Packed House but....

PinkFloydDan · #1 10-18-2009, 10:20 AM

I don't know...I think we are a catchy pop band. We've had good gigs and bad ones.

Last night, it looked like it was going to be a good gig. This place is very large so people can be relatively 10 yards away or so. We finish one song and everyone is just talking among there groups as if we aren't even there.

The ratio was probably 2-1 guys, and guys usually don't start the dance, but that was real discouraging. We played our best tunes, a 40 min set, and we couldn't get the crowd's attention.

Does this happen to a lot of you? Or do we just suck and think we sound good and just have good friends who fortify us with positive talk?

snyderz · #2 10-18-2009, 10:25 AM

You suck. Happens to my band too though, so I guess we suck too. Just depends on the crowd and the night.

Kenny Allyn · #3 10-18-2009, 10:27 AM

First sets are usually a kinda "break the ice/warmup" set in many places ...

Second and third sets usually fair better in my experience

...

bassteban · #4 10-18-2009, 10:28 AM

That reminds me of my high-school/house-party gig days. We certainly did suck back then, but I'd rather have a crowd boo than ignore.

In my case, we're talking small/hick-town, and the kids ignoring us were just *too cool* to notice the lame band. Again- we sucked, & looking back, I gotta think faking up some self-confidence(a great trick I learned much later)& actually moving about a bit would have made a WORLD of difference.

PinkFloydDan · #5 10-18-2009, 10:32 AM

well, we were a headliner of a 6 band night and we started at midnight. Drunk people. It just didn't work I guess. Maybe we do suck.

cgnortheast · #6 10-18-2009, 10:35 AM

Lots of bands suck, even though they have good players. They just don't realize it. It happens all the time. That is no reason to stop playing though, just a reassessment of what you are trying to get out of the expeience.

cp4eva · #7 10-18-2009, 10:40 AM

My first gig ever was in front of 5 people. 3 of whom were friends. We opened for a band that was more lame and moring than we were and we had to stay and watch them in order to get our $50 or whatever it was for the night.

I can laugh about it now, as we went on to have some good shows were there were more than 10 people there that actually payed attention (that weren't friends! hah).

Bad gigs happen to good bands and vice a versa.

Blah114 · #8 10-18-2009, 10:45 AM

people have to have been drinking to loosen up... also, it's vital for a band's female friends/wives, etc.. to get up and be the "first" to dance.. also, sometimes, people @ clubs tap their feet instead of dancing..

PinkFloydDan · #9 10-18-2009, 10:48 AM

I don't think we suck.

grifff · #10 10-18-2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloydDan

I don't think we suck.

Clips?

My singer cannot sing at all but I could care less. I'm playing music and I enjoy it.

bassteban · #11 10-18-2009, 10:51 AM

I was not suggesting that you suck, really just reminiscing about my own suckage.

Man, drunk people ignoring you? That's a bit painful. My experience of late has been that drunks LOVE YOU, MAN! PLAY ANOTHER SONG! WOOOO!!!!

But I'm guessing that playing 5 bands prior to the headliner(which the majority of the crowd may have been there to see)had a lot to do w/it.

PinkFloydDan · #12 10-18-2009, 11:06 AM

theidiomatics.com

there are clips at the bottom. one is produced and rest are live

Quote:

Originally Posted by grifff

Clips?

My singer cannot sing at all but I could care less. I'm playing music and I enjoy it.

nsmar4211 · #13 10-18-2009, 01:02 PM

Hrm. It's not that you guys suck. You and the drummer are pretty darn tight! I like it

.
Singers voice comes through as whiny on the clips, but that might just be the eq'ing.

Couple of reasons no one may have been paying attention-they were already music'd out, it was late and they didn't want to dance, or maybe they were talking about you amongst themselves

.

But judging from the clips, stick with it. You and the drummer have a good thing going. Maybe try a 4 hour show somewhere ? There's a difference crowd wise when you play 4 sets , cause usually the first set is nothing and they get better (response wise) from there. The audience has had time to observe you and get used to your style....and has drunk/eaten enough to want to dance

.

May I make a suggestion? Since we're in 2009, maybe you should save the "formed in 2009" (on the website) for when it would sound impressive..... like in 5 years or so

.

Kenny Allyn · #14 10-18-2009, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nsmar4211

Maybe try a 4 hour show somewhere ? There's a difference crowd wise when you play 4 sets , cause usually the first set is nothing and they get better (response wise) from there. The audience has had time to observe you and get used to your style....and has drunk/eaten enough to want to dance

.

That's what I'm talking about!

... It's a totally different dynamic when it's "your" show

walterw · #15 10-18-2009, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloydDan

well, we were a headliner of a 6 band night and we started at midnight. Drunk people. It just didn't work I guess. Maybe we do suck.

they were probably just burnt from the freaking 5 previous bands.

i've found that in any small-club lineup of more than 3 bands, it's the second-to-last slot that you want. the first slot is the "bitch" slot, and the last slot is the "paying your tab and leaving" slot.

CDRhom · #16 10-18-2009, 08:11 PM

Sometimes it's just the audience. I was at a local music festival Friday night and the band was awesome. It was obvious they were giving it 110%. The only people dancing were me and every child under 8. Everyone else sat in their seats and clapped politely after each song. I think sometimes that people are so used to electronic media they have forgotten, or never knew, how to be a live audience for a live performance.

caeman · #17 10-19-2009, 06:47 AM

My guess is, they weren't ignoring you. Maybe, instead, the problem is that all y'all are ugly and just couldn't look at you?

sawgydawg · #18 10-19-2009, 07:02 AM

man these guys are harsh on you..

Anyway that type of music I heard on the site, eh pretty REM meets Talking Heads for what little I heard. Unless your crowd is 35+ I really doubt people are going to be getting down to that.

It really depends on the crowd, my band does well because we play what people are interested in and what we enjoy. :\

as for people saying you suck, i mean that there opinion but if you guys like it keep rockin' just don't get mad when other people don't get it.

rappa29 · #19 10-19-2009, 07:14 AM

Like you said...you have good gigs...you have bad gigs....it's just like that sometimes.. I don't think there's a formula.

We've played places where during load in and set up I thought, "This is gonna suck." Completely based on the type of venue and the local bar flies that were already there hanging out. Turned out rocking with a totally different crowd later on.

Played places that I thought were going to be great and we played to crickets.

I wouldn't take your last gig as a measuring stick of your talent. The next gig might kick ass!

two fingers · #20 10-19-2009, 07:29 AM

OK....so your music isn't bad. I kinda dig it actually. But the singer gets on my nerves. It sounds like he's trying to be somebody else during each song. One minute he's Neal Young. The next minute he's the singer for R.E.M. Then Jamiroquai. It just sounds like he "trying too hard" to be cool and doesn't have his own thing going. Tell him to pick one guy (himself would be a nice change) and be THAT guy. Anyway...all I'm saying is that he would be enough to make me not want to run up front and hang with the band. I'm just being honest and trying to help. Good luck.