The main focus of any trade show should always be the new gear. The NAMM Show is no exception: get up at the crack of dawn, get your ass to the show floor and stay there until you've blogged about every last piece of music-making apparel you can get your hands on.
The problem (and there is always a problem) with this picture, is that a vastly-scaled event such as NAMM does have rather a lot of 'alternative' distractions. Other people and strange objects from outer-space being the main offenders.
But then again, that's why we love them, year after year after year… So, fantastic new gear aside, here are the six reasons why you shouldn't miss the next trade show. Even if you haven't quite recovered from the last one…
1. Free breakfast!
A wise man once said: "there's no such thing as a free breakfast." Ha, an even wiser man went to NAMM. Marshall kicked off the proceedings this year with 'The World's Loudest Breakfast' courtesy of Slayer's Kerry King…
If you couldn't handle a wall of noise at 8am, Waves put on a marvellous spread elsewhere. Even if it was mostly made up of pineapple, meat-packed baguettes and cheese…
2. Kids skip school for it
If the kids are down with it, it must be cool. One 13-year-old begged his mum for a few days off: "She was real cool about it. I have to say, I've got the best mom in the world." Yes, you probably have. Meanwhile, this kid is too busy blitzing Evans' drum stand to care…
3. A musical legend might do an acoustic set
"Hello, Brian Wilson. Yes, that's Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. What's that Bri? You're 'not going to play California Girls?' Oh, hang on: you are playing California Girls right now in the Gibson booth in front of a handful of people." However jetlagged, hungover or travel sick you get, there are some moments that make everything else in the universe - let alone the show - seem insignificant…
4. Girls, girls, girls
A picture is worth a thousand words…
In case you're wondering, that last guy is MusicRadar's own US editor Joe Bosso. Joe's already booked his tickets for next year.
5. That 'Alien Technology' rumour might be real
Sorry, it's not actually real yet. But chances are that if you don't go to a show you'll miss the grand unveiling. The video below is as close as we got to anything resembling a UFO: it's either a mental modular synth or the control panel for some kind of underground nuclear facility. We're not sure which…
6. You never know who you might meet in the bathroom
Ok, so a late night encounter with a stranger in a men's public lavatory might not sound like everyone's cup of tea, but we met Slayer's Kerry King so it's fine. You know? The guy from the Marshall breakfast: big, hairy, scary, has The Devil's phone number on his iPhone? What's not to like…
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“I think we're about to have a big resurgence now in kids picking up guitars, and I think we've got the Gallagher brothers to thank for it”: Should we be hopeful about the future of guitar music?
“I’ve always wondered why there isn’t more support in this industry - not just for the artists, or the band, but for the crew, the people working their asses off from 7 in the morning to 2 in the morning": Backline demand mental health action
