Country Mike Blog

Guitar Picks

Mike Sudhalter  |  September 20, 2007

I've seen entertainers throw guitar picks out to adoring fans, but not to the extent of Wednesday's Clay Walker concert.

I don't know how many fans were at the show, because there's a balcony that I couldn't see, but probably about a quarter of the fans went home with a guitar pick. Some with two, maybe. Walker even stopped playing guitar and had a crew member hold it while he tried to throw more guitar picks.

He may have overdone it, but I think the premise is cool. If a fan catches a guitar pick, they're going to remember it. And they'll probably be a more dedicated fan of that artist. But by throwing so many, it may have taken away the rarity of catching one.

Another thing I thought about Wednesday was the anticipation of the artist to get on stage. The fans cheered for the guy who brought the microphone on stage. For a concertgoer, there's nothing like the rush of seeing the entertainer first appear on stage and delve into that first song.