Free shows

Last night I saw both Spearhead and Manu Chau at Bluesfest. I didn't pay to get in; instead I just hung outside the gates. It sure felt ironic when Spearhead was singing "give the corporations some complications", and when Manu Chau was singing about the "casa de Babylon" I was thinking "Yeah folks, you're in in !" Particularly, I have some qualms with Cisco Systems because they are fueling the internet censorship in China... but really they're just playing by the rules of the corporation, and the profit game is a dirty one.

I got a pretty good view of the stage on both occasions, but I wished that I had brought some friends along to dance with me. I was supposed to do some busking with my friend Brad but he called 5 minutes after I had left to say he wouldn't be there, which I had guessed because it was pretty overcast and drums don't take well to rain. After the show was over, I considered doing some solo busking, but from the get-go I wasn't really in the mood, and I really need some good beats for what I have jokingly dubbed "pole dancing" (playing with my "roley poles", or batons). As well, I didn't put my clown face on for fear of rain. However, I feel the need to do some solo busking to get over my insecurities and learn how to engage the crowd in a "Free X-change".

The night before last I jammed with Brad and Dennis, two of the most spirited drummer/singers I have ever met, and we together got the crowd riled up. I kind of feel like the the cheer leader of the group, there encouraging everyone to "stick around" and dance.

Lately I've been kind of fascinated by the mode of exchange that is busking. The artist offers a Free (as in "freedom") show; they are free to give (or to not give) to whomever they please. As well, the audience is not obliged to pay anything for this service, they are Free to catch a free (as in "gratis") show if they please, but they are also free to give if they feel like it. And in between there is this dance of influence. The artist may attempt to solicit donations by either appealing to people's generosity, or they might try to guilt-tripping those who are getting a free show (I'm not really into the latter mention, let them give out of love and not fear I say). And then the audience may pump up the artist, calling for an encore or a more extreme trick. As well, the audience can participate with the show, maybe they dance to the music, or are asked to participate in a magic trick. All of this really appeals to me as an advocate of what has been termed "Free Culture", which more refers to the Free sharing of information on the internet (i.e. Creative Commons artistic works, Free Software), but that is kind of mirrored in the world of street peformance.