Hey thanks for that...Keep Music Live, I say! I'm all for variety and allowing lots of forms of music...Unfortunately, after waiting from 7 o'clock (when we were asked to arrive) until 9.30 with no music AT ALL...we asked, for yet another time, when they were kicking off with the 8 acts....in a minute was the reply, yet again....
At 10pm...we gave up waiting and went on 'stage' to gather up amps etc....then they started introducing acts hastily, no thanks, we said....well actually, the male members of the band were slightly less polite than that...
A marketing ploy to make people buy drinks...It maybe worked that night, but had a knock-on effect as none of those who went with us will ever buy another drink there if they can help it. It was the most apallingly organised competition and used the musicians and singers in a way that was just not on.
The last band competition we went in was great, we had a really good time and came home with a really professionally recorded live dvd of the 5 songs we did and enjoyed meeting some other bands, too.
Chicago Rock did not 'rock' because the tills were clanking too loudly. The organisers should be ashamed. I hope other branches of Chicago Rock were better organised than the Grimsby Branch was (in my opinion only, of course!!!)