Ever played at 3am?

ocelot_ark · #1 06-05-2002, 02:20 AM

Alright,
Me and the guys had this brilliant idea to play for the local "Project Graduation." For those unfamiliar, it's a big lock-in type thing where the recently graduated play games and win AMAZING prizes. The whole concept is to keep the kids away from normal party atmospheres (alcohol).

Anyway, we volunteer, thinking it's a can't miss opportunity. Then things start getting ****ty. Instead of playing inside on a raised (huge) stage, where are being placed in the pool grounds. For a stage? ABout a 16 ft. trailer. Okay, we can live with that, though we're not thrilled. They agree to supply the trailer, so atleast we don't have that to worry about.

We are only about 2 months old (the band), so we've got about 16 songs under our belts. We go into this thinking that we'd get to play all of them (about 1:30 set). They are receptive. Then they change their minds. Now they want something more like an hour so they can show videos from the night's festivities. We talk it over, agree.

Then Friday rolls around, day of the gig. Me and the singer both work at a Lowe's distribution center and have to work from 6 am to 6:30 pm. As soon as we get home from this exhausting day of work, there's a message that they couldn't get a trailer and we would need to play on ground level. Also, we were now to play two 20 minute sets. Umm, at this point we were abviously pissed. Turns out they hired a Karaoke guy to come as well. We should have pulled out then and just said screw it, but ahh we were optimists.

Somehow we managed to get a trailer in less than 20 minutes. Yeah! Atleast we don't have to worry about people walking in our stuff. We all get up there and set up around 10. Do the sound check, and the borrowed Mackie 1200 Watt mixer blows us all away. By about 11 we head to my house to chill.

We get back to the venue about 2:30 and get ready, things look good. Then the 400 kids walk over and we get PSYCHED. This is only our 2nd gig, so that many people is huge. Too bad they immediately start swimming and playing volleyball. For the next 40 minutes we basically played for ourselves.

Finally get everything torn down at about 4 and get home to go to...bed? Nope. Off to another day at Lowe's and 12 hours of slave labor. God was I exhausted.

Moral to the story: don't play at 3 am.

PhatBasstard · #2 06-05-2002, 02:28 AM

One of the Casinos I play here in Vegas, the shift is 12:30am to 5:30am

merlin · #3 06-05-2002, 05:54 AM

One gig we were booked to do started at 1 am. Singers dad ended up in hospital so we cancelled. Lucky for us i suppose. Death Metal at one am! YYEAAHH

Merls

gweimer · #4 06-05-2002, 06:27 AM

There were a couple of clubs I played years ago that had the main band on from 2:00 - 6:00 a.m. One of them was our favorite place to play, since the place was usually packed, receptive, and wild.

eric atkinson · #5 06-05-2002, 02:21 PM

Back in the day when we played out all the time and traveled we played a couple clubs that we have the open act go on after us because the club stayed open so late! We had to get back on the road. That always struck me as funny!

ocelot_ark · #6 06-05-2002, 02:35 PM

All I know, is that at 3 am I would have seriously considered taking some speed ;-)

peteroberts · #7 06-05-2002, 03:03 PM

When I was in college, I played a frat gig...it was called Midnight Madness and the gig started just after midnight. Lasted till about 3:30 - 4 am. It was a great gig, everybody was wasted and really getting into the music, dancing, etc. One of the most vivid memories of my gigs in college. So, I guess it just depends on who you play for. Drunk frat people good!

LowEndRider · #8 06-05-2002, 06:48 PM

We did a gig in a large CBD club which sounded great - three 30 minute sets!
Unfortunatley they insisted on ONE HOUR BREAKS in between so the DJ could strut his stuff.
What should have been a 11.30 to 1.30 gig turned out to be a bloody marathon where we couldn't even get warmed up!

PollyBass · #9 06-05-2002, 07:05 PM

To answer your question, Yes, metal show, packed house, tired, and everyone is drunk. Hey, they SAID we put on a good show anyway. 3 AM is not a good time for your brain to be thinking about music, you just cant do it, if you havent gotten enough sleep.

BIg O · #10 06-15-2002, 01:24 AM

I can match the exhaustion part - the playing was fun, as I recall.

This goes back 30 years (oh sh*t, that old??). Here is the story timeline:

Thursday - Attend HS Grad dinner, out til 2 AM, up at 7 for school. (i.e. 5 hrs sleep)

Friday - Grad Dance (attended, didn't play), out til 9AM Sat, up at 11AM (2 hrs sleep).

Saturday - Pack up gear and head to 1st gig with regular 5-piece band (top 40 rock) - wedding at the Edgewater Hotel in Pointe Claire, QC (mafia joint), played 2 - 6 pm (4 x 45 min sets).

Singer wore his white tux from grad night. Pack up gear, 3 of us drive 1 hour to south shore near Montreal for a 2nd gig for old fogeys (i.e. in their 30's) with keyboard player's other band (mainly latin, jazz and big band standards using sheet music).

Play from 10PM to 3AM, never played any of the tunes before this gig, the sheets were pulled before each song, and we (guitarist and myself both sitting in) sight read what we could.

By 3AM, after only 7 hrs total sleep in previous 72 hrs, lousy lighting and too much cigarette smoke, we couldn't see a damn thing and just found the key and played what we recognized. Crowd loved it - I lived to tell the tale.

Play at 3AM? - piece of cake!

merlin · #11 06-16-2002, 06:57 PM

You win.....

Merls

The_Bass · #12 06-16-2002, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PollyBass
3 AM is not a good time for your brain to be thinking about music, you just cant do it, if you havent gotten enough sleep.

what are you talking about? it's 3 am. right now and I've been playing my bass while looking at the forums and will play it more when I go offline.

working from 12:30 to 5:30 would be my dream working time... only 5 hours and probably a very good pay. (plus I'm usually awake at that time...)

me and a few guys often go jamming at our rehearsal place after midnight. my brain can comprehence music very well this late (or early)

Erlendur Már · #13 06-16-2002, 10:04 PM

I like playing late. 3 am isn´t very late. It's 3 am right now and I'm playing my bass

PollyBass · #14 06-17-2002, 10:06 AM

I ment to say, if like most people, you are awake say from 8 to 11, then staying up till 3 and trying play a crazy gig, CANNOT be good for your music. but hey, if you like java, and pop caffine pills, and can jam at 3 in the morning, MORE POWER TO YOU!

JoeRules00 · #15 06-17-2002, 10:18 AM

Recently, I've been having great ideas hit me at 1:30 or 2, so out comes the bass. Finished up at 3:30 this morning, 4 the last.