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Would you play this gig?
- Thread starter Biggbass
- Start date
Why waste your time & energy? You can't fix greedy, clueless or cheap.
Clearly the only reason why the event organizers and/or the planner have not already made arrangements to rent a PA - as well as why they're offering practically no pay for the bands - is because they're determined to do this on the cheap. How do you reason with that?
So let them try it. With five (5) bands trying to move five (5) complete PA systems in & out - on-schedule and in the searing heat - they'll soon find out for themselves just how stupid and ill-conceived this event really was. And they'll find out in the only way that greedy, clueless & cheap people are able to learn: By experiencing failure - typically failure that is massive and painful.
I see absolutely no reason why the OP would want to stick his nose into that mess...
MM
To play live music, a fun activity
To network with other bands
To make new fans and meet girls/boys
To sweat out any toxins in your system
To potentially lead to better future gigs
To help the event planner go from clueless to clueful
To avoid looking like a bitter cynic
Just the fact that each band has to provide their own PA would be enough to make me pass. What a hassle! Add the heat and the low pay and IMO it's a no-brainer to turn it down.
We played an outdoor concert last week in a city park. There was a band shell, but we were still in direct sunlight and it was hot. I had to sit on my bass cab for a couple of songs. Long story short I don't like hot, outdoor gigs. The pay was $200 each so that helped soothe the pain.
It's a question of costs & benefits. If you don't learn to draw a line at a certain degree of exploitation and disrespect, then you will unwittingly invite even more of it - guaranteed. That's a lesson learned via considerable life experience - and I stand by it.
It's not a question of whether playing live music is a fun activity - in the abstract. We've already agreed that it is. The question - in this particular case - is: 'How can you have fun playing live music when you're exposed to direct sun, in 110 degree temperature, during the middle of the day, during the Texas summer?' You may find sunburn & heat exhaustion as acceptable risks & costs for the "privilege" of playing a live gig under potentially dangerous circumstances, with very little reward. Personally, I can do way better than that. And I do.
Frankly, I wouldn't be interested in "networking" with the kinds of bands that would accept a gig like that.
Ditto with the so-called new fans. There are far easier ways of winning new fans - without putting oneself in medical jeopardy in the process.
If you think that good gigs generally come from accepting gigs that are this bad, then you really don't understand how value is actually perceived - and rewarded - in the live performance world.
I've already addressed the futility of trying to inform or edify greedy, tight-fisted, stupid people. If you wish to dedicate yourself to educating them as to the error of their ways, be my guest. But I prefer to avoid them as much as possible - in order to conserve my time & energy for people who are far more professional, reasonable & respectful.
Now, I would ask you to please refrain from insulting my intelligence any further.
MM
Well, first off there is the first law of physics. The "organizer" wants five bands to play back to back using different PAs with a 20 minute turn around. You don;t see any potential problems here? If not, you are beyond help.
Second, if my wife and I were shopping at high-end stores, I'll be honest with you, a full on rock band with a full PA would be nothing short of annoying. (And a both love and play rock music all the time.)
As far as networking with other bands, any band foolish enough to take this crappy gig is not worth connecting with.
Now, if the OP felt like attempting ONE phone call to try to straighten the "organizer" out, that's one thing. He could start out pretty blunt with something like "I don't think you understand what you are asking for here". And then go on to explain how things work here on Earth. But taking this gig as is is just dumb.
"Bitter cynic" is better than naive doormat any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
My old band did two shows that weren't a lot better.But that was more than twenty years ago.
We were an originals band and kind of desperate to get our music out to ANYONE who didn't already know it. The money ($320, divided four ways) was worth a LOT more per dollar than it is now. And we were on a trailer with a canopy both times. And it was warm but not inferno-warm, figure high eighties.
So on a sidewalk, in the direct sun, over a hundred degrees, for $30 each?
OH HELL NO!
We were an originals band and kind of desperate to get our music out to ANYONE who didn't already know it. The money ($320, divided four ways) was worth a LOT more per dollar than it is now. And we were on a trailer with a canopy both times. And it was warm but not inferno-warm, figure high eighties.
So on a sidewalk, in the direct sun, over a hundred degrees, for $30 each?
OH HELL NO!
I see absolutely no reason why the OP would want to stick his nose into that mess...
MM
Yes and no.
No, I wouldn't play that gig. Absolutely not! I'm from the Seattle area and 110 F would likely kill me.
Yes, I would go there just to watch the inevitable trainwreck that this event will end up being. I have a morbid fascination for such things.
To play live music, a fun activity- in 110 heat, there is nothing fun about that
To network with other bands- to network with the same 5 bands you have been tripping over to try and set gear up on schedule? not gonna happen
To make new fans and meet girls/boys- walk by traffic on a sidewalk are not fans, they don't want to bake in heat
To sweat out any toxins in your system- go the Y and use the steam room
To potentially lead to better future gigs- chances of that are from 0-way less than 0
To help the event planner go from clueless to clueful- you want help see a psychiatrist
To avoid looking like a bitter cynic- I think realist is the word you are looking for
To network with other bands- to network with the same 5 bands you have been tripping over to try and set gear up on schedule? not gonna happen
To make new fans and meet girls/boys- walk by traffic on a sidewalk are not fans, they don't want to bake in heat
To sweat out any toxins in your system- go the Y and use the steam room
To potentially lead to better future gigs- chances of that are from 0-way less than 0
To help the event planner go from clueless to clueful- you want help see a psychiatrist
To avoid looking like a bitter cynic- I think realist is the word you are looking for
I'm Olympia... and no way in heck would I even GO. Not even if you paid me. I don't think it's been much over 90 here yet and I've already been sun-sick twice. Bleh, no. I did our fair outside on the cement stage when it was a 95 degree day but we played at 9pm and i spent most of the day in the greenroom with the AC.
You forgot to add:
To die from a heat stroke.
To learn from this mistake of a gig and never do it again.
I don't know how long you've lived in Texas but I've been here 54 of my 58 years and if you are younger, you might be able to take the heat but as you get older (and possibly wiser) you learn to not risk it when it is 100 degrees in the shade here. But hey, if the heat is your thang, well Party on Garth!
Reminds me of the thread in DB where the guy wanted to know if anything bad would happen if he did an outdoor gig, in Canada, in the winter. It was gonna be like five degrees out or something. We couldn't talk him out of it. Never did find out what happened.
6 kazoos is making a point. Adding the uke is just cruel.
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I just busted out laughing in class.
I can tell you were asked late to the party...the answer to the first asked question was probably "What's a PA?"
Second answer was probably "I'll have to ask about the electricity..."
Second answer was probably "I'll have to ask about the electricity..."
You are so right in turning down this gig. Tell the event planner that you would only consider it for $800, and that is a good price. She needs to have her head examined.
