Bar band Gigs are too long

[thebassguy86]

so i gotta stand up there for 4 hours to entertain a bunch of people (who arent even listening anyways), get home at 3am in the morning....for like $25 ? LOL no thanks, not fun

If you're only getting $25 a night, you're playing the wrong venues. I don't get my gig-rig out of the closet for less than $100. We usually play out about twice or three times a month. We play three sets, usually four hours of music. 35-40 songs, stretched out with a little improv to get the crowd into it.

 

[glenb73]

When AIC headlines they play 3 hours or better. At least all 8 or 9 of the times I saw them they did.

I saw them last August, they played 12 songs and left. I think it was 1.5 hr of music tops.

 

[glenb73]

thanks everyone for the feedback, I think I know what I need to do now and what to look for in the future. thanks!

 

[thebassguy86]

We get paid $300 for a full night gig. There's 5 guys in the band, but the guitar player and singer get a bigger share, so my end is $25. Actually when you factor in the gas money it costs me to drive to and fro, I end up making $15 tops.

Unless you have roady's setting everything up, that's BS. If everyone in the band sets up, plays music, and stays to tear down, the money should be split even!

 

[carsbybigd]

so i gotta stand up there for 4 hours to entertain a bunch of people (who arent even listening anyways), get home at 3am in the morning....for like $25 ? LOL no thanks, not fun

hey at least you arent having to do"Pay to play " and have to shell out a lot of $$$$$ to have to sell tickets to a show.If you sell them all great ,if not you just paid a lot of money to open up for someone.

 

[MazingerZ]

Quit this band. I feel that you are not enjoying yourself in this situation;

 

[lowfreq33]

It's kinda dumb. The singer gets a bigger share because he brings in a lot his friends and feels like everyone is there to see him only. The guitar player books the gigs so he feels like he deserves a bit more too.

But what really drives me mad, is even though the singer brings in 20-30 people, granted, all his friends do is drink and play pool, shoot darts, flirt with girls, and not even listening to us. We finish songs and no one knows we even played.

The more I think about it , the more and more annoyed I'm getting about this.

You're getting screwed.

 

[hudpucker]

I'm with you, but then again the bar band game is not for everyone. I learned that the hard way. Never again.

That's the cover band way.

 

[RustyAxe]

so i gotta stand up there for 4 hours to entertain a bunch of people (who arent even listening anyways), get home at 3am in the morning....for like $25 ? LOL no thanks, not fun

The choice is yours, y'know. No victims here, only volunteers.

 

[onlyclave]

so i gotta stand up there for 4 hours to entertain a bunch of people (who arent even listening anyways), get home at 3am in the morning....for like $25 ? LOL no thanks, not fun

I play about 2 gigs a month that are exactly like that but never for less than $100. You're either a) getting ripped off or b) getting paid what you're worth.

 

[two fingers]

That's the cover band way.

Ha! I do things "the cover band way". I get no less than $200 per show (me personally and usually more). I don't travel very much. And I get to play a bunch of songs I really like (and the crowds like too). I don't see a down side if you do it RIGHT. Most don't do it right.

 

[CapnSev]

so i gotta stand up there for 4 hours to entertain a bunch of people (who arent even listening anyways), get home at 3am in the morning....for like $25 ? LOL no thanks, not fun

I've been there before and I hear you. I used to to that kind of stuff a lot when I was younger (although it was more like $60-$80 a head) and I really had a good time.

Now that I have a family and a career (and I'm much more experienced than I used to be), I won't do a bar gig for under $100. Its just not worth it to me to deal with the bar crowd for that long into the night.

Then again... it depends on the type of gig, the type of music, the venue etc.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm pickier than I used to be.

 

[HeavyRockBasser]

If someone is doing extra, they deserve to make extra... maybe 10% or 25% or maybe even (in some special circumstance) 50%... there are probably some kind of guidelines for this... but 400%??? No chance. They are screwing you over. Pure and simple.

 

[Munjibunga]

The bar doesn't care whether the audience is paying attention to you. They care whether they're spending money.

 

[jive1]

I never made as low as $25 even in the late 80s when I started playing. Back then, $25 would get me a full tank of gas, dinner, a couple packs of cigarettes, and money left over for extra-curricular activities. Sadly, it seems were are still making about $25 a night considering what $100 can buy now, which is about a full tank of gas, a couple packs of cigarettes, and dinner.

Personally, I don't mind the four hour gig. If anything, it's a great rehearsal. The issue for me is start and end times. If you have an established night-time crowd, and it's the weekend, 9-1/10-2 makes perfect sense. But, if you're not in a spot that features night life, or a late-night crowd, or it's a weekday, 9-1 doesn't make sense. In those cases 8-12 or 7-11 makes more sense. I wish more bars would do this because I think it would work well for older, working crowds that tend to go home earlier, or places in a more residential area. It would allow musicians to retain the dinner crowd and not be relied upon to provide the entire draw. And, the bar can close earlier if they choose to.

 

[two fingers]

jive1, ladies and gentlemen. keepin it real since nineteen eighty....... something.

Every word makes total sense.

 

[BawanaRik]

We get paid $300 for a full night gig. There's 5 guys in the band, but the guitar player and singer get a bigger share, so my end is $25. Actually when you factor in the gas money it costs me to drive to and fro, I end up making $15 tops.

The what gets WHAT?

Her's big life lesson number one.

You don't get the kind of deal you deserve. You get the kind of deal you negotiate.

You need to talk to them.

 

[BawanaRik]

Doesn't matter. If the crowd isn't listening, and they're only making $25 a head...... it doesn't matter.

When I was looking around here the pay was going be a bill a night. That's not a lot.

It used to a grand a night for a band when the drinking age was 18.

And that was real money back then.

 

[mcnach]

We get paid $300 for a full night gig. There's 5 guys in the band, but the guitar player and singer get a bigger share, so my end is $25. Actually when you factor in the gas money it costs me to drive to and fro, I end up making $15 tops.

What? :what:

 

[Rockin Mike]

I would much prefer to play 1.5 hr set (15-17songs) and call it a night. But in all the bar bands I been in they wanna play 35+ songs for 4 hours. To me, its not fun after a while and it becomes a real chore to have to play so many songs.
Even real super star legendary bands, the usually play 20-22 songs tops and thats it.

Anybody with unwanted 4-hour gigs in Northeast Florida feel free to send them my way