[Dixielandjazz] Playing in Outside Venues - was Davenport Blues etc.

[Stephen G Barbone]

> Gluetje1 at aol.com wrote:
>
>
> I failed to report yesterday that what may have impressed me as much  
> or
> more than the music was the audience.  There you were outside and   
> storefront,
> not all fitting under the awning.  AND there was a an  audience not  
> just
> strolling by but standing all around to listen to you.
>
> Has anyone beside me noticed the hundreds of YouTube clips of OKUM  
> bands
> playing in outside venues and playing to themselves?

Listmates:

I guess I'll have to start taking pictures of the audiences at the  
outside venues Barbone Street plays from about May through September.  
I do have a few on our myspace page.

Smallest one was 24 people in a pouring rainstorm at a public park.  
They cut holes for their heads in garbage bags, and sat in lawn  
chairs. (We were protected in a large bandshell) We invited them up  
into the shell with us and had a small but eclectic musical party  
surrounded by happy music lovers. Luckily, no thunder, just heavy rain.

Largest one this year had about 600 people gathered on the grass on  
the campus of Temple University in Ambler PA. It was a concert for the  
township wherein the campus is located.

Average of those who sit (or stand around) and listen for our outside  
venue concerts in Parks, Downtown Streets, Atriums between skyscrapers  
in  Philadelphia, etc is about 350 per event. Not including folks who  
walk by and spend 5 or 10 minutes listening.

We did about 42 of these last summer and are hoping for 50 this summer  
(2011) In 2009 we had about 3000 audience at one outdoor concert.

Our largest outdoor audience ever was in 2002 with about 5000 happily  
eating lunch while we played at one of 5 food stations on the horse  
race grounds of Winterthur, DE. We were at the first food station,   
right inside the entrance of the outdoor celebration of DuPont  
Corporation's 200th Anniversary, on about 150 acres of pasture grass.  
They invited ALL of their employees in Delaware, NJ, PA etc., and  
22,000 showed up. So if I want to get technical. 22,000 couldn't help  
but hear us for about 5 minutes while they entered the grounds, and  
for another 5 minutes as they left the grounds, which included various  
exhibits and 6 bands of various sizes.

HOWEVER  we do more than just play the music which may explain some of  
our success in both getting gigs and getting an audience for OKOM. In  
outside venues where we are competing for concerts and audience with  
all genres of music, magic shows, clowns, balloon benders, etc. And  
where we are competing with people (including other OKOM bands) who  
charge less money than we do for their shows.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband