Corporations VS. Artists
Although I'll remember a few things playing New Year's Eve 2009 at River Spirit Casino in Tulsa OK with our CCR tribute band, probably the single most notable takeaway is this: Artists & entertainers cannot be expected to do their jobs well if they're clamped down with the same rules & regulations as "regular" employees. Period.
This place isn't even a year old, and they truly spared no expense anywhere: State of the art sound system, decor, great marketing, etc. It's kind of like this: Imagine you were given the opportunity to sleep with whoever you wanted - your dream lover. The idea of it seems fantastic, and then... you start having all kinds of rules imposed as part of the package. None of this, none of that, forget that, you can't do this, you have to do that... before long, it's about as exciting as standing in line at the DMV.
There so many unbelievably, over-the-top, lame-ass, irrelevant things that could be listed - the management came THISCLOSE to having security force our drummer to put his shirt back on during the last set - but you know it's not good when the normally affable Rich Perez nearly gets into a fistfight with some self-important mid-level manager after he'd just killed himself onstage to transcend the corporate crapola & deliver yet another another fiery performance. What the hell?!?!?!
Bottom line: With all these restrictions & no-nos buzzing around like mosquitos in 3-piece suits, our performance suffered measurably. This venue could really learn a lot from the Oaklawn venue in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Not nearly as high-tech/fancy, but they really make their performers feel at home, and as a result, the artists give it everything they've got to make it great.
