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worst....gig....ever

#41
How is the general market for blues bands in your area?
My region is flooded with them. Many (not all) can only play I,IV,V.
Chicks are not typically drawn to blues gigs--- chicks attract dudes---more liquor
Sold.

Get in a band that plays blues and other styles of music.
 
#45
There's a big difference between a 'bad gig' and you or your band turning a night into a sh!tshow. A drummer locked in the bathroom and on the nod at set time is not a 'bad gig,' its a bunch of other stuff, but not the gig's fault.

And yes, I've been there too.
 
#47
mysteryclock said:
Wow, really? I saw Dread Zep here in Nashville in the early 90s and they killed it. Tight playing, great stage personae, hilarious show with a good crowd. Go figure.
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Saw them in the early 90s here in Madison and they weren't great. A "down" year perhaps. The lead singer had transitioned from aping Elvis to more of a dyed blond Ric Flair/Elvis hybrid shtick. The place was packed but they played rather loose and lethargically. Bummer because I really loved Un-Led-Ed.
 
#48
ChrisB2 said:
MacSabbath.jpg
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Had a spit take with that.

Good for you.
 
#49
That can happen to most anyone. I fact, my band played a place that sounds very familiar to what you are describing. We have been together for over 6 years, playing this place since our first gig. You never know if you are going to be playing to 5 or 10 people or 20 or 30 or to a packed house. We played this place back in August and packed the place, October, at one point it was just us and the bartenders. As soon as we started playing, people began filtering in, and we probably played to about 20 or so people most of the night after that. I don't get excited about it anymore. We will play there again next year a couple of times, and I am sure it will as inconsistent.
 
#50
40Hz said:
Another question is: since you're a blues band, how well does blues sell in your area? Where I am now it's pretty popular. But other places I've been in couldn't fill a club for blues unless drinks were half price all night.
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I am a former club owner, for what it is worth. Blues makes up roughly 3% of the music market. It is a niche market most places. I love blues myself but unless I was in an area that had a huge blues following I'd never book a blues act. Country is big everywhere, except in my rural part of Colorado. Country bands where a big fail here. What worked here was Tejano, even though most of the population doesn't speak Spanish... Go figure. The point is, if blues isn't working perhaps explore other genres. Sell what the consumer seeks, look for another niche. From the clubs perspective, if you can't pull a drinking crowd they are better off not booking you.
Rondo
 
#52
To the OP - mist if us have done it and some say you can't call yourself a performing muso unless you've played to the bar staff and the cleaners :)

This can swing both ways though. We used to have a regular monthly gig at a small bar. We used to pack the place out, 60-80 peeps in the door every month, which ain't much but was pretty respectable for the size place and the time (Sunday afternoons).

We lost that gig to a band that barely manages 15-20. But they do the gig for next to nothing. It's a whole other conversation, but every time I hear the old "gigs aren't what they used to be/can't find any work/the scene is down the tubes" stuff, I have to think that a lot of it has been brought on by musicians themselves. There, said it.

OP keep your chin up, there are much worse gigs than a poorly attended one, starting with the gig you don't have :)

Mike
 
#54
I have done gigs, just like the OP described. We were doing a monthly blues jam and were attracting a small crowd for a couple months. Then, in January, nobody showed up! We played for 30 minutes then the bar owner kicked us out. The reason for the lousy turnout-Super Bowl!
Things happen beyond your control...just keeping plugging away! It is tough for a strictly blues band to make it, without expanding their song list. As others have said, network with other blues bands to try to get more contacts.
 
#55
Pack up the band and hit the road...to Memphis. You provide the blues and the club provides the BBQ to a herd of patrons that expects music where you only clap on the 2 and 4. The competition will be really good, though.
 
#56
Ajapses said:
Pack up the band and hit the road...to Memphis. You provide the blues and the club provides the BBQ to a herd of patrons that expects music where you only clap on the 2 and 4. The competition will be really good, though.
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;)

I know people here who were doing OK at their genre music (blues, alt country, zydeco)...and thought well, if I do well here, I should try that in [Nashville, New Orleans, etc)...turns out that 'good' in small regional market not known for said genre means "good luck when you hit the major market for that genre" because EVERYONE is doing it there and everyone does it great and has the scene locked down.

Sometimes it's nicer to be the big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond.
 
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#57
I have always played in a variety type band classic rock mostly, but there isn't much we can't play if asked. Case in point
Last Sunday the club owner who has a great voice got with us and sang Pride&Joy and she killed it. The crowd was asking for more and she asked us if we knew Hotel California, now we all know it but none of us had ever played it out together or with any band we had worked with before. It was awesome.
My point being here in Notheast Wisconsin you find more gigs if you play a little of everything.
IMVHO
Thanks
 
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#58
First of all it happens to every band and musician... Gotta take your lumps lol... The internet only goes so far man... It's all about word of mouth... Get flyers and do the work offer some incentive like the first 5 people get a Cd... Also sometimes it's just the venue man... Keepat it and play every show like its packed... Cause that's what promoters look for ... Some times its better to have another band with you.. Cause after awhile it's the same stuff keep them wanting more especially if you're a new or coverband
 
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#59
This article is a good read:

The worst gig we ever played: musicians on their on-stage lows

Incidentally, I was actually in attendance at the Jethro Tull gig in Philly that Ia Anderson mentions in the article. Some moron threw a baseball at him just as he was ending "Thick as a Brick". He swore at him and said "You're the first person that's ever done that to me and that's the last thing you'll ever be first at!"
 
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