Last nights gig rant

snowy_patrol · #1 12-14-2008, 07:31 AM

Hi there, just need to vent some anger!
Played a gig last night at a pub that is owned by some friends, its already got a reputation for being a rough pub and a rough crowd to play to, and they had a cancellation mid-week so my band said that we'd would help 'em out and play the night.
Anyway, we start off, great sound, not very busy but we enjoyed ourselves anyway! So we finish our first set (we're a covers band btw, mostly modern stuff - KOL, Oasis, Razorlight, etc... with a few older ones chucked in), and the owner decides to pull us to one side and complain that we are losing her customers! Nothing to do with the fact that although the crowd enjoyed it they were all en-route to Xmas work-do's in the centre of town. Could we liven it up or else she wouldnt pay us!
So anyway, severely annoyed, we play the second set which was absolutely rocking and everyone was dancing, it gets to 23.30 and the place suddenly fills up as everyone is on the way home from town. We are scheduled to 12 so we play our final song and start to pack up. The owner comes over and apologises for being out of order earlier and is suddenly happy when her bar takings treble in the space of an hour! And tells us that we have to play until at least half 12, so us being mature and annoyed at earlier decide to take the money and leave without playing the extra half hour!
Needless to say, we wont be returning, everywhere else we play loves us apart from this one particular woman evidently! On a side note, why is it when you finish a gig, everyone drunk person in the club decides to tell you how the levels were all wrong and that they couldve done better at singing themselves?!! Haha.

Thanks, just needed to rant away, roll on next weekend!

Zooberwerx · #2 12-14-2008, 07:45 AM

Your rant certainly merits a response.

Given the misunderstanding(s) and subsequent apology, the "mature" thing to do would have been to play the extra half hour and to do so graciously. Okay, you would have lost an extra 30 minutes of your life (lives) but look at what you might have gained:

*You've shown the owner that you're capable of compromise which may lead to addt'l bookings / gigs.

*You're able to cull the "crowd killers" from your playlist.

I'm sure I can come up with others but its Sunday morning and I'm only on my third cup of coffee.

Rock on!

Riis

OriginalCrash · #3 12-14-2008, 07:59 AM

Well, I certainly wouldn't call not playing the extra half hour the "mature" thing to do... But I couldn't say that playing it would be either. The agreement was simply til 12... Not playing til then would have been immature (and just plain wrong... it'd be breaking the agreement), but you can't really fault somebody for refusing to do more than was agreed upon (especially after, apology or not, the other party had already threatened to not make good on their part of the agreement)... Just my two cents.

Brian

snowy_patrol · #4 12-14-2008, 08:05 AM

Yeah, the 'mature' comment was meant as ironic, in hindsight, we definetely shouldve played the extra time but you know, we learn from our mistakes!

Zooberwerx · #5 12-14-2008, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowy_patrol

Yeah, the 'mature' comment was meant as ironic, in hindsight, we definetely shouldve played the extra time but you know, we learn from our mistakes!

Ain't that the truth?!? Hate to see you lose a viable gig venue as a result of a simple misunderstanding.

Okay, now on to a happier note: how are you Brits going to celebrate Christmas this year? Yule logs, plum pudding, caroling, Bob Cratchit / Tiny Tim? Christmas in the US pales by comparison.

Riis

tycobb73 · #6 12-14-2008, 08:38 AM

Let me tell you something. Bar owners know each other and soon word will spread around the whole town as to what you've done and gigs will be harder to come by. Just like all the bands talk about all the bad bar owners to each other.

snowy_patrol · #7 12-14-2008, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zooberwerx

Okay, now on to a happier note: how are you Brits going to celebrate Christmas this year? Yule logs, plum pudding, caroling, Bob Cratchit / Tiny Tim? Christmas in the US pales by comparison.

Riis

Hahaha, Stereotypes eh? Cant beat em'?!! More like lager, slappers and fistfights over here im afraid!

And yes I know bar owners talk and all that, but we already have an established gig circuit and was merely doing this gig as a favour to a friend, its not somewhere we normally play due to the reputation of the place! Appreciate the feedback though

Kenny Allyn · #8 12-14-2008, 09:04 AM

I've done the "play past the agreed time" thing once ...

It's kinda humorous now thinking back on it, but at the time it was just weird and annoying.

One summer a number of years ago my drummer and I took an ongoing gig with a guy who called himself "Blue" we used to play weekly at this little place called Morries it's actually the same Morries seen in the movie "Black Snake Moan". Anyway Blue was quite the character he saw himself as Eddie from the movie "Eddie and the Cruisers" as the night would wear on he would just morph into the Eddie character, it was really strange! Well Blue seeing himself as the great leader he was booked us at what he described as some big outdoor show. It was anything but ... and we had agreed to three 45 minute sets. Surprise! as the drummer and I are getting ready to tear down after the 3rd set, Blue goes to the mic and tells the crowd not to go anywhere we will be right back? Drummer and I look at each other and go what tha !!! ... now we could have bolted (this drummer was big enough to break Blue in half) but after a few tense moments of discussion back stage we agreed ... for more money BTW.

Last we ever saw of Blue ...

... Loved your rant, brought back old memories

AlembicPlayer · #9 12-14-2008, 09:53 AM

I think you did the right thing by leaving.
The owner showed her true colors earlier in the evening...she was ready to blame the band right away for lack of business and threatened to not pay? and you say you were dong the club a favor by filling in?

I wouldn't go back without a contract, stating how any sets, duration and pay in writing.

SERPENT865 · #10 12-14-2008, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OriginalCrash

Well, I certainly wouldn't call not playing the extra half hour the "mature" thing to do... But I couldn't say that playing it would be either. The agreement was simply til 12... Not playing til then would have been immature (and just plain wrong... it'd be breaking the agreement), but you can't really fault somebody for refusing to do more than was agreed upon (especially after, apology or not, the other party had already threatened to not make good on their part of the agreement)... Just my two cents.

Brian

+1

Steve · #11 12-14-2008, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowy_patrol

Played a gig last night at a pub that is owned by some friends,

And they threatened to stiff you? Nice friends.

They would have had to pay me for the extra time for sure.

bassteban · #12 12-14-2008, 10:16 AM

Leaving w/a sincere apology=very professional.
Leaving & essentially saying 'up yours'=not so much, & will likely bite you later.

thumbzilla · #13 12-14-2008, 11:51 AM

Why not play until closing as long as the pay goes up along with the extended time?

warnergt · #14 12-14-2008, 12:18 PM

By the way, what is an Xmas "work-do"?

easyvision · #15 12-14-2008, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warnergt

By the way, what is an Xmas "work-do"?

A night out with your coworkers basically

MysticMichael · #16 12-14-2008, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlembicPlayer

I think you did the right thing by leaving.
The owner showed her true colors earlier in the evening...she was ready to blame the band right away for lack of business and threatened to not pay? and you say you were dong the club a favor by filling in?

Yeah, I wouldn't go back there again - under any circumstances...

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlembicPlayer

I wouldn't go back without a contract, stating how any sets, duration and pay in writing.

That's the correct way to go when playing any club...

MM

Paulie Jay · #17 12-15-2008, 03:37 AM

Nothing wrong with refusing to play after the agreed finish time. The usual thing for bands that I've been in is to say "Sure, we'll play an extra set, it will cost you an extra $100 per band member". Doesn't always work, but on occasion the organiser is so keen to keep the room pumping (and the bar sales flowing) that they will agree to it. But get the money up front :-)

snowy_patrol · #18 12-15-2008, 08:18 AM

Yeah, the harsh part is, she wasn't willing to pay us! She thought that we would do it for free as compensation for the lack of business earlier in the evening. Jokers.

slackdaddy · #19 12-15-2008, 10:49 AM

I played a gig in Mobile, AL once and we were scheduled to play until 2:00 AM. Well we play about 2 1/2 hours (Broken into 2 sets). At 2:00 we thank everyone and begin what we think is our last song. When we finish, the bar owner, who is also a friend, came up and asked what we were doing packing up. He then reminded us it was daylight savings time and the clocks had just been set back an hour and it was only 1:00. We played for about another 40 minutes.

jazzbo58 · #20 12-15-2008, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slackdaddy

I played a gig in Mobile, AL once and we were scheduled to play until 2:00 AM. Well we play about 2 1/2 hours (Broken into 2 sets). At 2:00 we thank everyone and begin what we think is our last song. When we finish, the bar owner, who is also a friend, came up and asked what we were doing packing up. He then reminded us it was daylight savings time and the clocks had just been set back an hour and it was only 1:00. We played for about another 40 minutes.

Charging by the hour should put and end to that!
Club owners....

Cheers,
Jim