Forums > Help! > Over My Head Performance

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me

Viva UGLY STAFF

-James

"How do you know if you're happy or sad without a mask? Or angry? Or ready for dessert?"

OK. Start thinking of other performers that you know who can either:

A> Quickly teach you something cool to do

or

B> Join you for one of the 15 minute slots and you kinda drop back to an assistants role for that bit. You could give her/him some of your money.

Alternatively, have you considered discussing the problem with the organisers. They may say that you can do fire twice or some other solution.

Never panic until you've tried everything. You are the pro that all us semi-pro's look up to. We know you can do it.

Much love

"I believe the cost of life is Death and we will all pay that in full. Everything else should be a gift. We paid the cover charge of life, we were born."

Bill Hicks, February 1988

Live like there is no tomorrow,
dance like nobody is watching
and hula hoop like wiggling will save the world.

�What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.�

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Written by: TheHIPS

Audience participation games work for great time killers as well




Yeh I agree with this...don't know how long you could make it last, but teaching them all a simple song that they could sing in a round could work quite well, with thousands of people it would sound amazing if they pulled it off, and would probs really warm them up for the bands. What kind of music are the bands by the way? Cos presumably that will affect what kind of audience you're going to have...

Good luck, I'm sure you'll do great! The organisers obviously thought so, because it's YOU they've decided to hire. Keep us updated.

Practice as if your hair was on fire...

Okay...no screens, so, as much as I would love that, no.



I'm not allowed to have anyone but myself and my assistant on the stage.



The magic I can pull off is small, and my escapes/equilabristics/large magic won't be ready until July.



I open with fire often as it catches attention, and know enough of it to have more-larger for later on. That is not really an issue, as much as I would like to not have to if possible.



In my Stupid Roulette routine there is a game of Simon Says already incorporated into it.

And when I do bellydance I do a couple of games with them which are based in the culture as well.

If I had 3 more things like that, I would be a very happy camper. Suggestions beyond the song?



In essence, picture a concert venue with a stage at either end. I start by introducing the band on stage a and doing something. I run to stage b. When stage a is done, I start up again on b and introduce the next band and back and forth... So, stilts don't really fit. It is crazy and has my head reeling. I think I have it figured out and will obviously keep working on it.



It just motivates me into my larger stuff...to be sure!



And the bands, btw, are soooooo varied it blows my mind.

1 Country-ish

1 Jazz-ish

1 Punk-ish

1 Rock-ish

1 Edge Rock



The benefit will be that the audience will change over so that if I do fire a few times, and use different props each time, it won't be so big of a deal.



Thanks all for the support and suggestions, they have really gotten me thinking!



And Mags, I may be a "pro" but I am still human first.







Thanks all!

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Have you ever done an angle grinder show? It's p*ss easy and doesn't take much practise.

Just a thought.

"I believe the cost of life is Death and we will all pay that in full. Everything else should be a gift. We paid the cover charge of life, we were born."

Bill Hicks, February 1988

I did it! Cha-cha-cha
I did it! Ah-ha-ha

And I will say more when it is not 2:30 am and I have a 7 hour long show tomorrow... but I will say...

It went *so* well I have been invited back for the Autumn version of the festival.

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Awesome!

I'm glad it went well.

-James

"How do you know if you're happy or sad without a mask? Or angry? Or ready for dessert?"

Yay!
Glad it went well.
I can't wait to read all about it after you've recovered.

Lets steal a spaceship and head for the sun, and shoot the stars with a lemonade ray gun.

congratulations!!! *standing ovation*

do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good to eat!

if at first you do succeed, try not to look too astonished!

smile! it confuses people!

Excellente! Well done indeed, we knew you could do it!

(blatantly all down to the HOP advice )

Practice as if your hair was on fire...

Let's turn those old bridges we crossed into ashes.
We'll blaze a new trail,
and torch the rough patches.

-Me

see, all that worrying for nothing


cole. x

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood

Alrighty...

I think one of the reasons it went so well was because the schedule was all messed up, which sucks for the organizers but worked in my favor really well, since I then only had to do 4 things and not 5 (and in the end we thought of 6 but two were questionable). It worked sooooo well for me in the end.

When it started almost no one was there and I had the time to talk to the bands and such, which was great. Then all I had to do was pump up who was there for them, do the "commercials" for the sponsors (which I had cue cards with lame stuff on them...that I refused to use! lol ) and leave the bands to it.

During the switch for two of the bands there was a 20 minute breaks so that is when I did some of my stunts (stupid roulette, monkey in the middle, the bed of nails) and then announced the next band. That went awesome and was on the main stage.
The ent. organizer looked at me before I went on and asked if I was nervous, and that is when I realized I wasn't. When I said no, he laughed and said "Hell, I would be!" Thanks dude.

The band on the 2nd stage played for 2 1/2 hours (long story there but the other two bands both cut out early and this band picked up the slack) and I gave them a break and did a fire eating routine on the stage, then the commercial, then reintroduced them.
As I walked off the stage the fire marshall came up and tried to tell me I was fire breathing (umm..no) and that I needed a permit (I didn't, I know the city laws on it). It was interesting and effected the shows I had the rest of the weekend. Oh well. Forgiveness was given

Then I intro-ed the end drag show and it was over. It all took about 5 hours, and I met alot of awesome people and had alot of fun. All of my stunts and presentations went awesome. Lots of drunks there which was interesting. My safety (snailshells) was incredible thwarting this one drunk guy who insisted he could do the fire.

I thrive much better in chaos and doing one lump show more than a series of small ones worked better for me, so it was fantastic.
I am looking forward to the fall one, and to working with the bands we met!

Thanks everyone for the support. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

-James

"How do you know if you're happy or sad without a mask? Or angry? Or ready for dessert?"

Rules and responsibities:
These are the ties that bind us.
We do what we do,because of who we are.
If we did otherwise,we would not be ourselves.
I will do what i have to do
And i will do what i must..

Can you believe this?

I got the call today to perform at the next one. I went through all that with this first one so I can do this more often. In the message he said they *really* want me back very much, are willing to up my pay even.

And then...

He gave the date and I have to be at a wedding, and it is not one I can wiggle out of (since there are only 5 guests!!! I will be noticed missing!).

Ugh! I am soooooo disappointed. I am telling him to keep me in mind for next year in the Spring, and I won't be so freakin' nervous!

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK