So for those of you not in the entertainment business, I’ll let you in on something – hype is key.

Come Monday morning when the haze has settled, the checks have been cashed, and the guitars and drums are resting peacefully in the trailer, you will undoubtedly see a cascading news feed of larger-than-life recaps. Of course, the purpose of this is to establish yourself as a band that can draw in the eyes of potential venue owners and future clients. There’s nothing wrong with that; that is just the nature of this business. If a venue owner or promoter invests in your band, they deserve to make a profit from their investment. So the smart move for any band wanting the opportunity to play more gigs would be to market and establish themselves as a band who can deliver a return on investment. Like any good entertainer, I suspect that these so-called recaps are often prone to exaggeration or at the very least, clever positioning. It’s not a deception so much as it’s marketing. Of course, there are bands who can consistently deliver the goods night after night, but even the most sure fire draw is vulnerable to having an off-night at some point. And I say all of this to start my post about Fun DMC and their own recent “off night.”

In recent months, Fun DMC has actually had a very consistent string of well attended shows. The dance floors have been packed and the venue owners and promoters have been pleased with their return on investment. On Friday night, Fun DMC loaded into a venue with a history of turning out generally enthusiastic late-night crowds. Though things started off slow, it was of little concern to the band because that was the typical rhythm for this venue. Unfortunately, things did not pick up and by the middle of the second set, Fun DMC was playing to a very, very small audience. Now, no matter what anyone tells you, please note that the energy created on stage is directly related to the energy of the crowd. Therefore, in trying to maintain a sense of excitement, you have to work twice as hard. When bands run into these situations, as occasionally happens, they have two choices: step down or step up. In the case of Fun DMC last Friday night, I am happy to say that their response was the latter. Watching from the front of the stage, you would have never known the size of the crowd, because Fun DMC brought the full show and then some. It didn’t matter that there were at times only three people in the crowd the majority of the show, because we still took Polaroid pictures, Talon still hit the drums with deft ferocity, Aaron still rapped with all of his white-boy might, Robert still jumped around like a cricket on a hot skillet, Katey still drug people out to partake in hula-hooping, and Albert still sang and performed to the point of exhaustion. Even being a part of it, it was an incredible sight to behold.

So as a recap, I suppose this is my hype. In the case of an “off night,” the Fun DMC show is not dependent on the size of the crowd. So warn your bartenders that if it comes down to us and them, they had better be ready to dance.