What would you do? (same venue back2back)

[Jimmy4string]

Do it! For the second gig rent Gorilla suits for incognito fun!
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[pepj]

It is just the same venue or same booker?
If the former, then no problem at all and same set if need be...if the same booker, then I'd charge more for a birthday so thats a little awkward.

I'd call a birthday party a function but sometimes the venue might sell their place for a hire fee but book you on the cheap. The distinction...and likely problem, imv, is if the venue is closed to its public.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It's a birthday party and then a venue event, no problem. As long as you don't have the same set list, you're good. Oh, just in case you don't know and I didn't, you're supposed to have a patriotic song for Legion/VFW gigs. Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA" is ideal.

 

[gregoire1]

If you are so booked and only have a couple of sets of music does it get boring? or just better and then boring.
We play 4-5 shows at a local lake 3 hours of music. No repeats all summer. But then again we have 200+ grateful dead and jerry tunes to chose from I guess most national touring acts repeat the same show every night, of course except the GD never did in 30 years, or their remnants called dead and co. Kept me coming. Who would go to 30 shows a year if they were the same set list and the unexpected never happened ?

We have 4 50 minute sets. And another 50 min set we could pull out in an emergency (probably screw it up though since it wouldn’t be well rehearsed).
We rehearse most fridays and limit gigs to once a month usually.
We sneak original songs in whenever possible as well. Not boring yet.(but at 1am when you’re still hauling stuff to the trailer…)

 

[juancaminos]

DO IT!

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

If the venue's members are as old as implied here, they probably won't remember your original performance's song list. Could also be a different set of birthday friends!

 

[portpc]

Do it by all means - Heck, I'd make a joke about it if you feel self-conscious, " We did this song last week but we think we can do it better!" If (1) person comes up to you at the 2nd gig and says that a song you played made their day consider yourself a massive success.
The world can be a cold place especially nowadays, seize any opportunity you can to make it better thru music.

 

[badinage]

I used to make a living playing more or less the same set list six nights in a row. Then we'd pack up and go subject the next town on the itinerary to their dose of that aggravation. Nobody ever chased us out of town with torches and pitchforks.

And before the posts about how we should have ... bla bla bla. Yeah. We thought of that and did. It was still "us" doing stuff that sounded like "us".

Play the show and don''t worry about it.

 

[mike buzzetti]

wear a pink TUTU ! done

 

[turf3]

It used to be that the gigging musician's ideal was the 4 or 5 nights a week residency that lasted for months, and now you're complaining about it?

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

We’ve been asked to play a birthday party at the local VFW, but we’re already booked there the very next weekend. That 2 shows, same venue, same people (likely) and same set list just one week apart.
Would you do this?
(Fwiw, we have no trouble getting gigs, our calendar is full till next year)

Learn a new set

 

[iiipopes]

If you scuff the gig now, you will regret it later. Play both and enjoy. It might even get you more gigs, because there will probably be at least some different people show for the birthday party than come to a regular weekend. If you scuff it, you might not be asked back. Put some schtick into the second gig, like "And who was here last week for ___________'s birthday? Let's give him another hand....So let's see the rest of you dance to this next song like you all did last week...." etc. Great opportunities to tie the two gigs together.

 

[fhm555]

Wait till you get a bi weekly appearance at a country bar loaded with dancers every weekend. We were one of two house bands who did 2 weekends a month each. In those situations your crowd will dictate your set list and they will want whatever is hot on the local country station, so listen and learn what’s hot each week and you’ll have most requests covered.

 

[Bass Jones]

Do it! For the second gig rent Gorilla suits for incognito fun!
Follow me for more great gig tips!
View attachment 4748321

Venues are already planning for National Gorilla Suit Day...make sure you're the first band they think of.

 

[Jonny Reese]

Could you leave your cab there all week? Then hell yeah!!

 

[Pings Bass]

I've always considered it a priority to mix it up from gig to gig, never playing exactly the same repertoire.

This has always been my approach, too, but a lot of touring bands have set shows they perform. I assume that's true for pop-rock cover bands on the corporate circuit, too.

I remember seeing Little Feat open for the Dead in two consecutive days in Eugene in the 90s. The Dead of course could play several consecutive shows without repeating a song, but little feat just mixed up their set list. I think they literally played all the same songs, just in a different order.

FWIW, as an audience member I really appreciate a well put together show. A fully improvised evening can work ... or it can fall flat, full of dead air and aimless noodling.

Anyway, yeah, take the gig, why not?

 

[J Wilson]

The various fraternal organizations (the VFW's, American Legions, Eagles, etc.) may not be the hippest spots in town for sure, but they're steady money, and in a way I always thought they were pretty painless: Unlike the happenin' spots, in the VFW's and the like, it was an older crowd and they all knew each other, so it really tended to be smooth sailing.

They were more places to work, and you can never have enough. And they tended to pay real well for the holiday dances, and as my dad was a mason, the Masonic Lodges and the Shriners were always fun. I had a 7-year old nephew that required scary and expensive neurological surgery, and the Shriners accepted him for it at the hospital in Gainesville, FL, and never asked for a dime. So for me, any time I could play for the Shriners it was a no-brainer, and I was always honored to play the American Legion, my dad was a WW2 vet.

 

[kittywithabanjo]

One of the bands I do sound for just did this, as others say I would recommend adjusting the set list and the inbetween patter, if your front person has go to jokes etc, the guy in the band I did this told the same jokes from the previous week and the audience was shouting back the punchlines, he also does some trivia which gets a bit old the 10th time

 

[Marko 1]

Different setlist?

wut?

I don't want to quote anybody, but damn, some of y'all act like people can't enjoy hearing the same song twice, and a week apart. Is there anybody like that?

They brought you back because they like your material, hello!!

And playing to a crowd of people who are socializing/partying is not the same as doing a show where the audience is there just to see you, standing there looking at you all night.

I'd bet most people at that party won't hear half the songs that are being played.

Rant over.

 

[dave hope]

The 2nd gig play nude. I’ll bet no one will remember the previous week.