I e been told by a gen Z that all live music will be happening in the Meta in the not too distant future. Well, mine won’t!
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What's wrong with 2023 audiences?
- Thread starter Lance Bunyon
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One thing I have noticed is it is not the young people at all in my experience. We talked an owner into letting us play a large local brewery place. They have a stage, but mostly have two person acts and DJs. He wasn't paying much, but we wanted to get in there and try because the place is always packed with folks in their 20s. Our music is definitely not a fit with this demographic. Or so I thought. We had a blast and the folks were dancing and having a great time. It was great. There was a really great crowd, better than they normally have. The owner said he wanted us back, but then he wanted to keep the pay the same, which was not enough. We told him no. It is sad that the owner is too cheap to put a fun band out their for his crowd that they obviously really liked. Oh well.
I do have to add, the young folks are a great audience, but they are by far the absolute worst tippers ever.
I do have to add, the young folks are a great audience, but they are by far the absolute worst tippers ever.
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My weekend band plays some rooms monthly where there's a good mix of 20/30/40 year-olds who are a GREAT crowd, and we're all old farts playing music ranging from "classic" rock to 70's country-crossover to old-school outlaw country. Grand Funk, Bad Company, Buffalo Springfield, Waylon, Willie, Johnny Cash.
We're seeing what looks like a resurgence of enthusiastic interest in this stuff from increasingly younger crowds.
And yep, the 20-something's are TERRIBLE tippers, though can you blame 'em? They're paying sky-high rents, insanely high car payments, and home-ownership is completely out of reach for 70% of 'em.
Just come back from a gig with a duo in a bar.
Elec kit and Acoustic through a p.a.
They played a popular set well enough but totally the definition of wallpaper.
Not much musical originality available in that lineup but people gathered in that room to listen.
Not clap or engage, just be there.
The bar which had piped music in all rooms 'forgot' to turn off the piped music so it was audible between songs to even the most tone deaf.
That alone did my head in but really the whole thing was a waste of effort for all concerned, imv. The musicians and the venue but for the life of me I didnt understand why no one walked out..including the musicians.
Elec kit and Acoustic through a p.a.
They played a popular set well enough but totally the definition of wallpaper.
Not much musical originality available in that lineup but people gathered in that room to listen.
Not clap or engage, just be there.
The bar which had piped music in all rooms 'forgot' to turn off the piped music so it was audible between songs to even the most tone deaf.
That alone did my head in but really the whole thing was a waste of effort for all concerned, imv. The musicians and the venue but for the life of me I didnt understand why no one walked out..including the musicians.
Ha! I like this picture. My son sent it to me. He films rappers for a fair rate and this guy (D Savage) flew him to LA for a week of gigs. Not just the paying audience but even folks side stage have their phones out. Just a sign of the times? I think this is The Observatory but not 100% sure. He’s playing Barclays in NYC in September and my kid is doing a shoot for that. Will be curious to see if it is the same or if security culls the phones.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
That is really surprising to me. OTOH if that's the case then it should be easy enough for a band of old farts to put together a set list in about an hour of songs they've been playing for 50 years and be set for gigging. Why bother learning anything new?
Do I get a T-shirt when my thread hits 50 pages?
A sandwich?
A sandwich?
I did sound for a wedding reception like that.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!
Tables all over the room, yet the oldest people there choose to sit right in front of the PA stack. They started to complain about the wallpaper music coming through the PA before the band stared to play (it was very very low so people could talk and visit)
The couple who's wedding it was told the oldsters they might be better served at a table not in front of the PA. Their comeback was, they didn't want to miss anything. So they sat there and complained the whole time the wallpaper music played.
I asked the couple if they wanted me to turn down, they said no, I was fine.
The time came to "not miss anything," the garter belt thing and the first dance. After which, the couple suggested, now would be a good time to move to another table because the band was going to start playing dance music and it was going to get loud.
They refused to give up the table and continued to complain until they left.
It's not that simple of a formula thing. Our setlist consists of the 400+ songs that have rattled around in our BL's head for the past 50+ years. At 73, he's engaging and entertaining. He's home-spun, honest and comfortable in his own skin on stage. THAT is a big part of our success doing this stuff.
I did like the fact that a lot of bands were doing the Zoom/Meta thing during the Covid. It was nice to get in on some acts I wouldn't normally get to see.
Then there's the hologram concerts. Not the ones with dead people but the ones of living people in one location and their images being broadcast by means of holograms to different locations live at the same time.
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Here in Austin there about 5 high end bands and when they play they get the audience going man! Honestly, i would rather be dancing in the audience with the hot girls at these shows than singing on stage with my old low end bar band. Trying to play out in bars with the drunks, the logistics and the sometimes non existant or short attention span audience just bummed me out on the whole thing. I get my attention at Karaoke now. Sometimes when i sing someone will be like "you ought to be in a band". I just laugh LOL
I pray I don’t wind up like that!I did sound for a wedding reception like that.
Tables all over the room, yet the oldest people there choose to sit right in front of the PA stack. They started to complain about the wallpaper music coming through the PA before the band stared to play (it was very very low so people could talk and visit)
The couple who's wedding it was told the oldsters they might be better served at a table not in front of the PA. Their comeback was, they didn't want to miss anything. So they sat there and complained the whole time the wallpaper music played.
I asked the couple if they wanted me to turn down, they said no, I was fine.
The time came to "not miss anything," the garter belt thing and the first dance. After which, the couple suggested, now would be a good time to move to another table because the band was going to start playing dance music and it was going to get loud.
They refused to give up the table and continued to complain until they left.
Which, running sound in that environment or, being that guy sitting at the table right in front of the PA complaining it's too loud?
You get a T-shirt with a sandwich on it. White, wheat or rye?
Marbled rye please. Russian dressing on the side.
Please do not eat my pickle. I've waited all day for a nice half sour.
On the side keeps the sandwich from getting soggy in the mail.
I've decided on the full Reuben. Not such a healthy choice, but I've just made it around the sun 57 times.
What's another Reuben?
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