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We're doing it wrong

C

Crater

Oct 12, 2011
2,520
2,152
Dallas, TX area
#1
We played a gig last night and the we do just about everything wrong, and we still got paid. :hiding:

No setlist before the gig? check
Music stand? You can't expect a d00d to remember lyrics he wrote.
Open the set with an improvised jam? yup
Self-indulgent guitar noodling? in spades
Two minutes of rambling talk between songs? Sure, why not. Drop some f-bombs while you're at it.
Throw another improv jam at the end of song? Yes, please.

We would have worn cargo shorts, hawiian shirts and sandals, but's it winter here. ;)

Bless those people for not just tolerating us, but liking us enough to invite us back March 15th, the Saturday night before St Patrick's day. :bassist:

Yeah, we're a bunch of middle-aged suburban doofuses in a hobby band. In case you were wondering. And we were paid just a hundred bucks for the whole band, but that more than covers my gas money to the gig. The bar and the soundguy are very nice to us, it's a nice big stage and we like playing there. Great funky dive bar with a working class clientele, and located in a local suburb that still allows smoking in bars, so your close reek of nicotine all the way home, just like the old days.
 
#8
Stewie26 said:
and the bar got what they paid for. I would no worry about it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. When a bar pays a cover band $100 for an evening of music, they clearly have pretty low expectations, so it's clearly no shocker when the band acts less than professionally. That's not meant to be a dig....it's just reality. Your band is clearly comfortable performing in such a manner and you found an establishment that is accepting of it. The bar gets a band for less than they would pay a DJ, and the band covers gas. Win win for everyone.
 
#10
Hi,

I wouldn't be knocking the man's fun. I've played some real dives for little money just because it was close, fun, no pressure, and I loved the guys I was playing with. Sure, the band may be getting the shorter end of the stick, but who cares? Sometimes you don't have to be that serious. :p

In my best fake British accent, "And now for an excursion into jazz fusion... in D!" ;)

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
#18
Turock said:
Who knocked it?
Click to expand...

umm - just about every poster on the thread.....

Honestly OP - it does kind of sound like you are bragging about hitting every point the 'pros' on here rag on every band (except theirs) about. Probably did that to draw some ire, attention, whatever. Glad you had fun and got invited back - but I would tend to agree with the other posters (although in nicer terms) - try to up your game a little bit. My band - our rhythm guitar/lead singer can't give up his music stand and it drives the rest of us nuts. It's his security blanket. We also have too much dead space between tunes - that irritates me and the lead git player to no end, but doesn't seem to bother the other two. I would LOVE to get us around to a more professional looking set - but it's kind of like herding cats....
 
#19
What pisses me off is we all decide on a set list before the gig. Then when doing the gig, they throw out the set list and stand around saying "What do you want to play next, or I don't want to do that one, or lets play this one"... What key is that in? meanwhile we loose the crowd. When they eventually decide on a song to play it's always, "Mustang Sally" Somebody shoot me.... OH! I forgot, this always happens.. we're playing some fast rockers one after the other and the crowd is dancing up a storm and they decide to either go on break or play a slow song... = loose the crowd again. Ok, I'm done ranting.
 

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