Things From Bruno 5

Here’s a few of the other notes I had from the Bruno Mars show this past Sunday…

-For all the bands who says Nashville doesn’t dance…There’s at least an arena full who dance. (My wife is queen of the dance floor. She is very good…I gesture loosely to the approximate beat)

-People like best the songs they know…even if those aren’t the best songs. (Although the argument can be made that by definition the ‘songs people know’ are thereby the best songs)

-No one cares how many tracks you use or don’t use as long as you hold our attention and entertain us. (side note: it seemed as though there were very few tracks used)

-You don’t need giant screens in an arena as long as you’re filling it up with something else.

-It starts with the lead singer. A tough truth for many (for both lead singers and everyone else).

-We are perceptive people, and more than that we believe we are very perceptive people. So when I see Bruno and his band on stage and am swept up by the fact that they look like they’re having an honestly great time, 1) I believe my perception and  2) I want to believe that I’m right and smart and correct, which deepens my belief in 1)

-I didn’t see anyone in the crowd not having a good time. Very few trips to the bathroom or to get more concessions.


Ok so this is the last day of Bruno posts.  

I did these five posts about the show because I loved it and there was so much great stuff to experience, learn from and be reminded of.

But the truth is a five part series (or fifty part) could be done on anyones show, yours included.

Maybe you should be the one to write the five part series on your show.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Things From Bruno 4

There was an opener. I thought she did a good job. It’s tough opening for Bruno Mars, a guy at the top of the heap, putting on a show like that.

But she was good. So good in fact I wanted to look her up on Instagram during her set to learn more about her.

She didn’t get to use the full lighting production that Bruno had but she used a small version and along with it had a big LED sign in the middle of the stage with her name on it that stayed lit up the entire time and changed colors.

Excellent idea.

(If you’re an opener and don’t have your name visible 100% of the time you should have your opening slot revoked.)

So I typed in her name on Insta.

No results.

Typed in her name on Google and got a stock market chart with some municipal bonds.

Here was the trouble…

The LED sign that was custom built so that 20,000 people would constantly see her name every night of the tour said

EMaix

So that’s what I searched.

But that’s not her name.

Her name is Ella Mai.

I was able to find this because I was determined to after initially finding no results.

But it wasn’t easy to find, and I doubt most people would bother.

I’m open to suggestions as to why it said EMaix instead of Ella Mai.


If you’re the opener the bar is lower…which is to your benefit. If you exceed the bar (which can be planeed for instead of hoped for) we want to know who you are.

The two places we’ll look are 1) the person next to us 2) the stage

You can’t do anything about the first one, but the second one rests squarely on your shoulders.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Things From Bruno 3

I bought a hat.

Here’s a deeper dive on that…

I bought that hat because when I put it on I get to tell myself a story.

(It might not be everyones exact story, but everyone has their version of it.)

I tell myself I now get to be associated with an elite entertainer. That I’m smart and observational and appreciate both the broad strokes and nuanced details of what made that show amazing. That I get something that not everyone else gets. And that raises my status, and that unlocks boldness.

Bruno’s show is top notch…and so the hat not only helps me remember the show, but informs me that I’m on the inside track.

Me and the dude who just had 20,000 people dancing for two hours have the same hat…so we understand each other and we are the same :)

Pretty powerful hat huh?


A version of this story happens with every fan who has ever bought your merch. So if you know this is happening, you can help inform it. In turn, your fans will happily spend more money on your merch but the feeling they receive from it is always worth far more.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Things From Bruno 2

When it comes to your merchandise, your fans want to

1. Look like you

and/or

2. Proclaim your name without looking dumb

Bruno’s merch table had a lot of the things him and the band were wearing on stage. So not only is this merch cool enough to wear on stage…I want to look like the people I just saw on stage…and now I can!

Brilliant.

When people are looking at you on stage all night and the drop by the merch table they want to look like (or resemble) what they just saw and remember what they experienced when they put on your shirt or hat or jacket and be proud of it.

Make sure all your merch falls into one or both of these categories.

*** I bought a hat.

*** More on the hat tomorrow.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Things From Bruno 1

I went to Bruno Mars’ show last night. He is the elite of the elite entertainers in the world.


Adding physical elements to the show increases the minimum energy required to do the show.

And increased physical energy begets the emotional and mental energy.

Most artists approach it only the other way, which is: When I’m ‘in it’ mentally then I have more physical energy.

It works BOTH ways.

And Bruno makes sure to have enough built in/scripted physical requirement from himself and his band that the mental/emotional buy in is so much more likely night after night.

Build in physical elements. It will help your brain and your heart.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Songs

You are the boss of your songs until they’re finished.

Then they are the boss of you.

Your songs are your babies until they’re finished.

Then they are your parents.

You are the creator of your songs.

And then they will create what happens next.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com