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Without a Vision, Your Show Dies

by Backstage: Vision & Planning Greenroom: 11 Comments

It’s absolutely necessary for you to develop a vision for your live show. What do you want the end result to be? Whether it’s a creative project, a business plan, or any endeavor – if it’s worth spending time doing, you need to develop a vision for how you want it to turn out. A famous […]

Why CeeLo Green Loves Nikki’s Wives

by Backstage: Making it Your Own, Vision & Planning Greenroom: Leave a Comment

     I started working with London, Ontario artist Nikki Whitehead several years ago as a young solo artist.  Since then she’s formed an alt-pop band called Nikki’s Wives, and I’ve been able to work with them and their amazing songs several times, as we worked toward putting together a solid set.      They’ve […]

State of the Music Industry and Your Live Show!

by Backstage: Vision & Planning Greenroom: 2 Comments

     You need to decide!  Are you a “recording” artist or a “performing” artist?!  Seriously, most of you NEED to become a better performer for the sake of your career!  Tom Jackson comments on legendary music blogger, Bob Lefewitz’ blog and offers valuable insights on why you need a great live show and how to […]

Using Cues: Don’t Wing It!

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills, Vision & Planning Greenroom: 6 Comments

       I just returned from an AWESOME three week trip to Australia.         I experienced a stunning amount of music at the WOMAD Festival (pictured), in clubs, at my workshop and at the Fringe Festival.  There were artists of all types: from one guy with a guitar to a group of […]

GETTING PERMISSION

by Backstage: Materials, Tools & Skills, Vision & Planning Greenroom: 5 Comments

     There’s nothing more frustrating for me than to watch an artist perform…halfway. ‘Kind of’ bringing it. Especially when I know what they are capable of as singers and musicians.      A few months ago I was in the audience at a large banquet where an established gospel singer was the entertainment. She […]

It’s Not a Stage – It’s a Platform!

by Backstage: Vision & Planning Greenroom: 2 Comments

“We don’t entertain, we worship.” That’s the main resistance we get from worship artists and worship teams about Tom Jackson’s Live Music Method. This is a pretty common concern — and valid. When it comes to worship, we don’t treat that “audience/venue” the same as a band out doing shows and entertaining an audience. But […]

It Should Be Obvious

by Backstage: Vision & Planning Greenroom: 4 Comments

Let’s pretend for a minute… instead of being the artist onstage, let’s say you’re the lighting director for a show. I understand you may not have a lot of experience with lighting – or maybe you have! But either way, would you put the same lights on for every song? Same lights, same lighting scheme, […]

It Starts With a Vision

by Backstage: Vision & Planning Greenroom: Leave a Comment

Making your show special involves thinking things through — what I call “getting a vision” — for the moments that are in your songs & planning how to develop them. When I help an artist plan their show, I try to get a vision as I listen to their songs. In other words, I want […]

Who’s In Charge Here?

by Backstage: Vision & Planning Greenroom: 4 Comments

Recently I saw a hilarious cartoon picturing a singer/songwriter introducing his song to the audience: “This is a song about my lifelong struggle with tone-deafness and the inability to carry a tune or play an instrument.” Probably not the best way to set yourself up as a confident performer! You can be the best lead […]

A Great Show Doesn’t Happen by Accident

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As musicians, we are emotionally attached to our music. With that attachment, we often lose perspective. I’m not asking you to emotionally detach from your songs when you perform live, but I am asking you to look at it from the audience’s point of view. Why does your audience show up? What are they hoping […]