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"Party" gig is actually a wedding
- Thread starter Jim Nazium
- Start date
If it's a casual backyard wedding party, and you're playing your usual stuff in set-break rotations that are normal for you, then I don't think this is such a big deal. IF they are asking for or expecting anything more than that in the way of song selection, your dress, how long you are playing or your onstage/offstage ratio, or control over your thing in any fashion, then some discussion re economics is fair game.
Net net - they get what they paid for, you get paid more if asked to provide more or other than your usual thing.
Net net - they get what they paid for, you get paid more if asked to provide more or other than your usual thing.
A wedding usually charges more because...
There's usually a first dance the band must learn along with special requests.
The band must know 4 hours of dance music. Jams don't go over at weddings.
They need to play music from all ers 50's, 60's disco, 80's and current stuff. Plus they need to know apropos background music and some standards and bossas for the beginning of the night.
The band leader is usually expected to make announcements and sound good doing it. They must also know how to pace the party. It isn't like a club gig.
Plus, they need to work with the caterer and gets the proper cues so everything goes smoothly.
In other words, if these people don't care if the band knows how to do those things, then they deserve what they get. In which case, accept the money that was offered. .
There's usually a first dance the band must learn along with special requests.
The band must know 4 hours of dance music. Jams don't go over at weddings.
They need to play music from all ers 50's, 60's disco, 80's and current stuff. Plus they need to know apropos background music and some standards and bossas for the beginning of the night.
The band leader is usually expected to make announcements and sound good doing it. They must also know how to pace the party. It isn't like a club gig.
Plus, they need to work with the caterer and gets the proper cues so everything goes smoothly.
In other words, if these people don't care if the band knows how to do those things, then they deserve what they get. In which case, accept the money that was offered. .
As would I. But I would NOT do : cocktail hour, introductions, 1st dance, father /daughter dance, garter belt, cake cutting, the chicken dance, wagon wheel, or a tux.
You just contradicted yourself. That's the gig. If you just want to do what you want to do regardless of what is expected, then you aren't being professional.
A wedding is a very special day in family's lives. It's not about you. If that's how you feel, stay home and don't ruin their party.
Yes, it's a special day so don't lie to the band. Gotta pay wedding money if you want a wedding band to do all your special wedding stuff. These folks lied to avoid paying.
In my opinion, there should be different levels of pay for bar, party, and wedding. The weddings I have done are significantly more work than
a bar or informal party gig. That includes having to wear a perfectly pressed and clean suit or tux v.s. casual stuff.
My response wouldn't be to suck it up and be professional. There would have to be more pay for a wedding.
Leaving out a detail that it was a wedding would not be acceptable.
a bar or informal party gig. That includes having to wear a perfectly pressed and clean suit or tux v.s. casual stuff.
My response wouldn't be to suck it up and be professional. There would have to be more pay for a wedding.
Leaving out a detail that it was a wedding would not be acceptable.
popgadget
Commercial User
- Sep 4, 2005
- 1,233
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- Authorized Greenboy Designs Builder, Scabbey Road
Seems like a lot of assumptions are being made here. I'd say there's a real good chance that the couple getting married just want to have a party, and are going to forgo all of the hokey wedding stuff. With that in mind, if they just wanted a band for their party, what did they do wrong?
It would have been more of a misrepresentation to say its a wedding, and then just have the band play straight sets of their(the band) choice for the duration.
My suggestion is to play the event that you were hired to play for the amount that you agreed to. You might well get other gigs from the attendees.
It would have been more of a misrepresentation to say its a wedding, and then just have the band play straight sets of their(the band) choice for the duration.
My suggestion is to play the event that you were hired to play for the amount that you agreed to. You might well get other gigs from the attendees.
Hope it goes well. These kinds of gigs can be quite enjoyable. That age group will appreciate your playing, even if they don't dance much. You may very well get people asking for your card
There may be a perfectly innocent explanation, such as they don't want everything that comes with a commercial wedding band, including the volume level. In addition to paying the band less, they may also be paying the venue less by getting in and out quick. They may have felt that "party" was a better description of what they wanted.
To everybody else, there seems to be a general assumption that there's only one kind of wedding band and gig. But there are actually niche markets within the wedding industry. The "jazz" wedding gig is one such niche. And you can want clients to pay wedding band prices for a jazz combo, but it isn't going to happen because jazz bands have way different economics and logistics. I've played dozens of these gigs, with bands that get great reviews and referrals. We just aren't asked for all of the extras such as being first in and last out. On the other hand, I've played the chicken dance, solo, arco on upright bass.
Maybe nothing, and you're probably right, but you have to admit it's a hell of a detail to deliberately hide.
We'll play your wedding, but we have rules.
1. No requests. NONE.
2. Father of the bride dance, etc, will be done by a DJ, not us. If you want that stuff from us, we will play songs AS a DJ, and there will be an additional fee.
3. We're not a wedding band. If you are looking to make your reception fun by having a live band, that plays classic rock, then we're your band.
We've played weddings, and they have been quite happy with us. But I'd just as soon not, unless you're going to pay us enough. If you pay us enough, we might forget the rules above, but that whole request thing could be a problem if we don't know the song.
1. No requests. NONE.
2. Father of the bride dance, etc, will be done by a DJ, not us. If you want that stuff from us, we will play songs AS a DJ, and there will be an additional fee.
3. We're not a wedding band. If you are looking to make your reception fun by having a live band, that plays classic rock, then we're your band.
We've played weddings, and they have been quite happy with us. But I'd just as soon not, unless you're going to pay us enough. If you pay us enough, we might forget the rules above, but that whole request thing could be a problem if we don't know the song.
Hi.
All the weddings we played in with Rokker Box were parties.
We were a rock cover band and we were hired by people who heard us on a bar gig or at another wedding.
We were paid to entertain, not to be the dance music monkeys in suits tucked away in some corner.
Not that it would have mattered in one way or another, everyone told us from the start that it was going to be a wedding, usually that was their opening sentence.
For us the weddings were more important than a regular bar gig and we (except the damn boozing guitarist) paid more attention to our behaviour and appearance than on a bar gig or MC party, but otherwise it was another night on a mill we loved to do.
IMO it's a sad world where a band value their performance by the level of the attendees and not by their work.
One would think that any entrepenour would be delighted to realize that what they thought was going to be just another job, turning out to be a chance to market their product to a whole new clientel. Not to mention one with deeper pockets and more connections than the usual (in the light of that IBM party mentioned earlier for example).
Perhaps it's just me.
Regards
Sam
All the weddings we played in with Rokker Box were parties.
We were a rock cover band and we were hired by people who heard us on a bar gig or at another wedding.
We were paid to entertain, not to be the dance music monkeys in suits tucked away in some corner.
Not that it would have mattered in one way or another, everyone told us from the start that it was going to be a wedding, usually that was their opening sentence.
For us the weddings were more important than a regular bar gig and we (except the damn boozing guitarist) paid more attention to our behaviour and appearance than on a bar gig or MC party, but otherwise it was another night on a mill we loved to do.
IMO it's a sad world where a band value their performance by the level of the attendees and not by their work.
One would think that any entrepenour would be delighted to realize that what they thought was going to be just another job, turning out to be a chance to market their product to a whole new clientel. Not to mention one with deeper pockets and more connections than the usual (in the light of that IBM party mentioned earlier for example).
Perhaps it's just me.
Regards
Sam
- Jan 27, 2010
- 4,141
- 471
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- Endorsing Artist: Genz Benz Amplification
If that's how THEY feel, THEY SHOULD HAVE HIRED A WEDDING BAND, not a party band.
If you only found out it was a wedding through other channels, you didn't ask enough questions.
Customer service 101.
It's not the customers responsibility to know what to tell you, you need to know enough to ask.
This is all about setting expectations.
We are a weekend warrior bar band playing blues. We have been offered all sorts of gigs. I then ask questions. Backyard party for husbands birthday, we're in. Outdoor music and arts festival, in. Soft background music during fundraising dinner, out. Corporate yearly sales kick off...out.
I know what we do, where we fit, and where we don't.
A party? Tell me more. What's the setting, time of day, guest age range? What's the party for? What are your expectations for entertainment? And so on......
The demands of the gig determine the price.
Customer service 101.
It's not the customers responsibility to know what to tell you, you need to know enough to ask.
This is all about setting expectations.
We are a weekend warrior bar band playing blues. We have been offered all sorts of gigs. I then ask questions. Backyard party for husbands birthday, we're in. Outdoor music and arts festival, in. Soft background music during fundraising dinner, out. Corporate yearly sales kick off...out.
I know what we do, where we fit, and where we don't.
A party? Tell me more. What's the setting, time of day, guest age range? What's the party for? What are your expectations for entertainment? And so on......
The demands of the gig determine the price.
That's how we do it. We'll take requests for songs we know, which are few. Hope you like songs about drinking, cheating, and leaving.
Uhm, I don't think I'd hire a band that sounds that arrogant about their conditions. I'd like to hear some more accommodating words, not a threat about what you are not going to do.
