Private party gigs and meals

[friskinator]

Some jobs feed their employees, some dont. it seems like an odd thing to decline the food just as a rule.

Agreed. It's unreasonable to ask a vendor to devote an entire evening (and sometimes the majority of an entire day) to them and imply that they shouldn't eat. Doesn't matter if it's a band, photographer, or wedding planner. If you're on site for 8+ hours, you need to eat. And I'm not playing a 3 hour set with no dinner if I loaded in at 3pm.

I'm totally fine if the client doesn't want the band to eat the same food as the guests. Wedding and event food is expensive. But if the client can't be bothered to provide a deli tray from the local supermarket and a case of bottled water, then they shouldn't be booking bands.

 

[Pocket Dave]

Agreed. It's unreasonable to ask a vendor to devote an entire evening (and sometimes the majority of an entire day) to them and imply that they shouldn't eat. Doesn't matter if it's a band, photographer, or wedding planner. If you're on site for 8+ hours, you need to eat. And I'm not playing a 3 hour set with no dinner if I loaded in at 3pm.

I'm totally fine if the client doesn't want the band to eat the same food as the guests. Wedding and event food is expensive. But if the client can't be bothered to provide a deli tray from the local supermarket and a case of bottled water, then they shouldn't be booking bands.

We had to change our rider to stipulate the same food as the guests after the Dallas Westin Galleria, one of the worst, all-day load-ins in the area, threw us in a storage room full of broken furniture and a plate of onion-and-white-bread sandwiches in the 1990's, I kid you not.

For that venue, not only did they have to start feeding us same-as-guest food, our scale went up $1k after that incident. And we still worked there.

 

[LBS-bass]

Having a bit of a discussion in our band re. Playing private parties and eating with and at the same time as the guests. We played an outdoor barbecue last summer and as soon as they announced burgers and sausages were done, we were on break, our drummer booted it right almost to front of line. The rest of us didn’t eat then. The singer waited until after next set and myself and guitarist didn’t eat at all. I personally never eat the food for guests at a gig, and decline if the hosts ask, even if we are out of sight. Just my way, I don’t think they are responsible for my gastric needs. I just wanna keep it as a job, not a social event. I don’t think it is wrong to be fed, away from the party, I will decline still, but I think the drummer was a bit out of line. His response to me was “ you obviously never worked as a hired hand on a farm, the help always gets fed”.

If food is in your contract, est when you want. It’s part of your compensation.

if it is not, do not eat unless it is explicitly offered and it’s best to wait until you are sure all the guests have been fed.

In my experience food is a nice perk but i explicitly write it out of any contract because there is usually not time to eat it. It’s a bonus. Bring a sandwich.

 

[Samatza]

We put it in the contract. Table and food for the band, videographers, photographers and master of ceremonies is the norm for private functions.

In the past we have had the rough treatment at wedding where not table was assigned to the band and we had to go and stand outside presumably. In this case I'll talk to the venue management and they always provide table seating and food somewhere in the venue.

Bringing a significant other to these events is of course an no no. You have to be reasonable, you are working not on a night out with friends.

 

[BassyBill]

If you’re arriving at a venue at say 5PM and staying there for eight or nine hours, then absolutely you should be getting something to eat on your break. If the booking organisers aren’t going to provide it, you need a long enough break to be able to make your own arrangements. Bassists gotta eat, same as everybody!

 

[turf3]

I believe in being self sufficient; bring a bottle of water and an apple, maybe a bag of nuts. You're not going to die of starvation to go 8-10 hours with jsut a bottle of water and a snack. If you get fed, great. If not, no problem.

 

[Jefenator]

With notice, I'd be fine with bringing my own cooler with a burrito and a cold coffee drink.
I actually do that sometimes when a band puts on a concert and there may or may not be a food truck and may or may not be enough time to get through the line after sound check.
It's never come up at a wedding or party yet. (Well... almost, at a handful of the lamest ones.)

 

[Pocket Dave]

Not to derail - I'm doing mostly bar/restaurant gigs these days, pretty lightweight affairs compared to the event world. When I'm booking and hiring players, as will be the case this Friday, I always ask that food be included. For the $100-$150 per man we get before tips, the least I can do for the other players is try to get some kind of food comp included.

The worst that's happened? One place only gives us a 50% discount, but their burgers are the best in town, so nobody complains.

And the BL I work for most of the time? Food has been comp'd at every venue we play and I take full advantage of that because I'm a cheap b**d, thankyouverymuch.

 

[Pocket Dave]

I believe in being self sufficient; bring a bottle of water and an apple, maybe a bag of nuts. You're not going to die of starvation to go 8-10 hours with jsut a bottle of water and a snack. If you get fed, great. If not, no problem.

Self-sufficient is one thing, but asking everyone else to do the bottle-of-water-and-snack thing for an extended-isolation event, especially where you're expected to expend energy all day hauling gear up and down long corridors and putting on a high-energy show for people who are paying well for it, as a past BL and booking POC, I would've seen that as unfair.

We had one large repeat hotel venue where we needed to hit the basement loading docks by 1pm for a 9pm show. Due to hourly staggered shift changes, garbage & linen runs and food deliveries using only two small freight elevators, and then a forced elevator change to a separate single freight elevator to the top ballroom floor, just getting gear into the venue took 4 hours. Getting it back down took only 2 due to lighter over-night staff. 14 hour days were about the norm there with no place else to go, and no time to go, for the duration.

Including food in the one-hour-before-guest-arrival dark time was standard in our contract riders, and only one agent had an issue with it, though she had a not-great rep anyway, and we weren't going to flex on it, not at consuming-venues like this, and there were others.

 

[friskinator]

I believe in being self sufficient; bring a bottle of water and an apple, maybe a bag of nuts. You're not going to die of starvation to go 8-10 hours with jsut a bottle of water and a snack. If you get fed, great. If not, no problem.

I won’t die, but I’ll definitely be an irritable, unpleasant SOB for the entire night.

 

[gln1955]

I believe in being self sufficient; bring a bottle of water and an apple, maybe a bag of nuts. You're not going to die of starvation to go 8-10 hours with jsut a bottle of water and a snack. If you get fed, great. If not, no problem.

Most of us work at our day jobs for 8 or more hours and somehow figure out how to feed ourselves. Free food is a great perk, but sometimes it isn't going to happen. If you go hungry it's your own fault.

 

[turf3]

Self-sufficient is one thing, but asking everyone else to do the bottle-of-water-and-snack thing for an extended-isolation event, especially where you're expected to expend energy all day hauling gear up and down long corridors and putting on a high-energy show for people who are paying well for it, as a past BL and booking POC, I would've seen that as unfair.

We had one large repeat hotel venue where we needed to hit the basement loading docks by 1pm for a 9pm show. Due to hourly staggered shift changes, garbage & linen runs and food deliveries using only two small freight elevators, and then a forced elevator change to a separate single freight elevator to the top ballroom floor, just getting gear into the venue took 4 hours. Getting it back down took only 2 due to lighter over-night staff. 14 hour days were about the norm there with no place else to go, and no time to go, for the duration.

Including food in the one-hour-before-guest-arrival dark time was standard in our contract riders, and only one agent had an issue with it, though she had a not-great rep anyway, and we weren't going to flex on it, not at consuming-venues like this, and there were others.

Well, I wouldn't be signing up for 14 hour days unless the pay was enough that I could just buy my own food. That's just nuts. Of course in that kind of a case there needs to be other provisions. But most folks here are playing 3-4 hour gigs and saying that venues ought to provide food.

 

[Pocket Dave]

Well, I wouldn't be signing up for 14 hour days unless the pay was enough that I could just buy my own food. That's just nuts. Of course in that kind of a case there needs to be other provisions. But most folks here are playing 3-4 hour gigs and saying that venues ought to provide food.

The 14-hour-day event gigs paid extremely well, though buying our own food was not an option, and bringing in food was not allowed in the event space. So feed us.

Though at the other end of the spectrum, for non-event bar gigs that don't pay so well, I try to get food included. And as I mentioned, the main BL I work for always gets it included.

 

[friskinator]

Most of us work at our day jobs for 8 or more hours and somehow figure out how to feed ourselves. Free food is a great perk, but sometimes it isn't going to happen. If you go hungry it's your own fault.

The difference is that my job has a fridge/microwave and a kitchen to sit and eat in. And places nearby to eat if I want to get out of the office. I’ve been on private gig sites where there was nothing within a 30 mile radius to eat, and no way to heat up a meal even if I brought one.

 

[gln1955]

The difference is that my job has a fridge/microwave and a kitchen to sit and eat in. And places nearby to eat if I want to get out of the office. I’ve been on private gig sites where there was nothing within a 30 mile radius to eat, and no way to heat up a meal even if I brought one.

This is why God made sammiches.

 

[WRM]

I believe in being self sufficient; bring a bottle of water and an apple, maybe a bag of nuts. You're not going to die of starvation to go 8-10 hours with jsut a bottle of water and a snack. If you get fed, great. If not, no problem.

You bet! As a curiousity, I did a "pseudo-fast" one time - nothing but liquids for three days (water & beer), and I survived!

The 3's:

3 minutes without air.
3 hours without shelter (in a harsh climate).
3 days without water.
3 weeks without food.
3 months without Hope.

Cheers,

 

[Runnerman]

Only eat if offered. Never ask.

Country club gigs usually provide food...had one with a band room and our own small buffet...was pretty nice. Otherwise offered food after everyone else has eaten. I don't like to sit at the tables with guests but sometimes that's the only place available.

Weddings, usually band offered to eat after the guests are done. Played one recently that had a craft beer trailer and we were given free reign to drink what we wanted. Had one brew before the last set. I usually don't drink until after but that was really nice.

Have played a few tailgates where i wanted to eat....played smelling the grills cooking...was a bit rough since we didn't get offered anything.

 

[sm49341]

Having a bit of a discussion in our band re. Playing private parties and eating with and at the same time as the guests. We played an outdoor barbecue last summer and as soon as they announced burgers and sausages were done, we were on break, our drummer booted it right almost to front of line. The rest of us didn’t eat then. The singer waited until after next set and myself and guitarist didn’t eat at all. I personally never eat the food for guests at a gig, and decline if the hosts ask, even if we are out of sight. Just my way, I don’t think they are responsible for my gastric needs. I just wanna keep it as a job, not a social event. I don’t think it is wrong to be fed, away from the party, I will decline still, but I think the drummer was a bit out of line. His response to me was “ you obviously never worked as a hired hand on a farm, the help always gets fed”.

I almost always eat at a party or event, but make darn sure all other guests have eaten first. Now at a bar gig when offered free meal, I NEVER do that.

 

[SiSoldier]

I always ask our point of contact if its cool to grab some grub if it's being offered. Have never had anyone say no you can not eat. Would think every host would want everyone to have a good time and be fed.

 

[BeMoreFrench]

Luckily for me as a frenchman there's something VERY IMPORTANT in France named "l'apéro", basically it's time for people to get those cocktails, beers, 40% alcohol drinks with some snacks or tapas before actually eating. And, most of the time "l'apéro" can last for... ever before the actual eating lol, well... it's most of the time 1h30 to 2h, a gig time so, and that's pretty good for us pro musicians cos' then it's easy to agree that we'll play at apéro time and eat with all the hosts and their guests after. Of course we leave way before the party goes mad, we think staying just 1h eating and having some friendly chats with the hosts is fine, then we pack and leave.