Long hours in vans and solitary hotel rooms. Screaming fans when you’re on stage, then back home to feed the cat. Musicians talk about the psychological dangers of life on tour
Interesting read and a good reminder that touring musicians need rest and support.
I got requested to do the ENTIRE profiles of 1D, so I decided to start off with Zayn, whose vocals I frickin’ adore. Enjoy!
Zayn Malik
Vocal Type: Lyric Tenor
Vocal Range: A2 - G#5 - A#5 (3 octaves)
Lowest Note: A2 - Over Again
Highest Belted Note: G#5 - Rock Me (live)
Highest Note: A#5 - Rock Me (live)
Vocal Pros:
Distinctive, silvery tone and timbre that is present throughout the vocal registers. Vocal dynamics may easily be if not, the best dynamics of a man in contemporary music these days.
Low notes are dark, thick and resonant, being able to reach an A2 seamlessly. He can phrase very good in this part of his voice, and is extremely comfortable in this part of his vocal range.
Zayn’s belted notes are very bright for a man, yet still bright enough to retain its resonance. Phrasing is top-notch in this part of his voice, and is comfortable up to C#5, which is quite remarkable for a man.
Gorgeous, smoky falsetto that can transition flawlessly throughout his registers. Zayn is known to strengthen his falsetto and make it almost sound like a mixed belt (Best Song Ever). Also, something notable is that Zayn can execute even the trickiest melismas with ease. One of the best male vocalists in pop music these days.
Vocal Cons:
Upper belts are very thin and extremely strained, showing a lot of problem here, as he sounds tense and his mixed voice needs to continue and finish its development. Looking at his throat, he looks pained belting at points, and needs to fix this, or else he could be having some major problems in his 30s. Finally, Zayn lacks vibrato on his voice, which makes the notes sound very forced at points.
Overall: A-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=267&v=23GVvi0eoRA
Great range video, A2 - G#5 - A5 (The A5, I think is just very strong falsetto)
Figured I’d write a bit about this experience. So the EMA’s were held in Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam. There were ways to win tickets and I didn’t win any of them. Then a friend from uni told me there would be auditions. Since Ariana Grande would be hosting and she was a fan, and I was hoping One Direction would show, we decided to audition together.
Audition Day - We met up at Ziggo at 10AM. My friend was already there so I got to jump most of the queue. We hadn’t quite decided yet on what to do, the objective to act as crazy as possible, so we had dressed up. We finally decided to sing a made up version of Best Song Ever, relating to the Award show. When doors opened, we had to fill in an application and about an hour later it was our turn. I was supernervous, but we did alright and we got a General Admission ticket. Some people got VIP tickets as well, but I was just happy to have anything.
Queue - I queued up at 10AM again. It was my first time queuing early. My friend was going to be late, so I decided to talk to another girl who also seemed to be alone. When the queue opened we ended up in the very front and it was pretty awesome. I met a bunch of supercool people and I’ve met them all loads of times ever since. The majority of the early queuers were also there hoping One Direction would show.
Also this happened, I’m bottom left. It has a lot more likes now, kinda terrifying.
We got to leave the queue and had to mention the name of the security guard in the front to be let back in. We found out the furniture store near the venue was really nice and warm and they had free clean toilets, which was pretty damn great. I really enjoyed myself the whole day with all those cool people, which is why I’ve been queuing early for every other gig I’ve gone to since then. Things got pretty crazy as doors neared and I was superpumped so I started singing Best Song Ever and I got the whole queue to sing along and it was epic. Our part of the queue were friends with the security at the front at this point and they weren’t as much on edge as security tend to be for these big gigs, which eased the tension in the front of the queue as well. As we entered the building, people were giving us freebies left and right.
Showtime - Okay, so me and my friends got a spot on the front row. It seemed like a pretty great spot, it was just in the corner of the main stage and the part where the celebrities would walk from the main stage to the artist section and back. Unfortunately, the stage was a bit too high and I was a bit too tiny, making the experience not as great as it could have been. The crowd was also surprisingly underexcited. The hosts repeatedly tried to get everyone to dance and sing along and cheer during commercial breaks but sadly, they could not be hyped. I learned a lot about Award shows and how they work and that’s knowledge I am happy to have, but the show just wasn’t that great. The performing artists were all not quite in my lane, One Direction did not show but they had made an acceptance video instead, which was about the most exciting moment for the majority of the crowd. The Killers were pretty good. Imagine Dragons were great but sadly they performed in a different venue. I high-fived some famous people.
Lower Register (A2 - F3): Louis has great control over his lower register, and as a result, the voice sounds full, adept, experienced, well-supported, excellently controlled and dark and carries all these traits down to the bottom part of his range (Strong). Due to his strength and ability within this region, he’s usually found singing the lower harmonies within One Direction’s repertoire (One Thing).
Middle Register (F#3 - E4): Louis’s mid-range still predominantly maintains his dark timbre of the lower end of his voice, however it brightens up as he ascends up into his belting range (Clouds). Thanks to the harmonies his group employs, he’s learned how to harmonize musically and with a clean tone effortlessly as well. It also showcases a much fuller and more versatile tone than anywhere else within his range.
Mixed Voice/Upper Chest (F4 - C5): Louis’s mid-belts are consistently clean and can be phrased effortlessly and fired back-to-back (Does He Know). He consistently maintains resonance and is known to use a great breath control, rendering complex vocal lines within the upper chest effortless (Rock Me) or instead using the breath control to sustain notes for extended periods of time. As he ascends, it gets a bit distorted in tone. However, he still maintains resonance and colour within his voice, even at the top (Alive).
Falsetto Register (B3 - D5): Surprisingly under-used compared to the rest of his range, Tomlinson has access to a falsetto that albeit smooth and velvety has a slight thickness within the voice itself. However, it’s easily accessed from the rest of his voice and so, it grants fluid transitions to and from chest voice (Rock Me).
Vocal Ability: Louis has many abilities that are not only obvious, but have some that play big parts within his voice. He can change his tone to a much more lyrical quality for whatever song is needed or carry an aggressive, fiery tone to his voice as well (Drag Me Down). Otherwise, he’s learned to be adept at harmonies and belying a fantastic breath control too. He has great and fluid vocal transitions within his range and is able to execute melisma and legato with ease.
Natural Qualities: Louis possesses a clean, full and versatile tone with a bright, yet rounded timbre and a solid, ringing vibrato that despite its underuse, is well-developed. He also possesses a versatile, slightly earthy instrument.
One Direction’s new single, Drag Me Down, is way out in front on the Global Spotify Top 50 chart, clocking up an average of 3.11m daily plays on the service.
Despite new songs typically needing more time to climb the Spotify charts, Drag Me Down’s performance after being released on Friday (July 31) puts it comfortably ahead of established hits Lean On by Major Lazer (2.6m daily streams) and Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd (2.4m).
Drag Me Down is very much ‘one to watch’ on Spotify: not only did the band push fans direct to the Swedish streaming service on their social channels on Friday (as well as iTunes, where it also currently tops the chart) but a quick search for the track on YouTube yields little but bedroom cover versions and vlogger discussion.
This is significant, as it suggests that team 1D, across Modest! Management and Syco/Sony, is carefully orchestrating something of an experiment: a Spotify-led day one streaming campaign, tied with careful monitoring and take-down of UGC activity on YouTube.
Meanwhile, Spotify is doing its part, heavily promoting the track worldwide with a prominent banner ad on the ‘Browse’ area of the platform, as well as major playlisting support and regular social posts.
One Direction 1Screen shot 2015-08-03 at 11.13.18
With 3.1m plays each day on Spotify, Drag Me Down is currently earning around $21,700 for music business rightsholders, according to Spotify’s own rough estimate of $0.007 per play.
That means the track should bring home around $152,000 in its opening week on the service, with 21m streams.
If so, those figures would make it a comfortably bigger hit – in terms of a one-week pinnacle on Spotify – than even Mark Ronson’s smash Uptown Funk!, which reached a Spotify streaming peak of 15.4m in January.
Uptown Funk! was the most streamed song in the UK and US markets in the first half of 2015.
Drag Me Down will arrive in the various newly-aligned official international music singles charts this Friday (August 7).
Over 1.1m of its 3.1m average daily streaming on Spotify are currently happening in the US, while the UK is playing the track around 230,000 times every day.
Me and Josh from You Me At Six. Was a very small venue with easy access to the artist entrance, where a bunch of people waited to meet the band. Only Josh came out, the rest of the guys just said hi and went into the bus.
Aftermovie of my Panic! at the Disco concert. You can see glimpses of me if you try really hard and have ninja reflexes. I was right in the middle of the front row :)
So I wanted to make these tips more general but it would literally just be endless so I’m going to base these tips on One Direction concerts. In other words, if you’re looking for tips on a regular sized concert, you can ask me and I will eventually make a post with queuing tips for smaller concerts, but for now these tips are for artists like One Direction or slightly smaller than One Direction. These tips are for arenas and stadiums.
First off: know what you’re getting into. You do not need to queue if you have seating tickets, PLEASE do not queue more than one or two hours before doors if you have seating tickets, you are wasting your time. You can even show up when the opening act has already started, it does not matter.
If you have Early Entry you will get a good spot as long as you show up before doors. However, if you want the BEST spots, consider that this is One Direction (or similar) and you’re gonna have to fight for those spots. It’s only fair to queue for them.
If you have General Admission you’re going to have to accept that all the best spots will be taken by EE. Consider what spot you’re going for. If you want front row or as close as possible to the best spots, you will have to show up early. There are countries in which it is apparently normal to queue for weeks, I have never done this so if you want advice on how to survive on the streets for a week or more, you’ve come to the wrong place. In most countries you’ll be perfectly fine if you show up the day before or even early in the morning.
If you’re going to a concert in another country, plan your trip in advance, including a hotel for after the show (unless you can magically get home or know someone you can stay with). Be early, this is a big concert, lots of people will be booking their trips, you don’t want to miss out on a good deal. Even consider planning your commute from the venue to your hotel in advance, traffic will be a nightmare, don’t miss your last bus!
Consider the weather conditions! If it’s going to be sunny, take sunscreen and an umbrella to protect you from the sun. If it’s going to be cold, bring blankets and extra warm clothing, wear layers. If it’s going to rain, bring umbrellas and those little practical plastic rain ponchos, maybe a plastic bag to sit on to prevent your ass from getting wet and cold. If it’s going to snow or hail, I’m so sorry. Be careful with any extreme weather conditions, consider not queuing for the sake of your safety.
Do not bring valuable items. Just don’t. You do not need expensive jewellery or your iPad, you really don’t. There is a good chance your bag will get trampled on or YOU will get trampled on. Please keep your valuables to a minimum.
Okay a list of what you do need if you are queueing for a long time (more than 6 hours):
Your ticket dammit
Your phone & charger (consider investing in a power bank)
At least one blanket (consider buying an ‘emergency blanket’, usually comes in first aid kits)
Some extra layers of clothing, don’t forget extra socks
Food & drinks
Entertainment (music, playing cards or another small practical game, some light reading)
Sunscreen & umbrella (be prepared)
Hand & face wipes, lip balm (optional if ur weird and can stay sane with sticky fingers and dry lips)
Ear plugs & sleeping mask (also optional for the sake of sanity but the former can be useful at the concert itself)
There’s a list for you. These are basics, if you need something else that’s perfectly fine, but consider some things:
DO NOT BRING VALUABLES.
Things will get thrown out upon entering the venue. There is a HUGE chance security will go through your bag and throw out half of it murmuring ‘no’ repeatedly while staring you down. That is also entirely possible with items from the list above. Buy cheap stuff you won’t miss.
You are surviving on the streets, you are not on a luxurious camping trip. Please you don’t need all that stuff why are you doing this? A tent? Really? No…
Don’t forget your ticket. I should not have to say this.
If you know about and are participating in a fan action, bring some extra signs for the forgetful and ignorant.
Charge your phone and power bank and try to keep the use to a minimum.
Emergency blankets are meant to preserve body heat, they can be a lifesaver when you’re queuing in cold temperatures.
Dress in layers, it can be freezing at night and it can be scorching hot in the venue. Dress so you can always add or subtract a layer of clothing.
Okay now we’re finally ready to actually queue! Make sure you are in the right queue for your section!
Whether you are alone or with friends, talk to other people. Make new friends! You are stronger in numbers.
If you have another friend coming later, notify the people behind you. Ask if it’s okay. If you ask, it’s probably fine with them. If you don’t, they might be bitter, or they might even start a fight. Just be considerate. If it’s more than two friends, just don’t. If they come more than two hours later than you, just. fucking. don’t.
Try to get some sleep while you still can. The closer to doors you get, the more hyped you’ll get. You might not have another chance.
If there’s a considerable amount of people behind you; NO. SUDDEN. MOVEMENTS. Please, oh please, they are all baby deer, you do not want to startle them. They have no idea what’s going on in the front, they will take any sudden movements as a sign. You do not want to drag your friends awake at 6 am because there is a horde of screaming girls about to trample you. This is important for the entire time you are queuing, try to stay seated as long and as much as you can throughout the day.
Considering there is a chance you will get trampled, be ready. Be ready to run. Have your stuff packed and ready to grab at all times, until you are safely in your final queueing spot. And even then.
Hold onto your friends when you get stuck in a mob, make sure they are safe, make sure they know you are safe. Be kind to those you are being crushed against, they probably can’t help it. Keep an extra eye on smaller people near you, make sure they can breathe. If you have long hair consider putting it in a bun for your sake and the sake of others.
If you get out of the mob, make sure you are not hurt and your friends are not hurt and you still have your stuff. Don’ fucking bother if you lost a blanket, forget the blanket and run for your life. Make sure you do not do anything that security explicitly tells you not to. If they don’t tell you not to, feel free to skip over some fences, you just had a near death experience dammit, what’s the point of zigzagging for 10 minutes?!
If you or your friend are hurt, get to security or first aid people. In the happy case you have more friends, make sure they run ahead and keep you a spot if they can. If you have a panic attack at any point while queuing, make sure first aid knows. If they take you out of the queue to help you, make sure you are allowed to go back to the spot they pulled you from after you’ve calmed down. Getting stuck in a mob can be a terrifying experience, so do not blame yourself if your body reacts to it, you are not weak. Give yourself some time to recover, drink some water, eat something, and only get back to your spot if you are ready. Alert first aid or security when you feel even remotely unwell.
Protect yourself from the sun, put on sunscreen and make sure you do not get sunstroke. Again, alert first aid if you feel even slightly unwell.
Do not forget to eat and stay hydrated. You want to avoid fainting during the concert, act accordingly.
Pee while you can. Don’t pee a half hour before doors though.
Be kind to security and other staff. Offer them candy, have a nice conversation, joke around. Tell them if you have any concerns. LISTEN TO THEM. Your safety is their job.
Wow you’ve made it! It’s almost time!
Do not leave the queue a half hour before doors, an hour if you can help it.
Do not startle the baby deer.
Have your ticket ready and make sure your wristband (if you got one) is visible. Also have your bag ready if they are checking.
LISTEN TO SECURITY.
STAY SEATED AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
ASK SECURITY ABOUT THE PROCESS OF LETTING YOU IN. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO.
DO NOT RUN UNLESS THE PEOPLE BEHIND YOU START RUNNING.
STAY. FUCKING. SAFE.
STAY. FUCKING. CALM.
CONGRATS YOU MADE IT INTO THE VENUE. NOW PICK A SPOT. Consider the following:
You cannot see the B-stage if you are standing at the main stage unless you are freakishly tall. Same goes for B-stage near the sound booths.
If you are tiny, you will probably see very little at any spot, try to go for a spot in which you can see a screen.
Ideal spots are along the catwalk, if you have EE go straight for those.
If you have GA, realise that the places that are still open on front or second row are probably really shitty spots in regards of your general view, but might be great if you prefer a glimpse of your idols up close over that general view.
Ask security if you can put your stuff on the other side of the barrier for safekeeping. Stay hydrated, security will probably hand out water. Be kind to security and be considerate of those around you. Alert security or first aid if you or your friends are feeling unwell.
Okay, the rest is probably best for another post.
My ask is open for additions or questions. I will make a post soon about queueing for smaller concerts and events, until then ASK if you want advice. I will also make a post soon with tips for the actual concert.
Meeting Tyler Joseph was surprisingly easy. I waited for him after the concert and within 2 hours the tour manager came and gave us instructions to line up (there were still a large amount of people). The tm took the picture and I asked Tyler for a quick hug and that was it.
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