The death of Hip Hop gigs. This has been one of the biggest contributing factors as to why many acts are either disbanded, moved on to pursue other music related jobs or still pushing the dream but at a much smaller scale than before i.e. gone independent.
Many believe that it's the gig goers who are to blame, but one must remember the golden rule that the customer is always right. Here's the thing; an average entrance fee for a Hip Hop gig is about RM30 inclusive of a soft drink, and you have about 4-5 acts performing for the day. The show starts at about 2 or 3pm and the opening act is usually a newcomer. Fine. As the show progresses, you see people start getting antsy, walking about the premise, talking, basically not really interested in the performances. Why? Because most acts can't be bothered to even practise; to put on a decent half an hour set. Then they blame the crowd for not understanding the concept of a gig.
I've seen a few shows this year, a gig or two. Some were mediocre, some were commendable and then there are the ones that made me feel that I had wasted my time being there. Come on; let's look at it from the perspective of the audience shall we? I paid to get in, I expected to have a good time, enjoy good music and in my own way; support the local Hip Hop scene. But what I get in return is one act after another looking pretty lost most of the time, forgetting lyrics, have missing group members, and have no intention to interact with the audience whatsoever during their set. So I feel sort of cheated, and I leave with no intention of memorising the names of the groups I just saw because I just wasted what would have been a pretty interesting Saturday.
Okay, then there are groups or acts that actually DO practise, who do put in an effort to not look like a bunch of people who just finalised their set for the day the night before. They actually do take the time to make their own medleys, decide to do more of their own songs than cover versions and come show time; they bring their A game. You see it, you enjoy it, and you REMEMBER them. Because it was just that memorable. But then when the show ends, the organisers come up and tell the acts that the ticket sales weren't as good as expected so, here's your share. The acts then fell cheated, that all their hard work which took place weeks before was for a mere RM200. They leave with no intention of performing for any gigs in the near future because it's just not worth putting so much effort into.
Then there's the reasonable organisers (what the scene lacks nowadays). The ones who charge a decent entrance fee (about RM15-20), and is located within an accessible area, who scheduled a good line up and actually took the time to source out a deejay to entertain the crowd in between sets. When it's time to open the gates, the crowd starts coming in. An hour later nearing show time, the head count is not getting anywhere near promising. The organiser starts getting nervous; this does not look good. But the show must go on, with or without the estimated turnout. When the gig's over, the organiser expresses that there will no intention to organise another gig in the near future because the overhead cost is too much to bear, and the turnout barely covered his expenses for the day.
Three different scenarios; but all of them contributing to the demise of Hip Hop gigs here in KL. First off, organisers need to learn that promotion is crucial in ensuring the gig that's about to take place reaches the ears of its targeted audience. It doesn't matter how it's done; via flyers, SMS, online, mass emailing, bottom line it needs to be promoted at the very least a month before the event. Give the audience time to actually clear their schedule, gather their friends and make plans to go together but more importantly; to set aside what would be their expenses for the said date. If all this is taken into consideration, there is no need to charge a bomb for the ticket. Even if you charge at RM15 per person, if the event is promoted well enough; you'll definitely earn back your capital plus some extra to motivate you to plan the next gig soon.
Now, acts need to brush up on their stage persona. It's not just about memorising lyrics or when you're suppose to back up during the songs, but its also about being energetic, looking alive up there on stage. Create an interesting set that requires a bit of choreography (no, not dancing in synch, more on stage placement when the main MC takes the mic), even with limited space, make the effort to ask the organiser if you'll have room to move or if you need to be on the dance floor when its your turn, will there be feedback from the monitors? There's so much that can be taken into consideration to ensure a good performance, if only some people would only take the time to do a little research. About forgetting your lyrics, we all do that. It's only human. But with regular practise before shows you eliminate that possibility. And even if it does happen, don't immediately freeze and look bewildered all of a sudden; be quick to cover up your mistake and try to get back into the next line that follows. A good tip: It's good to have everyone know each other's parts, this way when someone forgets, someone else can always take over the line, and this also helps when one of your group members is sick or absent so the flow of the show is not interrupted. The most important thing to remember is that for the brief 30 minutes or so, you OWN that stage so make the most of it.
Once all the factors above fall into place, you'll start to notice more and more people coming to gigs again. It'll take a little time to regain the trust and support of the gig goers, but in time they'll start to pick up where they left off. No one wants to pay to see a showcase of people who seem to not know what they're doing, and to pay that much; is just not helping the scene to create an outlet for kids to go enjoy good local Hip Hop acts in action. So to tackle the problem, one has to dissect all factors involved. I hope we'll start to see the rebirth of great gigs again, 'cause it's always great to see home-grown talent showcase their music. Now THAT makes for a pretty interesting Saturday.
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