Sometimes you just want to hide under the console

Erykah Badu took to the stage at the Coachella festival this weekend and seemingly despite the best efforts of the monitor mixer and crew, the vocal feedback just never went away. Now I know how it feels to be in the stage left hot seat when things are not going so well. In fact a couple years back I had one of those nights in Guelph Ontario with Loreena McKennit. Festivals are really what seperate the men from the boys when it comes to on the fly mixing and showing your chops...but hey, even the best of us have bad days.
By all accounts, Erykah is not the easiest person to work for. Notoriously late, and full of demands...a high number of musicians and back up vocalists on stage , with mostly everyone on convential floor wedges. Still though, at somepoint if the money microphone is continuing to feedback in the wedges, you sure as hell better fix it, or be prepared to suffer the wrath. In reading accounts of her set it appears as if the vocal feedback was prevalant the whole set and she let it be known that she was very unhappy. Calling out the staff on the microphone and eventually ending her set 20 minutes early.....tough one for the mixer I must say.
We have a bit of a saying in this business that you are only as good as your last show. However in the stage left hotseat we have thick skin, and often if we are let go from one artist, or if we have a shit show...we bounce back with someone else, or if we are lucky, we revitalise our standing with a loyal and somewhat understanding artist through another chance, and another show...
I remember seeing Audioslave at the Joint in Las Vegas a number of years back and they were having serious feedback issues on stage. Chris Cornell says loud and clear over the microphone, "we aint stoppin till the feedback stops and i dont think its ever f****n stoppin!" Of course the crowd roars , and the mixer stage left is more flustered than ever!
Now listen carefully to the following clip and you will hear what i am talking about. Never mind the video angle as it is shit, but the audio quality is good.
Also include is the Los Angeles times article in which I heard about this "glitch filled set."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/04/coachella-2011-erykah-badu-keeps-her-cool-during-glitch-filled-set.html