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Anyone Got A Beer?
August 22, 2008
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Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville
I doubt Pat Green will ever utter those words from a stage again. In case you missed it, Pat asked for a beer on stage in front of some Michigan NASCAR fans and got beaned right between the eyes.
Pat joins an illustrious list of performers who have seen the audience thrust projectiles at them, from quarters at a Travis Tritt show to cans of Copenhagen at Chris Ledoux. Remember the first Blues Brothers movie? That is not far from reality at some venues.
Remember, throwing from stage can go both ways ... and that's not recommended. either. Tracy Byrd hit me in the eye with a guitar pick once in Tampa. I heard that the mic flew off Eddie Montgomery's twirling microphone stand once. I'm sure those flying souvenir drumsticks have poked someone in the wrong place over time. Moral of the story is for the audience to not throw anything at the stage and vice versa.
Lots of blonde news these days coming from Music Row. The ongoing exchange between Tony Romo's current and former gals. The dating or non-dating of Taylor Swift and Jonas Brother Joe. And the confirmed love business of Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough.
Our folks are making more news these days than Britney and Paris combined. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but it's probably good. The buzz is keeping the folks all over People, US and TMZ. If Country is the mainstream of popular music and not just some tributary, the publicists have to give the meat eaters something to chew on.
The Pat Green story got a ton of press. Even now Google it and see how many folks picked up the story. Took a good while for anyone to say how he was doing or just pick up the ball and run with it. You can't plan things like this, but you can maximize the moment. I want and have wanted to see Pat Green make it to be a big star. His name got big star treatment this week. But the PR on the story went nowhere. Not even a quote from Pat even to this point. Not good. You have to get people talking about you.
No one wants to see an artist injured. That could have been very bad, but it seems not to have been. So make some fun out of it ... lost opportunity,it seems.
People playing up Chuck Wicks can only help. He's such a promising star. Remember it was that stupid horse incident in Buffalo that got the real break Kenny Chesney always needed. He got the Tonight Show for that and it's been the Big Time ever since.
However that got worked ... worked! You can't plan for things like that; it was making chicken salad out of chicken ****!
Country music is not boring. Its stars are as rich and glamorous and we want them to be. They fly private jets and are married to Hollywood stars. Our young tall blonde superstar is going out with a member of the hottest teen pop group around. One country dad lives with his 15-year-old zillionaire Disney star.
See, this is the big time. Somehow and someway, this excitement is not totally being marketed to the folks around the world.
People is doing really the best job right now. They get it. That special edition is excellent. New York still doesn't get it, post-CMA show. They get it better but at the end of the day, they still don't and probably never will.
I just hope we don't get to the mass-appeal point where traditional Country music folks like Alan, George and others seem out of place.
Radio stations need to check themselves very often to make sure they are reflecting the tastes of their audience and not the tastes of some Madison Ave. marketing firm. Alan Jackson said it best ... go out in those parking lots and see what the folks are driving to the shows. And see if it's the same people the suits think are out there. Understanding that one point is why Alan Jackson lives in Nashville's biggest house! Alan Jackson for President. He gets it. Keep it simple. How many times has that been said?
Congratulations to Brad, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney, who keep playing to eager, happy, satisfied audiences.
Now we just need to grow more where they came from....
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