| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jayremedy |
Posted - 02/06/2012 : 17:40:01
last weekend we played Friday and Saturday night. Friday was a wedding doo but they got married abroad and this was more of a get together for the family to celebrate. We played and felt as if we may as well have not been there they just stared. They paid us and gave us the usual "you were great" line. We took this personally at the time and debated what we were doing wrong and what we could change all the way home.
Saturday completely different kettle of fish. Wedding that day, dance floor full from start to finish, and payed an extra £100 to play an extra half hour afterwards. DJ was not pleased, good, he got the name of the band wrong 3 times.
Anyone else had these cold gigs? |
| 19 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| PJRose |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 23:11:41
quote:
Originally posted by GrethGBDrums
Sometimes weddings just don't go the way you expect and it's not our fault...sometimes the bride and groom just don't know what they want!
Nail, head, THWACK! 
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| GrethGBDrums |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 21:53:27
I played a wedding on Saturday night where there was a DJ as well. We were meant to split the night between us however halfway through our second set the bride decided that she wanted some 'dance music'!! The dj was called up and that was us for the rest of the night! Sometimes weddings just don't go the way you expect and it's not our fault...sometimes the bride and groom just don't know what they want!
Saturday was very hard to take as we felt that we were at fault however having spoken to various guests at the wedding they said we were fantastic. Still put a bit of a dent in our confidence tho! Roll on this weekend and some better gigs! |
| Jayremedy |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 17:44:17
quote:
Originally posted by drummernotstrummer
Sorry, but couldnt bring myself to do wedding gigs, whatever the money 
Pays my mortgage mate, I'd be stupid not to do them. The band are really good mates so it's a feckin laugh as well I also do other stuff.
I understand about not being the focus of the night and have had other quiet gigs. We were worried as never before have all the songs in the first set been greeted with tumble weed. |
| Rocket |
Posted - 06/06/2012 : 13:06:16
Definitely an element of truth in the married abroad/party thing. There isn't the same 'sparkle' or excitement about the night - but also when they've got married on the day, all of the day guests have been boozing all afternoon and are more than a bit tipsy - so they're bang up for a great time from the off.
With the parties back home, you're just kicking off the night with a room full of stone cold sober people, so it can be harder to get them going. |
| MustangMick |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 18:38:15
At weddings the band is not the main feature...........you are there to provide atmosphere and songs for dancing.....no more, no less. Very different to a pub/club gig. At some weddings the punters are more concerned with catching up with long lost relatives etc. than dancing.
Mick
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| paiste |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 17:15:58
I'm not sure why some people are so averse to playing weddings?? It's like any gigs. You get the brilliant ones and you get the shocking ones!
Takes several factors to make or break a gig. One of our worst gigs ever was a corporate gig at the Hotel where they used to film crossroads! Can't remember the name of it but it was at the end of a two day conference for a multi-national company. As people didn't really know each other no-one would be the first to get up to dance, whereas the gig before and a similar set and it was a belter of a gig!?
I'm surprised that some refuse to do a wedding where a DJ is playing? Strikes me as a bit OTT. I appreciate that some DJ's are tools and frustrated musicians that like to "sing" over come on eileen, but there are also some brilliant DJ's that I have had the pleasure of working with. Very professional and complementary in the music they play before us and also acting as a compere.
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| tuppster |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 16:39:08
Weddings and birthdays can be a bit awkward - we've played some where we felt we were just a nuisance. On the other hand, we had 800 at a birthday once and took over an entire pub and its garden near Toddington.
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| PJRose |
Posted - 03/06/2012 : 20:01:29
quote:
Originally posted by Jayremedy
despite having to set up on a mound in the corner of the marquee.
I'd have swapped last nights marquee on a hillside for your mound! We measured the slope at 15 degrees left to right across stage & dance floor (that is... one of those plastic, black & white, slippery when wet dancefloors!)
We carry home made levelling platforms for drum kit and PA on the van for such occasions, but it was like drunken Ski Sunday all night. Can't believe nobody was seriously injured as there were some pretty nasty looking falls.
One time when I'd rather they'd just stood and stared! 
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| drummernotstrummer |
Posted - 03/06/2012 : 17:54:26
Sorry, but couldnt bring myself to do wedding gigs, whatever the money |
| johncc |
Posted - 03/06/2012 : 17:43:18
I kinda miss my wedding gig days. We always got fabulous food, and put up in some fancy places. That said, I do remember being utterly shattered after most of them, there was always a fabulous atmosphere that made you just want to give 100%; well apart from that one gig at Tower Bridge..Tsunami bar I think it was? |
| Jayremedy |
Posted - 03/06/2012 : 17:34:56
quote:
Originally posted by PJRose
quote:
Originally posted by OriginalAnimal
I have found that quite a few weddings where the couple got married elsewhere arte often the same, the gig doesn't have the spark that a proper reception does
Certainly an element of truth to this, so you were up against it a bit from the off.
Playing weddings looks so easy... until you try it! There's a very fine line between being stared at and the party going off like a bomb. One thing you can certainly do without is a DJ in the room as well. We will not play any wedding where there is a DJ as you simply cannot control the mood and the atmosphere of the place throughout the evening.
What you're after is to ramp up the intensity and make a gradual change from 'family get together' into 'full on nightclub' by the end of the evening. This isn't going to happen with two competing elements, it just causes confusion and makes thing messy. Yes, you are the servant of the bride & groom, but you have to take a degree of control at some point.
Even with a bit of experience of weddings, (I've done nearly 300), sometimes you just don't get much of a response, but it's not necessarily a reason to beat yourself up, some people are just reserved and don't like throwing themselves about, even though they may be loving your performance. With that in mind, don't ever be tempted to 'mail one in', there just might be someone watching who will book you for their upcoming do!
I'm not new to the wedding scene I forgot to mention it's nearly 15 yrs now, this gig was booked as the couple had seen us at another wedding. Just never had that big of a contrast between 2 gigs back to back. Nice to know it happens to others as well, thanks guys. No one really feels like getting up and dancing after a 3 course meal. It can sometimes be hard, especially in the first set to get em going so to speak. We always give 100% regardless. The DJ didn't help either he was pushing really cheap gear way to hard, sounded terrible.
Anyway we have got over it last saturdays gig was a real blast. despite having to set up on a mound in the corner of the marquee.
Night off last night though, boring.
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| nickh |
Posted - 03/06/2012 : 13:30:40
quote:
[. DJ was not pleased, good, he got the name of the band wrong 3 times.
I can remember playing a function and we fell out with the DJ almost as soon as we met, complete arrogant c**k.
BUT, he did manage to get a peek at our set list and played our first three songs just before we were due to start, which I had to admit was a quality trick. |
| PJRose |
Posted - 03/06/2012 : 12:00:43
quote:
Originally posted by OriginalAnimal
I have found that quite a few weddings where the couple got married elsewhere arte often the same, the gig doesn't have the spark that a proper reception does
Certainly an element of truth to this, so you were up against it a bit from the off.
Playing weddings looks so easy... until you try it! There's a very fine line between being stared at and the party going off like a bomb. One thing you can certainly do without is a DJ in the room as well. We will not play any wedding where there is a DJ as you simply cannot control the mood and the atmosphere of the place throughout the evening.
What you're after is to ramp up the intensity and make a gradual change from 'family get together' into 'full on nightclub' by the end of the evening. This isn't going to happen with two competing elements, it just causes confusion and makes thing messy. Yes, you are the servant of the bride & groom, but you have to take a degree of control at some point.
Even with a bit of experience of weddings, (I've done nearly 300), sometimes you just don't get much of a response, but it's not necessarily a reason to beat yourself up, some people are just reserved and don't like throwing themselves about, even though they may be loving your performance. With that in mind, don't ever be tempted to 'mail one in', there just might be someone watching who will book you for their upcoming do! |
| lee haydn |
Posted - 03/06/2012 : 01:54:21
I reckon weddings can be the worst gigs on the planet, them and us side of the room, bleedin' kids running about, elderly relatives hating the music, especially the DJ and pis*ed up young un's kicking off at the bar,, |
| djohnson1974 |
Posted - 03/06/2012 : 01:46:20
Have yet to play a wedding gig, for me I feel you need a different approach to weddings in that you are NOT the focus of everyones attention and need to do what is required by the client coupled with the fact your audience can be a very ecclectic mix of people. In most other playing scenarios the mix of punters fit a narrower band and have an idea what sort of music you play as they are coming to see you. I'm not saying I wouldn't like to get into the wedding market but I think it requires a different mentaility and ultimately an expectation of what you can get out of the evening. |
| OriginalAnimal |
Posted - 02/06/2012 : 21:35:21
I have found that quite a few weddings where the couple got married elsewhere arte often the same, the gig doesn't have the spark that a proper reception does |
| WendyB |
Posted - 02/06/2012 : 19:02:55
It happens to the best, and the worst, of us. I've had similar experiences, just take the money and smile politely then move on. |
| atkinsx |
Posted - 02/06/2012 : 18:46:54
It does happen. What I've always had trouble dealing with is when the band plays badly and people love it, or when the band plays a blinder to a muted response. Similarly if I've had what I perceive as a bad one, I find it very difficult to absorb adulation from punters without coming across as a standoffish git. I suppose that actually being a standoffish git doesn't help... |
| drumdmc |
Posted - 02/06/2012 : 18:32:43
Happens all the time good ones and bad ones, its just life i suppose! |
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