The Virtual Show That Wasn’t + This Week's Shows to See - iOnGreenville: Your Guide to Greenville South Carolina

Brett Barest

Scrolling through Facebook’s event suggestions was once a seemingly endless way to kill time but, these days, I can peruse the whole list in about 30 seconds. As I was doing that this week, I noticed an event telling me that American Aquarium was performing a virtual show live from The Radio Room this Monday. Details were scarce and I had a ton of questions, not the least of which was “How can I get in to see this in person?” so I made a call to The Radio Room’s Wes Gilliam to get the scoop.

First and foremost, Wes informed me that sadly American Aquarium was most definitely NOT playing The Radio Room anytime soon, virtually or otherwise. He then explained what I was seeing and, as such, my ever eroding faith in humanity took yet another hit. Simply put, every time a real show gets canceled or postponed for COVID, some bots spring into effect and create the illusion of a substitute virtual show, complete with links to where you can register to watch. Because the bots (and their creators) have no souls, these links exist for the purpose of getting your credit card number and other personal information.

This whole scam sucks in so many ways. It hurts anyone gullible enough to get scammed and it reflects poorly on the venues and artists unfairly associated with such bad behavior. Wes said he reports the events when he sees them but nothing much happens and there is little he can do to make it stop. Somebody is always trying to profit from the suffering of others so I suppose one person’s pandemic is someone else’s opportunity.

Preview the Week Ahead in Greenville South Carolina

Great week ahead with lot’s of fun things to do in Greenville and the Upstate of South Carolina! Check out the Events, Live Music and More

I share this with the hopes that awareness of this threat will keep anyone from getting scammed, and as a reminder that shows and events on the iOnGreenville calendar are not manipulated by bots but, rather, are entered by one man, Chris Bizzell who is definitely not trying to steal your credit card number. What he is doing, though, is working to put together the most comprehensive tracking of Upstate events you will find anywhere and, if you ask me, he is doing a damn good job at it.

This week that calendar will let you know that the Brooks Dixon Band will be at Quest Brewing Thursday night as part of their ongoing, socially distanced outdoor concert series. It will also let you know that Shoot to Thrill, an all female AC/DC tribute band, will be back at The Spinning Jenny in Greer. It tells me that my buddy Vilai Harrington will be at Golden Grove Farm & Brew, which reminds me that I am long overdue in paying that brewery a visit. These are but a few of a long, healthy list of shows happening around the Upstate, just a click away from other lists directing us to food trucks, kids events, yoga, trivia, and more. We still have a ways to go for the return of all the fun the Upstate has to offer but, if the iOnGreenville calendar is any indication, there is a whole lot going on to tide us over in the meantime.

Got a Band … This is For You!

Working with venues to successfully promote your show

Promotion is tough, there’s no way around it. Facebook, Instagram and twitter limit organic reach in order to get users to spend money on ads, physical flyers get overlooked more often than not, and we all have so many different brands constantly screaming for our attention that it is often just a sea of noise….