Great thread! For some reference (if anyone cares), I'm 37 and I've been doing the 4-hour bar gig since high school. I got into my first cover band around 2000 and I've been gigging steadily ever since. I've done weddings. I've done benefits, festivals, and community events. Those can be nice changes of pace, but I still love doing the bar gigs. I'm not a professional musician and earn a good living with a day job that I love.
There have been a ton great tips in here. But frankly, there are soooo many variables. We all have different personalities, different goals, different pet peeves. What makes one of these gigs more enjoyable for me won't work for everyone. But here goes anyway (in no particular order):
1. Hire PA. That's probably been the best decision I ever made. All my bands did their own PA until about '08 or '09. Getting back all that time and effort is worth the money I give up. The two main companies we use each charge us $175 for most shows. My main band is a four piece. If we're getting paid $600, then I get $106 versus $150 if we did our own PA. You can have the $44. That saves me time loading into my vehicle, extra time unloading, and then all that time again heading home. Plus I used to have to get there earlier and stay later. And rolling up cables coated in dirt and beer and moving heavy gear at 2am is no fun.
2) Along those same lines, downsize and streamline your rig. Once I developed a relationship with the sound engineers we use regularly and began to trust them, I stopped bringing a big cab. Nowadays I use in-ears. For the gigs where I don't have to bring lights (I'm the light guy in the band), all I bring is one rack, a stand for the rack, a bass, and a bag with my foot controller. I can setup in about 10 minutes and tear down in 5.
3) Play with good musicians that you like. My time is too valuable to me to spend it around people I can't stand or musicians that bum me out. It's depressing when you want a song to sound great, but someone can't cut it. And it's a lot easier to have good stage chemistry when you genuinely like your bandmates.
4) Play music you like. You can never be entirely sure what a gig is going to be like. I play a lot of the same bars and sometimes they're packed, sometimes they're empty, and sometimes it's in between. Some crowds are really into and other times you're just background noise all night. But if you like what you're playing, then it doesn't really matter. You'll have fun and people can pick up on that.
5) Get to know everyone. More recently, I've made efforts to mingle more before shows and between sets. Showing up to a gig is a lot more fun when you know there are going to be people there that like the band and enjoy your shows. It gets people more invested in your band and it's easier to loosen up on stage when you've got some regulars there that support you.
6) Don't eat too much and know when to say when. I hate playing with a full stomach. I just feel lethargic on stage. And I do like to drink when I play, but it's important to know when to say when.
My bass is already super light, so I agree with people that recommend that. And comfy shoes are always a plus, but I'll suffer a little to look cool on stage.
Oh--and because I do like to drink while I play and I'm a fancy beer snob, I always look forward to the bars we play that have a nice bottle selection or good stuff on tap. It's always harder for me to get up for a show when I know my choices are Bud Lite, Miller Lite, Coors, etc. At my gig this Saturday night I hope to get my hands on some Founders Double Trouble Imperial IPA!
My $0.02, YMMV.
There have been a ton great tips in here. But frankly, there are soooo many variables. We all have different personalities, different goals, different pet peeves. What makes one of these gigs more enjoyable for me won't work for everyone. But here goes anyway (in no particular order):
1. Hire PA. That's probably been the best decision I ever made. All my bands did their own PA until about '08 or '09. Getting back all that time and effort is worth the money I give up. The two main companies we use each charge us $175 for most shows. My main band is a four piece. If we're getting paid $600, then I get $106 versus $150 if we did our own PA. You can have the $44. That saves me time loading into my vehicle, extra time unloading, and then all that time again heading home. Plus I used to have to get there earlier and stay later. And rolling up cables coated in dirt and beer and moving heavy gear at 2am is no fun.
2) Along those same lines, downsize and streamline your rig. Once I developed a relationship with the sound engineers we use regularly and began to trust them, I stopped bringing a big cab. Nowadays I use in-ears. For the gigs where I don't have to bring lights (I'm the light guy in the band), all I bring is one rack, a stand for the rack, a bass, and a bag with my foot controller. I can setup in about 10 minutes and tear down in 5.
3) Play with good musicians that you like. My time is too valuable to me to spend it around people I can't stand or musicians that bum me out. It's depressing when you want a song to sound great, but someone can't cut it. And it's a lot easier to have good stage chemistry when you genuinely like your bandmates.
4) Play music you like. You can never be entirely sure what a gig is going to be like. I play a lot of the same bars and sometimes they're packed, sometimes they're empty, and sometimes it's in between. Some crowds are really into and other times you're just background noise all night. But if you like what you're playing, then it doesn't really matter. You'll have fun and people can pick up on that.
5) Get to know everyone. More recently, I've made efforts to mingle more before shows and between sets. Showing up to a gig is a lot more fun when you know there are going to be people there that like the band and enjoy your shows. It gets people more invested in your band and it's easier to loosen up on stage when you've got some regulars there that support you.
6) Don't eat too much and know when to say when. I hate playing with a full stomach. I just feel lethargic on stage. And I do like to drink when I play, but it's important to know when to say when.
My bass is already super light, so I agree with people that recommend that. And comfy shoes are always a plus, but I'll suffer a little to look cool on stage.
Oh--and because I do like to drink while I play and I'm a fancy beer snob, I always look forward to the bars we play that have a nice bottle selection or good stuff on tap. It's always harder for me to get up for a show when I know my choices are Bud Lite, Miller Lite, Coors, etc. At my gig this Saturday night I hope to get my hands on some Founders Double Trouble Imperial IPA!
My $0.02, YMMV.
