Sassman bailed us out. One of Steve Sass' housemates had the stuff, and we finally got the equipment, 3 hours before the show. Can't cut it much closer.
Back to the bands. By the time we got back the Monday of the show, we had the three bands confirmed: Stop Gavrilo, Groove Nation, and the overlords of Smokey's, Too Hot to Kill. So I made a few different flyers to hang all over campus. All I did Monday was walk all over campus hanging these flyers up.
Monday we get the call Groove Nation is out. So after spending hours and hours working on these flyers, I find out they all now inaccurate and wrong. I flipped out.
But Joystick Generation, who wanted to play the thing in the first place, finally met the Stalin of music's rigid criteria, and were on the lineup.
By the time Friday came, I was just ready for the thing to be over. As long as 20 people came, to me it was successful enough for me.
But the show actually went really, really well, especially considering the never-ending problems. Joey's was packed, the music was good, and Professor Murphy showed up, which made the thing that much better.
We ended up making $600 when all was said and done. Joey's was able to get businesses to donate goods and services to be raffled off, which alone made $110 and change.
Everyone had a great time. I'm just glad I don't have to do it ever again.
Here are some of the select pics from the show.
You can also look at other pictures taken by Oneonta's #1 shutterbug Lisa P. here. And here. She really takes a lot of pictures, it gets weird sometimes.
2 comments:
sometimes I wonder why I never took a photography class.
Did anyone notice the photo where Dustin looks like Mr. Potato Head?
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