Fake beards, twangy guitars and a case of mistaken identity

I was 12 when I attended my first proper concert. The Hoosier Dome Indianapolis. November 1987. U2 and guests.

The opening band was Los Lobos.

Before they took the stage we were ‘entertained’ by a duo called The Dalton Brothers.

28 years on, I now remember The Dalton Brothers. Not for their performance, but for who they were. This, I found out nearly 30 years later…

Los Lobos were running late. The Dalton Brothers were an unexpected ‘filler’ act.

It turns out that The Dalton Brothers were Bono and The Edge dressed in fake beards and addressing the audience with fake Southern drawls. A 2 song act playing “two types of music… Country and Western” is how they introduced themselves to the audience with a mixed response, from what I can recall. The closer to the stage, I guess the more aware of the men behind the personas you were. If your curiosity was raised, you could see this was a spoof. In the days before social media? In the back of the stadium, how would we have known any better? This was just a C&W band from Dallas…

15 years on from The Joshua Tree tour, Bono took on another character. MacPhisto. This time, it was part of the set. The audience knew. The audience embraced. Bono’s MacPhisto character was an act, a memorable act.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE DALTON BROTHERS?

The difference between The Dalton Brothers and MacPhisto? Knowing the character behind the mask.

In business it’s easy to pretend we’re something we’re not.

Experts, when we’re really practitioners.

Advisors, when all we’re really doing is selling.

You see it every day on Linkedin. Saying we’re teachers, when we’re really just pitching.

It’s okay to pitch when your audience has already built a rapport with you. The real you, not the character you’re trying to be.

This is business. Pitching your wares is part of the act. Few in business do something for free. We get that.

You want a great response from your audience? Make your pitch part of the process. Let us see who you are and what you can help me achieve. Let’s connect. At some stage we all remove the cowboy hat to reveal our underlying persona. The ‘call us today’ button. The ‘register for our webinar’ proposal.

Just take care and make sure your audience know your true identity. Don’t be gimmick (forgettable) , be part of the show (be memorable).

Business, after all, is one big show.

The Dalton Brothers only every appeared at 3 shows inc. Indianapolis. Ready from some Country and Western? Yes… looking back I should have known better 🙂

Written By:

Ian Rhodes

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First employee of an ecommerce startup back in 1998. I've been using building and growing ecommerce brands ever since (including my own). Get weekly growth lessons from my own work delivered to your inbox below.