Gig Cancelations- and what they can mean

I received an email on Friday…the one a musician cringes when he opens.  "Ben, we regret to inform you…"

UGH

The letter went on to say that due to one circumstance or another, the concert for which I had been hired to open had been canceled.  To say I was disappointed was like saying Payton Manning was disappointed to lose the Super Bowl.  Thoughts circled in my head, thoughts like "But we have 100+ coming!"  And "We're pushing heavy promotion this weekend."  And I thought "This thing NEEDS to happen…"

I thought that, because I'm a musician building a career.  I thought that, because I wanted the fans of the other band to see us and to fall in love with us, and I wanted to turn them into new Ben Dukes fans.  I thought that, because I wasn't thinking.  I was reacting.

Then I read further in the email, to where a rep from LiveNation said "I'd like to tentatively offer you…" and he went on to inform me of a future date where he thought he could use me.  I was appreciative, and told him that I would definitely accept if that gig was offered.

That's where my mind started to take over for my initial instinct.  I realized that if they were canceling the gig, then the likelihood that I would have been able to win many fans was low.  I would have been playing to mostly my own folks, and a spattering of others.  And, don't get me wrong, every single fan matters.  Every pair of ears is important.  But, you also want to maximize every opportunity for exposure.  So, this gig would NOT have been the gig for that.

Now, I looked up the possible future gig.  That gig is as an opening act for a Nashville act that is currently on Radio, CMT, and GAC.  In short, their star is beginning to rise, and while they may need local support, they'll also have their own draw.  As such, it's a very exciting proposition for me. Losing one opportunity, and yet coming back with one that may be more advantageous - it's very cool indeed.  Yes, I was a bit upset at the effort and expense that went into my initial promotion for the canceled show.  To a degree, though, that's the cost of business; ultimately, these lemons could indeed become the sweetest of lemonade.

I'm quickly reminded of that trite saying, "When God closes a door, He opens a window."  I hate it when people tell me that.  However, in light of this recent development, it is resonating with me.  It could be, though, that instead of a window, He just went ahead and blew out the frikkin wall.

Open Concept.  I'll take it.


YeahComeOn!

- Dukes