Alright, here we are live on the middle voice. I hope everybody's okay today. Just give us a brief summary there, Perron. What are we going to be talking about today and I adjust to do all the adjustments on my side? Sure. So last night at the fabulous Bell Center in downtown Montreal, Canada was night number three of the North American tour for the Scorpions, Not White Snake, and Thunder Mother. So I attended with a group of family and friends and Jimmy attended with Orlando Moshpit from the middle. You see my shirt? You see my shirt? Did I throw you off? Did I throw you off? I thought I was going to see a Scorpion That's right. So night number three was last night. The US tour starts on Tuesday in Detroit. So for all of our American friends who are yet to see the show or thinking about should I go to the show, or for our Canadian friends in Toronto, Quebec City and here in Montreal who saw it, Jimmy and I are going to share our thoughts on the Scorpions, Thunder Mother, and Absence of White Snake. There's my notes. I'm both going to post them, but you know what? Maybe I won't. All right. So Montreal, Canada, this is the show. The first stop on the tour was Toronto and then Quebec City and then Montreal and now they're going into the United States, correct? Correct. All right. On the first show, there were some visa problems with Thunder Mother. Again, plugging Thunder Mother. I hope they enjoy this. There were some visa issues with Thunder Mother. It happens. That's rock and roll. And in a spinal tap way, this other band played, I can't remember what the name was. Yeah. JJ Wilde, who's a local Ontario artist who actually has played at the Scorpions before in Europe, filled in for Thunder Mother in Toronto last Sunday because like you said, Thunder Mother encountered some visa issues, but luckily they were good to go for show number two in Quebec City a few nights later and last night in Montreal and most likely for the US tour, which starts on Tuesday. But hey, they're probably crossing the border today and I'm sure we'll hear on social media how that goes or doesn't go. All right. So the agenda is this, Thunder Mother. How did they do? Number two, the White Snake rant. And number three, we're going to talk about the Scorpions. What were they like? And as we compare to years prior, right? Other tours.  Are they still playing to the best of their abilities? And what was a song selection and set list? All right. Let's start things off with Thunder Mother. All right. Your first impressions. First impression is, you know, like anyone else, and we'll get to White Snake in a second. I was a little bit disappointed that White Snake wasn't going to be there, but it afforded the opportunity for Thunder Mother to play a little bit later. Like the show was going to start at 6.45 and instead it started a little bit after seven. So it meant that they played to a bigger audience and they got to play for about 45 minutes instead of maybe doing half an hour if there were three bands. So big opportunity for Thunder Mother, you know, other than a song here and there recently, I had never heard them. So I didn't want to be too influenced before seeing them live. So I kind of, other than listening to one or two songs, I kind of let the live show do the talking. And I'll say this, you know, I came away impressed.   They've been around Europe for quite a while now, but they've never come to North America. And, you know, I guess if I was going to compare them to anything, they're a little bit like the Donnas, an all-girl band who got some press and some play here in North America in the late 90s and the 2000s. I would say maybe a female version of Airborne, kind of like, you know, ACDC four-on-the-floor, very straight-ahead kind of rock and roll. I think that'd be a very good description, an airborne-ish. Yeah, female, female airborne. So that's, you know, and if you need to compare it to something, that's what I'd compare it to. But, you know, I was impressed.  And, you know, I thought they were treated respectfully. Nobody booed, nobody threw anything. They, you know, polite applause after every song. And I think throughout the show, they want people over. You know, the chops were definitely there. Singer has a great, great voice. Again, the material is a little bit simple, but nothing wrong with that. So I enjoyed it. You know, they announced like a club tour of North America, and they were going to come here. Based on what I saw last night, I would buy a ticket and go see Thunder Mother in a smaller setting and support them. I think good band worthy of support. Yeah, you know, I would agree with you that chops were definitely there individually. Like as the singer, guitarist, bassist and drummer, they were all very well versed, let's say, in their sort of instruments, right? The guitarist, there was no two guitarists. So when you have one guitar situation, you need a great guitarist to fill in that void. And yes, she did. The singer was, you could just tell from the first note, wow, this is, this is quite an impressive voice. And the bassist and the drummer, they were just not only were they spot on, but they were energetic. And they really, you know, looked like they looked like, and it seemed like they felt like they were really having a good time playing in front of an arena crowd. And that's a big arena, the Bell Center. So yeah, that's number one. Number two is the songs were good, because even if you never heard them before, like you said, they're catchy and hooky. And like you said, they got that sort of three to four minute airborne, you're in, you're out, let's have a good time songs. And they work, right? It works. It was catchy. And number three is relatability, like most female bands, not all of them. And I want everybody, I don't want to get out of control here. Most sort of female fronted bands or female bands, not all cases. In a lot of cases, the woman representing is sort of like this model, right? This classic definition of this thin, perfect model, right? And not to say that these women weren't perfect in their own way. I'm just saying they're more relatable to the rest of the women of the world, right? And especially to the scorpions crowd, which was, you know, 30, 40, 50 year old women who love the scorpions in their career. And this is the exact same demographics. And it's like they're seeing themselves on stage. So I'm trying to say they can, they're more relatable. They're, they're every woman, right? Yeah, they're every woman. There was, there were no Barbie dolls up on the stage. And that's a right word. It could have been a lot of, you know, of the women who were in the crowd up there on the stage.  But nah, they were, they were pretty, again, pretty simple down to earth stripped down in a lot of different ways. You know, I'm glad people didn't punish them for not being white snake, right? Because we'll get to that in a second. There was a lot of anger over white snake, you know, not being on the tour. But it's not Thunder Mother's fault. White Snake's not on the tour. They went out, they rocked, they won people over. And you know what?  If today, 10% of the people in attendance download a Thunder Mother album, buy a Thunder Mother album, bought a t-shirt like you did, or say I'll go see them if they do a headline show in my town. They, you know, right now what they're trying to do in North America is build brand awareness. And I think they did a good job of that last night. So, congrats to them. You know, hopefully they'll, this'll really connect with more people and they could expand their audience. And I think it will definitely the right choice. I would, I'd be willing to bet this was not a pay-to-play situation for Thunder Mother. I would think that, you know, this is basically, the Scorpions have been known to sort of get a great opener and take care of these openers. Now, I can't tell you for sure, but I would guess this is not a pay-to-play situation for Thunder Mother. Yeah. I mean, look, they've been around a long time in Europe and they have a reputation. It's just North America's new to them. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So, here we go. White Snake Grant. All right. First of all, as we, as everybody knows, they're on the bill, a co-headlining tour in a sense, right? Not a co-headlining tour. Very special guests. Oh, yeah. Very special guests. Some of the words, the contract is very special guests. The contract is under Scorpions and they pay the special guests and they pay the openers with the money that they get, right? Yeah. They were never gonna play the same amount of time. They were never gonna have the same amount of space on stage. It was, you know, because some people are saying, I should have got a refund because one of the headliners canceled and that's not true. So, that's a good point. That's a good point. So, those people are saying that go read your ticket stub. Go read the fine print. All right. So, White Snake does not come on the tour and, you know, it is what it is. I mean, if the guy is sick and he can't do it anymore, he can't do it anymore and it's understandable and the fans understand this. The question becomes this and I'll ask this question out to everybody.   Hang on a second. I asked for two scoops. They didn't ask for one scoop. What's the situation here, Perrin? Look, the opening act changed. I mean, look, in the States, people were able to get refunds. Consumer Protection Law in the States kind of says, and I think it was a condition of Ticketmaster getting a bailout during the pandemic, was people had to be given refunds when the bill changed. For the three Canadian shows, refunds were not possible, right? It's just, you know, again, we're subjected to different laws here. But look, when I was younger, I saw Ozzy. It was supposed to be with Motorhead and Ugly Kid Joe and the tour was delayed. And instead of Motorhead and Ugly Kid Joe, I got White Line and Vixen. I didn't scream that I wanted a refund and not see Ozzy anymore, because it was White Line and Vixen instead of Motorhead. I mean, look, opening acts change. I mean, in the fine print of all of these tickets, you know, as long as the headliner doesn't change, you're not necessarily offered a refund. So look, would it be a good business practice for Ticketmaster to offer refunds to satisfy customers?  That's never happened, Jimmy. Well, I mean, I got two scoops and I paid for two scoops, but I want one scoop. But never in the history of concerts have I seen a situation where a portion of your ticket price gets refunded because the bill changed. Either you want to go and you go, or you don't want to go and you get a refund, which in the States, people had one week from the date of the announcement to get a refund. Again, not what you were able to do. All right, hold on a second here. Darcy, okay, she's saying, Toronto, sadly I missed under mother and crushed about White Snake. So there's people like that. We had great tickets. How come I'm the only one who was not crushed about White Snake? I was crossed about White Snake at first. We had great tickets. It would have been nice to see David Coverdale and Red Beach and Tommy Aldridge close up, but it is what it is. You know, they can't be there. You make the best of it. I'm not gonna not go see the Scorpions on a Saturday night with great tickets because White Snake's not there. I was disappointed. I said to people yesterday, man, what a great night. It would have been even better if White Snake were there. But at the end of the day, White Snake aren't there. It is what it is, guys. What can we say? Scorpions were great. When you think about it, okay, White Snake, and here's a point here. Terry says White Snake are crap, so you're not missing anything.  I mean, is anybody, maybe it's the best that people didn't see them in their final sort of grasping at straws kind of thing. White Snake are arranged in such a way right now that other guys in the band are there who sing very well. So for what David can't do in terms of hitting high notes, the two keyboard players, Dino and Michael, can hit those high notes and they do. They can sing. So there's people have helping. I fall in the other category, parent. Like I wasn't even signing up to go see White Snake to begin with. I just said, oh, Scorpions are coming down. How much? Oh, that's that much? Great. And I go, oh, the White Snake is going to be there, too? That's cool. You know what I mean? It was more like a, yeah, that's cool. It was an added bonus for you. It was an added bonus. And I got to tell you something. So White Snake was not there, which is a bonus for me, because I didn't even care if they were there or not.  I don't mind White Snake. It's just my evening was shorter. I got to go home earlier. It was great. So I kind of like was happy to get home from the show early. It didn't bother me one bit, but I can see how it would, like Alan, for example, Alan really wanted to see White Snake. And speaking on his behalf, I get it. He was upset. He really wanted to see White Snake. And you know what? He felt like he was being ripped off. And a lot of people said somebody should have been put in the middle slot to replace them. But we did a show about this of Giles when the announcement was made that White Snake couldn't be there. If this had happened two or three months before the tour, you can find yourself a White Snake level band to add to the tour who are rehearsed, who can book tour buses and book crew and do everything that needs to be done. But with the announcement happening less than two weeks before the tour starting, because I saw so many suggestions.  Like guys, it's not that easy. Skid Row was willing to go, by the way. Skid Row, the phone just wasn't ringing, but they were ready to go. They should have called. Yeah. I think the tour was selling well enough that the performers and the Scorpions kind of said, hey, did they not? Let's do it like this. And again, I'm just talking here and I love the show. Did they not sort of take the money that should have been for another band and sort of saying, you know what? Hey, bonus for us, right? Yeah. I guess. But like I said, all of the shows, except for these three in Canada, at all the US shows, people were able to get a refund. So I guess we'll find out starting Tuesday. All right. Are the shows half full? Are the shows still full? Or half empty? Yeah. Or half empty. Aaron's saying we could not get a refund for a Florida date next month when White Snake canceled, gotcha. Marcy says she is there. If White Snake needs a replacement for the Scorpions, gotcha. Marcy is available. Go pick up her new one. Misty vision. There you go. There's some more comments. Michael's saying yes, you get what you pay for. Please elaborate. Barbsey, love my girls from Thunder Mother. Barbsey, Barbara Hall is saying love my girls from Thunder Mother. Look at this. I go parent. I got a shirt. You're going to love which one I guessed. Hey, I'm good for you, Jimmy. Jimmy bought a shirt and I am saying, if they come on a headline show to the city, I will buy a ticket. All right. Alain, it's a welcome. I am French. Okay, hello. Alain, how are you this evening? Everyone is welcome. And maybe for the Saint-Jean, we're going to make a show in French with Rick Hughes and the gang of Voivode and all our friends from Quebec. So maybe from time to time, we're going to make a show in French, but it's a show today. So yeah, not today because we have an English audience in the rest of the world. So we need to do this in English, but not a push. Yeah, Dino can sing. Ben saying he jumped in for Glenn Hughes when he missed the Dead Daisy's gig, supporting Judas Priest. Dino's not a marvelous singer, but one hell of a friend man. Okay, but wait a second. I mean, now we're getting off course. I mean, if you get rid of David Carradale, are we talking about a tribute band here? Jimmy, the rumor was that this wasn't a farewell tour for Whitesnake. Like what's Tommy Thayer doing? Can he like fill in? So everyone knows the rumor with Whitesnake in the industry is that this tour would be David Carradale's last tour, and then the Whitesnake name and brand would continue without David Carradale, and Dino would be the singer. So hey, look, we have foreigner with zero to one original members, depending on the night, and we've seen lots of these things before. Pretty soon, we're going to have a Leonard Skinnerd. Actually, right now, Leonard Skinnerd, Gary Rosenthal isn't well. Damon Johnson is taking his place. So there's no originals in Leonard Skinnerd right now. So that's just where the industry is going. Names will live on, but the players will change. But we got to get to the Scorpions, Jimmy, because I know. All right. So Pat Frost is standing by there saying, I missed the show since 1984. Pat was saying on Facebook today that he hasn't missed a Scorpions show since Love at Firsting in 84, and he had to miss the show last night. So Pat Frost, our buddy, was a little bit bummed that he had to miss this tour. Well, here's a point, Michael Van Allen saying, if I bought tickets to see Megadeth, and Megadeth couldn't open, I'd want my money back. I would agree with that too. There's if it's like, I guess it's, White Snake is not one of my top 10 bands, right? I like them as a radio like, you know, like it's on the line though. So if you go to Osfest and the 18th band, yeah, but Osfest is not the same thing because you're going to a festival, you know, there's so many bands. So let's say, let's say there's four bands on the bill, three bands on the bill, and one of them cancels. Is that, I don't know about that. I don't think it's the same thing. Guys, look, you're blurring the line as we speak. What was said is the law here in Canada anyway, is if the headliner cancels, you have the right to a refund. This show was a Scorpions show with special guest White Snake and Thunder Mother opening. So if it was Scorpions slash White Snake co-headline and White Snake canceled, people would be eligible for refunds. Because White Snake contractually was an opening act, special guest, refunds were not available in Canada and maybe even some states. And you know what, I would agree with that. That makes sense.  Yeah. How often in this business does the opening act change for whatever reason? And if you had to offer refunds every time that happened, it'd be a lot of work and a lot of money going back and forth. I guess you have to position it like this. You're going to go see, I don't know, Rush as just an example. And let's say Dawkins opening up. And then Dawkins can't make it. You're not going to cancel the whole tour. I mean, you can't ask for your money back because the sort of the headliner or the guy on the contract is Jimmy Rush. I'm going to give you the best example. There's no reason I say Rush because you're wearing a rush shirt. But Jimmy, I'm going to give you the best example because this would affect you. Two scoops are one. So listen, in 2000, when I was living in San Francisco, I got to see Dio on the Magica tour. And do you know who was supposed to open the first leg of the Dio Magica tour? You do know you've done a documentary on this. Riot. Riot were supposed to open for Dio in San Francisco, the show I had tickets to, on the Sons of Society tour. And two weeks before the show, Riot can't tour. And Riot were replaced by, I don't remember, the unbanned. That's what they were called. They basically unknown band. They were called the unbanned. They are kind of rock band. I hated them. I know there's some people who like them. So Jimmy, how would you have felt if you were holding tickets to Dio? I think that's happened to me too in the past. There were no refunds available. It was a Dio show. I guess what I guess why people are pissed is because White Snake is not an opener in a sense. They can headline a big theaters. But they can headline arenas in North America. But they can headline big theaters and they're a bigger draw than your regular Thunder Mother or Skid Row. They're a bigger draw. They're a bigger name. They have a larger legacy in history. Therefore people were going. There was a substantial amount of people going just for White Snake. Jimmy, let me say I've never been more disappointed in my concert going life than when Riot canceled that Dio tour. That's like literally my biggest disappointment was that. Just so you know. Okay. I got you. I got you. All right. So let's go. Let's talk scorpions. Let me get my notes out here. Okay. So last time I saw the scorpions was in 1984. 38 years later, less hair, more gray hair. I'm going to go see the scorpions again. Okay. Strange enough, my wife was at the same show that I was in 1984, but we didn't know each other. But this time we went together. I know you went with your wife. We went with all our friends. That was really fun and cool. Jimmy, on the opposite, I have seen every scorpions tour since I didn't see love at first. I'm very selective how I do it from savage amusement to the last tour they just did of Megadeth, the last big tour I have seen every scorpions tour since. All right. So okay. Maybe we'll do it this way. Overall. Overall, I would say that those 38 years, there's been a change in sort of the stage presence. Back in 84, I mean, Klaus was running and jumping and falling and Rudy was, Rudolph was, he was doing the sort of the who thing and he was running around the stage. Matias was doing the same thing. The whole band was just going nuts all over the stage. This time you could tell they're in their 70s and we're talking about slow motion. Not to say good energy for guys in their 70s. Good energy at 74 to still do what he's doing is quite incredible. The chops were there though. Yeah. The chops were there even though the movement wasn't. And so this is the big contrast of 38 years later, right? Yeah. So that's the performance. I have the benefit of seeing them gradually age because I've seen every tour whereas you 38 years ago and now. So that's like obviously going to be a very big difference. But how did you think they sounded? I think they sounded great. And probably because Mickey D is in the band and I think we talked about this already. Mickey D really brought a certain energy to the band. I talked about that on my Facebook page like guys. So Mickey D joined them for the last tour. But I think at that point he wasn't permanent and he was just kind of filling in and he was maybe just doing the songs the way other people thought they should be played. But now I think Mickey has been with the band a while and he's kind of brought its own flavor to the songs. And my god, if the drummer is the engine to make a band go, he really toughened up the band. He really made the arrangement sound heavier. I mean, Mickey's the youngest guy in the band at 58. But he really brought the energy. Outstanding. Outstanding. It's like, you know, he's bringing his king diamond and motorhead chops to scorpions, right? Now when you look at Matias, again, a lot less movement, but his fingers are still going. You know, he played pretty much the notes from the album, right? He's a spectacular guitarist. Rudolph, you know, he's a rhythm guitarist, played great. My buddy Ron Satsing decided Friday, Jimmy, get your death metal, get your regala out. He's throwing me off. The rest now Klaus. Klaus, Klaus, Klaus. I did not. And did they tune down? This is I was trying to figure this out as they were playing. So people who don't know what tuned down is that you're transposing the songs to a lower key so the singer could, you know, sing the song because originally when he sang it, you know, some decades ago it was a lot higher. And as we get older, you know, it's a lot harder to hit those notes. So did they tune down? Very difficult to tell. If they did, it was done well and it worked well with the songs. Klaus was singing the songs that were not the higher ones in their career. So that was part of the set list. So you could tell right away. Yeah. And let's also say the set list is paced in such a way to give his voice rest. So like a quarter of the way through, they do coast to coast. So Klaus can rest his voice halfway through. There's the dueling guitar solo. So Klaus can rest his voice and three quarters of the way through how old the bassist and mostly Mickey D does his drum solo. So again, like a quarter, half, three quarter point, Klaus gets to rest his voice. And one thing people should know about this tour and it's smart if you can afford to do it. They played in Toronto Sunday. They played in Quebec Wednesday. They're playing in Montreal Saturday. They're playing in Detroit Tuesday. There's not just one day off between every show. It's a show. Two days off, show. Two days off. So I think they realize that Klaus at 74, Rudy at 73, but especially Klaus because of his voice. You can do three shows a week. You can't do four or five shows a week. So it's good because it's going to make sure they get to the end of the tour. And for people saying, oh, the scorpions didn't even play any extra time because whites, they canceled. Guys, get that out of your minds. Klaus cannot do two hour sets every night and they're not simply going to pull these obscure songs out of the woodwork because whites may cancel. It's not going to happen. Well, I mean, in terms of Klaus's voice, I mean, a little less power, but people have noticed that throughout the years. But it's clean. He's on pitch. He doesn't. He sounds great. I don't know. I think he still sounds great. I mean, he's always had a beautiful voice. And every one of the audience knows the words to every song and everybody's singing along. So it's not like he's doing a Vince Neil, making them sing half of it. But at any given point, like everyone is going to helping out and singing, you know? All right, let's go through the set list here. Okay. So they started off with a new song, Gas and the Tank, which I thought was a cool opener. It's good to start off with, you know, sort of a sort of a nod. Scorpions always open with an up tempo song, often the first song from a new album. They always do it. Yeah.  I don't know, man. This has been on their set list. I don't know how many years back in 84 was. It's a staple, but it's not a song even when they've played it back then to today or I've seen it on videos.  I don't know. It's a good song. I do like it, but I just find that you could have replaced this maybe with Love Drive. You could have replaced this with no one like you. You could replace it with that.  I just think they could have chosen someone else there. I think they're keeping it pretty familiar. I think they're keeping it pretty. Look, I'll get I'll say this right away, because I again, Jimmy and I will probably differ on opinions about the set list. For North American audiences, the Scorpions, by and large, did not exist before Love Drive. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, because they obviously did, but as far as North American audiences are concerned, or even audiences in general. So the entire set list was from Love Drive, Animal Magnetism, Blackout, Love It for Sting, so the big four in North America, Crazy World, which was a big hit, and the new album. That is it. They only played songs from those six albums. New album, which was well represented. But they could have picked another song from those albums. That's my point. But I just don't, they're not going to do, they're going to... Give it up, pair and give it up. Make it real, it's got to get out of the set. Come on. Honestly, I've seen them every tour. I think they've done it most of the time. That's what I'm saying. It's just a song to keep playing. Sometimes bands just like a song and... But it was a whole hum song. It was like everybody's sitting there and they're clapping. Oh, because the scorpions are playing. I see it as the opposite. I think a lot of people in the audience didn't know gas in the tank, and then when they played, make it real, a lot of fans kind of stood up. Yeah, it was okay. I mean, with the exception of some people who are dancing like the whole time, from start to finish, I don't even think they knew what song it was, but... They're happy to be there. Now the arena explodes because the zoo, right? The zoo. Now everybody knows this song, like every generation. It's sort of like a massive hit for them and it's a great tune. It's the originator Chug Chug song. You know what I mean? They brought that Chug Chug to a metal, you know what I mean in a sense, right? It's dooming. It's got a great beat. It's got a great pace and it's got a great course. Did they tune that down a bit? Perhaps, perhaps, but great job. Great job on the zoo. Always a great job on the zoo. Did you like the zoo? Love it. I love the set list. I was very happy with the set list. All right. So good news, John Vernault says, Jimmy, I agree with make it real. Get rid of it. All right. Coast to coast. Now, why are they playing it? Why do they keep playing the song? I think they played it on the World Wide Live. They're playing it. No, no, I know why, but just find another song. I mean, enough. I mean... It's the quarter point, more or less, fourth song. Klaus rests his voice. He does the three songs to open, rests his voice. And look, they do it really well. It's really powerful the way they do it. Oh my God, they've been playing this song. How many years have they been playing? Even Michael Shanker is playing this song. I mean, because, you know, he claims he wrote it, right? I'll never get tired of it. Coast to coast. I'll never get tired of it. I'm just saying like just get rid of it. Just, okay, then just get rid of that song and just let's go home earlier. I mean, there's so many people. Guys, the Scorpions are never going to do a set of obscure songs and rarities. That's an obscure. They may be going down into holiday or something. You're never going to hear in trance again. You're not going to hear them, you know, ever, ever. In Greece, you will. In Greece, you will. In Greece, you will. And by the way, let's just show this thunder mother shirt here. They are thunder mothers. What if they're really mothers? Yeah, maybe we'll interview them and find out. Maybe we can get a mid-tour interview with them and we'll find out if any of the thunder mothers. I wonder if they're mothers. Maybe. I wonder if they're just by name mother, but if they better be mothers, if you ask me. Okay. Here, Tom saying if they're going to play something from Love Drive they could play, can't get enough. That might be a little too high. Yeah. I don't know if they've done that since the Love It's Firsting Tour. I think they would, I think they ended the shows on the Love It's Firsting Tour of that or at least around the Encore, right before the Encore maybe. All right. We're going to have to like go through this because I got five minutes left here. All right. Seventh Son. You know, it's kind of like The Zoo in a sense. It's a new song. I kind of thought, you know what, even though I do like that song, I don't find it went over with the crowd that well. People are kind of like, okay, maybe it's time to go to the bathroom now. Maybe I could go buy a shirt. Here's the problem. I think the new album is great. I love the new album. I think it's the top 10 album of the year. I just think a lot of people don't know it, right? Unfortunately, a lot of people don't invest in new music from old bands because of the nature of our show. We do that and I would listen to a New Scorpions album anyway. So I don't think it's that people didn't like Seventh Son. I think it's that they weren't familiar with it because I like what they did. They kind of brought the lights down. They filled the stage of smoke and had a very China-like kind of feel to it, you know. Yeah. It's a China-white The Zoo. I mean, that that's fine. I really like the way they did Seventh Son. Hey, I like the song. Don't get me wrong. I just found, I was looking around and I found, you know, it's time to take a pee break. That's what I said. People don't know it. You know, people don't know it. All right. Peace maker. Peace maker. Brand new song. They had a video on this or two videos. And it's uptempo. Great. It really did well. People will dug it. It's catch melodic. Maybe I found that the back vocals were not as strong. It's really weird because Klaus comes out strong in the mix. But the back vocals are like barely audible, which kills the whole chorus. Let me say it's brave. Three of the first six songs were new songs. That's a brave thing to do. But like I said, I don't really think it affected the pacing of the show too much. All right. Because I got to run. Bad boys running wild. Of course, everybody went nuts. Send me an angel. And then wind of change of two slow songs. Let me say, like, I have to say, I was dreading that like acoustic portion when they go out to the ramp and do send me an angel winds of change. They pulled it off well, but I kind of generally hate that sort of thing. So if there was a low point of the show for me, even though the audience loved it, I hate when they do the ballad on the ramp thing. I just don't like that. And so everyone knows they're doing the political thing a little bit. They're changing the words of winds of change to kind of show support of the Ukraine for Ukraine. And they had kind of a peace sign up on the screen and Ukrainian colors. So, yeah. Which is cool. Which is cool. Interesting. And just to say, I got two minutes left. Orlando saying a seven sign is probably the best song on the new album. I agree. But he just didn't feel like it went down that well. Now we got tease me, please me. Of course, you know, another staple. And it also brings the crowd back up after the ballads. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A very good point. Rock believer, another new song that people did like. Then of course, blackout, you know, knocking it out of the park. Big city nights. Everyone's going crazy. High point for sure. And I think actually the audience was louder than the actual band at the Encore point. And that's kind of when I chose to skedaddle. Yeah. So I'll do the Encore's really quick. So everyone knows, because there's some complaints about this. So far on the three North American dates, the first Encore changes. So in Toronto, it was no one like you. In Quebec and Montreal, it was still loving you.  You don't get both.  So I was disappointed it wasn't in the set, but still loving you as the first Encore. It clearly worked really well with the crowd. All right. I have a few more minutes. I just noticed that because I got to go pick up my son, but he's okay. He's running a little late. So it's good. And then and then the big, the big finish, of course, the big finish, the song that ends every Scorpion show since it was released brought you like a hurricane, which, you know, brought those down. Yeah, yeah, I brought those. I was actually in my car by then. Yeah. No, I was, I stayed for the full show. Well, so, but so yeah. For the and I did the same thing in 1984. Yeah. Right, right at the end of the Encore. Again, they know how to ask Orlando, I took off. They know how to pace a set list. Ballads, tease me, please me to bring everyone back up. And then at the end of the show, they go for the throat, right?  So they left people on a total, total high. And folks, let me just say this was a big crowd. One of the things that was amazing to me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Last time, Scorpions came through this town with Megadeth. They played our smaller arena.  They had 15000 people there last night. It was just packed. This might be the most well-attended Scorpions show I've ever been to. So for a band that's been around this long to be still drawing 15000 people in a North American arena is an incredible thing. It really is. And you can see that they kept saying, OK, this is our farewell tour six years ago, where they're still going because they just keep getting more popular over the years. Jimmy, if it's one thing I've learned, right, the world is a world of supply and demand. So bands will say it's their farewell tour and sometimes it's disingenuous and sometimes they mean it. But then if the next year promoter makes them an offer and says, we'll give you this many million for 40 shows and people are willing to buy tickets and go to those shows, then why would you say no? You know what I think for the Scorpions, it's a little more than that. When you really think about 50 years of playing, this is what you do. This is how you breathe. This is how you drink water. This is who you are.  Yeah, but I don't see it like a kiss or some other bands where you knew kisses farewell tour in 2000 wasn't a farewell tour. You know, you knew it was farewell to Ace and Peter, but it wasn't a farewell tour. I got the sense that when the when the Scorpions kind of did their final sting tour, that they thought that was going to be the end. Yeah, I think so too. But I think the tour went well and they love doing what they do and they got other offers. So they went with it, you know. And you know, I think the best way to approach farewell tours is the audience will tell you when it's time to say goodbye. When you're playing to 4,000 people in a 15,000 arena and you're selling almost no merch, you know, that's probably when it's time to farewell. But when you're selling 15,000 tickets and the merch lines were insane yesterday. So 15,000 people. Oh, my Lord. It was like Disneyland. So obviously there's demand for the band on various levels. So, hey, why, why say farewell if people are willing to come see you every night? You know, those merch lines were like worse than Disneyland lines. Were they not? Yeah. And the and the merch wasn't even that great. And yeah, I would think for a band like the Scorpions who has an opportunity to sell a lot of merch. Look at this. These graphics, right? Look at these graphics. And you would think they could come up with some better looking shirts. That's my only complaint, I think. Not to say that I wouldn't buy a shirt. You know, the merch thing really well. And Iron Maiden, Kiss, whoever. And some bands don't really do the merch thing very well.  And okay, have some new designs. But yeah, have some retro designs. People love, people what really sells well for a lot of bands these days is the retro front, but the new dates on the back. So like, you know, the blackout cover but with the dates on the back, you know? Yeah, I never cared about the dates on the back because I can't read my back. Yeah, it just kind of says you're there at that tour. So I like dates generally. Guys, this is a really good question, your parent. And this is probably the last question of the day. Would the Scorpions have sold 15,000 if it was just originally promoted as a Scorpion show? So in other words, this tour was booked as a Scorpions with Thunder Mother, of course. Would they still have had that many people there? Yeah, it's a good question that I've actually thought about and I guess my answer will be no. But there were 15,000 there. I'd say they would have sold 12,000 tickets and maybe White Snake sold 3,000 tickets, you know? And because people would get... I would put it to about an 80, 20 a mix. I take, it's hard for me to take myself out of my shoes because I only bought the tickets for Scorpions. And when they announced White Snake wasn't playing, like I said, I'm still, I'm okay. I get to go home early, you know? And then I bought tickets for the package and if I could have got a refund, I would not have. It's a Saturday night. It's a night out with the wife and friends. But you know what? If it was like a Tuesday night and I had to work the next day and not that many people were, my friends were going, like maybe I would think about it. But like, I think they sell 12,000, not 15,000 if it's just Scorpions. But we're going to see the answer to this really soon. In most of the US shows, refunds were made available. So if they're playing to half empty houses in the States, then that means White Snake, the package, sold a lot of tickets. But if the shows are still pretty full in the US, then people are like, yeah, I bought the tickets. They were paid for six months ago. You know, I've been looking forward to the show. I'm going. So I think it's about 80, 20. So what would you rate this show out of 10? I'd call it a good eight. I'd call it a good eight, eight and a half out of 10. You know what? I enjoyed the opening act. Eight and a half out of 10. Me too. I enjoyed the set list. I thought the sound was great.  Yeah, whoever is doing front of house sound though for the Scorpions. It's not easy to sound good in an arena. Each instrument you heard really clearly.  Oh, I didn't hear the rhythm guitar. I didn't hear the bass. The drums were too loud. So I thought the sound, at least from where I was sitting, was really, really great. Yeah, so I'm a sound set list. The energy of a big crowd. Yeah, I thought it was a really, really good night. You know, the last time I saw the Scorpions, I was a little, and I gave them another shot here. And it was actually one of the better shows. See, that's why I waited 38 years. Yeah, because I go, it's a great show. And let's see what they've done now. So Darcy says eight or nine out of 10. I would agree between an eight and nine out of 10. Stadium shows, arena shows and tours are all about momentum. When the momentum starts, like the first few dates and things are on track, then everybody else in the rest of the continent, or at least in the United States, they kind of feel that momentum. And the people who ask for refunds, maybe there'll be some newer Scorpions fan who are going to actually go and buy those tickets. So definitely go watch the Scorpions. I do have a feeling this will probably be their last. Yeah. And that's the thing, I will just say, guys, the bands we love are coming to an end. Giles talks about this all the time, right? Klaus is 74, Rudy is 73. You know, Ian Gillan from Deep Purple turned 77 the other day. Our heroes are not going to be around that much longer. And even if they are around, which I hope they are, they're not going to be able to tour like the way they've toured in the past. You don't make everybody cry here. Yeah. No, but I mean, it's just reality. Stop it. Father time catches up. You know, maybe there's a Vegas... Maybe there's a vampire thing we can do. Why are they doing Vegas Residencies? Why are they doing Vegas Residencies? Why are lots of bands doing Vegas Residencies? Because it's easier on the body. Yeah, absolutely.  So, but our heroes don't have much time left. So if you love the Scorpions, go see this tour. You're going to hear three quarter hits. You're going to hear one quarter of the new album. You're going to get all the energy they can bring you. And even though they're not calling it a farewell tour, I don't know if I see them doing this again in two or three years, well, 76, you know. You know, and Darson says a great point here. He goes like, look how Rush went out. The Rush went out, you know, at the top of their game. Scorpions, okay, they're a little lower than the top of their game, but still they're still up there, right? Yep. I want them to go out on a high note, and that's where they are. They're in the high note and one last note. I got to let everybody go now. I'm the drum solo.  When drummers start playing the drum solo, it's like time to go to the bathroom. It's time to like buy a t-shirt. I got to say that Mickey D had a very entertaining and physical drum solo, and he, it was just incredible. It was just very enjoyable. I thought Mickey was the star of the band. I thought it's rare, I will say, that the drummer who's not Neil Perk or Tommy Lee like steals the show. Like, Mickey didn't steal the show, but man, talk about smashing down a door and making your place in a band. It's not easy to go from King Diamond and Motorhead to Winds of Change. But Mickey made all of these songs his own, and let me tell you, I put video of bad boys running wild on my Facebook page, so anyone who wants to check it out, check it out.  And I actually like James Kotak as a drummer, and he's had his problems over the years, but seeing Mickey D as part of Scorpions just takes it to another level as far as I'm concerned. I've got to get rid of his spammer. There we go. Band from Bage. Bad spammer. That was like a three seconds band right there. Band and spammer. All right, on that note, Mickey D did a phenomenal job. He's brought new life to the Scorpions. I mean, here's a guy who brought life to King Diamond and also brought new life into Motorhead back in the day and just an amazing drummer. And I was so impressed, and I even really enjoyed his drum solo. And my wife who's sitting next to me was not really like drum solos and stuff. She was so entertained by the visuals and sort of the coordination of his drums with the band. And his animation. His animation, yeah. On that note, the momentum is happening. Go check out the Scorpions with Thunder Mother and check them out on tour. Well worth the money, even though White Snake is not going to be there.  That's it. Rock and roll people. Rock and roll. Milwaukee Tom is saying blasphemy, Perrin the drummer is the only one who matters. But seriously, Mickey saved this band and Milwaukee Tom, you are correct. We need more bands of two drummers. Doobie brothers, baby. Almond brothers.


So thank you so much to all of you joining us today. Another episode of The Nonprofit Show. If you joined us in the chitty chat, you already know how amazing these ladies are. We have both Jessica and Kendall. They're sitting in the right alignment on the video, but in this photo, we actually have Kendall to your left and then Jessica to your right. And they come to us from Personalized Solutions. And thank you both for joining us today and being on this webcast. Today's show is about five reasons, five. I'm sure there's way more, but we're gonna narrow it down to five that nobody attends a bad event twice. But before we dive in, I wanna give so much gratitude and extend our appreciation to all of these presenting sponsors you see on the screen. So many of these companies have been with us since March of last year. And so, you know, we've said this before and I'll say it again, because it's worth repeating. We are coming up on our 300th episode. Woo! And it's just been such a joy. You know, I also shared then the beginning of the pandemic, showing up for the show really was a labor of love. But now it has become my ritual that I love waking up to because it really gives me that environmental scan and environmental analysis of what's going on in our sector. So it's been really great. And I'm grateful for Julia Patrick, CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy and let her have a little break today. She's been working hard.  I'm Jarrett Ransom, also known as the Nonprofit Nerd CEO of the Raven Group. Whew! So with that, I'm excited to nerd out with both of you, Jessica and Kendall, to talk about bad events and why nobody attends a bad event twice. So what, tell us, tell us about this. Like this has been a year of, you know, such tumultuous times, right? Like really navigating. I know that word P, the pivot word was like the year of 2020. What have you seen as professionals in this nonprofit space, in this event space, you know, when it comes to events, what have you seen done well and what have you seen done extremely poorly? I think if we're talking about digital virtual events, it's really hard to reference that many that have really done anything well. They might have brought in a lot of money, but having an enticing and engaging user experience on the other end is a really, really difficult feat. So to anyone who's successfully done that, we applaud you. However, we are so glad that in-person events are back because that is what your donors deserve. They want to be out front center, getting to know you, your organization. And I think that the nonprofits that have gotten back into the event swing on this like front end of 2021 are really, really seeing the benefits. And so we applaud them for being trailblazers and just going for it because every dollar counts, every event counts. And as we know, fundraising is how you bring in the money to fund your mission. And if you're not fundraising, your nonprofit's not going to survive. So we've actually seen some where not being able to fundraise, not being able to have events or being afraid to do anything has caused the demise. Yeah. So many early on I've seen Kendall, like they're like, we're just going to hit that pause button, you know? And I'm like, how long are you going to push that pause button?  We crave connection, right? And to your point, Kendall, it's like donors deserve in-person events. They want this, we crave this, we yearn for this. And I understand some communities are still not in that place to do that. But there are ways maybe to really engage your donors in events so that they're not a bad event. And they do attend over and over and over again because the point, right, Kendall, or both of you really, is that we want to bring them in, not only for one event, but we want to keep engaging them. Absolutely. Which is why we always say nobody attends a bad event twice. You really have to take a lot of thought and care when planning. So let's get into the first reason why people will not attend. Our first one is the preconceived expectation of an event. They know what they're getting into. They know exactly what they're going to get. There's going to be a paddle race. There's going to be somebody speaking who maybe isn't ideal for the organization. Maybe it's they're honoring somebody, but it's not a very creative way. It's a very bland, it's very dry. It's a PowerPoint that they're reading to you versus it being an engaging conversation. And so people know that, right? That's now associated with that organization. And if there's no change up to it, you're not really driving new people to come. You're just going to get the same people coming because they know what to expect. They know they can go and have breakfast, lunch, dinner, at set event. And they can chit chat with their table the whole time because whoever the speaker honoree is, doesn't matter to them. They're there for the meal. They're there to write a small check. They bought their ticket. So they're really there for the social aspect versus the tear jerker getting involved, taking it to the next level. They already know what they're going to do and you're not going to change that. And doing the same event year after year, you're going to attract the same people. Isn't that like the definition of insanity? Right? You're doing the same thing over and over and over again. Okay, that is fascinating. So that was really reason number one is they have this preconceived notion of, dare I say, like what the rubber chicken circuit looks like, right? And you're like, I'm done. I'm not attending anymore events. So talk to us about then reason number two. What does that look like? Reason number two is lack of engagement. So it can be on a lot of different fronts, but we're always thinking about for the donor experience, how can we engage them, but then re-engage them to get to that next level of being a donor, right? So you walk in and you might not know that much about the organization. We're here to educate you, but then we're also here to give you a reason to really want to be involved more, whether that's inviting people to come to the next event, whether that's being a champion of this organization, maybe it's getting a corporate sponsorship. But when you are unable to take someone from that first step point to those next tiers, that is where you're realizing you're not engaging with your audience. And a lot of the points from number one are applicable here. There's many reasons for that, but a lot of people don't plan an event with this in mind. And that is a problem. So I agree that is a problem. And I want to say that you too rock stars and that comes from like the bottom of my heart because I can't say the other word I want to say, right? But like rock star experts in this space and you do what I would consider like some alternative events.  Like you do some really cool events. And so what I've seen in my 20 plus years is, you know, people will come into an event, like let's say it's a spin class, right? Or cycling.  And so they're like a one and done event attendee. Yep. 100%. And we see that a lot. And honestly, that's why we believe in micro events such as spin classes, boxing classes, Kendra Scott partnership, Kendra Scott partnerships, all kinds of stuff like that because these are little intimate opportunities where you can really engage in a smaller setting. There's very low to no overhead involved. And it's a great lead up to that really big event. If you are having a gala, if you're having a huge top golf tournament with 500 people, whatever it might be, it's good to have little things that get people excited and amped.  So everyone always asks, what is your recipe for being able to sell out the last 37 events you planned? And that is a huge, huge part of it. Wow. So I'm thinking of this, right? Like in our sector, we talk about a friend raiser and a fundraiser. So are micro events friend raisers or are they fundraisers?  It's not a formal sit down, have a meal, learn about the organization. It's come because a portion of your purchase is being donated back or it's the cost of the class is going to the charity. So you're spinning, you're boxing, you're jazzercising for a good cause. We don't jazzercise for a good record. However, I'm gonna have one thing to that. It's a friend raiser, but it's also a fundraiser because we are raising money. It's a great opportunity to be selling merchandise. Every nonprofit needs to have a really great line of merchandise. Do small batches, keep it fresh, keep it ever changing. It's a great revenue driver and those micro events are the perfect place to be selling things like that. But fundraising should be fun. The word fun is in the entire name of it.  And the people we find that we do in these small micro events are a different demographic than what would traditionally go to a gala or a really formal dinner. Because they weren't invited necessarily to that formal gala, but now that they know they're on the list and they're like, you know what? I might only be 28 years old, but this is a great organization and I'm gonna show up and this is gonna be my first gala and now you've engaged them at that higher level. I love this. So, that was reason number two. Moving to three, like I'm sure again, I said earlier, like there's more than five. So, we're all ready in that midpoint. So, we're all kind of intermingled, but number three is poor logistics. Now, I love everything about logistics operations. So, for me, it's your check-in, it's your seating, it's your food, it's your staff. It's, do you have check-in prepared for 500 people? How many people do you have on your registration row so that you don't have the line wrapped around to valet to get people in? They don't wanna wait, it's hot. They wanna get in, they wanna get to the action. So, waiting 45 minutes just to pass through the door is unacceptable. Seating, not knowing where people are seated, having them come back up and go, well, I don't know where I'm going. Whether or not you told them. And not knowing who you can ask.  Who's running the deal. If you even work for that, they're just looking for someone who looks like they might know what's going on. So, how do you rectify that? Name tags. I'll show you. Uh-oh, she's moving. She is moving. We are fortunately cozy in our office right now with all the event goodies. Depending upon the color of our outfit, we have double-sided so that we look super official. You know we're the people with the answers. That's like the backstage pass. It is. 100%. And I'm usually told I walk with some authority. So, most people are just looking for me. It's the red hair, it's not the walk. Because I'm hustling and bustling everywhere and I never eat. I'm always moving. So, usually I'm the one to find, because I also have a phone and a computer and a name badge. Yes, but honestly there's little things that all non-profits can do to simplify that process and that's one of them. That is logistic. So, a detailed person that can get all of these, dare I say like ducks in order, I don't know a better term for that, but really make a master roster to know like in alphabetical order, like hey what's your last name? I can find, oh you're at this table, whether you're looking for the logo, you're looking for a number. Love that, yeah. And then where to go when they're not feeling like, well they told me at check-in, but now I can't find anybody. Like that's a poor reflection too. Well they didn't know who I was, they didn't care, I'm not coming back. Right, so that would probably be another reason, but really moving into how the organization has prepared logistically to manage the event. So reason number three, moving into four. All right, I'm about there. Yeah, reason number four. This is a good one, this is a good one. It's a small one, but it's important and it's dismal food. Dismal food, everybody talks about gay lists having rubber chicken dinners, right? It's so hard for hotels to mass produce a quality meal. However, it's not impossible. You need to be really, really conscious of the fact that someone didn't just drop $500 on a ticket to attend your event so they can eat food that's worse than a cafeteria. They just didn't. Or to have to go get dinner afterwards. 100% and that happens all the time. Yes, I'm gonna give that. I did a dinner and then I literally was like in third course, right?  And then I was like, I'm going to need to stop somewhere on the way home. And you're thinking that during the event. So now you're not engaged in the event because you're listening to your stomach going, I know I need to eat and this wasn't enough. And that's honestly why we shy away from doing the big galas. Not that they're not effective, but you can have an event that's large scale and the food can be on point. The venue can be interesting and there can be a really cool theme. We're planning a murder mystery dinner party for a non-profit and that's coming up. We can't give you too many details, but it's gonna be really, really cool.  He walked into the meeting and he's like, you never want to do this.  They're boring. I've been to a hundred million of these things. And we said, okay, we can reinvent and still be able to make that level of experience. So that would be a number four. I feel like that murder mystery is coming back. I do know that there was a virtual component of that happening in the last 18 months. I've seen it online, but now you're telling me you're incorporating this into like a micro event for a non-profit? Micro is a micro. It's gonna be about 400 to 500 people, I would assume. I don't think that's right. I think it's a two night deal. Yeah, we're probably gonna end up having to split it up to where we have two back to back nights to choose from and it's seated and we have orchestrated it in a really cool setting. That sounds fun. Yeah, that's the whole point, right? It sure sounds fun. It's the only way to get people engaged of like, oh, I've never been to that event. Just on sheer curiosity, people will buy it at the same time. We've also got great Gatsby Valentine's Day next year, which is going to be epic. Who doesn't want to dress up in a great Gatsby environment and have just a really, really cool night benefiting an amazing cause? I can't think of anyone. I mean, I would. Sign me up, put me on their email list. So that was reason four and so dismal food, whatever you do, do not have dismal food because that is one of the five reasons that people will not attend your event again. So five, I feel like we're wrapping up on five. I know we have time so I've got a couple of more like up the sleeve questions. I'm going to just shoot over at you but talk to us about reason number five. Five is your run of show.  Is it running late?  Warning people, 10 minutes till the program starts, everybody needs to be in their seat, those little reminders. Are you able to control the crowd? Right, if somebody's speaking but there's a whole herd at the bar that's louder than all get out, it's affecting the person speaking. They can't hear themselves and it was terrible. And then it goes into it's hard to engage everybody because all he's hearing is this in their ear and they're trying to engage a room of 200 but they're so distracted by the chitter chatter. Is it, is your AV equipment good? Can the audience hear you?  How is your equipment? Did you look at that and test it prior to? Again, those are deal breakers.  And then the other one is that we had within that is the speakers that you're having if you're honoring somebody, are they prepared? Is it an interview setting? Does it feel rehearsed or is it off the cusp? Kind of like this. Do they have good speaking skills? A lot of nonprofit leaders are terrible public speakers.  No, no, no, don't even worry about practicing. Just get a coach to guide you through it because it makes all the difference and it transforms your skill set from here to here in a very short amount of time. And with leading a nonprofit, time is the most valuable thing that any of us have but especially you guys, so invest in that.  And it's going to bring in more money for your mission. Yeah, and the individuals will then attend again. They're gonna come back because it was, oh my God, they had such a great speaker. I could hear them. People paid attention. I knew what was going on. Oh my God, we got out on time. I could get to my next meeting on time. We understand everybody's time is valuable and if you're running 45 minutes to an hour late, they're now an hour late to work if it's a breakfast. They're now an hour late home or the Uber wasn't available. That has happened to me where I was sitting at a breakfast. It was a breakfast model event and the ask and the speaker was supposed to start at a certain time. We had not gotten to that yet. And unfortunately I was not even the first one to leave. Like other people had started to exit and I felt so horrible, one, that I was going to be one of them, but two, that the organization did not use the capacity in the room to make the ask at the right time because they were not, to your point, Kendall, they were not on track with that run of show. Which is so important.  So a lot of these, and thank you. So very helpful and again, I'm sure we could go on forever because you ladies have seen a lot in your like professional time of running events, attending events too, I'm sure. But talk to us about, so like there's, what are you seeing? I wanna ask, what are you seeing now when a lot of communities are craving that connection? They are wanting to do events. I feel like so many of our communities are opening back up to that possibility. Some may do in-person with a hybrid approach. Some may do virtual with, I don't know, like what are you seeing as we continue to move into the recovery phase? And we're like the middle of May now for 21. So I will talk on this for a second. We have offices in Washington DC, Dallas and Scottsdale. Dallas and Scottsdale, 100% in-person, no restrictions. Everybody's ready, events are selling out. We don't have to worry about anything. It's fantastic. People are ready and they're showing up and they're spending the money and they're excited to be doing so. Washington DC, decimated, no events happening. The virtual things people are burned out on. So in the middle of the pandemic, people were still paying attention. Holiday season, they made a little bit of money. They kept it moving now because they're still so shut down. We're not seeing that one coming back. I wouldn't expect until 2022. So it really is very market dependent. Same with our nonprofits in California, San Francisco, Orange County. Orange County wants to get back, but they're not able. San Francisco, it's gonna be a while. So it's so politically driven, unfortunately, and that impacts these nonprofits in such a major way. I would say the best way to counteract if you're in a community where you aren't able to do something in person and you know people are Zoom fatigued to the max, really, really double down on your email marketing skills. Do different things that you can engage people and maybe it's a virtual 5K where through this weekend, everybody's running. We just need you to take pictures, make a small donation, use this hashtag, use this hashtag, engage in a different way like that. Get people outside moving, doing things.  Right. Yeah, that's a really valid point. We had a guest chime in, and at least it was probably during when you were sharing Kendall run of show, this individual says, depending on the event and industry, but it says she, I'm assuming Lynn identifies female, but I went to a trade show in Puerto Rico. Critical Care Medicine was the trade show where the staff wore scrubs so that they were easily identifiable. Well, there you go, that makes sense. That makes sense. So whether you have that backstage pass or you're in scrubs, I do think that is a great point. Thank you to our guest for sharing that personal experience and example, because I do think there's so many ways that we can't identify yourself. What you showed us, Kendall, was perfect because that is easily identifiable. Now, do you have volunteers wear that as well? Yes. We've got our videographers, our photographers. We've got kids typically are dressed specifically, but we make sure they have name tags on, saying, I am so-and-so, right? Not I am, but they typically have one imprinted, great. So that it's really, really clear who is doing what. If you're a photographer and someone's like, hey, could you grab a picture of us? Okay, I don't feel awkward asking you because I know that you are in fact a real photographer for this event. Last switcher there. I'll snap that picture, you know? Yeah. What do you think are some things in 2020 that now, again, Jessica, I know you said there wasn't a lot that really went well, but what maybe were some of those silver linings that we had to do by default in our event space that we might carry into this year and maybe even to further, right? So like, what are some of the things that maybe either of you have seen that did work well that we will want to continue to incorporate? Sure, we did, in November, when Arizona started opening back up, we did kind of come back and engage a lot of people as we did this, we did a dinner series and we did a two nights in a row. So it was the same concept with nights, different locations, but because of COVID, we had number of capacities versus being able to get as many people. So one space, we could only have 50 people. So, okay, fine, we'll engage those 50 and then the next night we could have 150. So we still wanted to engage 200 people before the year was out and we managed to do it over a multi-night series but we were still able to touch those people, keep it within the parameters of what we were allowed to do, whether that being the actual site or the CDC or the organization itself, but we could deal with the mask situation, we could have people mingling and being socially distant. And as long as it was, and if they opted to not comply with that, that was on them, but we were still able to sell out multiple events towards the end of the year as things were starting to kind of calm down. Also, outdoor fitness events, they were incredibly successful. People left what, you know, unfortunately in our summer months in Arizona, we're doing them really early in the morning or you're doing them at like eight o'clock at night, but people were still excited to get outside. You can spread out as much as you want, you're doing something great for your body, you're getting fresh air. That was a win. Another thing that I saw a lot of nonprofits either do really well or do really poorly was they doubled down on getting their social media together, getting their email lists together, getting all of these loose ends that kind of, they play a really big part in a high functioning organization, but if you're mid to lower level and you're just trying to get everything done and keep it moving, a lot of people are kind of sleeping on some of these things, if you will. So we saw a lot of people up their game. That pause button, right? Well, thank you for sharing your top five reasons why nobody attends an event twice. We are coming up on the end of our show, but I wanna thank Julia Patrick for creating this wonderful opportunity and platform, the nonprofit show. I'm Jarrett Ransom, the nonprofit nerd, but before we leave, I wanna make sure that you all know how to reach personalized solutions. So again, we don't have much time, so I'm gonna ask for short, quick answers, but I would love to know one you're hiring. So I saw, what are you looking for? Where is this person? Dallas, business development leader. We need someone with a great network, loves networking, likes events and is really someone who is highly, highly social. Applications close on May 13th and interviews are in person on May 17th. In Dallas, perfect. You have a podcast, where do we find that and who do you feature? And what are you looking for? PlaythroughUnited.com, where can they find it? We are on Spotify, iTunes, any of your favorite podcast streaming sources. YouTube. Yes, if you want to see the video form of the podcast, it is on YouTube at Personalize Solutions. Okay, and you're looking for guests, you're looking for nonprofit leaders? Always looking for people involved in nonprofits to help share the nonprofit's mission, share some impact stories within the organization. Hopefully you are looking for something that we can help try to connect you with, whether it's donors, volunteers, objects we've had where they need donations of certain items so that we can help push their mission further. Exactly, we love executive directors and founders and marketing directors, if your organization is big enough to help one. I love that. And where do you work? What is your geographic reach and scope? We work all across the United States, so no boundaries. Yay, I wanted to make sure we got all that in there. I know it was like back to back to back questions, but reach out to Jessica and Kendall. I tried to make you a celebrity name there. Jessica Kendall, I don't know. Right, so reach out, personalize solutions, they're phenomenal. If you are interested in being on their podcast, I was on their podcast, so you can find my episode on all of those platforms they just mentioned, and then hopefully you too will be interested in joining them. Thanks again to our presenting sponsors without you, we cannot continue these conversations. Again, coming up on our 300 episode, I cannot believe that every time I say it, it just shocks me. So it's coming up in June next month, which will be here soon. I know, thank you. And thanks to again our presenting sponsors, because really you have helped us take this webcast beyond our wildest dreams. If you haven't heard it yet, there is going to be a second show or second channel, if you will, called Fundraising Events TV. So my co-host, I know, we'll have to get you ladies on that as well. My co-host Julia Patrick will be that co-host as well as Jason Champion. That will launch in June.  And thank you again to all of you for joining us. Thanks to Jessica and Kendall, everything that you do for our nonprofit sector. So honored that both of you would spend some of your day and time with me today. So I appreciate you joining us. Love it. Yeah, well, thank you. We'll have to have coffee or lunch soon, and I'm serious, like put me on those email lists because the murder mystery that, you know, all does some a lot of fun. So thanks again for everyone tuning in. And we will see you tomorrow. Until then, stay well, so you can do well. Thanks so much, everyone.


Members of the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs Climate Change and Environment Committee gather at the Registers of Scotland, the office which holds records of property ownership dating back centuries, to launch its report on the Government's Land Reform Bill. The report was compiled after six months of evidence gathering, which saw the Committee meet people the length and breadth of Scotland. Its conclusion? That the bill as it stands must be strengthened to deliver on some of its key aims. The report recommends changes to the bill to ensure greater transparency about who owns controls and benefits from land, and more explicit guidance on the bill's requirements for engagement between landowners, land managers and communities, and the penalties for ignoring this. The Committee has also warned that it needs greater clarity from the Scottish Government on plans to reintroduce sporting rates before it will decide whether or not to back it. And the majority of the Committee expressed concerns about whether the bill could deliver its stated objectives of guaranteeing or increasing the amount of land available to let, and strengthening the rights of tenants while also protecting the rights of landlords. I believe that this is one of the most radical bills that's going through Parliament, that when you see the number of people in Scotland who will be infected by this, potentially to improve their lives, when you look at the nature of Scotland and the need for far more people to have a handle on that, and to recognise that proposals are rooted in international human rights, we're making a very big statement that requires to be treated very seriously indeed. You can find out more about the Committee's report on our web page. You can also keep up to date with the news from the Committee and the wider Scottish Parliament through Twitter and Facebook.


My thesis is I think we're gonna see an exodus of people leaving cities in the next decade. That's happening. I agree with that. I don't think we're... I'm kind of speaking about what the establishment wants. I think you're 100% right. We're seeing that now. That has not hit critical mass yet, but I really hope that. I hope there is an exodus. I could see that we get to a point where there is sort of the cities become city states. They become like isolated states and it's kind of like in Stalinist Russia. That's how that's what happened with communism is that they couldn't regulate the rural people. So communism existed in the cities, but then the rural is where all the commerce, capitalism, and anarchy happened really. I think that's what's going to happen because the cities are getting, you know, in Toronto. Try to open a business in Toronto. It's insane how we regulated these places. I've been screaming city states for the last five years. I'm a big proponent of city states. It creates game theoretical models that's better. One thing that people don't understand is we'll bring Canada in it. Canada is a unique example. So for the size of land that we have, we have the smallest population. We have the second biggest landmass of a nation after Russia. We have a diverse ethnicity in Canada, quite multicultural. We're more or less like passive people. We come here for greener pastures.  I'm out of here. A lot of people left Russia, China, et cetera. You know, it's much more greener grass over here. And you see the climate kind of heating up right now. So you have the federal government. So if you look at the Canadian Constitution kind of clearly, especially on page 10 in Lebanon, it clearly states what the federal government is responsible for. And it's not responsible for much. And it's the opposite today. They're they're responsible. I want to say they're responsible. They've put their fingers in pretty much every aspect of governance when it comes to society, from municipal to provincial to federal. They shouldn't be a municipal and provincial. They should just be concerned for federal stuff. And when you look at broad laws, laws that might help Ontario, not necessarily will help Alberta, because we have exactly we have needed problems for Ontario. We have our own issues. And the laws that we pass here should not be dictated or seated on Alberta, vice versa. The laws that pass in Alberta should not be seated on Ontario. This is why people are pissed off with Quebec, you know, Quebec's creating these rules that doesn't benefit Ontario, doesn't benefit Alberta. This is why you're right. So you see Alberta right now. They want to separate. So like when you create a city state, whether it's on the provincial level, or maybe cologne it down to the municipal level, you create competition. Switzerland's a good example where you have the canton. Yeah, the canton. Exactly. Yeah, I'm totally, I'm a pretty hardcore. When you were talking about the Constitution, when you were talking about 1982, the Pierre-Eliott Trudeau Constitution. Yeah, so that's, you know, the funny thing with that is read Article 59. Article 59 in the Canadian Constitution stipulates that the whole Constitution is subject to Article 59 in that until Quebec allows every one of its residents to teach the language of choice to their children, the Constitution's null and void. So we don't have a Constitution. It never came into effect. Canada, I mean, this is one thing that I get into in my podcast, like as I've gone to the rabbit hole and I've been reading acts and statutes in Canada for the last three months, we don't have a country. Canada doesn't exist. Canada is a myth. Canada was never confederated. And when Queen Victoria created the Statute Revision Act or she pulled out Article 2 of the BNA Act through the Statute Revision Act, which ended the monarchy after them because the Dominion got too expensive in the early or the late 1800s. So they ended the Dominion. When Queen Victoria died, Canada, as we know it, ceased to exist. And then in 1931 or 1936, they brought in the Statute of Westminster, which officially ended it. We have in Canada a de facto state. Canada is just a corporation. And the provinces are corporations. It's just a big racket. It's interesting because it's like, it's almost this crazy free market thing. It's just nobody knows what it actually is. We think we have this government. And that's what I discovered with all this land stuff with the Agricultural Land Commission is what I discovered is that the acts themselves don't have force and effect because they're supposed to receive this thing called Royal Ascent from the Governor General. And if you read the Royal Ascent Act of Canada, it says right in the preamble that Royal Ascent is granted by written declaration. But when you look at a Royal Ascent, what they did is they converted it into this ceremony because nobody, everybody in power wanted to keep their powers. They didn't want all the Canadian people to realize like, oh my God, we're sovereign. We don't actually need these cronies. We can form our own constitution like the US did. But they never did. And so they created all these layers and layers of illusions. It's actually all there. It's neat. It's really hidden in plain sight. It's like there's actually no lies printed. It's all truth. It's all full disclosure. It's just nobody reads the terms of service. So they created this Royal Ascent thing, which became this ceremony they do in the legislative assembly, where the Lieutenant Governor just sits there and gives a nod. So the ministers come out and read the bills, but she doesn't sign them. And the reason she doesn't sign them is because that would actually be committing fraud because the Lieutenant Governors and the Governor don't have no real authority because the Queen died in 1901. And Queen Elizabeth is just a sort of a fake figurehead that they've used. I don't know what the arrangement between Canada and the Royal Family is anymore, but it's just BS. So I learned this on my farm because I had a bureaucrat, tried to shake me down. I had a guy from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency tried to come to my microgreens operation, which used to be in the screen house that I'm in right now. And he said, we're going to come and inspect your farm at this time and this time and this time. And I'd been learning enough about the legal stuff before then where I said, okay, and I know the best way to win with these bureaucrats is to take what's called the conditional acceptance. So instead of saying, no, you can't come to my property, you go, okay, I'm happy to have you here on my property on these conditions. Number one, I would like to see a copy of the Royal Ascent written on the CFIA Act of Canada. Secondly, I'd like to see all the documentation that says you have the authority to act under Her Majesty in good faith. Thirdly, I want a consulting fee. Fourthly, you've got 30 days to respond to the offer's null and void. Guy disappeared, never came back.  And it's the same thing with the farmers and the ALR. But the big thing in British Columbia is that there was no treaties ever signed here. Even if you look at the original, what Canada was, it was called Rupert's land in the Hudson's Bay Charter, it ended at the Rocky Mountains. British Columbia is unseated. And that's why if you go to any government event here in British Columbia today, the first thing they will do is they'll stand up and say, we just first want to recognize that we're standing on the unseated land of the Silex territory, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It just sounds like pointless virtue signaling, but it's actually full disclosure. They're actually telling you 100% the truth. There is no Canada here. There's no Canada, period. But there's certainly none in BC, and there in BC is just a private corporation. It's registered on the United States Security Exchange Commission. It's all a big dog and pony show, but you tell this to the average person, they go, no, no, no, no. Because they can't handle the cognitive dissonance. They just won't go there. But I think this is actually our path to freedom. Because this whole thing will disappear really quickly. More people start to realize that you don't have power over us. Where do you get your authority from? Start calling them out. Where does it come from? No, the power's always in the people. We're the one to elect you. We're the ones to pay taxes for you to be in power. But going back to the city-states, it's interesting that you brought that up. You know, technically, we have city-states in Canada. It's aboriginal land. So if you look at what they have, it's their city-states. They have their own constitution, their own cops, their own taxes. Well, they're sovereign nations, actually. That's technically what they are. Yeah. And so for me, I'm like, well, there's our example right there. I don't have to think of anything or create anything. It's right there in front of me. Why can't I just duplicate that?  That's why. Our birth certificates are corporate bonds. They're sureties. When you're born and your mom fills out your live registration of birth and then fills out your birth certificate, that's a surety that goes to the corporation that handles that. And then that's a bond. And that bond is that. So you're owned. But the thing is, is people don't realize that that legal person, your name, all caps letters, isn't actually you. It's just like in the Matrix, man.  This is flesh and blood. This is me. I'm a child of God. That's what we are. That's to give you a sit number. It's not your name.   And so the problem with revolution, per se, is that you're still a legal fiction. And until you uncouple yourself and become a sovereign man, a lot of the First Nations have already done this, man. I've met, I know a lot of people that do this stuff. And until you're sovereign, you don't have jurisdiction over your own body because you've accepted the legal authority of them. You ever read a book, Sovereign to the Vindual? The Sovereign. Sovereign individual? No. Yeah.  Solid read. I read a lot of stuff on this stuff, though. My take on becoming like, I agree with you 100%. I think when you're born, whether you believe in God or not, the divine life form, you're sovereign. Government does not give you permission for freedom of speech. The government doesn't give you permission to practice what sexuality does. The government doesn't give you permission to marry or not marry. That's sovereignly given to you when life is created by Earth itself. Absolutely. However, I'm a realist as well. I look at laws of nature and I look at history. And history doesn't repeat but it rhymes. You mentioned revolutions. Revolutions don't work. It's violence doesn't work. At the end of the day, people that have more power, whether it's through means of force or means of coercion, whatever, they're going to overtake you. I'm a firm believer in better technologies and better education slowly, not through a quick sweep, but slowly over time, generates a better society.  I wouldn't want to live 100 years ago, even though people hate social media.  It's a tool. It's how you use this tool, right? The matters. Totally. People talk about guns. It's not the gun that kills people. People kill people. It's their psychology. Absolutely. And so for me, I see the writing on the wall. I'm in the crypto space. You see Bitcoin transforming how the way things are done. You see now privacy is becoming more and more important. I see there's a reassurgence around the world. You see what's happening in Hong Kong, see what's happening. Even Europe, people are waking up. You see what's happening in Latin America. I think just the advent of more evolved technologies are superior to old technologies that will slowly outpace. And at the end of the day, certain powers of being don't really have a choice. They have to adopt or else they're out of power. Yeah, I think I agree with a lot of that. Yeah, I think there's some kind of awakening happening. Like I'm seeing it. I mean, I travel a lot. I meet so many people and I see people switching on. The thing is that, you know, what the powers that be have a really, they're really good at, but once you start to see these things, you see the patterns that they use is that they do co-opt movements to basically like take power away from those movements. And I'd seen that because I'd been an environmentalist since I was 12 years old. I'm 40 years old now. So I mean, I've been at this kind of for a long time in that. And, you know, I've seen that movement be completely co-opted by big finance who just use it as a mechanism to control people, like the Greta Thunberg.


One, background, climate change has led to soil dryness and nutrient deficiency, highlighting the need for environmentally sustainable restoration of forests and groundwater resources. However, extensive afforestation efforts may lead to a depletion of groundwater supply due to higher evapotranspiration rates, exacerbating water scarcity issues. Therefore, a study was conducted to examine how fast growing tree species populous sabirica, horse. This article was authored by Sarah Damba by Amidorge, Jonathan O'Gay on Hernandez, Seranguel Cagvasurin, and others.