YOU SPOKE, WE LISTENED!

A couple days ago I asked you what you guys would change about the Live Streaming Concerts. You’ve talked, and we listened! I thought it’d be fun tell you how we are changing to make things better.

BRIGHTER LIGHTING! LESS FOG!

Okay, this was the most common request we got. So I’ve added more spot lights, specifically ones to illuminate Kristina and Carey in the back. I’ve also been going through all the programmed lighting shows, and just Turing up the brightness.

This is a tricky one, because cameras can’t handle it if it's too bright. They wash out in ugly ways. So I got to program the EXACT best amount of brightness…

...but I’m on the job!

Too much fog??? Hahah! Here is why fog has been a problem.

I actually controlled the fog myself. I have a button on my mic stand, and I push when I think we need a little extra. Fog is important, because without it you can’t see some effects, like the lasers. So I try (TRY) to get the exact right amount. 

Well, here’s the funny part: our first fog machine died, and we got a new one. The new one has four buttons; 

one button turns fog on

One button other turns the fog off. 

...and the other two buttons do nothing! GAA!

Meanwhile the fog machine is behind me, so if I hit the wrong button, I can’t tell it didn't stop!! Hahah! Next thing you know, we are lost in Victorian London, and nobody knows where anybody else is!

So, from this point forward, I’m letting Bella control the fog! She’ll be able to give just the right amount…and if there is too much, open a window! 

Lets hope no one sees the fog coming out the window, and calls the fire department! Hahah!

MORE VARIETY!

One of my favorite comments said it very well, “More variety. my wife and I went to all of them (the streaming shows) till recently. We stopped because they all where the same show, basically.” (Thanks Scott!)

This is such a weird thing for us musicians to get through our heads. See, touring bands typically choose one set list for TWO YEARS OR MORE. Having a different show is really against the grain!

But it makes sense to change things up when you’ve got a show like this, with the same fans coming each time! And the great news is, Abney Park has over 350 songs, so there is more then enough to keep things fresh!

SO HERE IS OUR PLEDGE TO YOU: 

Every show, from this moment forth, will not include any songs we played at the previous two shows. Since we do shows no more then every two months, that be around 6 months before you hear any repeats!

FUN IDEAS

We also got some fun/funny requests. One guy wanted a camera on an airship that flies around the room…I love this idea, and I’ll get right on it…when I can figure out how to do this!

;)

Another person said Carey mumbled too much…so I’ll nag him about that. Feel free to nag him yourselves. ;)

Another person said they had trouble seeing Kristina and Carey in the back…so I’ve added a camera in the back of the room, just on them (or me, if I stand on a stool! Haha!)

Benjamin wanted a Europe friendly time…so voila! This show will be at a Europe Friendly time.

William Moss suggested that he’d love to hear more anecdotes from band members in the after party. This is a great idea! Not all band members are going to want to do this, as we’ve got a couple shy people, but I’ll try to get this into more shows.

STREAMLINED TICKETING PROCESS

One guy said, “A streamlined purchase and ticketing process”. This is SUPER tricky, and I rack my brain on how to do this. Let's see if I can explain why this is so tricky. 

Problem number 1 is that many email servers filter our emails as spam. So some people don’t get the tickets from us, and when they write to us for help, they don’t get our replies. Then they get super mad at us…even though there is literally nothing we can do. Because of this, I think its best if people ask technical support questions on the ticket sales page (and no where else), which bring me to my next problem:

Another problem is that when people need help, they ask in a million different places online, that we won’t ever see. Messages come in via the bands Facebook PM, my personal Facebook PM, other band members PMs, our customer service email (great place to ask, but Megan only checks this once a week, because we can only afford to pay her once a week.), the “discussion” on the ticket site ( best place to ask), PM on Patreon, a comment on any of the other ticket pages, a comment on one of the 300 Abney Park songs on Spotify, a comment on an unrelated post I made on Facebook…a comment on a video on YouTube (we have hundreds of videos) it’s just crazy how many places these comments pop up, and go unseen. No WAY we can scan the entire internet! We'd need a room full of trained monkeys, all typing at the same time...and...maybe a magic crystal...that...um...

nope, can't be done. 

So here is what we'll do: We’ll always check comments on the ticket page, right up until the show starts. And we’ll always check the bands customer service email.

So we are on the job!  Expect the next show to reflect all these changes, and thanks for your input!

oh, If you still need tickets, you can get them here: https://igg.me/at/abneypark4europe