NAMM 2020 IN REVIEW BY DILLY BRIGS
NAMM 2020 Review - by Dilly Brigs
As most of you know, NAMM stands for National Association of Musical Merchants, where once a year all aspects of the music entertainment industry (The NAMM Show) converges onto one location for a four day convention, held at the Anaheim Convention Center in downtown Anaheim, California. This annual four-day music convention brings business people, musical merchants, media, fans and bands alike together in a concentrated area, geared towards providing a more intimate gathered setting as artists and merchants meet with guests and other merchants looking to promote and sell their instruments / equipment to consumers and other businesses in the market. Some conducted interviews while others gave business speeches on how to proceed in the industry.
Arriving at NAMM can be a bit overwhelming as thousands converge onto one spot, but it’s a definite adventure on its’ own to be in a sea of music loving people. Moving together like tides, the wave of music lovers flowed in all directions as some looked for specific merch booths, while others were on the hunt to find their favorite rock stars…myself included for both. Live music played throughout the days on the main stage by the entrance, accompanied by different kinds of food trucks and make-shift performance spots by others. As soon as you entered, the feel of music comradery amongst the crowd-flow was evident.
Getting footage of legendary musicians intermingling with fans, I witnessed genuine respectful reactions on both ends. Nicko McBrain, Drummer for Iron Maiden, was there signing and taking pictures with fans and happily chatted away with any who spoke with him. He even had a small convo with another drummer, Francis Cassol, who’s band Rage In My Eyes, happen to open for Iron Maiden in October 2019. Hal Lindes of the legendary band Dire Straits was there, seemingly having a good time joking with fans he was signing for. He was very kind and down to earth and even spoke with me a while. Doug Aldrich of The Dead Daisies (Whitesnake / Dio) was also at the same signing booth as Lindes and ironically enough, as Dire Straits have the iconic MTV song, Money for Nothing, just a few booths down from Aldrich and Lindes, was Riki Rachtman of MTV…there promoting his podcast #TheTripleR.
Whether looking for the newest technology available for on / off stage equipment, media gear, or just looking to hear new innovative sounds coming from new or established artists, looked up to in the industry, NAMM is the place to be. The experience of NAMM is a high recommend, as many extremely talented musicians made small appearances and were ready and willing to mingle with fans, who were willing to wait the lines to speak or have something signed by their favorite artists.
The list of artists and producers making appearances, along with all the different merchants promoting their business to others, goes on and on. The best way to experience it is to be there personally, however, if you can not go in person, the next best thing is sites like, Inside The Orange Curtain, OC Review, and KaoticRadio.com where others share their first-hand experience for those who cannot attend. I hope you enjoyed The Experience of NAMM 2020. Sincerely, Dilly Brigs Music Journalist.
About the Author
Dilly studied and earned her children's writing degree from the prestigious Institute of Children's Literature, in West Redding Connecticut. She has two childrens books on Amazon that you can purchase now!! You can currently find her hosting The Dilly News Rock Show on KaoticRadio.com during the weekends at KaoticRadio.com . You can also of course find her on all social media outlets.