This sounds like the seventh circle of hell...for the band, and the audience.
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Another gig where we quit early because the crowd left.
- Thread starter 51PRI
- Start date
Y'all were too loud and there's plenty of blame to go around. The guitarists have no self-awareness that they're playing to much and too loud. The house sound person doesn't see that you are too loud and do something to make it bearable for the crowd. The bar manager doesn't see what's happening the tell the sound guy, and the band, to turn it down. Total fail.
The band I'm in now does plenty of old stale covers, but we get plenty of repeat gigs and people don't leave after the first set because the BL doesn't tolerate excess volume from anyone and we engage the crowd, take requests, etc.
Somebody in your scenario, besides you, needs to get a clue.
The band I'm in now does plenty of old stale covers, but we get plenty of repeat gigs and people don't leave after the first set because the BL doesn't tolerate excess volume from anyone and we engage the crowd, take requests, etc.
Somebody in your scenario, besides you, needs to get a clue.
Too loud sounds like crap anyways.
Be tasteful with your volume.
Be tasteful with your volume.
A band that plays too loud gives up its dynamics and becomes a giant, amorphous din. That’s pretty hard to listen to for hours at a stretch. You wear out the audience, obviously counter-productive.
Playing too loud is bad showbiz. Your volume knob is for texture, not bombast. That’s kid stuff.
Playing too loud is bad showbiz. Your volume knob is for texture, not bombast. That’s kid stuff.
For once, this isnt really a complaint. He only complains when people can’t make it to rehearsal. This time, he’s just letting us know that his band isnt very good, or at least, is playing to the wrong crowd. I count that as a win, insofar as it may be considered “a growth mindset” for our old friend here.
Breaks are tough. You need to take a break, but you have to keep everyone there to party through the next set.
The band has a complete disregard for the crowd. Old music, extended solos, excessive volume, etc. How do they keep getting asked back?
This is just my .02: I played in a pretty successful cover band for about 5 years. I measure success in that I didn't have to have a day job and I was able to pay all my bills strictly with the band as my sole source of income.
We played for packed houses sometimes. Sometimes we played for empty chairs where there were more people on stage than in the audience. Our typical night was five 45 minute sets with a 15 minute break in between. Typically about 75 songs total. But - to my recollection - we never quit a gig early (well we had some outdoor gigs that were cut short due to lightning, but that was rare) and we always got paid in full. I'd like to think that we had a good reputation among the bars and clubs for being dependable and professional. I think when we demonstrated that we were willing to go the distance on the slow nights ingratiated us with the staffs of these places. For example, when the crowd thins out, the bartender doesn't get to go home just because the place is empty. I typically thought of myself as sort of an employee of whatever place we were playing. So we were in it together - on busy nights or slow ones.
That might not be exactly an apples to apples comparison to OP's post, but I thought it was worth sharing.
We played for packed houses sometimes. Sometimes we played for empty chairs where there were more people on stage than in the audience. Our typical night was five 45 minute sets with a 15 minute break in between. Typically about 75 songs total. But - to my recollection - we never quit a gig early (well we had some outdoor gigs that were cut short due to lightning, but that was rare) and we always got paid in full. I'd like to think that we had a good reputation among the bars and clubs for being dependable and professional. I think when we demonstrated that we were willing to go the distance on the slow nights ingratiated us with the staffs of these places. For example, when the crowd thins out, the bartender doesn't get to go home just because the place is empty. I typically thought of myself as sort of an employee of whatever place we were playing. So we were in it together - on busy nights or slow ones.
That might not be exactly an apples to apples comparison to OP's post, but I thought it was worth sharing.
Let me guess: your guitarists have no clue what “dynamics” means?
Some ppl like that stuff *shrug*The band has a complete disregard for the crowd. Old music, extended solos, excessive volume, etc. How do they keep getting asked back?
There’s no accounting for taste, as they say.
I think that's your answer right there. I would imagine the crowd that comes to see you likes what you play if you get my drift. That and maybe your band is not entertaining enough? Anytime a band I'm in loses a crowd I blame the band unless there are other obvious circumstances like THE football game on or something else. If you're too loud tell the sound guy to back off the volume, simple as that, you will get blamed by most patrons not the sound guy.
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My guess would be that once the dinner crowd finished desert, a little chit chat and a beer or two they were ready to leave and you're first break reminded them they were going.
After that you may have been too loud already, but with less people in the room you needed to turn down because fewer people absorb less sound.
Having been in the BL hot seat myself, I would have used that small crowd as a test to see how some new songs might go over or working on one or two that needed practice.
Hey, you're already set up AND getting paid, so why not use that time.
After that you may have been too loud already, but with less people in the room you needed to turn down because fewer people absorb less sound.
Having been in the BL hot seat myself, I would have used that small crowd as a test to see how some new songs might go over or working on one or two that needed practice.
Hey, you're already set up AND getting paid, so why not use that time.
Well, at least the drummer was not to be blamed.
yes on this, been a few nights that there were more of us in the band than were in the audience.
Early 80's I was in a fairly successful full-time local MA band and we opened for a famous band in another part of the state (we had opened for them in our city and they liked us), hence we got hired for a Sunday night at a big local club in that city, showed up, nobody there, started playing, nobody there, played a whole set no one there, finally one of the bartenders came up and asked us "Do you guys realize there's no one here? 
We more than knew it, we were all bugging the BL to get out of Dodge, but he thought if we stopped playing we wouldn't get paid, no idea if we did.
We more than knew it, we were all bugging the BL to get out of Dodge, but he thought if we stopped playing we wouldn't get paid, no idea if we did.
It sucks playing to nobody, though. I honestly feel the bar scene (live music scene) has changed. People just don't care. It may not be your band or the sound guy's fault.
