DISQUS

Dystopos · 3 years ago

I posted this on Wade's blog, and I'll recycle it here (because i'm full of myself, I guess):

"These are good questions, [and] should be answered. I do think the civic value of the festival is high. I don’t agree with the idea of having “sacred cows” other than making it “Birmingham’s World-Class Music Festival”. I can’t make the meeting tonight, so here are my suggestions:

Emphasize three or four niches in which this festival truly can be world class - stuff that other festivals don’t do. Stuff that true believers board airplanes for. The Shape-Note thing is the right idea. I think merging the Magic City Blues Festival and the Birmingham Improv Festival into City Stages would be smart. I think the ASO should have a few performances with different performers. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to let Bottletree book a stage.

But here’s the thing, having Taylor and Snoop on the same stage was absolutely unique to Birmingham last year. Creating unique mash-ups should be a serious goal of City Stages planners. Suzy Fan might not come to Birmingham for a run-of-the-mill Indigo Girls set, but if you set up the Indigo Girls to play on stage WITH a Lucinda Williams or a k.d.lang, all of a sudden you’ve got people buzzing.

And how about this… instead of one three-day weekend a year, you do a monthly one-day festival through the summer. The BMA’s Art on the Rocks has been successful with that format. Imagine that with 20 times the number of acts, and sold by subscription as well as by day passes.

It’s evident the festival needs a shot in the arm. It’s evident to me that it’s worth making the effort. Maybe these ideas are worth considering."

Andre Natta · 3 years ago

Thanks for the comment.

Wade · 3 years ago

Let's be honest: There's little overlap between San Diego's superior lineup and Birmingham's pretty good lineup. That City Stages would compare the two is laughable, or merely sad.

I would pay more to see a stronger lineup. But it may not be a question of whether folks here can or would pay more for a killer schedule. Being realistic, it's unlikely we can draw the same acts based on population size and probable attendance. It's the same for touring acts and venues. That's OK.

"We currently do not feel the need to pay more in order to see more here in Birmingham, Alabama." That's simply too broad to defend. I've been to plenty of expensive concerts in town and out of town. Plenty of Birmingham residents will pay top dollar for acts they love, whether at the BJCC or in Atlanta or at Bonnaroo.

Maybe a more accurate statement is: We currently do not feel the need to improve City Stages in order to change its fate.

Andre Natta · 3 years ago

There is not an overlap; I see though that maybe the better question would be "What would we get if we were paying $80 or $100 for the festival here?" Drawing big name acts has nothing to do with the population size, you'll draw a crowd. Savannah is smaller than Birmingham and has drawn international acts that people pay a premium for. The big question for them is how much people are willing to pay. And people in Birmingham consistently sell themselves short and are more willing to pay for things outside because its not Birmingham.

I'm just saying that to be realistic and not always part of the we can't do it or shouldn't do it crowd. I'm tired of being cynical. If we can't support it anymore, fine. Let's think of what we can get behind. Is it a music festival, a movie festival, one of the art festivals. Let's pick one and finally say that we're going to go over the top with citywide support.

No one thought City Stages would work the first timne either. And for a time, it did.

catalyst · 3 years ago

Here's the rub... this NEEDS to be a city festival, NOT set of music performances. Expand the concept of "stages" to include performance art, community dance troupes, etc. Give away free booth space (since City Stages isn't paying rent on the sidewalks) to every non-profit in Birmingham. Invite any art vendor that otherwise exhibits at Artwalk or others in town. Basically, expand the offerings beyond music... build a world-class event AROUND MUSIC. Redefine and expand.

There -- I said it.