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What's wrong with 2023 audiences?
- Thread starter Lance Bunyon
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Yeah, I'm a bit of an adrenaline addict and the performance aspect is an important part of what motivates me. I'll do a wallpaper gig if the money is right and the others want to do it, but I won't be expecting a big adrenaline hit from that show. I'd much rather be playing to a large and appreciative group of listeners and dancers, though.
If I'm watching a band that's firing on all cylinders, the last thing you'll catch me doing is checking in on TB forums.
As far as phones go, there are legit things the audience might do. I particularly like it when they get on their phones and text their friends to tell them the band is good and they need to get over here 
OP here. We had a great show Friday night. BL pulled his Springsteen move and we played 3 hours straight nonstop high energy music.
I guarantee we wouldn't have done that without a high energy crowd giving it right back to us.
Noose is back in the lockbox.
And we just had our 4 year anniversary TODAY as a solid working trio.
I guarantee we wouldn't have done that without a high energy crowd giving it right back to us.
Noose is back in the lockbox.
And we just had our 4 year anniversary TODAY as a solid working trio.
That's great to hear. Not every gig is a stellar gig, but there are still people out there who appreciate what we do.
I think the band has a duty to get a buzz on and they must be capable of doing that.
As said, the cheap win is doing certain numbers .....if i think the number is over played by bands on the circuit and isn't that great a song either, then no, not playing it. Example would be Sex on fire etc.
But its quite a feat of navigation to do your thing without succumbing to the ultra populist path.
I'd note the big difference between a great band and very popular band. Around here, the great band can slay an electic and discerning audience, that the popular band just couldn't crack, would not even get invited to play, but you do need to pick your battles/gigs. For me its far far more satisfying if people are geninely surprised at the gig quality within, say, a blues type genre, than bashing out the anthems with no real style or panache.
And the bands themselves know .....but it takes some nerve from band, players and venues alike.
But no one puts on wallpaper music, the investment is too expensive for the rewards but plenty of venues invest in becoming the music venue.
As said, the cheap win is doing certain numbers .....if i think the number is over played by bands on the circuit and isn't that great a song either, then no, not playing it. Example would be Sex on fire etc.
But its quite a feat of navigation to do your thing without succumbing to the ultra populist path.
I'd note the big difference between a great band and very popular band. Around here, the great band can slay an electic and discerning audience, that the popular band just couldn't crack, would not even get invited to play, but you do need to pick your battles/gigs. For me its far far more satisfying if people are geninely surprised at the gig quality within, say, a blues type genre, than bashing out the anthems with no real style or panache.
And the bands themselves know .....but it takes some nerve from band, players and venues alike.
But no one puts on wallpaper music, the investment is too expensive for the rewards but plenty of venues invest in becoming the music venue.
Agree with this. Lots of club owners don't get this either. There are some I have encountered that get all paranoid about the volume level because they think it will drive away the crowd, but they have the wrong idea. They are worried about driving away the 20 people that are sitting on their hands at the tables talking and looking at their iphones but they are in reality driving away the folks that want to come in and have a good time and party. That's what sells drinks owners out there! We had a gig where there were folks drinking and up dancing and having a great time. During a break the owner tells us a couple at a table said it was too loud and they could hear themselves talk and we need to take the level down a bit. I couldn't believe it. Well out BL is paranoid and we brought it down. Guess what happened to all the fun partying folks. They dwindled. They want a live band, but they really do not want a live band and they listen to the wrong customers.
Now, I understand there is too loud for a club. I have seen that. I'm not talking about going there, but what a lot of these customers and owners deem too loud is not too loud at all for a live band.
Nothing wrong with the audiences per se.
Everything is wrong with the state of live music at the local level. It’s lost its appeal in a society that lives in a state of constant stimulation. Eventually the psychological filters and gain reduction algorithms switch on.
It’s really no different than what happens to people whose apartments are right next to airports. After awhile they stop noticing the sound of jets taking off. Ask them how they can stand it and they’ll tell you they don’t hear it anymore.
Everything is wrong with the state of live music at the local level. It’s lost its appeal in a society that lives in a state of constant stimulation. Eventually the psychological filters and gain reduction algorithms switch on.
It’s really no different than what happens to people whose apartments are right next to airports. After awhile they stop noticing the sound of jets taking off. Ask them how they can stand it and they’ll tell you they don’t hear it anymore.
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A food/drinks venue that goes to the expense of booking a band but then have them as background music doesn't make sense to me at all.
They have no vision for the evening and are throwing hundreds of bucks at it for no purpose.
When I prospect a new gig, I am very careful to ask them what they want and if that doesn't suit what i want to provide, I pass. It works both ways, of course, and then they can pass too.
If the venue said they didn't know, I'd help them but I'm not being the wallpaper.
It's been a long long time since I experienced a gig like that..and frankly can't recall the last one, but I'm not sleepwalking into the next one.
We will be an attraction and add value or not be interested. I don't know any venue who approach it like that either. I know plenty who get it wrong, from my perspective, but not to the extent of complete indifference.
They have no vision for the evening and are throwing hundreds of bucks at it for no purpose.
When I prospect a new gig, I am very careful to ask them what they want and if that doesn't suit what i want to provide, I pass. It works both ways, of course, and then they can pass too.
If the venue said they didn't know, I'd help them but I'm not being the wallpaper.
It's been a long long time since I experienced a gig like that..and frankly can't recall the last one, but I'm not sleepwalking into the next one.
We will be an attraction and add value or not be interested. I don't know any venue who approach it like that either. I know plenty who get it wrong, from my perspective, but not to the extent of complete indifference.
IME each venue is different and has its own personality & thing. Too much variance for me to make a general statement.
This past week paints a good picture why:
My weekly Thursday gig is in a large, live, reflective room with a mixed crowd of live music folk who sit in our general area and people sitting in the outlying areas who are there to socialize. It's far from a wallpaper gig - sometimes we're able to win over outlying-area folk who move to our area.
We DO have to be super-mindful of volume, especially lower mids from the bass and upper mids from guitars.
No house FOH support - we bring a very small PA to handle vocals, kick and keys. At the end of the day, the overall volume level felt right, despite some musician grousing.
Friday night on the patio at a DFW venue where people are there mostly to sit and socialize. The pure definition of a wallpaper gig. While we had a small appreciative group of fans sitting close, we provided background music for the vast majority. Drummer used an electronic kit, I brought a small bass cab and turned my amp down to conversation level. It all worked out. We got to do something we all kinda like doing and got paid for it. NO house sound - Our even smaller PA for vocals, electronic drums and acoustic guitar
Saturday night restaurant gig on the Texas/Oklahoma line. Medium-to-large listening room with a great crowd who were there for the music. Without dates like the previous night's wallpaper gig, I don't thing we'd really appreciate the good ones like this. Passably decent house sound, though my 410 bass cab covered the bottom-end better than than their powered-2-way-12's could for the room size, which fit the room like a glove.
We were able to play at an appropriate live-band volume level.
Sunday afternoon at a large-stage DFW venue with concert sound system and live broadcast on a local FM station. Only issue there was a sound tech's propensity for dialing in too much boom in the FOH bass mix - we put a mic and recorder out in the room - He did ease off on the lowest frequencies by our last set. No issues whatsoever with us playing at full stage volume, and we had a good, appreciative crowd.
After Sunday's gig, I went to a friend's weekly jam. Kind of a small room with vocals-only, band-provided PA and no mic on the kick drum. Listening from the crowd, one of the jammer bassists dialed in so much volume, especially lower-frequency volume, that I couldn't hear the kick drum. Great example of inappropriate volume for the venue.We DO have to be super-mindful of volume, especially lower mids from the bass and upper mids from guitars.
No house FOH support - we bring a very small PA to handle vocals, kick and keys. At the end of the day, the overall volume level felt right, despite some musician grousing.
Friday night on the patio at a DFW venue where people are there mostly to sit and socialize. The pure definition of a wallpaper gig. While we had a small appreciative group of fans sitting close, we provided background music for the vast majority. Drummer used an electronic kit, I brought a small bass cab and turned my amp down to conversation level. It all worked out. We got to do something we all kinda like doing and got paid for it. NO house sound - Our even smaller PA for vocals, electronic drums and acoustic guitar
Saturday night restaurant gig on the Texas/Oklahoma line. Medium-to-large listening room with a great crowd who were there for the music. Without dates like the previous night's wallpaper gig, I don't thing we'd really appreciate the good ones like this. Passably decent house sound, though my 410 bass cab covered the bottom-end better than than their powered-2-way-12's could for the room size, which fit the room like a glove.
We were able to play at an appropriate live-band volume level.
Sunday afternoon at a large-stage DFW venue with concert sound system and live broadcast on a local FM station. Only issue there was a sound tech's propensity for dialing in too much boom in the FOH bass mix - we put a mic and recorder out in the room - He did ease off on the lowest frequencies by our last set. No issues whatsoever with us playing at full stage volume, and we had a good, appreciative crowd.
My take-away:
"Playing the room" applies to all manner of performance behavior, including playing at a room-appropriate volume.
If we don't want to play wallpaper gigs, we simply don't have to book them. If we play 'em anyway, that's not the venue's fault. Personally, my view is they provide value, if for no other reason, they help us appreciate the more crowd-engaging gigs.
If we don't want to play wallpaper gigs, we simply don't have to book them. If we play 'em anyway, that's not the venue's fault. Personally, my view is they provide value, if for no other reason, they help us appreciate the more crowd-engaging gigs.
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Yep. Several years ago in another band we got shut down and asked to leave. Turns out a few regulars at the bar complained, then as we were tearing down the partyers wanted to know why we were leaving. They weren't happy but I guess the bar favored their regular resident drunks
In that case I would have suggested to the partiers that they go to the manager and complain to him that you were being shut down.Yep. Several years ago in another band we got shut down and asked to leave. Turns out a few regulars at the bar complained, then as we were tearing down the partyers wanted to know why we were leaving. They weren't happy but I guess the bar favored their regular resident drunks
Yeah, this reeks of squeaky wheel syndrome and I've seen it a lot. You can have a room full of happy dancers but if one person complains or has their fingers in their ears, the venue will call you out. I've learned to try my best not to work for people like that.
Add to that the probability that the people having a good time are drinking the bar dry, while the mopey regulars are nursing theirs.
And the owner knows all the barflies by name, and worries incessantly that "Maude and dopey bill won't come back oh noes!"
Its like when the restaurant/bar sit the family with a baby or senior citizens at a table right next to the bandstand, C'Mon man!
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