Are you sure it's not three 50 minute sets and the 165 tunes are the list FROM WHICH those sets are to be drawn? That would at least be consistent with a world of linear time and three-dimensional space.
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Long gig. Would you do it?
- Thread starter magic8161
- Start date
This is where i remind people backing tracks are a thing.
Not a chance. 165 songs is like playing three "normal" gigs. Some promoters/people think musicians are just juke boxes, not human beings. What you describe is exploitative.
I would do it if:
- The pay made sense (it doesn't, with the hourly rate and the cost of transportation, plus general fatigue)
- Breaks were well-negotiated ahead of time - ten minutes of break time for every hour of play time, for instance, split however you like
- Backline and PA were provided by the promoters/venue, so no need for load-in/load-out considerations
- Precautions were taken for hydration, a shaded stage, etc.
- The songs weren't technically demanding - pounding out roots for hours is fine, but high-tempo walking lines or something like that would be difficult over time
The problem with these Elvis gigs, which I have done (Many), is the -huge- amount of prep time for these. They usually send you piano charts like the ones sold at a piano store, that have nothing to do with the very specific bass lines in most of the tunes. I was working the upper echelon stuff at Graceland, Memphis and across the country and it was the hardest job I've ever had. I had to prep 550 individual songs for the multi city run. The performers key off the bass and will sometimes fold if the band screws up, 'cause most of those guys aren't musicians and only know how to do the song exactly like the version they know. You will have to read in most cases, (I did) even with the prep, because it's hard to memorize 200 plus songs (imagine 550 tunes!) with specific basslines. Your band is the go to for that show, so how will your bailing affect your standing?
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OP, your beef isn't with the client, it's with whomever in your band agreed to this gig. Now you're in the rough position of either doing it or not. It's an awful gig for any amount of money, but since your band seems to have signed up for it you risk reputational blowback both inside and outside of your band if you refuse. You can't win.
If it were me, I'd probably slog through it somehow and then set more clear boundaries with whomever is booking your gigs.
If it were me, I'd probably slog through it somehow and then set more clear boundaries with whomever is booking your gigs.
The conditions are so ridiculous there must be a misunderstanding somewhere.
A 12 hour day would be covered by at least 4 separate bands. Is it possible you posted the festival hours and not just hours your band would do?
A 12 hour day would be covered by at least 4 separate bands. Is it possible you posted the festival hours and not just hours your band would do?
Cave Puppy
"Humph Bo, he's wond!" - John Lennon
If you do it I hope they treat you nice so you don't end up in heartbreak hotel.
Agreed, at best it'd only work if you could bring fellow musicians along to sub in for a few songs.
etroit
Are you saying the midwest doesn't get hot? Detroit is gonna be in the 90's by the end of the week. A dark floor on an uncovered stage could be well over 100F.
Obviously shade with fans is automatic. And you're talking about 1 day, like that's an average day. The rest of the week is fine.
When I get a call for distasteful hours like this I often suck it up, take the gig, and put the money towards some specific gear I have been longing for. I had a paper bag of gig cash that got me a $3000 upright bow.
Yeah, you hope they would plan for the worst. I've seen events here where they didn't and it wasn't pretty. I was shot playing three hours in 90+ degree weather without cover.
I wouldn't call it planning for the worst. Fans/Shade common sense.
That being said, heat breaks are an automatic assumption/requirement. I can't remember the numbers but when I worked outside we had some equation worked up where ever degree was a increase in number of breaks we could have. We use to check the thermostat before each break.
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