Setlist length

[thepocket83]

I spoke to a promoter today regarding a gig my covers band has in a few weeks. He asked that we play 1 long set of 90 mins rather than 2 sets of 45.

His justification for this was that his club(which is still relatively new) loses 40-50 customers after the first set in the break. He has promised that we will have drinks brought to us on set so that we dont have to go through the whole set without refreshments. I did not categorically agree to this but I acknowledged it and said "ok" rather than debate it over the phone.

Personally I think this might be a little counter productive in that the last half of our set could suffer from us not having a short break in between. I'm also thinking it could backfire on the audience in that after about 60 mins of live loud music some of them might want to leave just to get away from it.

Does anybody here have any advice, opinions or experience of this?

Cheers

Carwyn.

[fractal0243]

Almost every venue that I play at has a different schedule for the night. Some nights we play 3 one hour sets, with 2 small breaks. Other nights, it's 2 90 minute sets, with 1 break. Of course, if we have the floor packed, we might play longer.

I definitely get frustrated at times, but ultimately, the club is paying us, so we do what they want. I look at is as a priviledge to be playing there.

[etoncrow]

I much prefer to play 90 to 100 minute sets. You have so much more room to be creative with the set dynamic curve. I have played drums for 45 years and 90 minutes takes more out of me than anyone else on stage; still, I prefer 90 -100 minute sets.

[Mulebagger]

I prefer longer sets too. Sometimes you can lose your crowd if you take a break just when you are getting things going. I'd rather play for 90 min, take 5 then do another 90. I know it's tough and physically exhausting at times, but I think if the crowd can keep dancing, I can keep playing.

[cutthroatmolloy]

If theyre paying you to play a 90 min set then that's what you're gonna have to do, isn't it?

I personally would prefer one long set than two shorter ones.

[thepocket83]

Cheers for all the advice so far!

I have always played in originals and have only done a couple of covers gigs so far. Apologies for being a noob about this.

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by thepocket83

I did not categorically agree to this but I acknowledged it and said "ok" rather than debate it over the phone.

Just wanted to point this out: it sounds to me like, according to the OP, you did agree to this. Unless what you actually said was more like "Okay, I hear you. Let me think about it." If you said "Okay" I would take that as "Okay we'll do it, it's fine."

That said, I've played long sets like that and it's tough (and that's when we were playing a 4 hour show). I like them because the energy is sustained longer, it's just more fun for everyone... but it's physically tough.

I would go with it. This guy knows the club and what works. Besides, it's only one set which should be fairly easy.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[RustyAxe]

We often play 3-4 hour gigs. Our last break is typically a little longer, and our last set usually goes 90 minutes or so. Yes, it's a valid way to keep people up and dancing (and buying drinks).

[Chad Michael]

The 'norm' for our local clubs:

1) 9 - 9:45
2) 10 - 10:45
3) 11 - 11:45
4) 12 - 12:45
5) 1 - 1:30

But, if the club owner specifies an alternate (yet reasonable) arrangement then we will comply... I think you're doing the right thing by agreeing to their terms, now your band just needs to make sure everyone enjoys the show. Good luck, let us know how it went.

[xgator4u]

Originally Posted by Mulebagger

I prefer longer sets too. Sometimes you can lose your crowd if you take a break just when you are getting things going. I'd rather play for 90 min, take 5 then do another 90. I know it's tough and physically exhausting at times, but I think if the crowd can keep dancing, I can keep playing.

^ THIS, Think about it, when you go to a concert, how long does the headliner play, without a break? Then they take a couple of minutes, and come back for an encore. Remember if you are being paid, this is a job. At a job, you have to do what it takes to get 'er done. And the bar owner probably knows what works best for his crowd.

[etoncrow]

Besides, you get paid for years of wood-shedding, hauling all that equipment around, setting up and tearing down. The playing part is fun!

[Billnc]

If the band has no prior experience at a club we ask and take the manager's word for it what works. We'll go up to two hours without a break. 90 minutes are pretty normal for us. A 9 til 1, which we'll do tonight would be two 90 minute sets, 15 to 1/2 hour break hour break in between and filled out with a short set for the hangers on. We have plowed through with only two sets. Other contracts specify 45 minutes on 15 minutes off for the duration. Whatever keeps the crowd.

[LiquidMidnight]

The club owner probably knows his crowd fairly well. I've seen that happen. Even with a kicking band, a good amount of people may jet around 12:30. Oftentimes, it has a lot to do with people trying to be home before the cops are out in full force. I'm not saying that's an ethical thing, but it does happen.

Also, I've learned that if you play recorded music on your set break, what you play has a huge impact on if people stay or go. :/

[RockDoc]

You could break up the ninety-minute set by "giving the drummer some" forty-five minutes into it. The musicians could then run to the rest room or bar or whatever and return in five or ten. Then again, if the dance floor is hoppin', a drum solo might kill it.

[Phalex]

It all depends. Most of my gigs are 4x45 sets. One in particular is 2x90. The gig we did last monday was about a 2+ hour first set, about a 3 hour break, and another 90 minutes after that.

[steveksux]

Most places around here tend towards 40 min sets with 20 min breaks. We used to do 60 min sets with 30 min breaks. Same ratio of playing/breaks, but the longer sets do better. 40 min sets, you just get the dance floor hopping and you're going on break.

Randy

[Stumbo]

The owner is thinking of his business when he made the request for a 90 minute set. He "hopes" he does not lose customers. If you don't want to do a 90 set, then you should speak up and come up with an alternative. It seems to me that if you say "ok" then you have agreed with the owner, whether it's "categorically agreed to" (whatever that means), on the phone or in person. IMO, you didn't speak up when it counted.

Now you're having an "after-the-fact" discussion on TB about something that will piss off the owner if you try to have another discussion about something he has already dealt with.

IMO, you could talk to the owner about keeping track of the customer count during the 90 minute set and if he still loses 40-50 customers after about an hour, going back to the 45 minutes sets won't make any difference.

I strongly suggest that you have a buddy to do a headcount before you start, again after 45 min and then after the 90 minutes so you have your own facts to show and tell the next time you speak with the owner. That way you can speak to the owner based on what actually happened.

Good luck.

[nofrets5]

The covers gig I've been doing for the past year is almost always 3 45's; on occasion, 2 75's, which feels like a long time to me, playing-wise, depending on the dance floor situation.

I'm curious: for the bands that are playing longer than 3 hour, what type of pay are clubs paying these days? My hope is that the time and energy are appreciated and the clubs are taking care of the good bands that are working their rears off.

[nortonrider]

I disagree with everybody here and say that you should just tell the owner what they want to hear and then play for as long as you feel like playing!

Same with the volume thing, don't turn it down when they ask you to, what do they know about "your tone"?

Remember....You're "The Band" just do what you want, when you want and how you want. That's the Absolute BEST way to get called back!

[Crazyeelboy]

ThePocket83 - For my bands, the limitation on set length has always been with the vocals. If your singer(s) (perhaps that's you) can handle a 90 minute set, I'd say give it a shot and see how it works.