Played a wedding for the first time yesterday

Jim Nazium · #1 07-31-2011, 05:57 AM

I feel like I've gone through a rite of passage into becoming a working musician. The crowd LOVED our rendition of "Cupid Shuffle", and the guest who wanted to sing "Proud Mary" actually wasn't bad.

What else do I have to do to earn the title of "gigging musician"?

bassmeknik · #2 07-31-2011, 06:08 AM

ah Yer gettin the idea

I have never had so much fun performing my least favorite songs, a whole different world...

But seriously they pay better than average and don't usually run late, not bad IMO

They can also seriously suck but they pay better than average and don't usually run late...

Oh and plan on learning the chicken dance...

SeaBassSteve · #3 07-31-2011, 06:10 AM

I did my first wedding a week ago ... Absolutely buzzin for a week after. It is special yes ?

bassmeknik · #4 07-31-2011, 06:25 AM

and the Hokey Pokey... my all time favorite wedding song

laCherry · #5 07-31-2011, 08:00 AM

Another rite of passage - doing a wedding where there is a massive family fight. I had that pleasure for the first time some years ago.

Jim Nazium · #6 07-31-2011, 09:41 AM

Yeah, it was actually a lot of fun, much more than I expected. People were all dancing and having a good time. Plus it paid well and we were done by 8:30.

P. Aaron · #7 08-01-2011, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

Yeah, it was actually a lot of fun, much more than I expected. People were all dancing and having a good time. Plus it paid well and we were done by 8:30.

You can bust your ass on club stages or you can choose to work smarter.

Factor88 · #8 08-01-2011, 11:03 AM

Weddings are OK, once you can get over a few key items. Like you are definately the "hired help" at a wedding; although that is true to some degree in any paying gig at least in a bar YOU are the attraction but at a wedding the bride/groom /family is the attraction. So you are no more special than a good caterer or photographer, etc. Another thing is the pressure-say you have a female vocalist who does 50% of your songs and is the main reason you get gigs. Now say she gets laryngitis the day before a bar/club gig. You call the owner and tell him you can either cancel or do the job without her; maybe he is a little dissapointed but what the hell, it is only one night out so many his club has every year. Now try having the same conversation with a bride or wedding planner the day before the wedding and let me know how THAT goes.............

Slightly off topic, for those who have never played at a wedding before, I would advise being very, very careful about playing a wedding unless you either know both the bride and groom and they know the band, songlist, etc., and/or you are self aware enough to know that your band has the songlist and versatility needed for the average wedding. My last band played a semi-accoustic songlist (think Buffet, America, Eagles) and were hired once to play a wedding through our guitarist, who told me that the wedding party knew the band. Turns out that a guy whose girlfriend was a bridesmaid recommended us, the Bride and Groom had never heard of us. So we play the dinner set and everything is going good, then the "party" starts. A couple songs in, the bride, bride's mother, and various other female wedding-goers come up to the bandstand and ask us to play songs they can dance to. So we launch into "Brown-eyed girl" which is about as danceable as we get. Three minutes and zero dancers on the floor later, the same crowd comes up to say "No really, can you PLEASE play something we can dance to?". It went downhill from there. Got paid but still rather would have stayed home then dealt with that. FRom then on we had a rule: both bride and groom MUST come see the band at a bar gig before booking us for a wedding, and MUST be comfortable that what we were doing at the bar would be what we would be playing at their wedding.

bertbass666 · #9 08-01-2011, 04:16 PM

Weddings. The pay has to be good. Arrive, set up and sound check before the guests arrive at the reception, this is usually about 3 p.m. Then disappear until it's time to change for the first set only they are still waiting for the desert and there's also the after dinner coffee and speeches to come. Get on stage an hour or more late and all the guests want to do is talk to friends and relatives they haven't seen for years and obviously the band is too loud. The band do however make a great background for the kids to slide on their knees across the dance floor and chase each other for escaped balloons. Time for the break.

The kids are tired, granny has to be taken home and the adults have been up preparing for the great day since silly o'clock and so decide to go home leaving the few token drunks to dance the night away. The venue is always booked 'til one in the morning and that is the time that the band has to play till.
The venue staff will clear and store the table and chairs away while you're still playing and then expect to lock the venue at one when you finish not realising that not only do you have change out of stage clothes and pack the gear away again but also that you're knackered from playing to an audience that couldn't care less all night.

We did actually get offered food at one wedding but had to eat it out of sight of the guests.

You can substitute birthday parties and sports presentation nights for weddings.

crijan · #10 08-01-2011, 04:25 PM

A friend of mine told me once that half the time his band gets hired for a wedding they end up playing one set and then someone from the family asks if they can take over with their iPod for their definition of danceable music.

bertbass666 · #11 08-01-2011, 04:56 PM

Oh how I wish that happened. All they normally want is Wonderful tonight played over the PA for the first dance. I think it's track 5 on the CD. It isn't, it's track 14.

SeaBassSteve · #12 08-02-2011, 03:09 AM

I'm about to write my gig report. Our first wedding was awesome. Our clients were about 30 and had booked us after seeing us at a pub. Also the wedding was on their property and they let us free rein of the house tv xbox etc after setting up. Got another this weekend where our guitarist is best man so will be setting up at 11 am then going home for 8/9 hours.

Downunderwonder · #13 08-02-2011, 03:52 AM

A wedding was going to be my very first real gig. I went and bought my rig so I could play it, then I up and screwed my back into oblivion in an industrial accident so I couldn't even pick up a bass. And a wedding has never come up since.

Marty Forrer · #14 08-02-2011, 04:13 AM

I've played dozens of weddings. The pay is good but......
They never start on time 'cos the photos over ran... sigh...
The oldies sit near the band and it's too loud.... turn it down.
The youngies sit way down the back and its too quiet.... turn it up.
Play a waltz.... we already did... well I wasn't listening... sigh...
Who's paying the band? The best man.... where is he? Oh, he went home... sigh...
Can you play Robbie Williams? We're a 50s rock n roll band... yeah I know, but can you play robb...... sigh....

MNAirHead · #15 08-02-2011, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

What else do I have to do to earn the title of "gigging musician"?

Hmnnnn.....

Carry a bunch of dead beats for a long time.

Book a bunch of gigs...

Play multiple gigs on the same day... different places.

Seriously -- congrats.... weddings are a different breed and take a bit of work to get right... the role requires a ton of maturity.

Tim

SeaBassSteve · #16 08-02-2011, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marty Forrer

I've played dozens of weddings. The pay is good but......
They never start on time 'cos the photos over ran... sigh...
The oldies sit near the band and it's too loud.... turn it down.
The youngies sit way down the back and its too quiet.... turn it up.
Play a waltz.... we already did... well I wasn't listening... sigh...
Who's paying the band? The best man.... where is he? Oh, he went home... sigh...
Can you play Robbie Williams? We're a 50s rock n roll band... yeah I know, but can you play robb...... sigh....

Good contracts and communication sorts most things out.
Pay before play or no play for example.