Sounds like good fun. Even though it "seems unnecessary to bring it up" you should probably include the show times. I'm assuming they're from 12-1, but you should include it...
Sounds like good fun. Even though it "seems unnecessary to bring it up" you should probably include the show times. I'm assuming they're from 12-1, but you should include it...
Be a dear and bring some quarters for the street beggars, they really need all the help that we can offer.
Your generous donation of just pennies a day can help the poor victims of circumstance and life. Just pennies a day can help to ease their pain through self-medication or could buy them a much needed metro fare to Niagara Falls. For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you could help a mugging victim to get home, or reunite a mother with her children. Your donation might even get this turrets sufferer a much needed room at the hostel. Just think, your donation could make the difference between buying that bus ticket or spending the night on the street.
Won't you please give?
Nothing like a free concert series article to bring out an anti city rant from the most-recently-anti-bar-posting- heathersmiles. We can only hope that heatherfrowns never makes an appearance. Had you stuck with backhanding the beggars I'd have given you a pass, but the mugging victim, mother with lost child, or turrets sufferer ...? Do you have a point, or are we just waiting for the meds to kick in while surfing the net?
The series will be much better when M&T decides to take the rainy day cancellations and move it inside the Main Place Mall (or their own large front foyer). In years past performers who had the bad luck to have rain on their concert date would perhaps take the day from work only to earn nothing when it began to rain. They may now pay performers a portion of the promised earnings when a rainout occurs if the artists think to stipulate this.
Wouldn't a concert or two inside the mall help to energize that place? They could have the concert in the food court to help vendors there.
The pro acts do get paid for performing. (think of it this way- if a performer earns $100. for such an engagement, performs one community concert like this per week over 50-52 weeks per year, they gross approximately an amazing $5000. for the year.)
School and community groups may not get paid, I don't know.
M & T forbids performers from selling merchandise such as cds, but I don't know why (as does the Taste of Buffalo the pay for which is dismal). If they really wanted to help performing artists and the performing arts as much as they would like you to think, they could allow acts to sell their cds, etc.
The Thursday concert this week is the school Mr. Wilmers & M & T have adopted, so they support that school in a number of ways.
I teach at other Buffalo Schools and have offered my groups there to perform my original songs (for kids) and received no reply. Maybe that's because I'm in the BTF whose members Mr. Wilmers assails and whose wages he has lead the way in freezing over the last 4 years?
At least M & T on this series sometimes pays the performers more what than parking and lunch would cost. Thursday at the Square (also supported by M & T) has purged most local acts from their stage claiming the series has 'grown' [too big for its own britches?]. I played in a local well known 10 piece group at Thursday at the Square about a half dozen times in the 90s and we would earn about $100 per man for an hr. set and $150 when we were the headliner. In more recent years Stephen Joseph from Buffalo Place has claimed 'playing there will make your career' and offered me $250. for a 10-piece band. He called to make that offer when I was vacationing in Cancun and I made the mistake of calling him right back on my phone line to confirm the opportunity and was charged $35. for the phone call.
Benfranklin - Lighten up already!
Obviously you have never been approached by turrets guy, the guy who hangs out on Allen and then Main asking for money to buy a bus ticket home, or the guy who has told me the same sob story about getting mugged at least once a month for the past 2 years. I run into these people along Main as I get off the metro and head to work, and then sometimes as I take my afternoon walk or go to lunch. The same characters hang out on Main Street during the day then head to Allen, Elmwood or Chippewa later at night, and ask for money using the same lines for years.
I wouldn't mind if they came up with something original or even tried, but these guys just expect the money. Why can't they play an instrument or juggle or something for the change? It sounds like they are probably making out better than the performers on stage at the end of the concert.
Heather, I'm of the opinion that pan handlers, or in some cases more elaborate story tellers, approach women far more often than men. I am in the Allen area on an almost daily basis, and I don't recall the last time I was asked for money. I do give George his bottles/cans, but he's a regular, and at least it seems like he's working for his change.
bf you must look like an uber bad ass or look like bum yourself not to get asked for change. are you ever on allen at night? I can walk past the same dudes ten times & get asked ten times for change.
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