The Surprise Act gambit

[ukslim]

Special guests / surprise acts show up on the schedules, and by the time the festival comes around, most of us on here have a good idea who they're going to be.

I guess it's a crowd control strategy -- get an act on a stage that's smaller and more friendly than the popularity of the act would normally allow.

How well do we reckon this works? What proportion of the Glastonbury punters won't have any idea who these surprise acts are?

For example, presumably if the Dead Weather had been listed on the Park timetable last year, the Park would have been rammed. As it was, it was full, but not heaving. But I knew in advance (from this forum) that it would be them.

[WS_Jack_III]

Special guests / surprise acts show up on the schedules, and by the time the festival comes around, most of us on here have a good idea who they're going to be.

I guess it's a crowd control strategy -- get an act on a stage that's smaller and more friendly than the popularity of the act would normally allow.

How well do we reckon this works? What proportion of the Glastonbury punters won't have any idea who these surprise acts are?

For example, presumably if the Dead Weather had been listed on the Park timetable last year, the Park would have been rammed. As it was, it was full, but not heaving. But I knew in advance (from this forum) that it would be them.

[eFestivals]

For example, presumably if the Dead Weather had been listed on the Park timetable last year, the Park would have been rammed. As it was, it was full, but not heaving. But I knew in advance (from this forum) that it would be them.

I think you presume far too much there - I reckon the name would have meant zilch to the majority of the people there.

And I reckon the the majority of the more adventurous types - those who know more of music than the mainstream - had done much the same as you and knew who was playing and had gone or chosen not to, while the mainstream-types couldn't give a f**k anyway. And so such performances pretty much end up with the crowd size they'd get even if it had been written in the programme.

Don't forget, while that act might be attractive to many people if there was nothing else on, that attraction soon fades for many when there's so many other options.

[ukslim]

I think you presume far too much there - I reckon the name would have meant zilch to the majority of the people there.

[eFestivals]

So, what's the point of the gambit in that case?

To flatter the act?

To allow a substitution if the act might not make it?

It can be for a number of reason I think.

Franz Ferdinand weren't announced for their 'secret' show because, I believe, of other contractual arrangements.

N*E*R*D might have been for the same reason, tho if it was, that appears to have been a cock-up on Glasto's part, given that the IoW promoter made them playing public knowledge.

In some cases it's probably simply because the fest wanting to keep some slots free for any late and interesting bookings they might be able to make.

In some cases I guess it's simply to have an element of surprise in the line-ups.

I can't see how it can flatter an act.

[ukslim]

Actually 140,000 people paid $300 because they wanted to see N*E*R*D. Pharrell said so.

[eFestivals]

Actually 140,000 people paid $300 because they wanted to see N*E*R*D. Pharrell said so.

Thanks for that. I'll be adding Pharrell to my "musicians who are full of shit" list.

[Zacko]

Wasn't it 200,000 He made me chuckle with that quote.

Saying that, I really quite enjoyed them. *Scurries away

[Toilet Duck]

Franz Ferdinand weren't announced for their 'secret' show because, I believe, of other contractual arrangements.

[sparkythetortoise]

To flatter the act?

I think you're spot on there. Perhaps appease their vanity might be a better way of putting it. With all the stages or varying sizes, and all the acts of varying degrees of fame, isn't inevitable that they run out of appropriate stages and slots at the right point in the bill.

Its obviously what happened with Rolf, ludicrously squeezed onto the Jazz stage.

By making someone a surprise guest, its a perfect rationale for the crowd and the artist to explain why they have been stuck half way up a hill so low down on the bill.

I went to just about every special guest performance last year hoping to see something truly unusual, and with the possible exception of Dead Weather (at least a very early outing for them), it was all pretty standard Glasto fare.

I mean, I quite like the Klaxons, but it was hardly earth shattering to have them on the Park in the afternoon, maybe a couple of slots down from where you would expect.

The exception to this was Shangri La - Lady Ga Ga in a shed at one in the morning - that was a proper surprise (if you like that sort of thing). Not my cup of tea, god bless her, so I made my excuses and left.

[18Alex18]

I always thought in cases like the Dead Weather that it was more of a publicity thing?

New band that hasn't built up a following yet - and a lot of people, if they saw the name on the program might think nothing of it - it might mean nothing to them.

As soon as you put them as a surprise guest you get people interested - intrigue gets the better of them - they go up to the park and see and act they wouldn't have otherwise seen.

It may not have been the case for the dead weather - but often a surprise act will generate a bigger crowd as the bands fans will know about it and be there - and people who were interested to see who the surprise act would be will see them too. I suppose you have to judge whether the words "surprise guest" in the program will draw a bigger crowd than the name of the band itself.

I'm not saying that's the way it happens in all situations (for example Franz Ferdinand) but you can see how it would work in that way.

Edit: Obviously it works in the opposite way as well sometimes - when the band are on a stage that couldn't take the crowd they would usually expect - so they keep it low-key, as someone mentioned earlier.

Edited January 21, 2010 by 18Alex18

[Laura_Babs]

Thanks for that. I'll be adding Pharrell to my "musicians who are full of shit" list.

[18Alex18]

Thanks for that. I'll be adding Pharrell to my "musicians who are full of shit" list.