|
|
Go to page 1~2 [Next] | ||||||||||
danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
I went to Dave Chappelle's show last night here in Eugene (a birthday present from the wife). At least 6 times before the show started the DJ warned everyone to not heckle him and not shout out otherwise they's be removed. Eugene is kind of mellow, so I thought most people would be cool and not want to cause trouble and be kicked out. But throughout the whole show, people would stand out and yell out all kinds of nonsense - just the weirdest stuff. And at least 6 people, maybe 10 were kicked out. He seemed to expect it, and acted like he didn't care (course he was very stoned it seems, so that helped him to stay calm), and he used the shouting as a way to be spontaneous and say funny stuff. In fact, I think he was kinda happy about the shout outs. They weren't really heckles - just interruptions that made no sense mostly. The fact that he didn't ignore the people just fueled them on - I think if he ignored them a lot less people would yell out.
Recently, you may have heard, he got boo'd by 30,000 people all at once in Hartford. He talked about how awful that was. So I was thinking, hmmmm..., who has it tougher sometimes, us kids entertainers with bratty 8 year olds, and parents talking during our show, and all the stuff we deal with sometimes, or guys like Dave Chappelle? Of course he makes a little more $ than us, but lets factor that out. Earlier yesterday I had to entertain an all 4 year old group with laryngitis. It went well enough, but would have been better if I wasn't struggling to talk, it was tough. Parents say to me sometimes stuff like "you don't get paid enough" and "you couldn't pay me enough to do what you do" and stuff like that. I really like my job and feel fortunate to be able to do it, but we all have some pretty tough gigs.
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
|||||||||
Dr. Delusion Special user Eugene, Oregon. 733 Posts |
Hey Dan, I hope all is well with you. That's pretty strange hearing about Chappelle's show. I agree Eugene is pretty darn laid back. I've never been heckled by an adult. Several times by kids though. If I had to choose I'd rather be heckled by kids that adults.
Take care, Bob. |
|||||||||
TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
I would like to think that the toughest show is the one you have the least experience with.
But then again... a bunch of kids? A tough show? Puuuuullllleassseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Compare a typical kids show with bratty kids and talking/smoking/drinking parents to these... Here are a few off the top of my head that I've encountered... A room full of 600 adults in a ballroom with horrible lighting and sound. A huge ballroom with 30 ten-tops and people scattered around 2-3 to a ten-top. A stage where you're supposed to do a 1-hour to passers-by. No seats for an audience to sit, facing the stage for watching the show. A stage where you're supposed to do a 30-minute non-announced act at a convention center off in a corner. You're just supposed to start performing and hope they come watch. A one hour act at a county fair where the stage is set way back off the main path with no announcement for your show in any way. Just a sign. A show for 300 naked people at a nudist resort. Kids shows are a walk in the park. Period. That doesn't mean some are more difficult than others but, seriously? .. a kids show? I have no idea who Dave Chappelle is but to have a DJ ask not to heckle ahead of time, etc. ... is just asking for trouble. Maybe Dave Chappelle asked the DJ to do that. Is that his MO?
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
|||||||||
Mindpro Eternal Order 10587 Posts |
Adults, no comparison.
|
|||||||||
danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
I just thought it was a fun topic for discussion - not to be taken too seriously, comparing a stand-up comic with tough crowds to entertaining kids. Kids can act like drunk/rude adults and visa versa. Dave Chappelle is one of the richest most successful comics ever, I guess he was making 30 mil a year when his TV show was on. but he really has to deal with a lot of crap at his stand-up gigs. Though I'd happily deal with the same crap for that kind of money - except for getting boo'd by 30,000 people. The one thing he has that we don't have is a bunch of security ready to drag people away. It was just weird, after having done a few difficult gigs due to laryngitis(they weren't that bad, really), and thinking about the various tough gigs I've had, watching Dave have to deal with his own set of crap. I've dabbled in stand-up for fun, it's really tough sometimes.
I try to avoid the crap gigs, but one time I really had a crap gig at a fair. Overnight someone had thrown a big pile of cow crap onto the stage and it was tough trying to find someone to clean it up before I was to go on! And then of course you've got the shows that they expect you to do during a tractor pull(cause the timing gets off).
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
|||||||||
The Mighty Fool Inner circle I feel like a big-top tent having 2140 Posts |
Definetly adults...there is also the possibility that some of them might be drunk, and / or ARMED!
Everybody wants to beleive.....we just help them along.
|
|||||||||
Dick Oslund Inner circle 8357 Posts |
Hey Frank>>>Doc TARBELL was a nudist! He would work the various nudist resorts along the Indiana shore of Lake Michigan. The guys in Chicago (remember this was 50 + years ago) would ask Doc: "Where do you pin your pull?"
SNEAKY, UNDERHANDED, DEVIOUS,& SURREPTITIOUS ITINERANT MOUNTEBANK
|
|||||||||
gmsmagic1 Elite user 405 Posts |
I'm not a comedian, although I love to make people laugh. But as someone that has combined DJ'ing with Magic & Activities for corporate events, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs and private parties twice a week for over 30 years and is now looking to do more children's parties, I can tell you from first-hand experience that kids parties are a cake walk in comparison to working with adults. The adult parties are much more demanding during the planning and execution stages, and your liability is also much greater when you're hired as a master of ceremonies.
I would think that it's even much more brutal for a stand-up comic like Dave Chappelle. It's much easier and more predictable getting kids to laugh than adults, and much more pressure when you're getting paid to make the adults laugh over getting paid to simply entertain the kids while hoping that your show yields plenty of laughs. The trade off is that I will have to do six $300 kids shows to make what I earn doing one DJ gig. But the DJ gigs are 3-4 hours compared to a 45 minute kids show. I would much prefer doing strictly kids shows and that is my ultimate goal, but I also need to support my wife and kids. So it's not a transition I can afford to make overnight. - Gary |
|||||||||
TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
KIds shows are easy. I don't know who Dave Chappelle is, but he sounds like he could do with some lessons in presentation. What sort of moron gets the DJ to announce that hecklers will be removed? Unless he is deliberately setting it up so that he will be heckled. But if that is the case, why remove the hecklers? He sounds like an idiot or a jerk, and definitely needs to talk to a theatrical producer of some sort. Don't say that the fact that he is rick off comedy is proof he knows what he is doing: that DJ announcement is a rank beginners mistake.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
|||||||||
TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
I have just googled Dave Chappelle, and I still don't know who he is!
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
|||||||||
danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
I guess Chappelle has a problem with people yelling stuff out during his show, though in this case it wasn't heckling it was just really weird stuff - I'd never seen him before so I don't know what usually happens. He certainly had a very different crowd than when I saw Seinfeld a few years ago. I thought it was very odd that the DJ kept warning people, but maybe it helps cover their but since the people don't get their money back. It was an odd show, he was very stoned and was chain smoking. I think success has made him over confident or he has kind of cracked. The audience seemed to really like him though - he does play to his crowd very well. He's not one of my faves, we just picked him to see cause it was the best choice of stuff to do then.
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
|||||||||
magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-10-13 23:30, Frank Starsini wrote: Frank, you're always saying crap like this. I think the fact that you don't do kids shows means it's easy for you to assume they are easy then look down on everyone who does them. Go entertain 50 sugar-filled 5 year olds in an echoey hall then go have a walk in the park and see which is less stressful. All the examples you stated are just bad event management, something that should've been sorted out in your contract, nothing to do with whether adults are harder to entertain than children. I would say they're pretty on par. You certainly get a lot more challenges thrown at you in a kids show. There's also less respect for kid's show performers which makes the job harder. On the other hand, children laugh more easily and tend to be more fun to work with. I would say someone starting out would be more likely to have a successful show performing to adults than children. Once you understand the intricacies of both performing to adults and children then you know both have their own set of challenges and neither are a walk in the park compared to the other. My housemate went to see Dave Chappelle recently and said he was fantastic. I don't think the announcement was the mark of a rank amateur, he had that gig recently were so many people were shouting out crap he couldn't do the show. It's that mindset of stupid hecklers who think they are part of the show that is the problem. As an MC I often tell people not to heckle the acts. It's not a good thing. And as you noted Dan he riffed off the hecklers. This doesn't mean he was glad of them this just means he has to deal with them or he will lose face. Yes, a good comedian will get some comedy out of a heckle but this doesn't mean they're not annoyed that some dinklesplash has just yelled something out and completely killed the routine they were in the middle of. George |
|||||||||
Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Dave Chappelle has always been a confrontational guy, and why should his fans act any different?
You are not going to see any kind gentlemen at a "Dice Man" show either. I went to a Raul Malo concert several months ago, and the audience was about 75% horny old women who were there to get their love song fix.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
|||||||||
magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-10-16 08:04, Al Angello wrote: So all your fans should be juggling during your show? |
|||||||||
Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
No George but my informal style do make kids harder for me to control, and I have only myself to blame for that.
Being a chick magnet is a much bigger problem. Lots of women throw their undies at me during my shows.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
|||||||||
magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
That's true and my madcap style probably makes it harder for me too but you make a decision and you have to deal with it.
Chappelle is performing for adults. He's delivering confrontational ideas not challenging the audience to shout out so much crap he can't get a word in edgeways. |
|||||||||
Bazinga Loyal user 277 Posts |
One of my last bar gigs was in 2006. The night ended with a knife fight where I was punched in the back of the neck and one guy ended up in a coma. The typical rate for a solo guitar player at the time was $200 for 3 hours/ $250 for 4.
My most dangerous preschool show (also in 2006) where a kid found a soccer ball and kicked it straight at my guitar (on a stand) while his mother was standing there asking me about guitar lessons for the kid. Luckily, the ball hit his mom right in the rear. That ended up with her just saying that the show was very good and walking away red-faced. I got $200 for 30 minutes. When I hit 50 I decided kid shows were a lot more fun. I do senior homes too though. I love those. Bazinga! |
|||||||||
Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
I could tell you about the time I got a standing ovation at a gay night club, but it winded up to be an "R" rated evening.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
|||||||||
Mr. Pitts Inner circle David Pitts 1058 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-10-16 07:50, magicgeorge wrote: Frank, I think George makes some very good points here. I think if you have a good, solid act and a reasonably well planned event... venue, lighting, sound, seating etc.. and an audience of reasonably sober adults, then adults are a more manageable and predictable audience. But to some extent, this is also true for an EXPERIENCED children's entertainer, given a fairly controlled venue, like a library show, for instance. Birthday parties can vary wildly in terms of manageability, just based on how the audience can be seated, lighting, kids with actual behavioral problems, etc. Even so, kids are almost like drunks in that there is always a level of chaos ready to take over if you don't manage it. So all things being equal, given a reasonably well managed event, children are a far less predictable audience. I have explained to childless friends what happens to one's life when you have children. It's the chaos factor, it just naturally goes up. If you don't have children, there's just far less chance that on any given day somebody's going to dive off your couch and crack their head on the coffee table or paint the wall with poop. If you've got little kids, these types of things are always well within the realm of possibility at any given time. This truth speaks to the fundamental difference between performing for adults and children. |
|||||||||
danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
Well said George and Mr. Pitts. Gigs for kids can be very difficult once in a while - they are like drunks on occasion. I haven't really done magic for adults, but I dabbled in stand-up for fun. Although venue issues and other things made it tough sometimes, the adults were always polite. If I do end up doing gigs for adults I'll try to avoid gigs where the adults would be really drunk and wild. A few of you mentioned that your style can make it tougher to control the kids - that can be true for sure, but it's a trade-off that we accept if we are aware that we are doing that.
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
|||||||||
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The little darlings » » What gig is tougher? (0 Likes) | ||||||||||
Go to page 1~2 [Next] |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.07 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |