Firm believer in that. One can certainly handle the alcohol, hold it up for a toast many times throughout the night, and discretely make it disappear.
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Making The Best 4 Hour Bar Gig
- Thread starter bluewine
- Start date
Firm believer in that. One can certainly handle the alcohol, hold it up for a toast many times throughout the night, and discretely make it disappear.
yes..yes and yes.
seemed strange to mention "tolerating" something that is enjoyable.
I still love the playing out..and all the stuff that comes with it.
AND..there are some good points mentioned about making the gig in general just a tad easier. (im reluctant to say tolerable..as its pure rockstar enjoyment as far as I care.)
ymmv...of course.
I agree Bassdirty, I think I used the word "tolerable" initially.
Not the best choice of words. I like the phrase "Making It A Tad Easier"
Blue
Someone mentioned comfortable shoes earlier. I'm learning the hard.way that converse Chuck Taylors are a terrible idea when playing a 4 hour gig.
Lol you know exactly what I mean! Its too bad they're pretty much the coolest tennis shoes you can get, especially if you're in a rock band. I'm gonna be sportin my new Reebok running shoes at my next gig, I'm hoping the highlighter yellow shoe laces they have aren't too distracting..
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
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Another thing I try to do is get a good night's sleep the night before. The comfy shoes thing is a goid idea. This week I'm playing Fri from 7 to 9pm then running to another venue to play 10 to 1:30am. Then I got 7 to 11pm on Saturday. It can be a grind but I wouldn't trade it for the world!!
If your jumping around footwear is relevant to making the 4 hour bar gig easier.
There are a lot of cool athletic shoes on the market now. Chuck's are no longer the only game in town.
Highlighter Yellow laces sounds cool Jamestown. I might use that idea.
Blue
I'm guessing you don't contribute vocally to any of the tunes, or you are completely satisfied with haphazard backing vocals and stock or guessed at song endings... Sorry, but this doesn't sound like a band I'd be to interested in following.
Tips for a better 4 hour bar gig? Try to engage the audience in some banter. Encourage them to sing along. Raise a toast. Talk to patrons on breaks. Don't sweat the small stuff (mistakes on your or another band member's part). Try to smile.
Eating light or at least something light makes a huge difference for me! I would also say that being sure your overall sound is good prior to starting the first set. Some nights we have a guy or two show up late and have to spend the first 3 or 4 songs of the set tweaking PA, fighting feedback, etc and it really drags our mood down. So I guess that means showing up early enough to set up comfortably?? Having enough songs to rotate out the ones we can't stand helps a bunch also. Great thread Bluewine!
Also, I don't know if it is unusual or just how we do our sets, but we usually play an hour, half hour break, play an hour, half our break, play an hour and done. Only 2 breaks but it gives us enough time to talk with people and still be able to rest up for the next set (sometimes a drunk patron can still manage to talk a half hour but its rare!)
Four hours is a long time to play music in a cover band. It's about twice as long as the average headlining national/international act. It's a lot of work. I ONLY want to do this in the ideal situations:
--A safe, pleasant environment where me and my gear are safe from undesirables and the elements.
--A venue that can afford to pay me the going rate (or above) for my band's above-average entertainment value.
--This can only be accomplished by being in a band that warrants the two things above. That means my band has to make the owner/booking entity and his/her patrons/guests happy by bringing a great party, giving everyone ample opportunity to get down, and helping the venue owner sell his product (i.e. food and beverages).
When all three things above are in place, and my band is routinely getting booked at the nicer rooms in town and getting our fair share of upscale gigs to go along with it (weddings, corporate, etc.), I am happy.
Otherwise, for me, it's a pretty miserable existence and a long, long four hours. That's not even calculating for travel, load-in/out, etc.
And yes, I am willing to play "Sweet Home Alabama" et. al. to accomplish the three things outlined above. Because no matter how I slice it, I will not be the one picking all the songs, so I'll always be playing songs that someone else selected. I may as well play what the people want to hear and sing along with, and reap the rewards that go along with that.
--A safe, pleasant environment where me and my gear are safe from undesirables and the elements.
--A venue that can afford to pay me the going rate (or above) for my band's above-average entertainment value.
--This can only be accomplished by being in a band that warrants the two things above. That means my band has to make the owner/booking entity and his/her patrons/guests happy by bringing a great party, giving everyone ample opportunity to get down, and helping the venue owner sell his product (i.e. food and beverages).
When all three things above are in place, and my band is routinely getting booked at the nicer rooms in town and getting our fair share of upscale gigs to go along with it (weddings, corporate, etc.), I am happy.
Otherwise, for me, it's a pretty miserable existence and a long, long four hours. That's not even calculating for travel, load-in/out, etc.
And yes, I am willing to play "Sweet Home Alabama" et. al. to accomplish the three things outlined above. Because no matter how I slice it, I will not be the one picking all the songs, so I'll always be playing songs that someone else selected. I may as well play what the people want to hear and sing along with, and reap the rewards that go along with that.
Yes proper planing helps. We get to our shows an 1.5 before we play which gives us time to set up our rigs PA/lights and sound check.
We travel with a dedicated sound person which helps a lot.
I always give myself enough time to tune my basses ( I always bring 2) and tweak my pedal board.
Blue
Electracoyote,
I think that 4 hours can be long, like you say if it's a 4 hr gig the band shouldn't be playing. I agree with the examples you sited;
l
- Low pay
- to far away
- undesirable venue
If you playing the right venues, for the right pay, with the right people the 4 hours seem like nothing.
Blue
I posted earlier and mentioned our "Theme" nights. To try to stand out from all the other bands that play at the same venues we do, I come up with a theme to promote. I reconnected with a lot of my childhood friends on facebook a while back. I convinced them to have a reunion, (some people I hadn't seen in 40 years!) at one of our bands gigs. Since we all grew up in the 70's we did a "Sounds of the 70's Rock & Roll Revue, (and then some)" night. 36 of the 48 songs we played that night were from the 70's. I worked with the manager of the bar before hand to have a 70's drink special. We advertised Harvey Wallbangers for $4. It went over great and all my friends had a great time.
Another theme we did was "The History of Rock & Roll". We did this at a bar where the dinner crowd is pretty old and leave early. The younger people hang out a little later. So we made and advertised the first set as 50's & 60's, the second set as 60's and 70', and the last set as 70's and 80's. I made note as to what year the song was from on the band's set list so we could either announce, or answer questions about what year the song was released.
A first, my band begrudgingly went along with my crazy ideas but now that they are starting to be well received, they're slowly climbing aboard. The last theme we did has been a dream of mine since I started this band. "A Rock & Roll Smorgasbord". We did 48 songs by 48 different artist! No five Stones songs that night! The bar managers at the places we're playing are now looking forward as to what we come up with next. I also make sure to send the venues an "electronic handbill" for them to post on their facebook page. This week we're playing at the bar connected to a Holiday Inn. I have some friends coming in from out-of-town and when they tried to book a room they were told they had no vacancy. So that gave me the idea for this week's theme:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...48351635.46521.147980498607907&type=1&theater
We'll be playing plenty of dance music as the guests that will be staying there for are there for either weddings, birthdays, or reunions. Those people like to dance!
Yeah, I'm having fun!
Another theme we did was "The History of Rock & Roll". We did this at a bar where the dinner crowd is pretty old and leave early. The younger people hang out a little later. So we made and advertised the first set as 50's & 60's, the second set as 60's and 70', and the last set as 70's and 80's. I made note as to what year the song was from on the band's set list so we could either announce, or answer questions about what year the song was released.
A first, my band begrudgingly went along with my crazy ideas but now that they are starting to be well received, they're slowly climbing aboard. The last theme we did has been a dream of mine since I started this band. "A Rock & Roll Smorgasbord". We did 48 songs by 48 different artist! No five Stones songs that night! The bar managers at the places we're playing are now looking forward as to what we come up with next. I also make sure to send the venues an "electronic handbill" for them to post on their facebook page. This week we're playing at the bar connected to a Holiday Inn. I have some friends coming in from out-of-town and when they tried to book a room they were told they had no vacancy. So that gave me the idea for this week's theme:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...48351635.46521.147980498607907&type=1&theater
We'll be playing plenty of dance music as the guests that will be staying there for are there for either weddings, birthdays, or reunions. Those people like to dance!
Yeah, I'm having fun!
What are these "breaks" everyone keeps talking about? Heh. We take one break for about 10 or 15 minutes, long enough to get business done and get back on stage. Four hours goes by a lot more quickly this way, you sweat out any alcohol, and if you keep stringing songs together, the drunks never have a chance to tell you what song you need to play to "really get the crowd rockin".
I'm fifty years old, and I could handle a four hour gig without a single break, even for the bathroom, if you like. Just tell me in advance, so I don't drink more fluids than I'm going to sweat out. We have had TONS of rehearsals in the past. Lately, not as much, and there have been more flubs, especially on the intricate stuff, like endings and transitions.
We are bringing in new songs, and planning to sweat out some long, difficult practices in the upcoming weeks. We think we're BETTER than a band who phones it in. We suffer with uncomfortable shoes (boots,) and battle exhaustion, because we believe that's our JOB as rockers. We think the audience knows we're legit, and when we do get a packed house, or even a half-full room, we get a lot of people making a big deal about us.
We want to be the best, tightest, and most musically enjoyable cover band in history, not to get more money, or be famous; just to DO IT. At our last show, we were better than we'd ever been before in SO MANY WAYS, but we missed it by that much, with some flubs. Bad note here. Not everyone starting a part together there. We are going to work like DOGS to get rid of those inconsistencies.
How anyone can say, "I don't practice," is beyond me. I don't get how you are going to start and end songs, and how you are going to put in any musical treats for the audience. I don't get how you'll know which sections are tightly worked out ahead, and which sections are a bit of inspired improv. I don't get how you know what each other are going to do next.
Oh, I practice. WE practice. We must just not be as good of musicians as some of you. Because when WE don't practice, it SHOWS.
I'll say it over and over, and over again. It is NOT my goal to play the same, tired old songs that have been played to death over the years; it is my goal to breathe NEW LIFE into GREAT songs that have been treated unfairly by bands who didn't deserve the right to even play them. Our three big new songs to work on this Friday are Iron Man, The Chain and Whipping Post. We are going to woodshed the crap out of those, until they are as perfect as the Long Tall Sally, Whole Lotta Love and Freebird we ended last Saturday night's show with, which brought down the house at a tiny bar way the hell out in Decatur, Indiana.
Women wanted to have our babies. Even Krystal's baby, which would be quite the feat. Dogs living with cats. Pandemonium. We are really starting to amp up the excitement; cut loose the tunes that don't quite do it; add the songs that make them craaaaaazy, and that we know we can absolutely nail to the wall. If ONE NOTE is out of range of the lead singer; CUT. If ONE PASSAGE is too much for the bass player, or drummer, or guitar player to handle, we either woodshed until they step up their game, or CUT.
If you don't LIVE, EAT, BLEED, VOMIT and POOP rock and roll, you have no right to be on any stage, and if I'm in the audience, I will call you out, and maybe even start packing rotten fruit.
You gotta GIVE something if you want to compete with the sixty billion bands now flooding he world with their alleged talent.
That's my opinion, anyway.
We are bringing in new songs, and planning to sweat out some long, difficult practices in the upcoming weeks. We think we're BETTER than a band who phones it in. We suffer with uncomfortable shoes (boots,) and battle exhaustion, because we believe that's our JOB as rockers. We think the audience knows we're legit, and when we do get a packed house, or even a half-full room, we get a lot of people making a big deal about us.
We want to be the best, tightest, and most musically enjoyable cover band in history, not to get more money, or be famous; just to DO IT. At our last show, we were better than we'd ever been before in SO MANY WAYS, but we missed it by that much, with some flubs. Bad note here. Not everyone starting a part together there. We are going to work like DOGS to get rid of those inconsistencies.
How anyone can say, "I don't practice," is beyond me. I don't get how you are going to start and end songs, and how you are going to put in any musical treats for the audience. I don't get how you'll know which sections are tightly worked out ahead, and which sections are a bit of inspired improv. I don't get how you know what each other are going to do next.
Oh, I practice. WE practice. We must just not be as good of musicians as some of you. Because when WE don't practice, it SHOWS.
I'll say it over and over, and over again. It is NOT my goal to play the same, tired old songs that have been played to death over the years; it is my goal to breathe NEW LIFE into GREAT songs that have been treated unfairly by bands who didn't deserve the right to even play them. Our three big new songs to work on this Friday are Iron Man, The Chain and Whipping Post. We are going to woodshed the crap out of those, until they are as perfect as the Long Tall Sally, Whole Lotta Love and Freebird we ended last Saturday night's show with, which brought down the house at a tiny bar way the hell out in Decatur, Indiana.
Women wanted to have our babies. Even Krystal's baby, which would be quite the feat. Dogs living with cats. Pandemonium. We are really starting to amp up the excitement; cut loose the tunes that don't quite do it; add the songs that make them craaaaaazy, and that we know we can absolutely nail to the wall. If ONE NOTE is out of range of the lead singer; CUT. If ONE PASSAGE is too much for the bass player, or drummer, or guitar player to handle, we either woodshed until they step up their game, or CUT.
If you don't LIVE, EAT, BLEED, VOMIT and POOP rock and roll, you have no right to be on any stage, and if I'm in the audience, I will call you out, and maybe even start packing rotten fruit.
You gotta GIVE something if you want to compete with the sixty billion bands now flooding he world with their alleged talent.
That's my opinion, anyway.
Believe it or not, when I moved to Madison, there were still 4-hour bar gigs and casuals for jazz groups. I played my share of those. My peak month ever was probably around 8 gigs, and I was already trying to dial things back by that point.
Honestly, boredom was a challenge. It's hard to come up with new material for each gig when there's no time for rehearsal, and so a band can fall into a rut. And jazz players deal with boredom by misbehaving.
At a lot of gigs, there were two distinct crowds: A supper crowd, and a bar / dancing crowd. The result was that the hottest music got played last (hard bop for the bar crowd, uptempo swing, rock, and even polkas for the dancers). So I had to ration my chops just a bit during the early sets.
Travel and setup were minimal for jazz groups. I don't think that I'd put up with multiple hours of non-playing time, but hopefully the money and potentially bigger crowds makes it worthwhile for rock bands.
Honestly, boredom was a challenge. It's hard to come up with new material for each gig when there's no time for rehearsal, and so a band can fall into a rut. And jazz players deal with boredom by misbehaving.
At a lot of gigs, there were two distinct crowds: A supper crowd, and a bar / dancing crowd. The result was that the hottest music got played last (hard bop for the bar crowd, uptempo swing, rock, and even polkas for the dancers). So I had to ration my chops just a bit during the early sets.
Travel and setup were minimal for jazz groups. I don't think that I'd put up with multiple hours of non-playing time, but hopefully the money and potentially bigger crowds makes it worthwhile for rock bands.
