Wedding gig advice? And gigging outside...

[Bluesy Soul]

Glad the gig went well! And thanks for reporting back to us about it.

We're playing another wedding reception on Saturday evening, which will be the sixth wedding reception/local festival we've played outdoors this season. We were asked to open--and we will open--with "Brown-Eyed Girl"! LOL. And we'll play "Mustang Sally", "Play That Funky Music", "Brick House" and "Celebration", just as we have at every other wedding reception.

I still enjoy playing bars and pubs, too; but not everyone in my band agrees. As you saw, private engagements have their own unique characteristics that differ from bars and pubs. In our market, pubs and bars usually have house PA and lights; but private gigs seldom do, so a little extra schlepping, load-in and load-out are involved. Set-up times can vary, of course, depending on the timing and location of the ceremony and related events. Our wedding/festival gig lengths are usually 2-3 hours, but pub or bar gigs are usually 4 hours. Private gigs typically occur earlier as well, sometimes as early as the afternoon. For a variety of reasons (usually ceremonies, dinners, speeches and/or toasts that ran late), we still have never had our performance at a wedding reception start when scheduled, so our actual playing time is typically shortened even more. (Even with late starts, we offer to play the period for which we've contracted, but the venues virtually always have dealines in their rental agreements which require us to load out when originally planned.) Finally, at least in this market, private gigs consistently pay better.

If you want to play more of these types of gigs, provide some cards, brochures, demo CDs, etc. regarding the band--which expressly tout the band's experience and preparation for playing weddings--with local wedding planners, wedding dress shops, florists, caterers, etc. Making some informal cross-marketing agreements with those merchants no later than March can result in a surprising number of wedding reception referrrals for the summer. We've also found that private gigs result in referral bookings far more often than bars and pubs.

Bluesy Soul

 

[dangnewt]

YES!! IT WAS!! You must be some kind a genius or something! Either that or you know a few guitar players.

Not a genius, I used to play guitar before I discovered that life was better on the low side .

 

[David1234]

Make sure you'll have adequate lighting. If you don't, you can't fix that on the day.

Dress, as said above, one or two shades better than you've been asked to, since you want to get more gigs out of this. "Never dress for the gig you've got: dress for the gig you want."

If it's outdoors, agree in advance what your wet weather plan will be.

Have the bride and groom say who your Single Point Of Contact is (often the Best Man) and explain that it saves a lot of hassle if that person is the only one who is allowed to tell you to turn up or turn down. That way when you have 5 people asking you to turn up and 5 people asking you to turn down in the middle of a difficult tune, you can say to all of them that they have to speak to the best man about it because you're under his instruction only. It works!

 

[Bluesy Soul]

Make sure you'll have adequate lighting. If you don't, you can't fix that on the day.

Dress, as said above, one or two shades better than you've been asked to, since you want to get more gigs out of this. "Never dress for the gig you've got: dress for the gig you want."

If it's outdoors, agree in advance what your wet weather plan will be.

Have the bride and groom say who your Single Point Of Contact is (often the Best Man) and explain that it saves a lot of hassle if that person is the only one who is allowed to tell you to turn up or turn down. That way when you have 5 people asking you to turn up and 5 people asking you to turn down in the middle of a difficult tune, you can say to all of them that they have to speak to the best man about it because you're under his instruction only. It works!

+1. All good advice.

Bluesy Soul

 

[MtManiac]

Make sure you'll have adequate lighting. If you don't, you can't fix that on the day.

Dress, as said above, one or two shades better than you've been asked to, since you want to get more gigs out of this. "Never dress for the gig you've got: dress for the gig you want."

If it's outdoors, agree in advance what your wet weather plan will be.

Have the bride and groom say who your Single Point Of Contact is (often the Best Man) and explain that it saves a lot of hassle if that person is the only one who is allowed to tell you to turn up or turn down. That way when you have 5 people asking you to turn up and 5 people asking you to turn down in the middle of a difficult tune, you can say to all of them that they have to speak to the best man about it because you're under his instruction only. It works!

Yeah, we did wish we had more light...

 

[namraj]

The only downside was the electric guitar player and the drummer both were wondering during setup if they should put their amps onstage or just use the monitors. I told them that it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, and they can always turn down, but there's a point where you can't turn up anymore. The drummer took my advice and the guitar player didn't, and guess who was bitching for the last half of the night because he couldn't hear himself onstage?

All in all a fun night! Thanks to all who helped us prepare by offering such great advice.

I can't stop my guitarest not only bringing his amp on stage every time but from micing with one of our few mics and mic stands/using one of the few channels to mic his amp rather than DI, yet he won't let me bring my speaker if it doesn't fit easily.

 

[azureblue]

Outside: Bring power conditioners and a voltmeter and ground tester. When you write the contract, specify that the event will provide the band with SAFE and adequate electricity. Specify the number of outlets and amperage needed. If you can specify ground fault interrupters. And put in a warning to the effect of dangerous electrical conditions will stop the performance until the problem is fixed.

The gig: Learn some extra tunes, and ask BEFORE you write the contract, if there are any specific tunes and put those tunes in the contract, and what they are to be played for: the money dance, the wedding dance, etc.

Find out if there are to be any interruptions, like announcements, emcees, and find out when and put it in the contract. Also, from experience, if there are announcements, toasts etc. to be made, get a real cheap mike with an on off switch and give that the who ever is going to yak. DO NOT give them one of the band's mikes. What we did was to solo that mike when someone wanted to speak. That killed the other mikes and kept them from being used. Specify start and end time, set length and break length, food, etc. Get it all in the contract, and agree to an exception clause. Like, if they keep talking, Uncle bill gets up to sing, and they go over into your playing time, then you play until the specified end, and, if they want you to play overtime, then write down compensation.

My contracts had an equipment clause that went something like "only band members and their agents are authorized to use stage gear. Any one who uses the equipment without permission shall will be held liable for damages to the equipment should they occur, and the band will not be help responsible should some one come on stage without permission and injure themselves. SO, if anyone one wants to use the gear, please ask a band member first."

Musicians, remember this: if some drunk gets on stage and trips over a cord and hurts him or herself, you can be held liable.

Specify who & when you get paid after the gig and specify which member of the band is to be paid and how the check is to made out.. And put a time limit on it. I usually say within 30 minutes of the end performance. To make sure they pay you, put in a penalty, like $50.00 if not paid before the band leaves the gig. (and I put in a bounced check penalty, too) Bring a copy of the SIGNED the contract with you, and, when you get paid, have the payer and the band rep sign the contract to that affect.

I know this sounds draconian, and it is. But a contract protects you and the people that hire you and you need to have it all down in writing. A wedding is mayhem and sometimes there are too many people making decisions and orders. A contract puts it all down and ends conflicts. If The MotB comes up and tells you to play 2 hours without a break, then you have the contract to back up up when you tell them "that's not what was specified".

My fave wedding band story:

Got hired to play an Italian wedding and the bridesmaids weee dressed in 5 colors of pastel. Which matched the colored wine fountains, the biscotti, the streamers, etc. The whole town showed up. The money dance started and, as requested, we played "Color My World"......

for 40 minutes..........

 

[E2daGGurl]

I was going to mention the Bridezilla-Expectations thing, too. Some people really do thing "a band" knows ALL the music that there is in the world. From every era. That's why cheat books sell so well.

Ask the Bride or Her Royal Planner what song the Bride wants for the "First Dance," whether they want the Chicken Dance or not, whether you need to know Havah Nagilah or any other folk dance, and what she wants for the "Dance with Dad" segment. I think the way I'd do it is I'd say, "We usually play "The way you look tonight" for the Dance with Dad segment," and then let them figure out if they want to respond to that. At any rate, have some corny songs ready for those moments.

I'd also ask if being emcee is expected (you know, where the band makes everyone be quiet so Uncle Bob can say a prayer or propose a toast, or whatever). The coordinator should provide you with a list of these moments and names, which your spokesplayer should be able to pronounce.

As the mother of two twenty-somethings, here's a list of songs my girls and their friends have expressed interest in for their weddings (thank god one of them has already eloped, actually):

1. What a wonderful world
2. Brown-eyed girl
3. The way you look tonight
4. As time goes by
5. Our love is here to stay
6. Honky tonk woman (yes, they want that one, so did my sister, who is older)
7. Anything by Steely Dan or the Doobies
8. Benny Goodman (for the old oldsters)
9. The Stones

If you're lucky, the bride and groom will be low-key normal people. My cousins hired a band and then got a bit p.o.'ed that it wasn't all Christian rock (!) There are [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
that compile common wedding requests.

Oh - and for the garter fling, "The Stripper" is a must at many weddings.

 

[E2daGGurl]

On the issue of drunks on stage: this is where have a manager/band bouncer/even someone's girlfriend or boyfriend to intercept and watch for this is really good. Most wedding bands I've seen have brought at least 2 extraneous people with them, just for this reason, positioned right at the edge of the band.

If Aunt Winona decides to lumber up to the mike and sing, have a designated gentleman to steer her. If she decides she wants to play one of your instruments (probably the keyboard - she'll be a singer who thinks she can self-accompany), you're on your own there. No good way of dealing with it, but again, steering and treating said auntie as if she's a toddler is always more mannerly than banninating her from the stage.

And while you should check on the level of food/drink provided - wedding etiquette dictates that the band should be made happy and comfortable too. Including its roadies/managers/hangers-on.

 

[Bluesy Soul]

My contracts had an equipment clause that went something like "only band members and their agents are authorized to use stage gear. Any one who uses the equipment without permission shall will be held liable for damages to the equipment should they occur, and the band will not be help responsible should some one come on stage without permission and injure themselves. SO, if anyone one wants to use the gear, please ask a band member first."

Conceptually this is very good advice, but there's a significant legal flaw: Contracts generally cannot bind anyone who isn't a party to them and doesn't sign them ("lack of privity" is the technical term), so the language is ineffective in imposing liability upon--or effecting a waiver from--third parties, as is apparently intended. (Damage to equipment, however, may be covered by negligence or other tort theories that might provide a different basis for recovery.)

A more effective way to address these issues in the contract is to have the person who signs on behalf of the wedding party indemnify the band and its members for those types of damage and claims. (Yes, I am a lawyer.)

A related point: Unless you have a specific rider on your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy (rare), or a separate property insurance policy covering it (even more rare), your musical equipment is probably not insured in the event it is damaged at a gig.

Bluesy Soul

 

[dave_bass5]

We were contacted by a bride a while ago, asking if her brother and a mate could get up and sing a couple of numbers with us at the reception. We didn't mind and although we didnt know the songs said we would learn them.
About a week later the bride phoned up again and asked when we would be sending the recordings of us doing these songs. The brother wants them with and without vocals so he can learn them, ready for a couple of rehearsals with us before the big day.

It took a very long phone call to make here realise that we arent going in to a studio to record anything and no, we don't rehearse. Even when she offered to pay half for the rehearsals we had to tell here that we wouldn't travel (wait for it) a 230 mile round trip just to rehearse. LOL. Some people have no idea.
And all this should have been sorted out by the Agent, not us.

 

[ggunn]

We were contacted by a bride a while ago, asking if her brother and a mate could get up and sing a couple of numbers with us at the reception. We didn't mind and although we didnt know the songs said we would learn them.
About a week later the bride phoned up again and asked when we would be sending the recordings of us doing these songs. The brother wants them with and without vocals so he can learn them, ready for a couple of rehearsals with us before the big day.

It took a very long phone call to make here realise that we arent going in to a studio to record anything and no, we don't rehearse. Even when she offered to pay half for the rehearsals we had to tell here that we wouldn't travel (wait for it) a 230 mile round trip just to rehearse. LOL. Some people have no idea.
And all this should have been sorted out by the Agent, not us.

Surely you have some way to record something at one of your rehearsals. A casette, a minidisc, a computer with a soundcard, something. Hang a mic from a light fixture and record a karaoke type thing, quick and dirty, vocals way back if you need them to keep your place. Burn it onto a CD and send it to him and tell him you'll see him at the reception. He gets a quick (~10 minutes) runthrough at sound check, if you get one and there's time and he's available, and that's it.

You are in a bit of an awkward position, seeing as you have already agreed to do this thing. Public relations is a huge part of wedding gigs; IMO you should fix this if you can without jumping through your butt.

 

[Stumbo]

That's what I was sorta thinking too. Anyone else have comments on this?

1) Since guitar cabs are so limited in dispersion, putting extension cabs on each of the drums will solve that problem (if they aren't going through the PA).

2) Be ready for (drunk) people to come up and want to use your mic for speeches and such. Maybe have a specific mic setup for this purpose. Best to work with the wedding planner/contact to come up with a script so that at least there's a starting point for planning the gig and a reason to turn down requests for the mic or at least refer them to the wedding planner. I know in the middle of the gig it's sometimes difficult to control anything, but at least you can try.

3) +100 on having CD's available, especially between sets.
YOu can even put together a "mix" CD. Find out what they want to hear between the sets.
Once you have the CD's made up, they'll be available for the next wedding you play. Keep them safe.

4) Watch your equipment between sets, drunk people do stupid things. Requests will be coming at you all evening. If you don't play some of the tunes, play them between sets if you have them on CD. If they want you to DJ between sets, someone in the band will have to be elected to do it.

5) Be ready to share your PA if there's an MC. A hired MC will have his/her own act and will ask for all kinds of stuff from the band (Drum rolls before throwing the garter, drum accents after the bad jokes, keyboard intros, etc). YOu really need to pay attention to work with somebody like that. Find out asap who will be the MC.

6) Be flexible and help the bride/groom have a great evening.

 

[dave_bass5]

Surely you have some way to record something at one of your rehearsals. A casette, a minidisc, a computer with a soundcard, something. Hang a mic from a light fixture and record a karaoke type thing, quick and dirty, vocals way back if you need them to keep your place. Burn it onto a CD and send it to him and tell him you'll see him at the reception. He gets a quick (~10 minutes) runthrough at sound check, if you get one and there's time and he's available, and that's it.

You are in a bit of an awkward position, seeing as you have already agreed to do this thing. Public relations is a huge part of wedding gigs; IMO you should fix this if you can without jumping through your butt.

We have a MD recorder that we record some of our gigs with but as we would have done the same arrangement as the originals we suggested the guys just get hold of copies of them (in fact i sent them Karaoke tracks of two of the songs).

But like i said, we don't rehearse. As we are gigging most weekends there doesn't seem any point spending £40 to rehearse and we certainly wouldn't do it just for that.
We explained the situation and the bride was fine. It wasn't that she was insisting, just that she didnt have a clue how these things work.
I mean, to ask us to do a 230mile round trip, during the week to spend 4 hours in a rehearsal room and only offer £20 is a bit laughable.
And the kicker was the guy was so drunk that night that he didnt want to get up anyway. his mate said he would only do it if both of them did.
The good thing is we learnt 4 songs and we actually still play them as they go down well.

But its really the agent that should be fielding these requests IMO. They need to do something to earn the money they take from us.

 

[ggunn]

We have a MD recorder that we record some of our gigs with but as we would have done the same arrangement as the originals we suggested the guys just get hold of copies of them (in fact i sent them Karaoke tracks of two of the songs).

But like i said, we don't rehearse. As we are gigging most weekends there doesn't seem any point spending £40 to rehearse and we certainly wouldn't do it just for that.
We explained the situation and the bride was fine. It wasn't that she was insisting, just that she didnt have a clue how these things work.
I mean, to ask us to do a 230mile round trip, during the week to spend 4 hours in a rehearsal room and only offer £20 is a bit laughable.
And the kicker was the guy was so drunk that night that he didnt want to get up anyway. his mate said he would only do it if both of them did.
The good thing is we learnt 4 songs and we actually still play them as they go down well.

But its really the agent that should be fielding these requests IMO. They need to do something to earn the money they take from us.

All's well that ends well, I suppose. Next time something like this happens, just tell her to call your agent. "Sorry, we don't deal directly with the customer". Explain to the agent what the nature of reality is and let him deal with it.

 

[dave_bass5]

All's well that ends well, I suppose. Next time something like this happens, just tell her to call your agent. "Sorry, we don't deal directly with the customer". Explain to the agent what the nature of reality is and let him deal with it.

Indeed.

The other problem (and this might help others) is that in the 200+ weddings Ive done in the last 4 years here in the UK i think we have had a proper sound check no more than a handful of times.
Its very common to be playing in the same room as the wedding breakfast so normally its a very quick turnaround between the guests getting out of the room, the band setting up and the dance floor being laid. We all know how long the speeches can go on so there is sometimes only half hour or so before we start getting hassled.
Or it could be that we set up in an adjoining room during the meal or speeches so again, no sound check. We do a line check of course but we tend not to be able to play more than maybe one, quiet number and no time to work things out.