On another thread about how much we've spent on our most expensive bass I replied that I won't buy a bass that I'd be afraid to take to a gig, that "bars, beer and expensive basses sounds like a recipe for a disaster". A reply I received: "We don't all play in dive bars!" True, and I prefer not to, but these days, with most bars closed and gigs scarce, it may come to that. I don't see clubs rushing to pay big bucks (or even small bucks) to a band after they've had zero revenue for 60 days. So, my questions: How many of you historically have played in bars and how many of you will be willing to do that once the bars reopen?
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How many of us play in "dive bars"
- Thread starter Jerry Ewing
- Start date
I've played bars before and I will continue to as soon as possible.
All my life I've taken the gigs others wouldn't. Heh. I love playin. Anywhere. Bars included. And will certaiy go back to it.
Dive bars are a step up from barns and sheds so what’s the problem? 
We play for anyone, anywhere, who will pay us with
Money
Food or
Drink
Or
Any combination of the above
Duke
Money
Food or
Drink
Or
Any combination of the above
Duke
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By the way, I used a Ken Smith Elite CR Custom G 6 string bass for over a decade in some very smoky, very dangerous, rooms playin prog and metal, and any other gig I could snag. Yes, it aged. Got dinged. Finished darkened, sweat marks on the back of the neck, buckle rash all over the back of the body. In other words, it got BETTER! I finally decided to sell her, at 3 times my initial cost, because my 6 string days were over. I settled on a Fender American Deluxe Jazz 5, and haven't regretted it at all. I feel both basses held the exact same value for me. Each was my only bass. And I had jobs to do.
I would have liked to see this as a poll. I play in bars and breweries frequently (when there's not a pandemic) but I wouldn't call any of them dives. I wouldn't call most of them upscale, either. Something in between, I guess. Mostly clubs that have a focus on the music. I guess that counts.
As long as they pay my minimum and I don’t feel that I’m in danger, I don’t care if they have a concrete floor and crappy lights. Sure.
I'll be back in bars but I won't be surprised if the pay actually gets worse, maybe 100% tip jar in some cases.
Just because the drinks are cheap and the decor is outdated doesn’t make it bad. It’s kind of been a trendy thing amongst affluent youngsters for a while around here....”ooh, let’s all go to the dive bar because it’s fun!”
There are some “nice” venues I don’t like to play and there are some “dives” I don’t like to play, I usually make that judgement based on things other than how nice the place is.
There are some “nice” venues I don’t like to play and there are some “dives” I don’t like to play, I usually make that judgement based on things other than how nice the place is.
The place I like to play most around here is a well-known bar that has two shows daily. They host a top-level blues band at 9:00 and host other local acts that are high quality at 5:30. I play the 5:30 show mostly but have done the 9:00 show as a sub.
It's not a "nice" venue in the sense of decor. They are a bar that works hard to bring good music in and the bar itself has a loyal following of devoted lovers of live music. They are one of the few venues left anywhere that has ownership that cares about music and musicians, and a bar crowd that cares, and they've been doing this for many years.
So it looks like a bit of a dive I guess, but it's anything but that in my eyes. I'm very concerned about them not making it through this down time. They don't have a kitchen, so no way to pay the bills right now.
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All the time and for many years...
Yup, will play most anywhere. Thankfully the crowds have been super cool so I’ve never felt threatened.
Have done so but not recently. Don't relish the thought of it. Not so much the gig itself but all of the sundry work involved (loading, unloading, explaining to the cop at two in the morning why you're driving around with a car full of musical equipment*…). Too old for that and not famous enough to pay someone else to do it. I do miss the actual performance part of the gig.
* Always keep copies of receipts in your gig bag.
* Always keep copies of receipts in your gig bag.
Love dive bars, even the ones where patrons have pulled guns on each other. My expensive bass stays at home these days no matter what the gig as it is not replaceable, but I don’t feel like I’m having a subpar experience.
Neighborhood bars are the best, (dive?) Private parties are the next best, and better money but not the same appreciation cause the bar patrons thank you for providing the groove they did not pay for upfront in my regional experience. Still waiting for those stadium gigs LOL. When people get up and dance I feel I accomplished the mission.
I've never played behind chicken wire (as in Bob's Country Bunker) -- maybe one day I'll get the chance to do that -- but I've played in a few dive bars, and almost always enjoyed it. If there's a good crowd and the music is getting through to people, I'm having fun. The empty, dejected circling-the-drain failure rooms are actually the worst gigs, because no matter how hard you try, it's just going to be dead. My current band does mostly 70s funk, and that stuff just works for getting people to party, so if it's a full house, we're good. It's the empty rooms that are the worst.
