Realize Live – EWF
Today was a day for TLA’s (three letter acronyms). I gave a presentation on design automation and the proliferation of associated TLAs meant to describe CAD, PLM and ETO/CTO (KBE) processes. 10 years from now, no one will remember my presentation or any of the TLAs I spouted. But we WILL remember the Earth Wind and Fire concert at the end of the day.
When I first heard that Siemens had booked EWF for RealizeLive 2023, I couldn’t believe it. That would be a serious departure from the type of bands I’m used to hearing at CAD conferences. And then I forgot about it. So I arrived at the conference having forgotten about it. To be honest, seeing EWF kind of overshadows the rest of the show. Maybe I’m showing my age as someone who was music aware in the 1970s. But these guys were great. There were still 3 original members, and they still had their iconic horn section. I’m a trombone player, so hearing all the famous horn licks played live was an unbelievable thrill for me. They threw in a surprise- they played a Beatles tune (Got To Get You Into My Life) that I don’t think I’d ever heard EWF do before, but they totally made it their own. Really, I was just standing there with my jaw hanging open for most of the night. EWF and Tower of Power have always been my favorite instrumental powered funk bands.
Here I was at one of the stiffest engineering technology conferences on earth, listening to Earth Wind and Fire live, right there in front of me. Totally incongruous. When I come to CAD conferences, I’m usually “in character”. I need to be in the right mind set. And then here comes EWF and knocks me out of character. Kinda didn’t know what to do. But I have to say, that’s the best concert I’ve been to recently, and it was all kind of a forgotten accident. I just can’t say enough about whoever booked EWF for this show. (I’ll bet it was a marketing person using mined data!) I wouldn’t know how to top it. Maybe get Boston or the Rolling Stones next year.
That bassist took a positively geriatric stroll around the stage and then attacked the bass with the same sound that you know he’s been making for decades. Just really unbelievable.
And in the background you can see Reggie Smith, the trombone player going to town. Very inspiring to hear a horn section play that tight for a whole show. I know how taxing that is, and these guys are going full tilt with moves, big hits, constant playing.
The crowd was amazing too. Everybody seemed to love the show. People were crowded up around the stage and even dancing. I said I was out of character, which only included head bobbing, no dancing. You wouldn’t want to see me dance, especially at an EWF show. It would just be too ugly for words.
One my favorite bands in college… back when I was your Average White Band racist… I’ll be singing “That’s the Way of the World” for the rest of the day… so, thanks Matt for the stirring up some great memories.
Anyway, I wonder if Siemens took Verdine Whites 4 Strings and rearranged them like they did recently with Solid Edge’s UI he’d be happy as I am? Or what if they told Reggie Smith they’ve made the notes on his Trombone to sound like a clarinet, to make all the Wind Instruments are alike so somebody in a corner office can say the Wind Instruments are now interchangeable so any NON-User can sleep at night knowing if they have to use Piccillo tomorrow they’ll know where all the notes are.
This is the stupidity of Siemens and thinking that a UI always needs to be messed with because some casual users aren’t feeling comfortable with how things look… but are to inexperienced to appreciate that those users who put bread on the table aren’t interest in Siemens and all their flavors of Software to look the same…. functionality be damned. At least they could hire a Human Factors Designer or fire the one they have and actual study how people actually use the UI instead of marginalizing what’s worked for years.
Speaking of “acronyms, I think Siemens thinks UI stands for User Interference!