Riverside_ memes recently posted a skeleton with the caption “Me at any Riverside bar at 1:15 am waiting for bands to start playing even though the flyer said doors at 8.”
Admittedly it is a slight exaggeration, but only a slight one.
It illustrates a problem in Jax, an even larger problem in Riverside with regard to local music acts. A problem that has only become worse over the years.
A problem coupled with rising rents and other expenses that has seen the quality and volume of live local music and the venues which host that music, decline.
It occurs so frequently in and around the Riverside area it has caused shows to start or at least to advertise as staring, at later and later times.
Flyer says doors at 7 band at 8.
Fans show up at 7:45 band starts at 9:45.
So:
Flyer says doors at 8 band at 9.
Fans remember waiting 2 hours the last time so they don’t show up until 9:45. The bands starts at 10:30. And so it goes, later and later.
A lack of trust between parties has developed. The parties being the venue, the bands and the fans.
Basically the fans don’t trust what the venues or the bands say with regard to start times for music acts. And in all fairness, they have good reason not to trust them. The venues also don’t trust the bands nor do the band’s trust the venues.
Some venues do it to get and keep people in seats and drinking longer.
Some do it because of poor communication and or poor execution of the night’s schedule.
The bands and their promoters are far from innocent as well. All it takes is one band out of the night’s schedule to be late. Late as a result of poor planning, late because of inconsideration for the other bands, the venue or the fans, late because of any number of reasons. One band failing to set up properly or timely or failing to break down properly or timely can cause a domino effect for the night.
Those types of things happen. The difference between them happening and the show going on on time or the showing being late is on how the venue handles the situation. A venue that cares about it’s customers and cares about the show starting on time will start on time. That said, everyone has an off night now and then and that’s understandable. But we’re well past an off night every now and then. It has become the norm for the band(s) to not start on time.
And then you get this clown, a local musician who admittedly and proudly proclaims to printing flyers and posting facebook events which falsely state his shows start a full hour earlier than they actually do. So if you attend one of his gigs, you have to wait an hour plus however much time the venue may be running behind, plus however much time the act before him may be running behind.
And what is his “logic” for his bait and switch fraud filled flyers
To get an early crowd to listen to his music.
He is woefully wrong. His and similar actions from others have the opposite effect. He may trick someone once and that is a big maybe. I can’t count the number of times I have sat in a venue and watched a decent size crowd of people trickle down to a handful because people were just tired of waiting for the show to start.
Tricking people to come watch your show is not a viable long term solution.
Talent, not tricks is the answer to Jax’s music conundrum.
Talent and honest promotion will put bodies in seats and cash in the register.
Unfortunately, due to the long-term mistrust created by shows starting late it will also take time. Venues must start on time whether there are 3 people in the venue or 300.
They must consistently start their shows on time so their customers will know they can trust the start times and arrive accordingly.
