VH1 Storytellers

"VH1 Storytellers" is a show oddly enough seen on VH1 showcasing artists from the world of music in an intimate setting. The artist either is placed in the center of a room or sometimes on a stage against a wall, the artist plays an acoustic set of his or her songs. The size of the crowd is very small and is roughly 100 people sitting in chairs either around the artist or near the stage.

The reason for the show being named "VH1 Storytellers" is the artist or group tells the story of what inspired them or what the meaning behind a particular song means to them, the emotions the artists goes through and sometimes the amount of time it may take to write a specific song or album the artist also seems to tell a story at the beginning of every song during their set. "VH1 Storytellers" first aired in Feb. of 1996 with Ray Davies, lead singer of The Kinks as the first performer the show has included a plethora of artists from Elvis Costello, Sting, Lenny Kravitz, Stone Temple Pilots, Dave Mathews Band to most recently Jill Scott, Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, and Pink. The show has a unique schedule that follows no real rhythm. In the shows sixteen years 87 episodes have been aired with Pink having been the last performed to be on the show.

The technical aspect of the show often reflects that of a coffee shop feel minus the smoke, the stage and room has low, very subdue lighting, nothing harsh and is very friendly with a non threatening vibe. Never on an episode will you see strobe lights, fog machines or pyrotechnics as this would indeed shy away from the intimate setting the show wants to create. Often times the audience is encouraged to get involved in the form of asking questions to the artist. This also creates the idea that the artist is approachable and is encouraged by their fans questions.

The show is a chance for performed to showcase their talent and express themselves through their journeys of story and their song and gives the audience a change to get to know the artist as a person and not a celebrity.