I've been playing in the TechEd Jam Sessions since my first Tech Ed in Dallas 5 years ago. If you haven't been, and are thinking of going up on stage, do it. The whole setup is well done, and there are plenty of instruments to go around. If you want to play, you simply go up onto stage, grab a free instrument or tap somebody on the shoulder.
The good:
- Bevvys and snax.
- Any Rolling Stones song
- Anything Motown (Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye)
- Mustang Sally (every night)
- Roxanne (occasionally)
- The musical instruments that are given away each night.
The bad:
- Any one chord song: Electric Avenue leaps to mind.
- Anything written after 1985
- Anything where a piano, rhodes or hammond b-3 sounds extraneous
The ugly:
- Communicating what the chord sequence is over the wall of sound.
- Getting everyone to agree that a song is over.
If you're playing, bring earplugs. I mean it. Tech Ed is already surreal enough without having to wander the halls of the convention center feeling like there are two waffles duct-taped to the side of your head. There are some serious quality musicians among the 10,000 who are to descend on San Diego next week. Even if you don't want to play, go and listen. And don't bring earplugs.