I've constantly been pushed out of my comfort zone with Peoria Music Live...
There was a time I would take videos from the back of the room and hope I didn't get in anyone's way. In the last weeks I've gone as far as walking right up to the stage, standing on chairs (and once a bar stool) and walking right into the middle of a crowd if that's what it took to get a good shot or better sound.
On a recent Saturday night I had done all three at Jac's Doghouse in Pekin.
I was pretty happy with the shots I got and figured it was time to go. With several other venues on my list still, I grabbed my jacket and started to tell some friends goodbye. Then as a song ended I heard this through the speakers, "Is Kindall still here? Kindall, do you want to come up and shoot one more song from the stage?"
Umm, yeah I do!!!
I'd talked to Patrick Campbell earlier in the week about getting their show on the Peoria Music Live event list. He told me to stop in and say hi and they'd have a shirt for me, which I thought was awesome. Plus, I had already heard some great things about them, so I made it a point to get them on my list of stops for the night.
This was definitely the most densely packed crowd I'd been in so far.
I saw Facebook posts during the week alluding to just how big of a party this was going to be, but nothing prepared me for the sheer density of people in the bar.
I was trying to make my way through to a good spot for video and realized quickly if I was going to be shy I was going to have to stand at the back door and stay there.
At first I just used my favorite trick for getting through a crowd... follow someone bolder. But eventually I just had to start pushing my way through. One thing I did notice was that everyone in the room was in a great mood. They understood there was a crowd and people did their best to accommodate other who just wanted to get by. Besides, I don't think you can be at a Jury's Out show and be crabby.
I made it from one side of the stage to the other when I realized my jacket was still on the bar stool I had climbed up on earlier... and back through the crowd I went. I'm glad I did though because that extra few minutes meant I was still there when Patrick called me up on stage.
I often talk about how great live music experiences are from my own perspective, but being able to see and feel the energy of the fans from the stage really made an impact and gave me a new perspective on what I am trying to promote with Peoria Music Live.
A show with Jury's Out is a fun and energetic live music experience. Once I was there, it was obvious why they had packed Jac's Doghouse!
Since that night I've gotten to know them a little better and have been impressed with how much they use their talent to give back to their community. This weekend their show in Bloomington includes a canned food drive and an update on their mission to help the area homeless.
Keep an eye on Peoria Music Live and we'll make sure you know when they are in our area again!
I used to tell people, I am all for being spontaneous... just give me a little warning so I can prepare!
I do plan out my nights before I leave home. I try to talk to people I'm going to meet online a little bit, at least say hi, before I meet them in person. In the beginning of PML I thought I could plan it all out and was surprised how nothing ever went quite as I expected.
We are coming up on five months since I started this project and I have come to accept that I am never really going to know ahead of time what's going to happen when I head out on the weekends... the good news about that is that I am never disappointed.
You won't be dissappointed either... Come out and see just how much fun you've been missing!
Here's the video I shot for Livin' on a Prayer with Jury's Out! See our YouTube Channel for more videos of them and other great artists playing in Central Illinois.