Making Nationals better next year

[Erin Rapacki]

Blue Man Group is an awsome idea... but unrealistic. The Boston Playhouse holds an audience of around 500, and at $50 a ticket (average), they make about $25,000 a show. Assuming that they would perform at nationals on a Saturday, they'd be missing out on $50,000 that day.

Now, I'm not saying that they still wouldn't be able to perform wherever their home Playhouse is, they do have extras and understudies (the same 3 Blue Men and 3 Band Members DO NOT do every show)... but they just may think that their performance for an audience of 15-20K is worth that much.

Ok, so you owe them $50,000 as it is. But remember... the Blue Men aren't too used to doing a show with only 3, it's 6 people you'd have to care for (3 band members and themselves). Not including getting their equipment to travel, stage-hands, other ppl. Add onto that flights, hotels... you're talking at least $60,000.

Do you want to be the one going to your sponser, telling them that Registration for Nationals costs an extra couple hundred dollars because we wanna see Blue Man Group?

I think not.

Mandy Moore was a surprise because she's supported a lot by Dinsey, they figured it would be a good gig for her to sell records, and she just happened to be in the area. Mutual benefits. But things like that will remain uncommon.

I don't think FIRST owes us any show, music group, or commodity. Being at Nationals is a reward in itself, and it's already too expensive as it is. Why would we wanna increase the burdon?

Ok, sorry I tore apart your post , but FIRST is swamped... and all we do is beg and beg and whine for more. Are we never happy??? It sure seems it. Almost all I see on CD are people complaining about "FIRST should do this, FIRST should do that!" I respect the people who go out and make things happen for themselves (like the creators of such groups as fsn, rcu, freelance FIRST, ect...) and the people who have shown so much dedication and passion for this activity that they have earned a spot of trust with FIRST and are able to help THEM make such things happen.

Its this advice I give onto you... there is a way to climb up the ladder within the FIRST program, and one of those is to help THEM make things happen. For you youngens out there this may seem somewhat of a stretch... but if you have the kind of personality that supports good ideas about changes with FIRST and how it's run, they would appreciate your help.

Just please... stop whining.