Morning-after regrets/ just venting

[Goatrope]

Not a good gig last night. I’m still feeling uneasy, bordering on mad, but this will pass.

There’s a bar a bit south of our normal circuit that we hadn’t booked since Dec ‘18. We didn’t miss it. We play well, it’s fairly large, and it has a nice stage, but there are usually very few people there, unless they are promoting some sort of major event.

We received a message in our FB page from a manager telling us we were on their calendar for Jan 19. This surprised us as we’ve had no contact, and no intent to book with them. We agreed to make the gig for a higher-than-usual rate, since it’s a drive, and we had no real desire to play there.

We arrive and it’s a ghost town. We did our usual promotion, but our base doesn’t usually travel this far. We do our first set, then during the second set, a manager comes over to negotiate an exit. The place is still mostly empty, but we’re actually playing very well. They apologetically offer half-pay to end it now, which our band leader accepts.

Why am I still stewing on this? I should let it go, but in my mind:

-We got bamboozled into taking a gig that they claimed was already agreed upon.

-We don’t get paid to play, we get paid to transport, unload, setup, tear down, load out gear. We did all this and got half pay.

It’s not the fault of the venue for outsmarting us. All the bad choices made were ours. I think We need to talk this out, / hug it out, or maybe go outside and shout at the clouds. In any event, we won’t be going back there ever.

That’s all. Thanks for reading.

 

[danesdad]

You guys agreed to it.....

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

You guys agreed to it.....

What he said.

 

[bikeplate]

Should have said no thanks and stayed home.

 

[lfmn16]

I would have asked who in the band they talked to.

 

[gln1955]

So, you've played there before and didn't have a draw, the venue hires you knowing this, and then stiffs you when you don't have a draw. BL needed to stand up for y'all.

 

[Goatrope]

So, you've played there before and didn't have a draw, the venue hires you knowing this, and then stiffs you when you don't have a draw. BL needed to stand up for y'all.

Yeah. Sweet guy but no balls. We’ll hug it out. I’m usually the dick that always asks too many questions, or argues. I was trying to be on good behavior, so I own this as much as he does, for not stepping in.

 

[Spidey2112]

We received a message in our FB page from a manager telling us we were on their calendar for Jan 19.

We agreed to make the gig for a higher-than-usual rate...

I think these would have been really great arguments for the pay which was agreed upon, prior to the show, especially if both statements were in writing.

Maybe BL was thinking if put to a vote, it could have gotten even worse.

Wonder how many other bands the venue's manager treats this way, or it was just desperation on his part to fill the bill?

 

[el jeffe bass]

Put it behind you and vow NEVER AGAIN.

 

[Goatrope]

I think these would have been really great arguments for the pay which was agreed upon, prior to the show, especially if both statements were in writing.

Maybe BL was thinking if put to a vote, it could have gotten even worse.

Wonder how many other bands the venue's manager treats this way, or it was just desperation on his part to fill the bill?

You are likely correct. Avoiding confrontation is a core-competency of our BL. I get to be that guy when needed.

I’m not sure how other bands have been treated, but the low attendance is common, unless it’s a major event that’s been promoted. They have a reputation for some nice big events, so I think bands will continue taking the ghost-town gigs, hoping they’ll be called for an occasional big one.

————

Thanks all, for the comments. I’m more mad, like mad when you hit your thumb trying to hammer a nail. It’s passing.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Band needs to sit down and talk, to decide what gigs to decline, and when not to accept buyout on a slow night.

 

[Meyatch]

-We don’t get paid to play, we get paid to transport, unload, setup, tear down, load out gear. We did all this and got half pay.

This is a thing musicians say, but its not true at all. The venue pays you, they don't really care how hard you work to load gear, they are paying for music.

It’s not the fault of the venue for outsmarting us. All the bad choices made were ours. I think We need to talk this out, / hug it out, or maybe go outside and shout at the clouds. In any event, we won’t be going back there ever.

That’s all. Thanks for reading.

I don't see how the venue outsmarted you, it sounds like they probably got the worst end of this deal. They paid half price with 0 benefit.
It sounds like a frustrating night. I probably wouldn't book there again. I'm not sure what you could have done differently, it just sounds like a bad night all around.

I can't imagine it would have gone over very well if you'd have turned down the half pay offer, and continued to play to chairs for full pay.

 

[electracoyote]

In my experiences, this one falls into the 'relatively minor/water under the bridge/live and learn" category.

Yep, hug it out, resolve to be smarter in the future, carry on. Not worth any more emotion than that.

 

[dkelley]

Someone tells me I have a gig agreed to, but I don't remember? it has happened, but I'm pretty good these days about being very careful to document everything (Because my memory is terrible and I've screwed up in the past, like 25 years ago).

But you agreed at that point, and agreed on a good price. Honestly, you did the big drive and got paid extra for it, and did half the performing and got half the pay. Sounds pretty normal, honestly.

They run a business, so you do guys. If you believe the singer should have said, no, we perform as requested and get paid as requested, it's possible it could have worked out, if the initial contract to perform was signed in writing by both parties before hand.

But leaving half way through and still getting half pay is not terrible.

What sucks is going so far for no crowd - it makes no sense that they booked you at all. Odd decisions were made on both sides to end up there in the first place.

I'd put it down to nothing to worry about, though.

Ever played a gig and not gotten paid? Ever shown up and not gotten stage time? Ever shown up and had a member of the band destroy your group's reputation due to poor judgement or personality problems on stage? Ever played a gig well, knowing you did well as usual, only to be told later on that you were not being called back because it was "just not a good fit"?

These are the things that have made me feel like crap afterwards.

 

[Goatrope]

In my experiences, this one falls into the 'relatively minor/water under the bridge/live and learn" category.

Yep, hug it out, resolve to be smarter in the future, carry on. Not worth any more emotion than that.

I like how you think.

 

[Goatrope]

Someone tells me I have a gig agreed to, but I don't remember? it has happened, but I'm pretty good these days about being very careful to document everything (Because my memory is terrible and I've screwed up in the past, like 25 years ago).

But you agreed at that point, and agreed on a good price. Honestly, you did the big drive and got paid extra for it, and did half the performing and got half the pay. Sounds pretty normal, honestly.

They run a business, so you do guys. If you believe the singer should have said, no, we perform as requested and get paid as requested, it's possible it could have worked out, if the initial contract to perform was signed in writing by both parties before hand.

But leaving half way through and still getting half pay is not terrible.

What sucks is going so far for no crowd - it makes no sense that they booked you at all. Odd decisions were made on both sides to end up there in the first place.

I'd put it down to nothing to worry about, though.

Ever played a gig and not gotten paid? Ever shown up and not gotten stage time? Ever shown up and had a member of the band destroy your group's reputation due to poor judgement or personality problems on stage? Ever played a gig well, knowing you did well as usual, only to be told later on that you were not being called back because it was "just not a good fit"?

These are the things that have made me feel like crap afterwards.

Very good way of putting this event in proper perspective.

 

[RustyAxe]

Well ... it's done now. A band meeting is in order, and first on the agenda should be "we never settle for less than we agreed to before the gig".

 

[Oddly]

Just to clarify, did the band-leader accept half pay without asking the rest of you?
If so, sounds to me like he should make up the difference and ensure the rest of you all got full pay.

 

[RustyAxe]

Ever played a gig and not gotten paid?

Once or twice in 52 years. Well, at least not when we were supposed to be paid. Played a lot a freebies when I was young, though. The money didn't matter then, and we weren't being exploited.

Ever shown up and not gotten stage time?

Once or twice ... got paid, though

Ever shown up and had a member of the band destroy your group's reputation due to poor judgement or personality problems on stage?

A few times ... but only once with the same band member! In fact, I dropped two duo projects last year because of my partners' inability to keep their political views to themselves ... not only on stage, but during breaks, and all over their FB pages.

Ever played a gig well, knowing you did well as usual, only to be told later on that you were not being called back because it was "just not a good fit"?

A few times ... and they were right, it wasn't a good fit. Think Blues Brothers at Bob's Country Bunker.

These are the things that have made me feel like crap afterwards.

It's all part of the game.

 

[JW56789]

The horse is already out of the barn and gone over the hill. It's done. Agreed to NEVER play that venue for any reason again. Got half-paid for half a gig. Forget it . . . . . unless . . . . . this happens again.