Making The Best 4 Hour Bar Gig

[k-Plunk]

Great thread.
There is a bar here in Dallas featuring blues and jazz that typically features older musicians. They often have one act do a 2 hour set starting early (like 6 pm), then a different act doing a 3 hour set and a late band with a 3 hour.

Sometimes it's changed up from that.

 

[will33]

About 40 songs here as well.....4 sets of about 10 songs each give or take. 15 min. break between sets.

I enjoy the 4 hour bar gig. We are there to bring the party, sell alcohol, get people up and dancing and having fun and taking a much needed break from their daily grind.

 

[lowfreq33]

Ten songs a set seems a little low to me. I usually put 13 songs a set for a 45 set, 16 for an hour. But we don't do many long songs. Most clock I around four minutes.

 

[Joe Louvar]

FWIW: IMO, 20 minute breaks are way to long for 4 hour bar gigs, because that much downtime could cost you a lot of bar hoppers. 15 minute breaks max. And towards the end of the night when your more tired it’s nice having a shorter set at the end of the night before having to load out. For example: (SET 1 - 45min) - 15min break. (SET 2 - 1hour) - 15min break. (SET 3 - 1hour) - 15min break. (SET 4 - 30min).

Of course 3hr bar gigs for the same pay is much better.

 

[bassbully]

Like I said if its all going to pay the same give me an hour long gig and let me go home.

 

[Calebmundy]

The Nashville deal is four hours straight through with no breaks. Came about because there are about a dozen bars next door to each other downtown with live bands from 2pm-3am every night, so with that much competition, the bar owners didn't want bands taking breaks and letting the crowd skip next door. That policy kind of bled over to all the other cover venues in town.

I think we usually cover 45-55 tunes a night. I get a little nervous when I play with a group that has less than 60, because I hate repeating songs, and doing requests is a big tip-maker.

To echo a really early post, I agree that it's the best training ground around. I learned a lot of tunes, got in hundreds of hours time playing with other musicians of various calibers. It really got me in shape physically (speed, endurance, ect) and mentally. In a a major music market the other added benefit is that you meet the people who will move you up the ladder to better gigs. You can walk into a 4-hour gig here pretty easily, and if you're really good and lucky, you could be out again in a few months.

 

[will33]

Ten songs a set seems a little low to me. I usually put 13 songs a set for a 45 set, 16 for an hour. But we don't do many long songs. Most clock I around four minutes.

We end up with 12 in some sets. Fewer if we stretch a couple out that are getting a lot of dancers.

 

[bluewine]

Like I said if its all going to pay the same give me an hour long gig and let me go home.

I don't blame you bassbully.

Me, I'll stay and play 4 hours. I have nothing to go home to.

Blue

 

[electracoyote]

FWIW: IMO, 20 minute breaks are way to long for 4 hour bar gigs, because that much downtime could cost you a lot of bar hoppers. 15 minute breaks max. And towards the end of the night when your more tired it’s nice having a shorter set at the end of the night before having to load out. For example: (SET 1 - 45min) - 15min break. (SET 2 - 1hour) - 15min break. (SET 3 - 1hour) - 15min break. (SET 4 - 30min).

Of course 3hr bar gigs for the same pay is much better.

Agreed.

Many bar owner/managers in my area have codified the 15 minute break...and they keep track of the time.

 

[troy mcclure]

in a typical 4 hr 4 set night, My band would play a 10 songs set, 2 9 song sets and a 7 song set. We had some long ass tunes towards the end of the night.. Stranglehold, Funky Music Medley which could go 10 mins, War Pigs
I was in another band that played 44 songs a night.. 50 on 15 off, 45 on 15, 45 on 15 off 55 on....

 

[troy mcclure]

richntiff... I have the best attitude in the band... I am on time, own all the gear and lights and trailer and don't drink or drug. The other knuckle heads are knuckle heads.
I am pragmatic, not being negative.

I think what blue wants to know is how to make it better...rule 1 don;t play with knuckleheads...lol

 

[bassbully]

I don't blame you bassbully.

Me, I'll stay and play 4 hours. I have nothing to go home to.

Blue

Understood but dang Blue that's kind of sad...to me at least.

 

[Groovy_Gravy]

Im confused?? who DOESNT want a 4 hr gig. im in it to PLAY

 

[Groovy_Gravy]

You may suffer a little bit for it, as most really busy cover bands end up having to play a lot of crap they really can't stand, but in my band we pretty much only play stuff we like. That makes it immensely more enjoyable for me.

seriously. thats my bands #1 rule. we will not play songs we dislike no matter what.

 

[bluewine]

Understood but dang Blue that's kind of sad...to me at least.

Not really, when I have a smokin hot gig, the last thing I want deal with or come home to is somebody that doesn't "get it".

Can't seem to meet anyone who cares or is interested in the local rock band scene. Interesting all the other band members spouuses are involved and travel with the band.

Me, I went out with this woman a few weeks ago and out of nowhere she says; "I'm not into bands"

I felt like saying; "Oh really, then why don't you get lost".

Blues

 

[bluewine]

Im confused?? who DOESNT want a 4 hr gig. im in it to PLAY

For some it's not worth the time and effort.

Me, I love the 4 hour bar/club gigs.

I love that I'm in a working band and entertaining people period.

Blue

 

[bluewine]

seriously. thats my bands #1 rule. we will not play songs we dislike no matter what.

We play songs within our genre blues rock, it's stuff that we like to a degree but at the end of the day it has to be stuff the crowd likes.

Blue

 

[Stumbo]

We play 3 sets of 16 songs each for 48 songs a gig.

A 16 song set takes between 60 and 70 minutes. We take a 20 minute break between each set.

Here's the gig math:

66.67 mins. x 3 = 200.1 mins. + 40 mins. (2-breaks at 20 mins) = 240 mins, or 4-hours.

You guys that play less songs, (30!) must be playing longer songs. We do a lot of 60's and 70's stuff so they're 3-minute songs and we have very little down time between tunes. We also usually run a few songs together per set.

All four of us sing lead so we each sing 12 songs a night.

We used to extend the 2 to 3 minutes songs out to 5 or 6 minutes,especially if the dance floor was filled.

We did as close to 45/15 for three sets as we could and then a 1 hour set four. Sometimes the vocalist/front man would chat up the audience a bit so the sets varied a bit.

 

[guy n. cognito]

You sure? That's a lot of tunes unless you don't take breaks.

My typical gigs are 3 sets of 15 songs. Rock, classic rock, pop-----all dancable type stuff.

The Nashville deal is four hours straight through with no breaks. Came about because there are about a dozen bars next door to each other downtown with live bands from 2pm-3am every night, so with that much competition, the bar owners didn't want bands taking breaks and letting the crowd skip next door. That policy kind of bled over to all the other cover venues in town.

Respectfully, I've been playing in Nashville for 10 years now, and the ONLY place in town where I've seen "4-hours-no-breaks" is downtown. The more suburban bars that hire cover bands have a more traditional view of allowing a couple of 15 minute breaks for a 4 hour gig.

 

[dug dog]

The Nashville deal is four hours straight through with no breaks.

I know several players whose bladders would explode.