What Makes a Good Gig?

[_Obra_]

Just curious, what makes a good gig for you? Does everything have to be perfect or just a few of the many things that are key for it to be considered a good gig? Or is it just the pay? Audience reaction/reception?

So, in my gigging experience all of the following play into my enjoyment of the gig:

Enjoy the repertoire.
Enjoy the musicians I play with.
Enjoy that hang.
Ease of load in and out.
Available parking (at or close to the venue).
Pay.
Stage size or room for setup.
Good sound.
Competent sound person (people) provided.
Not starting too late and getting home too late.
Playing for a large audience.
Playing for a receptive audience.
Getting people up and dancing.
The friendliness of staff and patrons.
Proximity to the venue.
Length of the gig.

All of that for me to, but probably not in that order.

 

[Five or Six]

Everything on the OP's list is something I'd include as a positive. To prioritize among it all, though, the two biggest things are good crowd energy and the band playing well together.

Some of the items, like playing music I personally like or having a good hang, are nice to have but not make-or-break for a good gig. Mugshot Monday ends each night with Highway to Hell, an uninteresting song I couldn't care less about, but our crowds love it and it makes for a great end-with-a-bang finale.

Some of them really matter only insofar as they affect our ability to play well. For instance, if parking or the load-in are difficulties, that's too bad, but it only spoils the gig if it means we're rushed or tired or cranky when it's time to play and have a harder time getting into the groove. There are definitely gigs where I wished we had a separate sound guy because I'm stressed running it from the stage, trying to balance and troubleshoot the sound while playing and singing. But if there's no troubleshooting to do and we dial in a good sound quick, I can do without the outside sound guy. etc.

The crowd alone will tell you if what you are doing on stage is good or, not so good. If they bail, it's pretty simple to figure out. The second part of your post is spot on. I run sound from the stage as well. Hurry alone without a proper sound check makes the night feel difficult for me. Especially if chasing a sound issue! Or, if someone is on the " I can't hear this or that train".

 

[Tom Bomb]

If it's not a flop, it's a good gig.​

 

[Micha84]

The audience enjoying themselves. After I gig, I can go "You know what? This one thing really sucked, but I still had a great time" with "this one thing" being literally anything - apart from an audience hating the show.

 

[Wisebass]

Hi Smallmouth_Bass

So, in my gigging experience all of the following play into my enjoyment of the gig:

A horrible setlist, played in an empty room, bad food, expensive beer, dirty toilets, the ugly waitress insists on

exchanging phone numbers...

Getting booked for a follow up gig at same venue..

... her husband who owns the place wants to hire the band back for his new year's eve party,

and the bandleader signs up ( hey, there is no risk if we play for the door).


I think all these things play into my enjoyment


greetings

Wise(b)ass

 

[Core Creek]

#1 for me is a receptive audience and an active dance floor, without which gigging would be meaningless.

All else is, of course, nice to have.

An active dance floor is great. But definitely not necessary if I’m playing jazz (rare these days) or classical (haven’t played classical since college - but loved those gigs!).

 

[Bunk McNulty]

This was a good gig.

 

[Marko 1]

Successfully getting the re-book.

Getting other bookings based on our performance.

This would actually be the ultimate confirmation of a job well done.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

Great vibe, audience, music, sound. The OP got it right.

 

[drpepper]

Just curious, what makes a good gig for you? Does everything have to be perfect or just a few of the many things that are key for it to be considered a good gig?

Considering the question and responses, it occurs to me that personally, it's more a matter of what can ruin a gig for me.

There are a number of things that can contribute to a positive experience (which this isn't "work" for me so much as a "for profit hobby") and I'd say a pretty widely varying combination of elements can do that where X, Y or Z missing doesn't preclude a really good time being had.

It's possible that even a single bad thing can end up overshadowing everything else and significantly sour my feelings about a show that in all other ways.

I'd imagine that what things can ruin an overall experience differs from person to person. Some things like a bad load-in situation, lower pay than I'd like or smaller audience size than expected won't necessarily do it. But friction with another band member on a given night can ruin enjoyment of what would otherwise be good all the way around.

 

[Core Creek]

I completely understand wanting the audience to enjoy the show, getting called back to the venue, etc…. There’s no denying it makes for a good gig, and I’m not immune from the audience vibe.

… but I have never really played music to make other people happy. One of my most memorable gigs was 30+ years ago at college - one of the first bands where I contributed to songwriting. While sound checking a friend came up and told me we were too loud (actually an ex-girlfriend who was into jazz and classical - so I took her “suggestion” with a grain of salt).

The three of us in the band could care less. I had us all hooked up to my 4-track and instead of focusing on the audience, we focused on each other to get the best performance we could. Frankly, I have no clue if the audience dug it or not. But the three of us did. I still have that recording somewhere and it was a watershed moment for me.

 

[Wyrdlow]

This was a good gig.

That is 100%, no doubt a good gig! Played boys. (And girl!)

 

[lordradish]

I'd just go with your list, with the one caveat that in some of the gigs, like jazz gigs, it's quite okay if they don't dance as long as they're receptive.

 

[Marko 1]

I can appreciate musicians enjoying their music and playing well together,

but if that's what's really important, I don't get the point of bringing it in front of an audience...

Does it provide some sort of validation independent from their enjoyment of it?

I read it as “I just want to play in front of people, but I really don't give a crap whether or not they enjoy it” (the cry of originals bands).

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

An active dance floor is great. But definitely not necessary if I’m playing jazz (rare these days) or classical (haven’t played classical since college - but loved those gigs!).

I've played gigs where I consider the audience to be receptive, but not being on the dance floor. You can tell when they're attentive and enjoying it. It's not like a packed dance floor, but it can still be good.

 

[socialleper]

If we can hear ourselves on stage and the crowd likes us. It's a pretty low bar.

 

[Pop C]

A receptive audience that gets the band COOKIN'!!

 

[BassGuyFL]

Relatively easy load in. Competent soundman. Engaging audience. Solid performance from the band and most importantly the check clears.

 

[brianrost]

It’s simple for me:

Zero hassles...whether money, parking, load in, equipment problems or incompetent bandmates.

 

[Dust2Dust]

not blowing up any equipment.