By Jim Schwartzkopff
But whether you're booking a concert series or bands in a club, nothing compares to seeing the artist in person. You can experience their interaction with the audience, feel the electricity (or lack of it) in the air, and gauge how this act is going to go over with your own audience.
To make sense of what you've seen, or share your impressions with someone else later, it's helpful to use a systematic approach. During my 24 years of scouting talent for A Taste of Colorado, Denver's large Labor Day festival, I scouted literally thousands of performing artists in all kinds of venues. Here are some tips:
1. Advance planning. If you're seeing an artist in concert, you will probably be there for the whole concert. But if you're catching an act at a bar or in a festival setting, you can make a good evaluation in just 20-30 minutes. Check the schedule or call ahead to find out when the sets will start and stop; plan your arrival accordingly.
2. Be ready to take notes. I travel with a small spiral notebook and pen, but you can go high-tech with a handheld voice recorder or digital note-taking device if you prefer.
3. Settle in and get comfortable. If it's a bar, buy a drink or a soft drink. Be part of the audience.
4. Make note of the key points. You don't need to write down everything--and if you determine the artist is clearly not what you're looking for, you're done! But here are some things to watch for:
- Basic performance elements. How many players or performers? What instruments? What generic type of music, dance, or other performance are they presenting? (e.g., smooth jazz, '60s rock and roll, singer-songwriter, juggler)
- Quality of performance and material. For groups with multiple performers, how's their pitch, rhythm, unison, blend? If it's original material, is it interesting? compelling? blah? What's the visual impact as well as the musical impact of the performance? How's the energy level? Too frenetic? Too laid back? Nice balance?
- Audience Interaction. Does the artist create a good rapport with the audience? Is the audience bored? Engaged? Riveted?
- Sum it up. Summarize your impression with one or two phrases: "Polished, fun, rocking performance!" "Great singer with quirky, interesting material," "Could be good for the XYZ series," or "Not for us."
5. Meet the artist. After the performance, go speak to the artist if you're inspired to do so. Introduce yourself and get their card. Whether you end up hiring them or not, they'll be pleased you came out to see them perform, but more than that, they will know you try to make informed decisions.
By the way, the above tips are just as useful in a showcase setting. I hope you're planning to attend the Colorado Performing Arts Trade Show and Jamboree on January 27, where a full day of performances (9 acts) will give you plenty of opportunity to strengthen your performance evaluation chops.
