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Making The Best 4 Hour Bar Gig

#41
4 hours is the problem for me.
No patrons first set & hardly any on the 4th set.
I'd like to play a concert set 2 1/2 hours & see ya later.
The bars still SUCK as far as stages & access to a loading door and the money.
God. no increase in 30 years.
It's Oh, set up in the corner but move the TV out & put it back when you're done.
Sorry, too many bar gigs in the past.
 
#42
I believe we've had our best success in more recent years. We play less often and have a place or two to play but it usually ends up being a good to great night.
I believe (like Mellowinman) the set list is probably the most important aspect other than showing up. It's taken years, as we're slow workers, but we've finally got enough rocking dance tunes that we like to play and the crowd loves to hear. Our strategy: the first set we play the first four to five songs that are more adventerous then move into dancier material. The second set is all hits and dancier material except the first song which is a 'we're back!' song. Same for the third set although we may loosen up at the end of the night with danceable but generally harder material.
We used to play two ballads a night but we found they were hit and miss. You don't want your dance floor to empty and stay that way for the rest of the set. Anyone have any suggestions on ballad placement?
 
#43
Space Pickle said:
I will play ball.

I quit a top 40 cover band recently. It was a hard choice because in some ways it was a sweet deal (lots of gigs + booking agent) but I had to quit for other reasons.

I'd love to play cover band again, with the following stipulations:

-Simple set up. Two PA mains, maybe one monitor, maybe one light. That's it.
-Zero rehearsal. None. I don't need it and I don't want to work with guys who do. It's just a huge waste of everybody's time.
-Better tune selection. We played some funkish pop tunes that you can dance to but not enough. Way too much straight 8's rock.
Click to expand...

So you don't care if you look and sound good or are a tight band. Sounds like a winning combination to me.:eyebrow:
 
#44
Best way I've found to handle 4-hour bar gigs is to get your band to the point where you are playing as few of them as possible.

They're a lot more tolerable when you are only playing a handful of them a year to fill out your schedule vs. them being the bulk of your calendar. It becomes more of an "event" when your band plays a rare bar gig which means your odds of a better turnout go up a lot cause people don't just wait knowing they can catch you another place next weekend.

Plus if your band is at that point you can turn down a lot of bar gigs, you are probably getting top dollar for the ones you DO play... and it has been my experience that bands who are being paid more get treated better. Assuming of course you give everyone their money's worth once you're onstage.

That all being said... many solid suggestions posted here already and I really don't have anything to add except big +1s to:

- sitting down on your breaks
- mixing up the setlist from show to show (we actually play every show on the fly with the BL calling tunes as we go... works spectacularly for us but would be a total fail in some bands)
- wide padded strap
- good shoes (lace-up, good arch support and rubber soles for any number of reasons)
- don't go nuts on the bar food (even or especially if comp'd)
- keep the alcohol consumption under control. Carrying subs up two flights of service stairs at 1:30 AM is hard enough to do sober and almost impossible (not to mention dangerous) if you've been drinking all night
- potassium enriched Vitamin Water and/or a banana or two right after the gig to keep your calves from cramping up like a mutha a few hours later
 
#45
eriky4003 said:
I believe we've had our best success in more recent years. We play less often and have a place or two to play but it usually ends up being a good to great night.
I believe (like Mellowinman) the set list is probably the most important aspect other than showing up. It's taken years, as we're slow workers, but we've finally got enough rocking dance tunes that we like to play and the crowd loves to hear. Our strategy: the first set we play the first four to five songs that are more adventerous then move into dancier material. The second set is all hits and dancier material except the first song which is a 'we're back!' song. Same for the third set although we may loosen up at the end of the night with danceable but generally harder material.
We used to play two ballads a night but we found they were hit and miss. You don't want your dance floor to empty and stay that way for the rest of the set. Anyone have any suggestions on ballad placement?
Click to expand...


Ballad placement is an interesting thing. I've had a ballad FILL the dance floor. It's VERY hit and miss. Read your crowd.

Have four sets worked out, with two sets of extra material, in case you need to switch gears. That's our current goal. "Reserve" songs, in case they're needed.
 
#46
mellowinman said:
Ballad placement is an interesting thing. I've had a ballad FILL the dance floor. It's VERY hit and miss.
Click to expand...

Yes it is. Personally, I hate opening or closing a show on a mellow song. We've done it before and sometimes it works but most of the time it just feels... meh. Especially the last song of the night. Send em out on a high note.

Now, if you want to end a set "down" that's no big deal. Or, start your 2nd or 3rd set with an acoustic version of the song and then the rest of the band comes in halfway through (a former band of mine did this with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and it always worked great). But IMO you want to bookend the show with high-energy tunes.
 
#47
modulusman said:
So you don't care if you look and sound good or are a tight band. Sounds like a winning combination to me.:eyebrow:
Click to expand...

*shrug* I can play covers note-for-note or I can improvse just as well. I'm can also do both, and I'm good at knowing which parts of a tune are key and which are replaceable. (lots of guys have these skills, I don't think there's anything special about me)

I have refrained from trolling the setup time thread but the amount of time that gets devoted to these cheapo gigs makes no sense to me. If I'm a professional musician I can't afford to play free sessions (rehearsals) and if I have a day job I don't have time.
 
#48
Space Pickle said:
I will play ball.

I quit a top 40 cover band recently. It was a hard choice because in some ways it was a sweet deal (lots of gigs + booking agent) but I had to quit for other reasons.

I'd love to play cover band again, with the following stipulations:

-Simple set up. Two PA mains, maybe one monitor, maybe one light. That's it.
-Zero rehearsal. None. I don't need it and I don't want to work with guys who do. It's just a huge waste of everybody's time.
-Better tune selection. We played some funkish pop tunes that you can dance to but not enough. Way too much straight 8's rock.
Click to expand...

Space, it seems like those are more your personal requirements for being in or joining a band. Stick to them.

Blue
 
#49
guy n. cognito said:
This seems to be a recurring theme here, Blue......... ;)

While many of us prefer to play music in a live "bar band" type setting, there are many other musicians that have chosen a different path for their music. A few, personal examples:

- One of my former guitarist has chosen to stop playing live music and focuses exclusively on giving lessons both in person and online.

- A former singer chose to quit playing in bars and clubs, and now focuses on singing and playing guitar with family and friends.

-scores and scores of my musician friends in town focus primarily on studio work, both in traditional studios and online projects.

Bar gigs are tough, especially as we get older and older. Some people lose their taste for them. Others NEVER had a taste for them. Let's remember that people come to music for various reasons and it's an exercise in futility to try to get everyone to focus on it in the narrow band that some have here.
Click to expand...


Hi Guy,

Sounds like you might want to start another thread on your topic outlined above. It's a good topic, you might call it "Chosing Your Personal Music Path".

This thread is an open discussion on how to make improvements to and make the best of the 4 hour bar band gig. If you have any ideas we would like to hear them.

As I got older the value and my taste for the 4 hour bar gig grew and continues to grow. I do understand that some have had bad experiences playing these 4 hour bar gigs. Fortunately my experiences have all been positive. Again, that's what we want to discuss here, ways to make it positive. Several TBers have made some really good suggestions.

By the way "narrow" is another relative term. Some of us love 4 hour bar gigs and find nothing narrow about them.

Whether it's the 4 hour bar gig, teaching, studio work or playing with friends and family they are personal musical preferences and none of them are narrow. IMO

Peace

Blue
 
#50
#1 Go wireless on as much of the band gear as your band can afford. This makes setting up and tearing down far easier.
#2 build or buy carts to hual the majority of the band gear like FOH speakers and Monitors and such. This saves a lot of energy so you aren't making 500 trips on load in's and Out's. One of our Rack/carts Holds 2 mains, 4 monitors all of our mic and guitar stands and all of our power, speaker, xlr and 1/4" cables. Another one holds the sub's and the wireles rack. Another holds the whole Drum kit. All of these are home built and custom to our needs. If I'm counting correctly, we make 5 trips to the trailer on load in and out. The big rack with the mains and monitors takes two people, the others just take one person. we can have everything in the bar in a matter of a few minutes. Makes life easy.
#3 Alternate a member of the band conversing with and working the crowd on breaks, while the other band members rest and relax.
 
#53
Rooster009 said:
#2 build or buy carts to hual the majority of the band gear like FOH speakers and Monitors and such. This saves a lot of energy so you aren't making 500 trips on load in's and Out's. One of our Rack/carts Holds 2 mains, 4 monitors all of our mic and guitar stands and all of our power, speaker, xlr and 1/4" cables. Another one holds the sub's and the wireles rack. Another holds the whole Drum kit. All of these are home built and custom to our needs. If I'm counting correctly, we make 5 trips to the trailer on load in and out. The big rack with the mains and monitors takes two people, the others just take one person. we can have everything in the bar in a matter of a few minutes. Makes life easy.
Click to expand...

Definitely. A few trips hauling/rolling a lot of really heavy pieces is always easier than many trips hauling relatively heavy pieces of gear one at a time. And less disruptive to the bar's operations too if you have to load in through the front.

In the same vein as wheeled road cases... a professional grade 2-wheel dolly is well worth the investment and the space it takes in your trailer. Practically every bar has one and most will let you borrow theirs if they're not using it, but it's more professional to bring your own with. Note I said "professional grade"... skip the $20 collapsable jobs they sell at Walmart. Those are fine for wheeling suitcases through airports, but worthless for pro sound gear.
 
#54
As has already been said, playing with people who have a professional approach really makes the experience more bearable.

We vary our sets but have medleys of 3 or 4 songs that we run together to keep down time to a minimum. If we have dancers we very aware that we want to keep them on the dance floor.

Too many times I've seen a band have people on the dance floor but then the guitarist has to tune or the singer has make a lame announcement and the dance floor empties.

If you can keep people up dancing as much as possible you're going to feed off of their energy and it will make the 4 hours that much more enjoyable.
 
#56
jimc said:
Too many times I've seen a band have people on the dance floor but then the guitarist has to tune or the singer has make a lame announcement and the dance floor empties.
Click to expand...

Yup. Your downtime, tuning etc. happen on breaks, not onstage during the set. If your singer/frontman isn't good with the banter then it's better if he/she just keeps his yap shut and you fill the time with as much wall to wall music as possible.

My BL is HUGE on not having dead-air. He's really good at crowd banter too, but when he calls the next tune you had better be ready to GO. Any more than a few seconds of downtime will bring the stare of death from him and he would rather have us start a song minus a player than for us all to be standing there while the guitarist tunes or whatever.
 
#57
jimc said:
As has already been said, playing with people who have a professional approach really makes the experience more bearable.

If you can keep people up dancing as much as possible you're going to feed off of their energy and it will make the 4 hours that much more enjoyable.
Click to expand...

Jim, I agree wholeheartedly.

The "packed dance floor" makes the 4 hour bar gig very enjoyable. When that dance floor is filled we have had the owners come up to us and tell us if we can maintain that level of dancing patrons they will pay another $100.00 to play an extra 30 minutes.

Making sure you have enough dance material to keep that dance floor active is crucial to making the best of the 4 hour bar gig.

Thanks Jim

Blue
 
#59
guy n. cognito said:
If you're goal is a low level bar band, then I would totally agree. If you're inflexible on this, then you're probably better suited for sub work. I'd also add that most successful touring acts have probably had a few rehearsals before hitting the road, so you'd better cross those guys off your list...... ;)
Click to expand...

Or if you're in a high enough level of players. Here in Nashville (Guy recognizing you are here, but just for reference to the other posters), almost no cover bands that I'm familiar with ever rehearse, and I pretty much won't do it. I know I'm gonna learn the tunes and show up playing them right, and most of the other players will too. The one's that need rehearsal don't get called back.

I will rehearse for an original act, or other gigs, of course.
 
#60
The other side of the 'keeping the dance floor busy' coin is that we once had a bar complain afterwards that people were so busy dancing they weren't buying drinks. You just can't win sometimes.

The other plus of keeping the dance floor busy is that girls usually love to dance, if you keep them dancing they'll come to more of your shows. If the girls are coming to your shows, the guys are gonna be there as well.
 

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