All 4tvs all nice and synced with each part doing it's thing... I just sat and watched it in amazement. I tried to sing along but I could barely keep up as I just wanted to soak in everything. My head just kept repeating: "It works. It actually works" It seems so stupid now because everyone who's seen the show just accepts that it works and now it's so much more than the technical aspect. But the first 5 sets that I did for that show were sooooooo limited and the fact that it even worked was the biggest delight of all.

Eventually the audience started to trickle in behind me and I had to actually start with the first set and try to be all professional. Although I was excited to perform it, I remember really just wanting to run through everything first and basically play with my new toy...but we were also taping the demo tape that night so I had to get to it.

 

Things went pretty good considering I was looking at the TVs most of the time to get my cues. What a lot of people don't realize is that with 4tvs now, you think I'm looking at the TVs, but I actually never am. When I'm on stage I'm looking at the side of the TV. I can see absolutely nothing. It creates the illusion however because of the TVs line of sight from the audience's perspective...

 

 

...of course the first show I was not as practiced at the art of 4tvs performance and it was very, very difficult to keep up during the dialogue. The music parts were alright, but even then it was difficult to make appropriate eye contact with the audience as our lighting was pathetic. We had to use a flood light about 4 feet from me because we didn't have a spotlight. It was pretty annoying, but the demo tape turned out really good.

As everyone involved (except ABOT apparently) expected, the interraction is what everyone liked. Each step of the way in making the sets I added a little bit more variety and creative interraction as I was more and more comfortable that things were going to sync correctly. I still couldn't do much in the way of characters as I didn't want to "outdate" any of the previous sets. Each 15 minute set cost me $500 and I needed to fill several hours a night to be booked as a "band" in Columbus, so I simply could not afford to introduce anything more than fleeting character types.

Introducing one TV as this person would've killed all the previous $2500 worth of sets. Of course that all changed when ABOT pulled out of the project because they didn't like the comedy aspect. Forced me to make my own sets and with that freedom came the rest of 4tvs. 

 

Every damn person bitched that I didn't look at the audience enough that first night and it irked the hell out of me. I tried to explain to them how incorrect our lighting situation was and that a flood light that close was impossible to look into or even around, but they were adament that I needed to "Deal with the lights". LOL. Now that I remember it, jesus I was pissed about that. Ha. Other than that however, it was a great reaction. 

A few people came after I was done and I actually ran through the whole thing again although my voice was killing me. Allllllll because of the Michael Jackson song. Haaaaaaaaad to try to do it in his key. Impressively I must say I could pull it off...but it hurt man. Here's a clip from Barney's in 2000 to show you what I mean. I can sing it, but I have to lay down for 20 minutes.

 

We got the footage we needed, and ABOT put together a demo for me. Amazingly within a couple weeks of the completed demo I booked a paying gig at Champps Americana for $200.

It was unbelieveable that the 2nd time I would even turn on the TVs I was getting paid. Actually that whole event has to be an entry in and of itself. Man that Champps story. Leave it to me to have one of the best and worst nights be the same night.

 

The more things change...

 

Adam