Well, here it is, the last day of May, and the last day of this swing through Europe (France, mostly) with Blue Man Group. Today was a rough day to end on. For some reason, everyone is wound up and mad about things. People have been successfully winding me up all day. And all I wanted was a nice easy day before I go home tomorrow. As if to tempt us, the venue today is right next door to the international airport. All day long, over the high metal fence, I could see airplane tails pull up and then jet off into the distance. What torture.
But its one hour to show time and then I barrel my way through the French cues one last time before I don't have to think about it for 5 days... When I land in Seoul, South Korea, and spend two more weeks listening to Blue Man banter, in Korean.
Almost home....
31 May, 2008
28 May, 2008
Brussels... Belgian For Blackout...
Safety. I get it. We must do what we can to make things safe. Accidents are always bound to happen. That's why cars have seat belts. That's why the baby industry thrives, so first time parents have less of chance of injuring the little one with an accident.
Heck, even electrical cables have a ground line to prevent shocks. Which brings us to today's blog. The night the lights went out in Brussels, twice.
Last night was our "real" show in Brussels. The night before was a private event sponsored by one of the local cell network providers, Proximus. What that show taught me is that, no matter what your country or nationality, people still don't seem to appreciate something for free as much as they do if they pay for it themselves. That show was DEAD. It was almost like doing a show in L.A.. People are always looking around to see if they are doing the right thing or acting the right way and plopping down in their seat with the attitude of "Entertain me, now." Show sucked.
Anyway, last night's show was for a paying audience, so we weren't as full as we were the night before, but everyone was enjoying the show. During the second song of the show, there's a series of about 12 strong fuzzy guitar cords that I accent with strobe light hits. About 4 hits in... BAM, the entire rig goes out... The ENTIRE lighting rig goes black. There's still video, still sound, still follow spots, but the stage is a complete black hole.
I turn to Mel with my calmest yell say, "WE JUST LOST THE RIG!!!" Mel bolts up from his chair and starts squawking into his radio. About a minute later, I can see the lights start powering up and going into a homing position.
Thankfully, we didn't loose video or follow spots so the show was able to continue as normal. I kept running lighting cues to make sure that when the lights did turn back on we were in the right place. After about 5 minutes of darkness, I was able to get all most of the lights back on line and working. I hopped on headset and asked Wayne, our power guy what was going on.
Normally, in these situations, when you trip the main breaker and the entire lighting rig goes out, it's often because you are drawing too much amperage. But this wasn't the case. Wayne informed me, "We've got plenty of head room in terms of amperage, I don't know what just happened, and I apologize because I don't know if it will happen again or not."
We took our chances and continued to run the show as normal. Not two songs later, I've got a series of big drum hits I accent with the strobe lights and again, BAM, the entire rig goes out. I turn to Mel and before I could calmly yell, he's on his radio squawking. I see the rig powering back up and Mel tells me, "We're gonna leave off the floor lights". I told him I thought it was in the strobes and to leave those off.
After a little bit of delving, we remembered we were having trouble with one of the strobes tripping it's breaker. Which in America is usually no big deal. If there is enough electricity going down the ground wire, it will trip the breaker. Safety. I get it.
But in Europe, they have this wonderful thing called a "ground fault". Which basically means if there is ANY electricity on the ground, it trips the main breaker for the entire system. Now, you can manually set the ground fault to trip at a higher load so you can get some electricity down the ground wire. But yesterday, the house electrician refused to set the ground fault any higher. Which as it turns out is a very common argument you have to have with European house electricians. They want to be completely safe and have the ground fault set so low that if there is even the slightest chance something is awry, snap, off goes the breaker.
We suspect that the one bad strobe on the big hits, was sending just enough down the ground wire that the ground fault was tripping. There wasn't enough to trip our breaker, but the ground fault, being set so low, would snap off.
Which brings us to the other ridiculous argument about safety; Why does the ground fault have to be on the main breaker thus shutting down the ENTIRE lighting rig? It is Europe, we follow the rules here.
Safety, I get it. But at the cost of the entire rig for the show? I don't get that.
Nicole, LOVES deserts, so she was in heaven in Paris. I like deserts, but a meal can always end for me after the meat and potatoes portion. I have to say, I tried a number of different lemon (citron) tarts while I was there and my favorite was from the little panini stand right by the hotel. Perfect amount of tart.
Heck, even electrical cables have a ground line to prevent shocks. Which brings us to today's blog. The night the lights went out in Brussels, twice.
Last night was our "real" show in Brussels. The night before was a private event sponsored by one of the local cell network providers, Proximus. What that show taught me is that, no matter what your country or nationality, people still don't seem to appreciate something for free as much as they do if they pay for it themselves. That show was DEAD. It was almost like doing a show in L.A.. People are always looking around to see if they are doing the right thing or acting the right way and plopping down in their seat with the attitude of "Entertain me, now." Show sucked.
Anyway, last night's show was for a paying audience, so we weren't as full as we were the night before, but everyone was enjoying the show. During the second song of the show, there's a series of about 12 strong fuzzy guitar cords that I accent with strobe light hits. About 4 hits in... BAM, the entire rig goes out... The ENTIRE lighting rig goes black. There's still video, still sound, still follow spots, but the stage is a complete black hole.
I turn to Mel with my calmest yell say, "WE JUST LOST THE RIG!!!" Mel bolts up from his chair and starts squawking into his radio. About a minute later, I can see the lights start powering up and going into a homing position.
Thankfully, we didn't loose video or follow spots so the show was able to continue as normal. I kept running lighting cues to make sure that when the lights did turn back on we were in the right place. After about 5 minutes of darkness, I was able to get all most of the lights back on line and working. I hopped on headset and asked Wayne, our power guy what was going on.
Normally, in these situations, when you trip the main breaker and the entire lighting rig goes out, it's often because you are drawing too much amperage. But this wasn't the case. Wayne informed me, "We've got plenty of head room in terms of amperage, I don't know what just happened, and I apologize because I don't know if it will happen again or not."
We took our chances and continued to run the show as normal. Not two songs later, I've got a series of big drum hits I accent with the strobe lights and again, BAM, the entire rig goes out. I turn to Mel and before I could calmly yell, he's on his radio squawking. I see the rig powering back up and Mel tells me, "We're gonna leave off the floor lights". I told him I thought it was in the strobes and to leave those off.
After a little bit of delving, we remembered we were having trouble with one of the strobes tripping it's breaker. Which in America is usually no big deal. If there is enough electricity going down the ground wire, it will trip the breaker. Safety. I get it.
But in Europe, they have this wonderful thing called a "ground fault". Which basically means if there is ANY electricity on the ground, it trips the main breaker for the entire system. Now, you can manually set the ground fault to trip at a higher load so you can get some electricity down the ground wire. But yesterday, the house electrician refused to set the ground fault any higher. Which as it turns out is a very common argument you have to have with European house electricians. They want to be completely safe and have the ground fault set so low that if there is even the slightest chance something is awry, snap, off goes the breaker.
We suspect that the one bad strobe on the big hits, was sending just enough down the ground wire that the ground fault was tripping. There wasn't enough to trip our breaker, but the ground fault, being set so low, would snap off.
Which brings us to the other ridiculous argument about safety; Why does the ground fault have to be on the main breaker thus shutting down the ENTIRE lighting rig? It is Europe, we follow the rules here.
Safety, I get it. But at the cost of the entire rig for the show? I don't get that.
...
And finally, before I go, I'll answer Jade's questions about the last couple of blogs.
In all the times I've been in Brussels (4 maybe?) I've only seen two outfits on the pissing boy. The Santa outfit at Christmas, and I saw him in Leidehosen around Octoberfest. There is a whole committee designated to dressing the pissing boy and there's a museum in a hotel somewhere that has his outfits on display. But if you want a quick look at 52 different outfits, the tourist trap gift store across the street from the pissing boy has playing cards.
As for wine... I did actually have a couple of bottles I shared with friends over a couple of great meals. One of the follow spot operators in Paris gave me a bottle of his favorite table wine as a gift. I'm saving that one until I'm home and will share it with friends.
In all the times I've been in Brussels (4 maybe?) I've only seen two outfits on the pissing boy. The Santa outfit at Christmas, and I saw him in Leidehosen around Octoberfest. There is a whole committee designated to dressing the pissing boy and there's a museum in a hotel somewhere that has his outfits on display. But if you want a quick look at 52 different outfits, the tourist trap gift store across the street from the pissing boy has playing cards.
As for wine... I did actually have a couple of bottles I shared with friends over a couple of great meals. One of the follow spot operators in Paris gave me a bottle of his favorite table wine as a gift. I'm saving that one until I'm home and will share it with friends.
Nicole, LOVES deserts, so she was in heaven in Paris. I like deserts, but a meal can always end for me after the meat and potatoes portion. I have to say, I tried a number of different lemon (citron) tarts while I was there and my favorite was from the little panini stand right by the hotel. Perfect amount of tart.
...
26 May, 2008
Come To Brussels, Get Mugged By Waiters.
If I was going to write a tourism ad for Brussels Belgium, that's probably what it would be. "Come to Brussels, try the chocolate! Have a waffle! Take a photo of the beautiful center square and pissing boy statue! But most of all, come to Brussels to be mugged by our waiters!
Okay, it's not really getting mugged, but it's one of the very bizarre charms of Brussels. I've had days off here on a number of occasions, so yesterday, Princess Tam Tam, who has never been to Brussels, and I stepped out to see the sights. All she knew was Belgian waffle. So on the walk to the center square, we stopped at a little stand and had a waffle. I got mine covered in chocolate (I think I can hear Nicole's mouth watering).
We then walked around a bit before getting to the square which was unfortunately (or fortunately) turned into a open air concert area. Turns out this past weekend was, not a jazz music festival, but rather a jazz music marathon. At least that's what all the advertising called it. Don't get me wrong, I like most jazz music, but there are times when I'm listening to it and all I can hear are 5 musicians plays 5 different songs all at the same time. I guess that's the point. Anyway, I found it funny that it was called a "marathon", like it's a hard endurance event to listen to live jazz every night for 3 nights. But I digress...
After we took some pictures of the square, we walked over to the only other landmark I know in Brussels, the statue of the pissing boy. I'm sure there's some really great monuments around this city, but for some reason the tourists flock to take a picture of this very tiny statue. It's not very big, only about 2 feet tall. But the gag is, it has over 10,000 outfits that it has worn. So every time you come to Brussels, you can go look and see what different outfit the pissing boy has on. The last time I was here, it was in December, so of course, he was wearing a Santa outfit. But this time, we were slightly disappointed, he was standing there in the buff. I guess it was bath day on Sunday.
From there we went to my favorite tourist attraction, getting mugged by waiters. Near the center square is a cross roads of cobblestone walkways that are lined with restaurants. All of them have tables inside and tables outside. The outside tables, are in the walkway on both sides so the once 10 foot path is squeezed down into about 4 feet. So people passing each other have to turn sideways and do their best not to bump the seated diners. Every restaurant has a waiter who basically stands in the 4 foot walkway and, well, mugs you. "Sir please, come eat in my restaurant, I have mussels, seafood, steak! You come eat here, I give you your first drink for free! Sir? Sir? I can tell you are hungry, my food is the best!"
They stand in your way, they force menus into your hand, They grab you by the crook of your arm, they sing, the dance, they are ruthless! And you have to walk this gauntlet whether you intend to eat or not.
Seeing as Princess Tam Tam had never been here before, I walked behind her and let her "choose" the restaurant. We entered, and muggers rained down on her. "Ma'am? Ma'am? You want to eat? I have the best mussels! Don't go! Wait! I give you first and last drink free! You come in, you sit here, come sit! I pull out the chair for you. Ma'am? Ma'am?"
About halfway through I could tell she was getting flustered and was on the verge of having a meltdown. It really takes a strong constitution, or better yet, a savvy negotiation process to be get all the way through. I stepped ahead of her and acted like a bulldozer and plowed our way to the end. After a moment to collect ourselves we dove back into the gauntlet and chose a restaurant. And why did we choose the restaurant we did? Because there was no waiter out front to mug us, and there was only one other person inside, and he was a local.
The food was great, the company was better. We lingered over salmon and steak. I had a Belgian beer, she, a glass of red wine. The bill came, it was a bit pricey (again, considering the exchange rate) but we paid it and headed back out into the gauntlet, where we learned something we didn't think of before! When the waiters came to mug us, we simply said, "Thanks but we've already eaten," and they left us alone. Now you too, know the secret of mugging prevention. "Thanks I've already eaten," or walk through eating a sandwich.
I like Brussels, I really do. It's the seat of power for the EU (European Union), so there are lots of people here who are business oriented and better yet, speak English. People are definitely much friendlier here than in Paris, and everything is centralized and in walking distance. The food is awesome, and if you like seafood (which I don't) the mussels are fresh from the Belgian and Dutch coasts. In this little country there are 100 of different beer brewers, so the selection is not only huge, but very very tasty.
Granted there's no Eiffel Tower, no Louvre. But a few days of wandering the streets of Brussels is good for the soul.
Okay, it's not really getting mugged, but it's one of the very bizarre charms of Brussels. I've had days off here on a number of occasions, so yesterday, Princess Tam Tam, who has never been to Brussels, and I stepped out to see the sights. All she knew was Belgian waffle. So on the walk to the center square, we stopped at a little stand and had a waffle. I got mine covered in chocolate (I think I can hear Nicole's mouth watering).
We then walked around a bit before getting to the square which was unfortunately (or fortunately) turned into a open air concert area. Turns out this past weekend was, not a jazz music festival, but rather a jazz music marathon. At least that's what all the advertising called it. Don't get me wrong, I like most jazz music, but there are times when I'm listening to it and all I can hear are 5 musicians plays 5 different songs all at the same time. I guess that's the point. Anyway, I found it funny that it was called a "marathon", like it's a hard endurance event to listen to live jazz every night for 3 nights. But I digress...
After we took some pictures of the square, we walked over to the only other landmark I know in Brussels, the statue of the pissing boy. I'm sure there's some really great monuments around this city, but for some reason the tourists flock to take a picture of this very tiny statue. It's not very big, only about 2 feet tall. But the gag is, it has over 10,000 outfits that it has worn. So every time you come to Brussels, you can go look and see what different outfit the pissing boy has on. The last time I was here, it was in December, so of course, he was wearing a Santa outfit. But this time, we were slightly disappointed, he was standing there in the buff. I guess it was bath day on Sunday.
From there we went to my favorite tourist attraction, getting mugged by waiters. Near the center square is a cross roads of cobblestone walkways that are lined with restaurants. All of them have tables inside and tables outside. The outside tables, are in the walkway on both sides so the once 10 foot path is squeezed down into about 4 feet. So people passing each other have to turn sideways and do their best not to bump the seated diners. Every restaurant has a waiter who basically stands in the 4 foot walkway and, well, mugs you. "Sir please, come eat in my restaurant, I have mussels, seafood, steak! You come eat here, I give you your first drink for free! Sir? Sir? I can tell you are hungry, my food is the best!"
They stand in your way, they force menus into your hand, They grab you by the crook of your arm, they sing, the dance, they are ruthless! And you have to walk this gauntlet whether you intend to eat or not.
Seeing as Princess Tam Tam had never been here before, I walked behind her and let her "choose" the restaurant. We entered, and muggers rained down on her. "Ma'am? Ma'am? You want to eat? I have the best mussels! Don't go! Wait! I give you first and last drink free! You come in, you sit here, come sit! I pull out the chair for you. Ma'am? Ma'am?"
About halfway through I could tell she was getting flustered and was on the verge of having a meltdown. It really takes a strong constitution, or better yet, a savvy negotiation process to be get all the way through. I stepped ahead of her and acted like a bulldozer and plowed our way to the end. After a moment to collect ourselves we dove back into the gauntlet and chose a restaurant. And why did we choose the restaurant we did? Because there was no waiter out front to mug us, and there was only one other person inside, and he was a local.
The food was great, the company was better. We lingered over salmon and steak. I had a Belgian beer, she, a glass of red wine. The bill came, it was a bit pricey (again, considering the exchange rate) but we paid it and headed back out into the gauntlet, where we learned something we didn't think of before! When the waiters came to mug us, we simply said, "Thanks but we've already eaten," and they left us alone. Now you too, know the secret of mugging prevention. "Thanks I've already eaten," or walk through eating a sandwich.
I like Brussels, I really do. It's the seat of power for the EU (European Union), so there are lots of people here who are business oriented and better yet, speak English. People are definitely much friendlier here than in Paris, and everything is centralized and in walking distance. The food is awesome, and if you like seafood (which I don't) the mussels are fresh from the Belgian and Dutch coasts. In this little country there are 100 of different beer brewers, so the selection is not only huge, but very very tasty.
Granted there's no Eiffel Tower, no Louvre. But a few days of wandering the streets of Brussels is good for the soul.
...
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