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Why are the bar gig always so late ?

J

jtroska

Jan 14, 2010
238
19
54
fort lee new jersey nj
#1
I'm 42 and getting too old for this. But does anybody really want to be out, listening to songs that went out of style 40 years ago, from 11 pm - 2am?

When I was younger, I'd stay up as long as it took to get lucky with a woman. But the bands made up of people my current age are clearly not going for that younger demographic with the stale old songs they generally choose to play. Old farts playing for old farts.

And us old farts need to go to work and want to get to bed. Ca 't we get the time slot for old fart classic rock bar gigs moved to earlier?
 
#2
I never saw the appeal of staying out late listening to a band half ass play covers that the bar has on the jukebox and you can listen to at any time the correct way.
But it is the scene, and as long as people want it the owners are going to book it that way.
 
#4
jtroska said:
I'm 42 and getting too old for this. But does anybody really want to be out, listening to songs that went out of style 40 years ago, from 11 pm - 2am?

When I was younger, I'd stay up as long as it took to get lucky with a woman. But the bands made up of people my current age are clearly not going for that younger demographic with the stale old songs they generally choose to play. Old farts playing for old farts.

And us old farts need to go to work and want to get to bed. Ca 't we get the time slot for old fart classic rock bar gigs moved to earlier?
Click to expand...

Losers like to stay up late. It's tradition.
 
#6
Happily , it seems the club owners in my area are wiseing up a bit.A lot of places are going the 8 to 12 thing . Guess they finally figured out that most of the folks were clearing out about that time and if wasn't profitable to keep it going till 2am. Been getting a lot of 9 to 12 gigs at bars also. That being said , I recently celebrated the 32nd anniversary of my 29th birthday and still enjoy watching the 20 something girlies dancing away till the wee hours so if they want to crank it till 2am , I'll find a way to deal with it.:bassist:
 
#7
I had a 7:30-11:30 bar gig all summer. The owner changed the time on us, for this reason. It used to be 9-1, and the rest of my band complained like you wouldn't believe about having to start at 7:30. But being home in bed by 12:30, with free food and drinks in my belly, and some cash in my pocket was awesome. And they were always plenty of girlies dancing.
 
#8
My BL tries to get us to go out and listen to other cover bands in the area, just to see what they are doing. I wouldn't mind checking out the bands but I have no desire to go and sit in a bar all night long to do it. I also don't really want to give up my "free" night to do it either.

I love when we get an early gig, ending at 12am or earlier. One of the best summer venues in the area does a 4pm-7pm thing, and then the place across the river (also a great venue) picks it up from 7:30-12.
 
#9
sharkbait130 said:
Happily , it seems the club owners in my area are wiseing up a bit.A lot of places are going the 8 to 12 thing . Guess they finally figured out that most of the folks were clearing out about that time and if wasn't profitable to keep it going until 2am:
Click to expand...


Cool! That's what I'm talking about. I went to see a friend's band last night. They actually had a respectable crowd of an older demographic from about 11-midnight. Then it thinned out. Seems like it would've been better for all parties involved if they just made the show 8-12.
 
#10
jamestown94west said:
I had a 7:30-11:30 bar gig all summer. The owner changed the time on us, for this reason. It used to be 9-1, and the rest of my band complained like you wouldn't believe about having to start at 7:30. But being home in bed by 12:30, with free food and drinks in my belly, and some cash in my pocket was awesome. And they were always plenty of girlies dancing.
Click to expand...

Why would anybody complain about that? And they probably get more people who go straight after work. Most bands near me advertise 10pm start but don't really start until 11. By that time, I've settled in and don't wanna go back out.
 
#11
DiabolicLow B said:
Yea I hear ya, I'm 43 and gig every weekend and while I still love it it really does take its toll.

On the other hand I would never choose to go and listen to a cover band all night, and I mean never!
Click to expand...
And this is what I really wish more bands would understand. We try to sell a product we, ourselves, wouldn't buy. Let's learn some new tunes, learn to manage the sound and volume levels, and play at a reasonable hour. Common sense.
 
#13
jtroska said:
I'm 42 and getting too old for this
Click to expand...

Then hang it up. I'm 54 and still loving every minute of it. When it stops being fun, I'll stop doing it.

But does anybody really want to be out, listening to songs that went out of style 40 years ago, from 11 pm - 2am?
Click to expand...

I haven't played a gig that went past 1:00AM for the past 20 years. I didn't know there were still areas that booked bands until 2AM. Anyway, if you have to get up early Saturday or Sunday morning, again, this may not be the hobby for you. Regardless, it takes most folks a while after work on a Friday to go home, take care of chores, shower, change, eat, and figure out where they're going, who they're going with, who's driving, etc. Most bars and clubs wait until after the dinner hour. We have start times in my area ranging from 8PM to 9:30PM and end times ranging from 12:00AM to 1:00AM. We have a chain of very successful bar/restaurants that want to milk the dinner hour until 9:30PM, but the band only plays three 50-minute sets with very short breaks in between.

But the bands made up of people my current age are clearly not going for that younger demographic with the stale old songs they generally choose to play. Old farts playing for old farts.
Click to expand...

That's a shame. For starters, many younger folks these days prefer what we'd call "classic rock" that came out decades before they were born. I see 20- and 30-somethings packing the floor for "Sweet Home Alabama." And the better cover bands in my area mix in a good smattering of current Top 40 hits as well.
 
#14
jtroska said:
I'm 42 and getting too old for this. But does anybody really want to be out, listening to songs that went out of style 40 years ago, from 11 pm - 2am?

When I was younger, I'd stay up as long as it took to get lucky with a woman. But the bands made up of people my current age are clearly not going for that younger demographic with the stale old songs they generally choose to play. Old farts playing for old farts.

And us old farts need to go to work and want to get to bed. Ca 't we get the time slot for old fart classic rock bar gigs moved to earlier?
Click to expand...

Why are the bar gig always so late ?
Click to expand...

It's because you book/accept those late night dive bar gigs. ;)

FWIW: I've been noticing more and more bands are starting to book earlier gigs and only playing 3 hours apposed to 5 hours (9pm to 2am) like back in the old days.
 
#15
My band is all late 30's early 40's and we always try to play the 8 or 9 o'clock slot on the roster. And our fans still complain that it's too late. Unless we play the occasional 5 or 6 o'clock slot then our fans complain it's too early. Unless we play the 10 or 11 o'clock slot and then some of our fans say "finally you play late enough where I can come see you".

So... there's no magic time for a gig. That's my point.
 
#16
People do not stay out late at bars anymore. Over the last few years, I have gotten quite a few bars and private clubs to change their band hours to 9:00 - 12:00, or 8:00 - 11:00 (one even went to 7:30 - 10:30) and they all saw an increase in attendance; especially if they serve food and people will eat and stay around for a band instead of waiting a couple hours for the band to start.
The bonus for the owner and staff is they get to clean up and close earlier too.

Most places that still end at 1:00 or later around here pretty much start to empty out around 12:00 and the band plays their last set to about 1/4 of the people who were there at 10:00.
 
#18
Played a 3hr set last night that ended at 9pm. Its nice to get done early but I have no problem playing late if it pays well. Maybe its just this city but I rarely see the crowd thin out before 1:30 in most venues here.
 
#20
I'm 56, play gigs every weekend that go from around 9:00 to 10:00 until closing time (2:00 AM) (or, if it's in New York State, 4:00 AM), and still get up at 5:00 AM to get to my Mon.-Fri. day job, which is an hour away from home. I also have two fairly young kids who get me up early on Sat. and Sun. mornings, even if I've had a gig the previous night.
The herds of young people who come to the bars for drinks and "Sweet Home Alabama" usually don't drift by until 11:00 PM or midnight.
I do enjoy the playing the occasional higher class concert, which is usually something like 8:00-10:00, with more $$.
But, I won't give up gigging until I go deaf, my arms fall off or I can't remember the changes!
All you whiners: Invest in some coffee!
 

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