Gaming and nerdy music has pretty much become a staple not of just video game conventions and festivals, but at anime-related events also. Going to concerts and performances after a long day of walking the halls of an event can provide some nice downtime, and sometimes can be the main draw for a lot of con-goers.
NekoCon, going on this weekend in Hampton Road, Virginia, had a three-hour block set aside last night for Nerdcore artists to perform prior to the DJ and dancing set later in the night. According to reports, after one song into the Professor ShyGuy performance, the artist’s mic was suddenly muted and after some confusion as to what might be going on, concert-goers were told to start exiting the concert hall – the block had been cancelled. This affected fellow artists MC Lars, Tribe One and Dr. Awkward as well. The dance party was then started early, and concert-goers were given this official reason for the move.
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Nerdcore concert has been canceled. The dance will begin at 8:15pm and go until 2am.
— Nekocon (@NekoCon) November 7, 2015
I emailed NekoCon to clarify on their reasoning, but got a similar response as the above tweet. “Per our official statement on our Facebook page, due to unforseen circumstances the nerdcore concert has been canceled. ”
According to sources and the artist, ShyGuy proceeded with his normal activities during a set, moving around on and off stage. That’s when concert staff began yelling at him and the audience to exit the concert hall, some staff claiming he “stage dived”. ShyGuy and those close to him report that nothing was ever communicated to them about restrictions or rules, and he was given no warning before everything was cut off and all other acts punished as well.
Just experienced one of the most unprofessional con events. I climbed off stage like sound guys have been doing & they cancelled all bands.
— Professor Shyguy (@ProfessorShyguy) November 7, 2015
Considering my previous article about the treatment of game music composers within the industry, the treatment of game and nerd bands and performers by events seems to be a topic worth discussing as well.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Tags: Concert, Dr. Awkward, Events, MC Lars, Music Artists, NekoCon, NekoCon 18, Nerdcore, Professor Shyguy, Tribe One
I have been to many Shyguy shows over the past few years, and have never seen anything that could be interpreted as a stage dive. His shows have always involved exiting the stage safely for attendee interaction, which is honestly a great aspect of his performances. This is a hallmark of many of these performers and I can only imagine what the staff reaction would have been to a performer with a more frenetic show, like Powerglove. I totally understand bans on stage dives as bands and audiences alike have been seriously injured as a result of stage dives gone wrong. But thats simply not the case here. Its a sad state of affairs for performers and congoers alike, and I really hope they make an effort to better train staff in the future.
(Just as an FYI, Nekocon is held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, located in Hampton, VA.) As I understand it, everything was in the contract. If the artist is saying that he did not know the rules, then shame on him for not reading his contract. He jumped off the stage and this is not allowed. Just because the stagehands were doing something doesn’t mean that he can. Different people, different jobs, different contracts, etc. There were 3-4 other contract violations that the staff was trying to ignore, but it got to a point where they could no longer do that. Also, there was an offer made to the other artists to allow them to perform, but they declined. I am not a Nekocon staff person, but I am friends with many of the people who volunteer their time to serve on staff for free. It’s unfortunate that the Nekocon staff that were there and were involved in the decision are prohibited from speaking out due to contractual rules. But that is the way it is.
According to eyewitnesses who were paying con-goers, ShyGuy did not do any stage jumping or anything that could be considered stage jumping. Also, this is the first I’m hearing of anything being offered to the other artists, as I asked them what they thought on Twitter, and none made any indication they were given options.