How long do your gigs last.

[MichelD]

I have to admit that I'm a little envious of you musicians that have gigs. Do they pay?

My friends who play in the city I live in have a heck of a time getting gigs and when they do it is a pass the hat (or beer pitcher) around for tips.

I have mentioned the lack of gigs here before and got blasted by someone who said he's been working steady for 20 years in the same city.

Well, I'm not a professional musician, just an inspired amateur who's only been playing 51 years, so what do I know ? I don't read music well, do not play weddings, corporate, society or easy listening jazz at events, so I guess I'm missing out. I had another career that got me a house and a truck paid for and a little pension coming in so I'm not complaining. The music I have always played is genre based, mostly rockabilly or classic country or western swing and with the extremely limited number of venues that will accept this kind of music you just don't get to play often.

I noticed another thread talking about age on this site. I'm 65, and at this age I am too tired and jaded to play in a basement for one or two nights a week rehearsing and rehearsing and getting no payback for it. I love playing and still do, and now accompany an acoustic duo doing jazz and Gypsy jazz standards, but in public much? No.

And like I said, when my friends play in bars around here, they have to beg for tips. Funny, the bartenders get paid, the servers get paid, the chefs get paid, I presume the manager and/or owner gets paid, they sell barrels of beer and wheelbarrow loads of food but the musicians are expected to beg for what extra they can cadge out of the punters.

My bass player friend was playing his new to him vintage Ampeg B15. I didn't have the nerve to ask what he paid for it or how he expected to do so on tips.

 

[BassGeekJack]

My group usually plays venues these days, so anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours typically. I've only played one 4 hour show and I don't care to do it again. Played plenty of 3 hour shows and those aren't bad with a short break or two. And weddings vary. With bars, long sets make sense, not everyone is paying attention to the band. At venues, I wouldn't even want to see my favorite band for more than 2 and a half hours. It's just exhausting.

 

[mikeyjm2]

For the typical bar gigs we do, 3 - 4 hours time span.

45-50 min on / 10-15 min off for 3 or 4 sets.

 

[five7]

original band 30-45 minutes.

 

[sawzalot]

9:30-1:30. Most bands around here to three sets, we do two long sets with a short break between because we like to play. One of the local bands the other day was boasting, "we played FIFTY songs last night!". We play at least 50 and love it.

 

[TheReceder]

Bar gigs... 4 hours, 3 sets with 2 20 minute breaks. Outdoor gigs... 2 hours preferably no break, and they pay two to three times as much.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

9:30-1:30. Most bands around here to three sets, we do two long sets with a short break between because we like to play. One of the local bands the other day was boasting, "we played FIFTY songs last night!". We play at least 50 and love it.

When I first got on with Redhead, we did the two long sets thing. BL worked us like rented mules. After a year, we had a reputation, so we went back to normal 9-1 or whatever. I mean, it worked, I guess. But I was glad to get back on the three-set schedule. I like to play too, but talk about not leaving anything on stage...and then having to load out...

Outdoor/festival gigs are either 90 minutes or 2 hours, no breaks. Everything else--private parties, weddings, fundraisers--is subject to negotiation.

 

[dalkowski]

Usually 3 50 minute sets

With my group, that's the plan until our leader loses (not sure he ever HAD it) track of time while he's eating or chatting between sets.

 

[stigbeve]

Drumming in a cover band we usually played 1 to 3 hours.
Original metal band 30 minutes to a hour and a half or so.

 

[Eilif]

My weekly country gigs are usually 3-4 hours split into 2-3 sets with a 15-20 minute break between sets.

 

[JSandbloom]

I’ve had the luck of riding the coat tails of reasonably successful singer songwriters. Doing so, I generally play anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and half. I also get to see some killer places I’d never normally see without music.

 

[bolophonic]

I play in punk bands, so one ~30 min set is usually enough to get the point across.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Hi, I'm in England and generally a pub/bar gig would consist of two sets of 45 minutes to 1 hour each with a 15 - 20 minute break. I've noticed some people here do gigs of up to four hours, what is usual in your part of the world.

4-hour gigs were the norm back in the early 70's when I was touring with a nightclub group. But so were 5-night a week gigs.

Now most of our gigs are 3-hours. We do have a couple of places where we'll play 4 hours, but most spots seem to want three hours or less. We'll typically take a couple of 10- to 15-minute breaks during that 3-hours.

 

[Calebmundy]

3-4 hours, no breaks unless someone can cover your instrument or someone in the band plays 1-2 songs by themselves to give everyone a bathroom break. That's the Nashville Broadway scene! Not uncommon for people to play 2-3 gigs in a day, and I know a few people doing 12 a week. Most Broadway bars have live music 7 days a week from 11am-2:30am, and there are probably 30ish stages between the bars, which often have 2-3 stages each. It's the only place like it in the world I can think of! You can make a pretty solid living playing 20-40 hours a week without leaving town.

 

[jnuts1]

showcase support 45-1hr
showcase main act 1.5hr
club - wildly varies from 1-4 hours depending on support and what the venue does
bar - almost always 3-4hrs with 15 minute breaks
festival - 1hr+-
weddings - 3-4hr without cocktail. 5 if we do the cocktail hour. but it's a 10-12 hour day either way

 

[DWBass]

3 sets. 45 minutes to an hour each.

 

[DirtDog]

Our bar gigs (stage time) span 4 hours (8-12 or 9-1). Three sets with short breaks between them.

Same here - between 2.5 and 3 hours of music in a four hour timespan....usually starting 9 or 9:30. Last call around here is 1:45am. Not common that we play right until the bitter end.

 

[bluesblaster]

a few decades ago.......when you could get several week engagements ( hotels, etc.) it was usually 9pm to 2 am, 5 - forty five minute sets a night, 5 to 6 nights a week.

I don't think I would want to do that anymore anyway, a couple of long sets with decent 20-30 minutes in between sounds good these days

 

[Bodeanly]

Our casino shows are two 75 minute sets, with a 20-30 minute break.

Fests are three sets of 45.

Weddings are all kinds of messed up.

Haven’t played a club with them yet, but I’m suspecting it will be similar to the casino thang.

Previous band did three hours, nonstop. That’s my favorite way to do it (unless I have to pee).

 

[drumvsbass]

3x45 sets, 2x30-45 min breaks.