Jan
5
Written by:
Bill McElree
Wednesday, January 05, 2011 10:34:56 PM
Having attended many conferences and workshops one learns a few tricks of the trade to be used to guide an audience to a desired experience: big things that can leave a lasting impression on a group and small, almost unnoticed, personal touches that can leave the individual client with a lasting memory. I remember going to my first Radio Broadcasting workshops which predates my life as a wedding entertainer. Some of the best morning talent in the world taught us about show preparation, routines and gags and were some of the most sincere and passionate people I had ever met. More now than ever I’m falling back on those rules. Wish I had taken them to heart back then but I wasn’t mature enough.
Friday night was my ninth New Year’s Party for the Radisson Hotel and one of more than twenty in my career. As I stood at the door, many wished me a Happy New Year by name which is always a good thing to happen front of one’s employers. Looks like Absolute Entertainment will be back for a tenth year as the hotel already has me booked. But this year the crowd felt different. I don’t know if it was because of the improving economy, the end to a year long strike or just a general relief that we may have turned some sort of corner but there was a lot of energy in the room. Each table was named after a song and they danced up to the buffet as their song was played. It turned out to be a great night but so different than any before it.
At the beginning of the night, in my duty as acting host for the hotel, I introduced myself, welcomed everyone and told them this was their party and that they deserved a good one. It was my job to make sure that happened. Simple. Sincere. During the dance I played a mix of music that meant that no group or genre stayed on the floor for very long, rotated the dance floor as often as needed and did an impossible job of trying to keep everyone happy.
At one point in the evening the floor was packed and both the guests and I were really into the music. We were ALL dancing and I was playing with the volume control by bringing it down slowly. The song was Kesha’s “Take It Off” and we all started singing the lyrics louder and louder. At that moment it was as if we all realized we were doing something that rarely happens at any kind of dance. The audience and the entertainer were interacting. Most of the floor was looking at the stage and it was like we were having a conversation. I won’t forget the rush of that moment for a very long time.
Because my brain never shuts of I started wondering what had really happened. Years before I had learned that the best morning radio talent were also some of the most sincere and genuine people. Sure they had egos that could sink battleships but they really meant and loved what they did. Their listeners always felt like they were part of a two way conversation simply because the Jock wasn’t trying to be anything but himself and talking to the listener instead of at them. A dance floor isn’t a crowd. The conversation the DJ is having isn’t with an amorphous wall of people but with individuals of which I was only one on New Year’s Eve sharing the same moment as the rest of the guests.