Vol. 01 No. 09

Roots, Rock ‘n Blues News

Volume 1, Number 9

Just a Benefit?

Musicians as a group tend to be very generous with their time and talent. It seems like one band or another is always holding a benefit sometime somewhere for a worthy cause. It’s not unusual for other musicians to show up and add their talents to the show and it can really be a great time for both the players and fans. The best part is that money is raised for somebody who really needs it. Witness the many benefit performances held after Hurricane Katrina, for example. Millions of dollars were raised a few hundred or a few thousand at a time by musicians willing to play for free in order to pass the hat and collect needed funds.

Often several bands will get together and put on a show consisting of each band doing a set, often with special guests joining the bands on stage. Other times, one band will host the show and featuring a rotating series of guest players. The latter is obviously more work for the host band, especially the non-lead players such as drummers, bass players and rhythm guitarists.I participated in one of the latter types a year or so ago. A friend and fellow harp player recommended me for the lineup and also asked me to sing during his set as he doesn’t sing. I got there a bit late because of traffic issues, but we weren’t scheduled to be on until later anyway. As it turned out, we were the last two sets. He did his first, then I did mine to close the show.

It was not a particular pleasant experience. By the time we got on, the band was really tight in the alcoholic sense of the word, if you get my drift. I’m used to playing at jams where the quality of the backing band can vary considerably, so I was able to get through it, but it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. My buddy experienced the same thing. He knows the band members being from the same area and said something to them about it sometime later. Their response was puzzling: “Hey, lighten up, it’s just a benefit!”

Apparently, to these cats, being a benefit means that the standards of professionalism are suspended for the duration of the gig. They treat it like it’s a party at somebody’s house where everybody there happens to be a musician, so there’s a lot of jamming going on while everybody’s getting wasted. I’m not one to tell anybody how to conduct their business, but in my opinion, when a club is kind enough to provide a place for the benefit to happen, and people show up to see music and donate their money for the cause, they deserve to see a well-played show. Not only that, the guest players who have been invited to participate have a right to expect a fully functioning band behind them. If the host band wants to pound a beer or two or ten after the show, more power to them, but being trashed by the last set does a disservice to their guests, the audience and their own reputation as a professional band not to mention the cause they’re representing.

If I’m a club owner and I see that the band is stumbling and bleary-eyed by the end of the night, I’m going to assume they treat a paying gig the same way. If I’m cool with that, that’s one thing, but most club owners are business people and they want fannies in the seats or feet on the dance floor as long as possible. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to stick around to watch a band that can barely find the stage, much less play up to their abilities.

So, what do you think? I’m curious to hear what fans and players have to say on this issue. I’ve put a survey on our new Squidoo lens. Click here to check it out and let us know your opinions.

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See you next time!