"ugh" gig... advice, please? (long)

[Dave Muscato]

Hey folks,

I could use your advice on this one. Thanks in advance. This is long, and I apologize, but I want to get all the details in here so you have the whole story.

My band played last night at a place called The Blue Fugue here in Columbia, Missouri. We'd confirmed over multiple emails that we and another band, Wayfare, were playing at 10p.m. and splitting the door between us, playing an hour or so each. May 11th is a pretty big show day in Columbia, since this is the home of the University of Missouri, and that was the last day of final exams, so about 25,000 students went out partying that night (no kidding).

The day before the show, we heard through the grapevine that another band was playing, also. We didn't know if they were going on before or after us, and if we were going to split the door with them too, or even who they were or what kind of music they played (we try to adapt our sets to flow well with other bands we play with - we have a heavy set, a funk set, alt rock, or pop, depending on the venue and the clientele). We called the club several times as soon as we heard this, but no one answered the phone, and there was no one there that evening when we stopped by to find out what was going on.

When we arrived at 8:30 the night of the show for setup & sound check, we discovered that a total of 4 acts were on the bill. I didn't care at the time, as long as they brought people, since we have CDs for sale - the more the merrier, right?

We were told that one of the acts, a 1-man band from St Louis, would be playing first. He played a decent 30-minute set with no issues except the time he started. (J Boozer by the way, if you want to check him out - he was pretty good! He calls himself "The World's Drunkest Band"). Considering there were 4 bands on the bill, we expected him to go on at 9:00 or 9:30 at the latest, but despite being ready to go, the bartender told him to wait until 10:15 so the crowd had time to fill in. He played from 10:15 to 10:45.

Wayfare played from 11:00 to 11:45 with a great response and no issues.

Then, the 4th band, The Upright Animals, asked if they could play next, since they had a 2-hour drive home afterward. We weren't too thrilled about it, since at this point, our fans (who paid $7/ea to come see us and had been waiting since 10, it now being 11:45), but we felt for the guys, and said it would be fine as long as they played a shortened set, since the City of Columbia statutes require bars to stop serving liquor at 1:00 a.m. They agreed to a 30-40 minute set (they had been hired to headline, by the way). They were very nice guys, had a great sound, and were very polished. I actually liked them so much that I bought their album.

Although I don't know if it was intentional or not, they ended up playing until 12:40. By this time, our fans had been waiting 2 hours and 40 minutes from the time we advertised per the show confirmation, by the time we took the stage.

We played 3 songs with no issues, but at 1:00 sharp, the bartender walked up to the stage and gave us the "cut" signal. We were approximately 45 seconds into our 4th song. We didn't stop playing, but he continued making the "cut" motion. Our singer said (not into the mic) "We're in the middle of a song here, man," and the bartender said, "You have to stop, now."

We stopped playing, and everybody in the club started looking around and asking out loud, "What's going on? What happened?" Then the bartender turned on the house lights, and announced that they were closed and everybody had to go outside.

The soundguy promptly ran up to the stage and said to us, "Don't move, guys. I'll fix this, just give me a second," and went to go talk to the bartender. The bartender came back over & told us they were closed and to pack up our gear and get off the stage.

While I understand the city ordinance, it was definitely unprofessional to cut us off in the middle of a song! Our fans were pissed that they paid $7 to wait three hours and hear three songs.

Our singer told the bartender that we are not playing there again, but the bartender didn't seem too worried about it. (Because the University is here, there is a steady supply of bands comprised of college students who are willing to play for free and will bring 50 people with them.)

The soundguy was very nice and apologized to us for the mixup. We got paid - at least that part worked out.

I'm about to send out an email to our mailing list apologizing for the mixup last night. I would like to offer the people that came to the show last night a refund, since they waited so long and barely got to see us, but I don't want to be on the hook for $500 when it's the club's fault for double-booking.

I can fairly easily get a list of names & addresses of our fans that came last night.

Should I write a letter to the club owner saying that he needs to send an apology and a check for $7 to each person on the list? We had also considered contacting the Better Business Bureau, the St Louis & KC chapters of the AFM, and filling out a consumer complaint at the Missouri Attorney General's website (not as big a deal as it sounds - the online form is more like a BBB complaint; they just send them a letter and tell them to refund your money).

If a refund isn't going to happen, I'd like to set up a "free" show for the people that paid to see us last night. I hate that we might have to lose money to make it up to our fans by playing two shows for the price of one, but I want to make sure our fans are happy, too - that is, after all, why we do this.

What do you think, folks?

Sorry for the long message. I appreciate any advice you might have.

Thanks very much,

- Dave

[T-Bird]

Hi, Dave

FWIW, I'd set up the free show, that would be a class act. Even if it means losing money, I have a feeling that Your fans would make it up to You.

I'd also make all the complaints You described, they do make a difference in the long run, specially if this kind of BS happens often with the same location.

Also, as You probably won't be playing there anymore, SPREAD THE WORD, that'll do wonders.

Just my 0.02€
Sam

[Dave Muscato]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Hi, Dave

FWIW, I'd set up the free show, that would be a class act. Even if it means losing money, I have a feeling that Your fans would make it up to You.

I'd also make all the complaints You described, they do make a difference in the long run, specially if this kind of BS happens often with the same location.

Also, as You probably won't be playing there anymore, SPREAD THE WORD, that'll do wonders.

Just my 0.02€
Sam

We'll most likely be doing just that. There are a *ton* of places to spread the word about this sort of thing, but I'd like to offer to let them make this right first. We will probably do the free show either way - just not there! I just hate that *we* have to eat the cost of the 2nd show instead of the club that ****** up. I guess it's partly our fault for not getting a signed contract, and just depending on email and their word...

- Dave

[BetterBottomEnd]

Play a show and any fans that bring a stub from the night in question or you know who was there and whatnot they get in free. A couple bucks a head for everyone else. The "free" show isn't a total loss and your fans are happy.

If you file a complaint also consider the merchandise sales you lost because you only got to play three songs thats not really enough to convince anyone to buy a CD.

[Dave Muscato]

Yeah, true dat - we only sold *one* CD last night!

The only problem is that we didn't have ticket stubs; it was just a door charge. However, if we send out an email to our mailing list, I'm sure that word will get to almost everyone that was there. I guess we'll just have to count on people's word that they were there... Even if we lose $100, well, it's only $100. It'd be worth it to me to keep our fans happy. Thanks for the post, though. (I used to live in Philly - great city!)

- Dave

[Rumblestiltzkin]

The people who paid the cover charge to get in got what they paid for. This exact thing has happened to my old band, and we were pissed off too, but things like this happen. Next time, pressure the guys to start earlier and keep to a strict timeline. You still got paid the full amount. When the people pay to get in, there are no guarantees that they will see the specific band play at a specific time. Also, don't stop playing there because of this one incident. Next time, do everything in your power to go on stage in time to play your full set.

[::::BASSIST::::]

That bartender is a putz. no way I'd play there again. Life is too short for that BS.

Definitely play a free show for your fans and avoid that place. It just irks me to no end how these bar managers take musicians for granted. its alot of work to put on a show. buggers.

[m0nst3r]

I would do the free show, but I wouldn't limit it to just the people that you think were there.

More people + Free show = More potential merch and cd sales + high respect from your fans.

[lamarjones]

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

Then, the 4th band, The Upright Animals, asked if they could play next, since they had a 2-hour drive home afterward. We weren't too thrilled about it, since at this point, our fans (who paid $7/ea to come see us and had been waiting since 10, it now being 11:45), but we felt for the guys, and said it would be fine as long as they played a shortened set, since the City of Columbia statutes require bars to stop serving liquor at 1:00 a.m. They agreed to a 30-40 minute set (they had been hired to headline, by the way). They were very nice guys, had a great sound, and were very polished. I actually liked them so much that I bought their album.

I think this was the mistake. If they had a 2 hour drive, do you really expect that their crowd was there? (and if they were, then yeah I can see switching if there really was a huge crowd to play for in addition). You felt for the guys, understandbly, but it wasn't your fault that the scheduling sucked, your fans suffered. In turn, you gave up the money slot, the last slot is never the prized position, peopler are ready to bolt at 1. Food for thought on the next gig.

[derrico1]

Originally Posted by lamarjones

In turn, you gave up the money slot, the last slot is never the prized position, people are ready to bolt at 1. Food for thought on the next gig.

Lamar has a point, although the band that was scheduled 4th was the headline band. As in golf local rules may vary, but generally etiquette dictates that the headliner gets dibs on the time slot that they prefer--although it's a faux pas for them to exercise this right or change their minds after the first band has started.

[theshadow2001]

***? A two hour drive? You should of told that dude to shove it! I've been on the road for over 4 hours occasionaly when I was playing in a cover band. Im sorry but two hours drive is nothing. Especially if the gig finished at one

[Chef]

Dave;
I've worked that room many times, and multi band shows are the norm there.
Don't be afraid to ask for you want up front, and don't let the other performers jerk you around. Be polite and insistant about what you want with the club owner and sound guy, let the other bands take care of their own negotiations.
Long drive home? Don't want to go on late? Boohoo, I have to be at work at 8am too...
Sorry that it went that way for you, but please ping me next time you're up here. Heck, maybe we can get on the same showbill

[FoHBass]

Any time the last band mentions wanting to change their slot in the middle of the show, I get skeptical. If left to me, I normally won't let it happen, unless there's a really good reason. "We have to work early" or "We have a long drive" doesn't invoke much sympathy for me, because normally, I'm in the same situation. I've seen a band who wanted to change their slot because they wanted to leave early enough to make a 15-minute drive across town to go home. Boo-hoo. From where I (and the guitarist and singer) live, it's a 45 minute drive, definitely not worth complaining over.

When it happened to the last band I was in, we were playing with three other bands, who happened to all be in the same circle of friends, therefore leaving us to be the odd band out, as these people weren't too interested in befriending new people. We were third and the headliner decided to switch with us. After the last song of their set, the singer announced that the band was going over to another bar for a party and everyone was invited, leaving us to play an hour-long set for three "fans" (Singer's best friend and his girlfriend, guitarist's girlfriend).

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by FoHBass

After the last song of their set, the singer announced that the band was going over to another bar for a party and everyone was invited...

IMO a very unprofessional move sure to irritate management (and of course any bands playing later than them).

[Pilgrim]

It seems to me that the real problem was caused by the other musicians - and with good intentions, you contributed to it. For the first guy to start late was unprofessional and a real problem, and made the eventual outcome almost inevitable. I understand why you later volunteered to change places, but it was not a smart move. (I will take this as a personal lesson as something NOT to do.)

If the bartender had to shut it down at 1:00, you knew you had a hard stop, so the outcome was clearly in sight.

The good news is - you DID get paid. Therefore in a business sense the venue met their obligation. The ones left wanting are your fans, which is unfortunate...so in an entertainment sense, the venue put you in a very bad position. I'm also in a college town, so I understand the issue about having a lot of bands around - not sure how I'd have come down on burning my bridges with the venue.

I think the idea of a free gig is a great one, and getting the word out via email doesn't cost you.

[Dave Muscato]

Originally Posted by FoHBass

After the last song of their set, the singer announced that the band was going over to another bar for a party and everyone was invited, leaving us to play an hour-long set for three "fans" (Singer's best friend and his girlfriend, guitarist's girlfriend).

Haha, man, the same thing happened to us about three years ago. I'm sorry to hear it!

I do agree that this was ultimately our responsibility for agreeing to switch time-slots and not standing up for ourselves when the other band played too long, or for the first guy not going on until after 10. Lesson learned!

At least we got paid... that's better than the last time we played there. They took out $50 of the door for the soundman and another $50 for the door guy. They insisted that they had to have their own door guy because of legal issues (capacity & underage admittance). We argued that paying their employees was their problem, not ours, but we were a brand-new band at the time and didn't have a lot of clout. Their sound-guy also did a 5-minute sound-check and then spent the rest of the night at the bar, drinking, and hitting on our female fans. For this he got $50 our of *our* door and free beer all night from the club. One of our guitar players (we were a 5-piece back then) switched from electric to acoustic and back on about 5 songs in our set, but since the sound-guy was at the bar, we had no acoustic guitar each of the 5 times this happened, but still had to pay him!

That sound-guy no longer works there, and their new one (Joe, that ran our set last week that I talked about in the original post) is awesome, but I still don't know if we'll play there again.

- Dave

[bertbassplayer]

I think this a live and learn moment, it's hard to burn a bridge with a venue, esp as you said if it's a venue that so close to a college campus and has lots of people there. Yeah some of it is your guy's faults for letting the other band go on earlier, it always seems fishy to me when a band wants to switch slots midway through a gig. They were 2 hours away and wanted to get home? But if they were the headliner scheduled to go last, you'd think they would have planned to be there until 1 anyway. Just seems like they knew they would do their full set and were worried about being stuck like you guys were with only enough time for 3 songs.

At least you did get paid, I've had situations like this happen and then get stiffed on the payment. Yeah this was a junky experience, but I'd say since you guys at least got paid, and it seems like you have the soundguy on your side you should at least give it another go.

[mjolnir]

Something kinda like that happened to me and my band at a place called The Engine Room in Houston.

We were the headlining band that night, so when the show started we all hunkered down and enjoyed the four or five bands that were playing before us. But as each band went on, I noticed they were starting later and later than they were supposed to. The first band started an entire half hour late because their guitarist got lost trying to find the place, the second band 35 minutes late because they were slow to set up, and so on and so forth until it came time for us to play. We end up having to go on nearly an hour late because of all the setbacks that happened before us. But here's the kicker: Nobody bothered to mention to us that a rave was set to happen after we played (setup at 1:45, starts at 2). Ok, no big deal, we'd have to shorten our set a little, but we could live with that. We started at 12:45. 15 minutes into our set (some three songs, just like you, Dave) the sound guy cuts us off. Apparently the rave had shown up an hour early and was complaining about having to wait on us, and the sound guy was a personal friend of one of the DJs, or something, but of course, he didn't mention this to any of us. He just told us we were done and started tearing down his equipment onstage.

Some 75 people who came to see us only got three songs out of a $10 cover, and we didn't even get paid.

On the bright side, our drummer (a vicious alcoholic, but a hoot nonetheless) raised some hell and managed to make our bar tab magically disappear. It was considerably less than we were supposed to be paid, but hey, I'll take it.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by mjolnir2730

...the four or five bands that were playing before us. But as each band went on, I noticed they were starting later and later than they were supposed to. The first band started an entire half hour late because their guitarist got lost trying to find the place, the second band 35 minutes late because they were slow to set up, and so on and so forth until it came time for us to play. We end up having to go on nearly an hour late because of all the setbacks that happened before us.

If that ever DIDN'T happen at a multi-band show, I think I'd faint from shock!