MATINEE MADNESS was conceived by John Entwistle’s U.S. business office Bitsa Talent and designed for the fans of THE JOHN ENTWISTLE BAND. At any given John Entwistle Band show as many as 100 or more fans will gather outside the venue and wait for hours to catch a glimpse, get an autograph and maybe exchange a few words with one of rock and roll’s true legends. No longer does the fan have to wait for hours in the hot sun, rain or snow, and maybe come away empty-handed. MATINEE MADNESS was designed to give these faithful fans the real chance they have been hoping for — to meet and chat with John Entwistle and his band. Bitsa has allowed the venue to sell a limited amount of tickets to THE JOHN ENTWISTLE BAND afternoon sound check.

The fans can enter the venue in the afternoon and participate in a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Before the band arrives, the fan can seek technical knowledge about any aspect of the show from one of the members of the road crew (if they’re not working). Information about string gauges, amp power, guitars, drums etc. is available to fans that might be musicians or just curious. It is a unique way of learning a bit about rock and roll behind the scenes.

When the band arrives they are no longer swamped by fans because all of the people are comfortably waiting inside the venue. The fans are patient because they all know that their dream WILL come true. The band heads for the stage and runs through the sound check. During that time they will run through a few songs from the set. That is when the band and crew set the vocal levels and stage balances. The fans get to see the show come together while watching the band play and communicate with their crew. There is some down time that accompanies the wait for technical changes to be made. In a regular sound check this time is usually filled by the band fooling around on stage. During MATINEE MADNESS the “free time” is shared with the fans. John and the band will joke back and forth and many times include the people in the crowd. Unlike a normal gig the fans can shout things out and more times than not get a response. The fans will also get to see THE JOHN ENTWISTLE BAND run through songs that are NOT in the set yet. The band will use sound check to try out new material, tighten or rearrange old material or sometimes just jam. On more than one occasion the band has invited a fan from the audience to join them on stage to sing a song. This is a random aspect of MATINEE MADNESS that can produce a lot of fun and some lifetime memories. Every sound check is different and each MATINEE MADNESS experience is completely unique.

After the sound check the band takes a few minutes to relax. Then they all come out to meet the fans. THE JOHN ENTWISTLE BAND will be available to shake hands, sign collectibles or just chat. Only THE JOHN ENTWISTLE BAND stamps a guarantee on their dream and increases their experience from a few seconds in the rain to an afternoon of MATINEE MADNESS.