This ones circulating a lot lately and there are many sides to the story. The open stage phenomena sprang up in clubs all over in the late 70s after being mostly dormant for a decade or so. In Toronto, the Hotel Isabella had the first ones, followed by Derringers and naturally, Grossmans. Eventually, every live music venue hopped on the bus. The Jam was recognized as a way to pad seats and save on budgets, a boon to players, patrons and owners. Initially, there seemed to be no downside. Here was social media in the flesh. Little did we know how the trend would morph and that Karaoke would come along, taking the process even further, at once bringing performance to anybody and pushing professionals out. At the same time, bands were getting lax in performance and punctuality. In this era, days of show bands had dwindled, it was normal to see a group, dressed in baggy pants, shirts out, all staring at the hockey game while the songs ticked by. Live entertainment was on the way out, but we didnt see that yet. There were plenty of clubs still at it. Look at the big picture, a similar shift has taken place in television. Musicians are not the only trade that has lost out to changes.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 15:47:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015