Post by Michael Messer on Jul 23, 2020 14:06:31 GMT
A decision is going to have to be made soon.
There are many obstacles in the way at the moment, one of which is that I have not been in a shop or anywhere near people, other than a chosen few, in more than four months. So the idea of staying in a hotel and eating food prepared by someone else, is a daunting one for me right now. Then there is the problem of combining social distancing with making the event financially viable and right now I don't see how that is possible. Will enough people turn up? Will the venue and hotel reduce their prices to help make it work? To make it financially viable at the current costs I need a full house for the weekend classes and the Saturday night show.
I was recently offered a very well paid high profile outdoor performance in August and turned it down because I couldn't actually cope with going and doing it. I would have had to take my own mics, stands, leads and chair. I would not want the sound engineer on the stage, so I would need to plug in an set up myself. They said there was a beautiful meal provided, but I did not want that. I would prefer to take my own food and drink. I am long past being enticed to a venue by the promise of an expensive meal. When you're working it's just a plate of food. Then there was the problem of meeting the organisers, the audience and one or two other performers, all of which are friends of mine. Then, last but not least and on a very serious point, would I be allocated my own toilet for the day! No I am not a Prima Donna, I just don't want to spent eight weeks in intensive care on a ventilator.
This is an example of how easily it can all go wrong;
When I was in India in 2013 to play at a festival, I stayed in one of Mumbai's most expensive hotels. I told my band that nobody was to leave the hotel or eat anything from outside the hotel until after our show. Every room had an information pack about how the food, water, cutlery, crockery and bed linen was sterilised. They even listed at what concentration the bleach and other chemicals was in each application. The place was hermetically sealed from the outside world and cleaner than most western hospitals. After eating my first meal there, I became so sick that I almost needed to be hospitalised. It was serious, but I recovered. When I returned home a week or so later I was talking with a medical friend of mine about the experience and he said that no matter what the rules are, there is always room for human error. So what most likely happened was that the waiter went outside for a smoke, maybe touched a door handle, a rubbish bin, or shook hands with a friend, then went back into the restaurant, forgot to sanitise his hands, touched my plate or glass and BOOM! That was me down and I was the one that was unable to do the show. That waiter's mistake cost the promoter a serious amount of money and left 2000 people without a show that night. This is an example of what can happen and why I am so wary of staying in a hotel or eating and drinking food prepared by someone else.
So as you can see, it's not looking great and I REALLY want to do it, believe me.
I don't want this to turn into a thread about whether it is safe or not to go out and who is prepared to take risks, but I do owe it to you, my friends and regular attendees that I respect, to explain my position.
Shine On
Michael.
There are many obstacles in the way at the moment, one of which is that I have not been in a shop or anywhere near people, other than a chosen few, in more than four months. So the idea of staying in a hotel and eating food prepared by someone else, is a daunting one for me right now. Then there is the problem of combining social distancing with making the event financially viable and right now I don't see how that is possible. Will enough people turn up? Will the venue and hotel reduce their prices to help make it work? To make it financially viable at the current costs I need a full house for the weekend classes and the Saturday night show.
I was recently offered a very well paid high profile outdoor performance in August and turned it down because I couldn't actually cope with going and doing it. I would have had to take my own mics, stands, leads and chair. I would not want the sound engineer on the stage, so I would need to plug in an set up myself. They said there was a beautiful meal provided, but I did not want that. I would prefer to take my own food and drink. I am long past being enticed to a venue by the promise of an expensive meal. When you're working it's just a plate of food. Then there was the problem of meeting the organisers, the audience and one or two other performers, all of which are friends of mine. Then, last but not least and on a very serious point, would I be allocated my own toilet for the day! No I am not a Prima Donna, I just don't want to spent eight weeks in intensive care on a ventilator.
This is an example of how easily it can all go wrong;
When I was in India in 2013 to play at a festival, I stayed in one of Mumbai's most expensive hotels. I told my band that nobody was to leave the hotel or eat anything from outside the hotel until after our show. Every room had an information pack about how the food, water, cutlery, crockery and bed linen was sterilised. They even listed at what concentration the bleach and other chemicals was in each application. The place was hermetically sealed from the outside world and cleaner than most western hospitals. After eating my first meal there, I became so sick that I almost needed to be hospitalised. It was serious, but I recovered. When I returned home a week or so later I was talking with a medical friend of mine about the experience and he said that no matter what the rules are, there is always room for human error. So what most likely happened was that the waiter went outside for a smoke, maybe touched a door handle, a rubbish bin, or shook hands with a friend, then went back into the restaurant, forgot to sanitise his hands, touched my plate or glass and BOOM! That was me down and I was the one that was unable to do the show. That waiter's mistake cost the promoter a serious amount of money and left 2000 people without a show that night. This is an example of what can happen and why I am so wary of staying in a hotel or eating and drinking food prepared by someone else.
So as you can see, it's not looking great and I REALLY want to do it, believe me.
I don't want this to turn into a thread about whether it is safe or not to go out and who is prepared to take risks, but I do owe it to you, my friends and regular attendees that I respect, to explain my position.
Shine On
Michael.