Playing "Benefit gigs" (rant)

[ezra1]

That's gratitude for you! Although, does a broken ankle warrant a benefit?

I played benefits for less reasons.
I couldn't work and had sole custody of a 14 yr old girl and a 5 yr old son.
No income.

 

[Bass Viking]

I played benefits for less reasons.
I couldn't work and had sole custody of a 14 yr old girl and a 5 yr old son.
No income.

OK, that sounds serious!

 

[trailer]

We're playing a benefit gig today. We're actually getting paid $600 (200 less than our normal rate) but plan to donate the money back...minus expenses, And since the gear will already be set up we're supposed to play an after party 2 hours later for 450. Gonna be a long day....

 

[bumperbass]

Well, the planets aligned so I just formally quit today.
We just did ANOTHER benefit (diabetes) last Saturday. I'd guess 30 people were there.
The drummer quit a few weeks ago and the BL and his sidekick guitar player don't have the foggiest idea who they'd get for a replacement.
They got a sub for Saturday's gig so we didn't sound like ourselves, of course.
We only had one more gig lined up anyhow.....second week of December at a crappy joint with a sucky PA. It's the same day as a family holiday function so that was the final nail in the coffin.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

There are Charities and then there is charity.

When we play for a professionally run charity, we get paid. We get paid to draw people to the event, which we do. When a friend of ours had stage 4 cancer, we organized an event for him, hired a hall, promoted it, and raised about $7,000 for his medical bills. Our BL was the main organizer:

 

[Passinwind]

There are Charities and then there is charity.

When we play for a professionally run charity, we get paid. We get paid to draw people to the event, which we do.

Yep. As always, it just depends. I've also seen scenarios where a band member paid the rest of the band out of pocket for "freebie" benefits, party gigs, and so on. I actually had to tell one husband and wife team to knock that off and just book gigs where there was enough scratch to go around. They would take the tip jar and pay the rhythm section our standard wage, while they were hauling the PA and doing the booking. No bueno.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Every band does it's own thing, play the benefit, don't play it, play for free or get paid.

We do a couple each year, for things we believe are good causes, never got paid.

This was a good cause in our minds, we played for an hour for free. PA provided, that's about the only rule we look for in multi band setups like this. This young boy is a HUGE music fan, he lives with his Grandma and she brings him to see almost all of the bands in our area. The benefit was to raise money to help her buy a van that would accommodate his wheelchair, he had grown to big for her to lift him in/out of the car. 9 hours of music, all performers played free of charge, raised almost $15k for her to get the van. Giving back something sure felt good in that case.

 

[MEKer]

Thanks! I've edited my post. See the bold part.
Yeah, I think we are getting the reputation as being an easy target.
The responses to my thread will help me determine if I should walk away. I'm torn.

Easy target indeed. I'd tell the band to get working for a following that can get attendance at paid gigs. If they can't do that, then I'd say they are not serious and playing just for playing with themselves eating all costs involved. Not my cup of tea. If that is the case after a band meeting, I'd walk. It has nothing to do with empathy, sympathy, etc. Why not just donate some of your household goods every month so you can "feel good". Or do they lack confidence in their skills? If so, another reason to leave.

 

[Marko 1]

One of the players wives is a benefit freak

Yeah, and I'm guessing his wife give him a little “something” after each show in appreciation. Tell him next time to get two and give you one, lol...

JUST KIDDING!

 

[richntiff]

A benefit only attended by 25 people is an unorganized wreck. Benefits are a hobby for these guys.

There's a disconnect somewhere though. Who is organizing these events? Are they annual events? Are they put together by known groups?

I have no problem doing a charity event that is well ateended and actually BENEFITS someone. 25 people aren't going to build a wing of a hospital or save the abandoned pets in your area.

We just had a major hurricane here. People 35 miles from me east, southeast and south are dealing with devastating floods. We're going to get hit up to play some charity events for sure.

I'm all in if it's an event at a fairgrounds, a park, or a large venue and put on by people who are all in with us. But if some guy named Bob is holding a barbeque to gather canned goods, no thanks.

So, I think you have a valid point. But you just need to know how to phrase it.

"Fellas, I think we need to be a bit more selective as to which benefits we agree to play. We played a lot of unorganized events that aren't well attended and don't seem to benefit anyone, really."

Honestly, how easy will it be for these guys to find another bass player willing to play half their gigs for free?

Somebody in the band likes his ego stroked. "Oh, Jim is jist the BEST!!!! He is ALWAYS willing to help out. He's a real hero!"

Or, more likely, it's the wife. "Oh, Jill it just the BEST! She always manages to get Jim's band to help out for free!"

I'm willing to help if the help is effective.

^ this x1000

 

[Nephilymbass]

We’ve got one coming up. I believe this makes 4 benefits for 2018. As I said in my previous post we are limiting benefits to directly helping people we know. This one is actually for family. Our singers younger brother was in an ATV accident and broke his neck. Happened out in the country so he was flown via helicopter to the hospital. He just got out of the hospital after several weeks which included surgery and rehab. He’s gotten much better, paralysis was a real danger. Luckily his condition has improved but he’s not back to 100%. He still needs a cane to walk and can’t go back to his job. Our singer has setup the benefit show and also 3 BBQs and a gofundme Page.

Event info for anyone in the area

Go fund me if anyone would like to help. Every little bit helps
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