Post by JVH (f/k/a Bob Dubilina) on Jun 16, 2008 14:57:46 GMT -5
Windy City Reprise:
The Best Songs of 2007
CD III: Rumble In Frankfurt – The Best of What's Left
The Best Songs of 2007
CD III: Rumble In Frankfurt – The Best of What's Left
In late September 2007 I caught a flight to Germany for the express purpose of following a band around on tour for a long weekend. It had been a hectic five days with lots of travel, live music and little rest for all involved, but I was having the time of my life partying all night with my friends (i.e., the band) and meeting up with old acquaintances I had made during my previous visit. Better yet, I had saved quite a bit on accommodations and food thanks to these friends as well as the kindness of their fans!
Because I had been getting by quite well on my tight budget, I decided to go ahead and splurge on a nice hotel room for my last night in Frankfurt. After I paid for my room and dropped off my bag, I made my way to the venue to meet up with the band for what would be my last concert of their tour. When I arrived, the collective mood was quite somber and it was all too obvious that my friends had gotten little rest after playing a huge festival (complete with VIP treatment) the night before. Tonight would also mark two weeks on the road with one more week to go, and it didn't take a genius to see that all that partying and drinking and being so far away from their loved ones was finally taking its toll.
After I announced my arrival and watched the band set up and sound check, the bassist came over to me and said in his familiar, neutral tone, "Frontman's looking for you. He's in the dressing room."
"Oh, okay."
I walked into the dressing room and found the lead singer sitting at the table with a beer.
"Hey, buddy, what's up?"
Staring at his beer, looking lost in thought, the frontman said in a serious tone, "We need to talk."
I responded with a laugh and a nervous, "Uh-oh." That's when he looked up at me, and it was painfully clear that this was no light-hearted matter. I quickly chimed in, "What's wrong?"
What came next was an outrageous (and from where I was standing, hearing it for the first time, completely unexpected) accusation that I had stirred up trouble for the band at the festival the night before. What it came down to is that the totally inebriated lead singer and I together had asked around if anyone knew if there were any cheap hotels/hostels nearby. (I had arrived late to the concert just before sunset and had never been to this particular city before, so I was clueless as to where I would be spending the night.) The misunderstanding came about when the festival coordinator assigned to the band later complained to her boss that I had been demanding(?!) that she(!) arrange lodging for me because I was "with the band."
Of course, my friends weren't happy to hear about this the next morning and consequently spent the long, cramped ride to Frankfurt exhausted, hungover and brooding over my alleged demands. By the time I was confronted for my supposed blunder – which, to be fair, could cost them a slot at future festivals (because, after all, who wants to hire a band with a overbearing entourage?) – all that frustration with being on tour and away from home had compounded this hearsay into a potentially unforgivable action that needed to be addressed with extreme prejudice. Even worse, it gave cause to bring even further complaints not any way related to this matter to the forefront in an avalanche of righteousness and resentment.
Now, I should mention here that I never did make any such demand nor would I ever make such an egregious faux pas. I had previously followed these friends on tour a few years ago for three weeks – plenty of time to get on one another's nerves – so before I got their blessing to come out on this particular jaunt, we established guidelines so certain things wouldn't be taken for granted this time around. It had been made all too clear that the band would do their best to include me in the festivities, but other than a comp ticket to the shows I was expected to arrange for my own transport, meals and lodging. There would be no free rides unless stated otherwise, and I was more than okay with that! That's why I had a budget in the first place!
Alas, no matter what I could say in my defense, the damage had been done. And although the lead singer slowly came around and apologized for reprimanding me without getting my side of the story first, a rift had been made between us. Even worse, when I tried to settle things with the rest of the band, they wouldn't even give me the courtesy of hearing me out. Needless to say, I left the show early without saying good-bye and spent a sleepless night wondering how the greatest weekend of the year had so quickly become the worst.
I've been actively promoting music for close to a decade now, and one of the best perks about the gig is the chance to befriend any number of musicians I admire and, yes, even look up to. However, there's always a danger to this, and it's not the age-old adage that you can't be friends with your heroes because they themselves are regular ol' fallible humans with plenty of baggage and are just as capable of being cruel and uncouth as the next guy (or girl). No, the biggest problem is that no matter what kind of relationship – casual or intimate – you may share with any artist, you must respect that their art is a business, and it must be nurtured and protected with due diligence. Although playing and promoting music hinges upon the goal of connecting with people in a social setting and having fun, any and all sorts of problems can arise with the company you keep. That's life. Problems come up all the time, and even your best friend can make trouble for you by association. Simply, when you're part of a band's entourage, you become an extension of their business, so you must be extra vigilant in your behavior with others because anything you do or say could bring (irreparable) harm to their reputation.
I learned that particular lesson long ago, but this Rumble In Frankfurt turned out to be a prime example of how bad things could truly get. I guess what upsets me most, though, is how quickly I lost four good friends without first being given the opportunity to defend myself. Yes, I fully understand why the band would be so upset over a misunderstanding that could still have repercussions later down the road, but there was no reason to wipe the entire slate clean and instantly delegate me back to nothing more than the small-time radio DJ who enjoys spinning their music. But that's what happened, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't still a little hurt by how things went down.
I miss my friends. More importantly, I missed the band! For a long time after this ugly mess I didn't even have the heart to listen to their music. In fact, only recently have I been able to bring myself to appreciate anything from their discography. Fortunately, it didn't take much to remember why they have always been a particular favorite of mine, and something tells me that I'll soon be making more of an effort to see them in concert again. Maybe I won't ever have another opportunity to be invited out for a backyard BBQ or sit in on a practice session or be pulled up on stage to sing back-up during a sold-out show in Langenau, but at the very least I can be happy that their business will always be my pleasure.
It's a small and somewhat silly comfort, but I'll take it.
Justin Holt
"Bob Dubilina"
BFN Networks
Bob@BFNinYourEars.com
June 18, 2008