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Poll: There is NO STAGE

Will You Play if There is No Stage?

  • Total voters
    737
#221
mellowinman said:
Host: we need to wait until the people at that table leave, and then we'll move it, and that's the stage.
Me: Who booked this? WHO BOOKED THIS???? HEEEYYYYY!!!! AAAUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!! WHO BOOKED THIS?????
Host: Is there a problem?
Click to expand...
Had that exact thing happen about two months ago. Long drive to a gig north of Seattle and when we got there we couldn't set up because they had a table with people eating dinner at it exactly where we needed to set up our Keyboards. My bass amp went up against the ATM machine on the other side of the "stage area" and we had to wait for those folks to leave before we could get set up.

I was not a happy camper because it was a 1½-hour drive from my house and the BL wanted us there 2 hours ahead of time. So we all got there; moved all our gear into one big pile - OK it wasn't really a pile but it was all crammed together - and then we had to wait an hour for those folks to leave before we could start our set-up.

I was not pleased, right up until the end of the evening when we got paid. Then everything was fine.

Amazing how $$ smooths over everything. Next time we played we asked them to be sure that table was moved at least 2 hours before start and they did that. They are actually quite nice folks and more than willing to be accommodating. We have three more gigs set up with them throughout the first half of the year. One really nice thing about this is that I didn't have any trouble getting "up" on that stage.
 
#222
mellowinman said:
Host: we need to wait until the people at that table leave, and then we'll move it, and that's the stage.
Me: Who booked this? WHO BOOKED THIS???? HEEEYYYYY!!!! AAAUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!! WHO BOOKED THIS?????
Host: Is there a problem?
Click to expand...


Im fine with tables, chairs, etc. having to be moved to make room.

What I am not fine with is showing up at an outdoor gig and there is no stage. Played two this past summer like that.

First one was on a lawn under a tarp we barely fit under. It had rained and the ground was wet, somewhat muddy. Fortunately I had a tarp with me I could spread out and put my gear and myself on.

Second one was at a "beach bar". It was a tent party, and we had to set up directly on the sand. I was able to find some rubber kitchen mats to stand on, but i was pissed. I just imagined sand getting into all the nooks and crannies of my gear due to being blown around by the heater (it was late fall). Honestly that one really surprised me as the band leader for that one is usually more on point in getting gigs that don't have problems.
 
#223
Gravedigger Dav said:
I've had to play a lot of gigs where there was no stage. I don't like it, but a gig is a gig.
What I object to is hollow stages or there is one place we play occasionally where the stage is about 30" high, but there is no step or ramp to get up to it.
Click to expand...
Just played a stage like this last week. It was as high as my computer desk with no steps up. And of course, I'm a fat old fart with bad knees. Had a really hard time getting up and down. There was a lot of, "hey could you hand me that..." once I got up on the stage.

I have a fold up step-stool at home that I will absolutely be taking to future gigs there. Getting down wasn't nearly as bad as trying to get up on the stage.
 
#227
My gig last night was in a crowded pub, in a corner. No stage in any shape or form.

Since I became a hired gun for my band (I formally left the band, but they haven't found a replacement, so I'm subbing for all gigs), I didn't go there for set-up at 4PM (show started at 9...BL is like that). The band had plenty of time to make space before I arrived for sound check, scheduled for 6PM (I got there 15min. earlier to set-up my cab, head and connect to the DI that was already waiting for me). Didn't really mind the lack of stage.
 
#229
We play in small breweries, wineries, distilleries, deck parties, paddlewheel boats, parking lots, backyards (with our own homemade platforms), private parties, country clubs and civic events. I can only remember playing on a stage once or twice in the past 5 years. So, no, it never bothers me.
 
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#230
Gravedigger Dav said:
A stage isn't always enough protection. In the early 70s, I played the Williamsburg Inn in Williamsburg, VA. It had a two tier stage. The lowest level was perhaps 12". The lead singer had his Gibson SG on a stand behind has Martin D28 on a stand. A drunk fell into the face of the D28 which fell into the SG. The neck of the SQ hit the upper tier of the stage but the body stayed on the first tier. It broke the neck off the SG and destroyed the face of the D28.
But, the happy ending was the drunk was a successful lawyer who asked what the cost to replace the instruments. The singer told him and he wrote out a check (which cleared) and bought the band a round of drinks.
Click to expand...
Wow, last guy that crashed through my stuff (on break) magically disappeared before I got back.

The owner offered to pay for any damages tho. ( the drunk was a relative of his)
 
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#232
BlueShox said:
House shows are my favorite! They're kind of a diminishing trend around my parts; I guess those with houses are tired of their places getting trashed.
Click to expand...

My first show ever (I was the vocalist) was a pretty wild house show. We didn’t even have a name yet, so I just said a different name between every song to jack with people. I remember the owner bemoaning his shattered glass patio doors.
 
#233
I can live without a stage. What bugs me, though are restaurant gigs where you have to wait until the last minute to set up. There's two like that where I live. One requires you to bring your gear in during the afternoon and pile it up against a wall. They'll finally stop serving at the tables that are on the "stage area" about 30 minutes before showtime. Then they want the band members to move the tables and chairs out of the way and then set up. Last I checked, "furniture mover" wasn't in the job description. To add insult to injury, this room doesn't pay all that well...plus they're kind of dicks to deal with. Needless to say, we don't book that room anymore.
 
#236
dbsfgyd1 said:
I’ve played where not only was there no stage, there was no room for the band. Picture a 5 member band on an ‘6x6’ square. I tried to cheat with one foot out of the square, but it took all of 30 seconds before the owner told me to either get my foot in the square or I was gone. What is worse, this was a 5 night engagement which we completed our obligation. I played with my bass literally perpendicular to the ground.
Click to expand...

Oh man... one of my all-time favorite “no stage” experiences was arriving at an Oktoberfest party and realizing that the area reserved for the band under the packed tent was set up for a three-piece “oompah” band. Somehow, when they wrapped up their set, we managed to stuff a 16-piece brass funk band in there.
 
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#238
Not long ago I was hired for a BIG BUCK wedding. For a show like this I would always do a site inspection. I didn't cause the lead singer told me we had worked this room before without problem, and to bring the full lighting and sound system.
I got to the convention center, and was sent a direction I had never been before. I found the room manager, and was shown 'the stage'. The lack of stage. The VERY SMALL lack of stage. They had cordonned off an area between tables that was about 8' square!! and floor level. I tried to explain that it was a five piece band, with a 5 ton truck full of equipment (lighting trusses, 4x double 18" subwoofers, 32 channel board.....). Deaf Ears. This was our area, and there was no two ways about it. I called the wedding planner that had booked us. There was NO WAY to back out of the gig.
I called our sound man and cancelled him, and set up two of our mid-hi cabinets (of six) on top of the guitar and bass amps (no monitors, two lights), and we packed in around the drums (muting every cymbal cause someone was leaning against it) Nobody but the dance floor could hear us, and that was fine.
We got paid, and rebooked by the same wedding planner.
 
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