She got distracted by the big screen.

Yup, she’s up there singing, live, that’s why the NFL picked her, because she’s got the pipes, and overhead, on the gigantic big screens, credit Jerry Jones, he knows the best place for football is television, which is why he installed the humongous sets inside his new stadium, they’re showing images of soldiers in Afghanistan and a celebrity with a tear dripping down his face and…Christina looked up and lost her place.

Would YOU lose your place?

OF COURSE NOT!

But you haven’t got the chance.  And if you think you can deliver under pressure, you’re sorely mistaken.  Singing in front of the mirror is very different from performing in front of thousands, never mind the whole world, which is why we’re wowed by these athletes, who’ve been perfecting their skills for decades, just like the best musicians.

Now what?  Is she just gonna hide?

It’s an interesting country we live in.  Everybody’s got an opinion, which they’re expressing online.  But those in the public eye, as opposed to those hiding behind aliases online, know that the barbs come fast and furious, and they hurt. Everybody’s jealous of your position and perks but you want to protest you’re just human.  Get over it.  Bring your humanity out to play.

Yes, as much as America likes to criticize, it likes to forgive.  Christina’s got to come out of that hotel room and tell her story. Let the love pour over her.  And believe me, it will.  With a modicum of hatred, that’s for sure, but as stated above, that comes with the territory.

I got divorced, I’m a single mother, I’m trying to find my way and I just fucked up on worldwide television.  God, I feel awful.

I should have practiced, I should have focused.  It’s my fault.  I screwed up.  This is what happened, I’m not making excuses, but I believe the public deserves an explanation.

That last point is bullshit.  The public does not deserve an explanation.  But the modern star knows the key to credibility, the key to ongoing success, is access.  If you don’t humble yourself and come down from the mountaintop and interact with your fans, you’re destined to a declining audience.

Don’t do that.  Learn from the new and developing acts.  Your fans are your friends.  Give them information, enable them, they’ll help you.

Christina needs to allow her fans to defend her.

And then she gives back with some live performances, where she both makes fun of herself but shows her true talent.  Not only late night TV, but morning too.  There’s no such thing as overexposure when you’re apologizing.  Well, at some point there is.  When you feel the public is now on your side, to protest further is to fall on your sword to no avail.

Then you’ve got to put tickets to your next tour on sale right away.  Where you underplay the market.  And sign autographs. And bask in the love, the forgiveness.

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P.S. In my previous data dump on Live Nation I left out tons, both because it didn’t fit and I didn’t remember it at the time.  But I want to tell you a few things:

1. Many of the acts are scared.  So they’re teaming up with other acts to create attractive packages.  This is the summer of value.  Stars don’t want to play to empty seats.

2. It’s all about knowing who your customer is.  I saw the Live Nation data reports.  A fair show is one that sells out because it’s priced properly.

3. Paperless is dead.  Scalpers buy 30% of the tickets, remove them from the equation and you might discover demand for your act is less than the perceived hysteria.  Furthermore, the fan wants to be able to do whatever he wants with the ticket he purchased.  Give it away, sell it to a friend, sell it to a broker.  Paperless might be a percentage of the tickets put on sale, but not all, not in most cases.