Music can be heralded as the food of love, but as every event planner knows, it can equally be a recipe for disaster. With such a diverse selection of technologies available, where does the party planner start? Should they book a sassy celebrity DJ whose thunderous electronic beats costs the earth, and who still has a limited appeal? Or should they go for something a little further down the food chain that sits on the proverbial musical fence? To my mind the lone DJ hunched over his mixer does nothing for the event. Whatever their price there is simply no aesthetic appeal in viewing them engaged in their supposed craft.
Live performances from high-profile bands and artistes can be great to look at but very costly and often dogged by technical considerations, complicated by artistic temperaments and prone to cancellation. My advice, in order to keep budgets realistic, is to combine the best qualities of both kinds of acts: the visual spectacle of a live performance coupled with musical possibilities not offered by the DJ.
However, will this type of hybrid performance come at a disproportionate cost? Not necessarily. At Stick it On we allow the guests themselves to become the performers. Prior to all of our parties we get each guest to create a 15-track set-list, then, through a democratic process – or otherwise – a lucky 12 to 16 guests are chosen to play at the event.
Once on stage, under the guidance of Stick It On staff, these guests are coached through using the decks for vinyl, CDs, MP3s and any other source of music. After they have played their first track they often get into the persona of a seasoned performer. If you add to this plasma screens and other technological and pyrotechnic equipment, the scene is set for a great event.
As an entertainment solution it offers all types of tunes, guaranteed to run through every musical genre. If you intersperse these sets with musical cabaret acts such as the Cuban Brothers and their take on breakdancing, entertainment can be the key to the success of any event at a realistic cost.