Reply To: JCCC4: Post Mortem (Feedback Thread)

[glenra]

Speaking as a performer, On-Air versus Labyrinth is a really close call. What makes it close is that Labyrinth this year was MUCH BETTER in terms of SOUND QUALITY than On-Air was last year. The sound was better for several reasons:

(1) though Labyrinth has two bar areas, neither was staffed during this morning show so there was no noise from ice machines and no noise from people giving drink orders or glasses clinking.

(2) Labyrinth is really well sound-isolated from the rest of the ship – you effectively go through either an AIRLOCK or a series of baffle walls to get in there – whereas On-Air is right next to a thoroughfare full of people walking by having side conversations. So there’s no sound coming in from outside and the sound generated by the (excellent) sound system can’t escape the venue – it just fills the room.

It seemed like everybody who was IN that room was there to hear the performers – not to talk – and thus had an excellent listening experience. (this might also have to do with it being “too early to drink” and it being the first show the day after main events had ended at 1am – the people in that room had gone out of their way to come listen to us, they weren’t just there because it was “the next thing on the schedule”.) And everybody who was able to find a chair had a comfortable sitting experience – the chairs there are padded and comfy.

But On-Air is much better for sightlines. I could see much more of the audience and more of the audience could see me. Although On-Air has only 140 “seats”, if you include people leaning on or standing behind the bar, something on the order of 200 people were able to SEE the performance last year. Though Labyrinth “holds” more people, I’d estimate fewer than 100 can see the performer there and even a lot of those who CAN see aren’t very comfortable or getting a very good look – they might be standing at a side balcony railing looking down from above at the dimly-lit heads of the performers or crouching low to peer up through the cracked glass of the stairway area. Suboptimal.

Overall for my sort of show I think I would prefer On-Air over Labyrinth even though my audience is clearly outgrowing the room. So long as we can tell the bartender to knock it off with the ice drinks, I’m happy with the overall experience more people are having there.

(regarding attendance: somebody told me a clicker was used – there might exist some actual STATISTICS on how many people came in, at least through the main downstairs entrance at the start of the show…)