Las Vegas! Fun on the Outside Pressure on the Inside!

Lets’ start with the fun stuff on the outside and work our way in.

Performing on stages like the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas for a crowd of over two thousand people is an amazing experience! Regularly performing on stage with world class musicians and vocalists is absolutely the most rewarding experience of my life. Performing while the audience is dancing, cheering and screaming for more is what it is all about!  Its fun!

Let’s move inward, shall we?

The CEO of a multi-national, corporation personally hired my band to perform at the Hard Rock Casino for his opening night party for the NAB convention in Las Vegas. He had the largest booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center. As you can imagine, a very large percentage of his sales are generated at this convention. He absolutely must make a lasting impression!

The first impression for his clients upon arriving in Vegas is his opening party and the live entertainment he provides. We played at this party two years ago at the Wynn Casino. The band he hired last year was the multi-platinum selling band Foreigner. This year it was the return of The Walton Stout Band. He made it very clear to everyone that we would be as entertaining as Foreigner. The pressure was on! That’s the best kind of pressure to have.

At the end of the night we loved the audience, they loved us and they were screaming for more! Mission accomplished! Expectations were exceeded. At the CEO’s request we visited the company booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center the next day. It was huge and it was packed! Many clients made it a point to compliment the band and tell us how much fun they had at the party. We will be back next year.

Now for the inner layer.

Rain in Dallas, a canceled flight, misconnecting bags and equipment and keeping track of a group of twelve musicians. All the audience saw was a top notch band putting on a killer show. The back up plans and reworking of set up times, surprise equipment rental and a myriad of other details where seamlessly dealt with behind the scene but not without a lot of pressure to get it done. At this level, failure is not an option. If you don’t thrive on pressure don’t become a band manager. The same is said for becoming a corporate planner. I have the utmost respect for what they do.  

My 25-year career as an airline pilot allowed me to operate some of the largest commercial aircraft in service. (The Boeing 777 among others.) The top most stressful job in the world is “airline pilot”. I personally enjoyed great satisfaction from my flying career and the pressure that came with it. Music and entertaining was my calling and eventually I had to make a choice. I have since discovered that as my second job became my first and only job I am right back in the mix! I am running the best shows with the best people in the entertainment and event business. All the pressure that comes with it is just part of the excitement and I love it!

When one of our clients puts faith in my company to represent their company I understand that careers and the future of their company are all tied into the marketing budget we are a part of. The three most important parts of the music business are marketing, marketing, marketing. The same rings true for our clients. We love what we do and we thrive on the challenges!

With Great Effort (Pressure) Comes Great Reward!

See you at our next show!

Bill Aaron Downing