Mini Gig Review - Massive Faux Pas!!

[Ecstatic Events]

What a rollercoaster of a night, that ended well. A very tough crowd where the usual anthems weren't working so it was a challenge to say the least.

I did a wedding on behalf of Gary (shakermaker) last night and managed to screw up the first dance! I'll explain, I was using Virtual DJ and was told (by the photographer) they were cutting the cake and starting their first dance immediately after the song that was playing (approx 1:30 remaining)

I announced this and gathered all of the guests on the dance floor. Stopped the music, introduced the happy couple and started playing the previous TRACK!!! Their first dance hadn't cued properly!!! So, I cut the track, put down the mic, held my hands up and apologised to the room without the mic whilst I cued their song up! Seemed like it took me a lifetime to do this! It was taken well and I think I recovered extremely well. If a little red faced.

The night ended perfectly. We saw the bride and groom out under my first ever spontaneous ARCH of guests, I have seen this done unsuccessfully a number of times before, and was surprised with my confidence considering the earlier incident...

On a final note, One of the parents came over at the end and physically abused me in a nice way (massive hug) and said it was one of the best Wedding Discos she had ever attended with a packed dancefloor all night. This was by far one of the most memorable compliments I've had because it was very sincere. When I asked her to pass on my apologies to the bride and groom about the first dance, she didn't even realise I had screwed up, and told me not to worry!

Not the best gig I've done but it's one I wont forget in a hurry!

[rob1963]

Stopped the music, introduced the happy couple and started playing the previous TRACK!!! Their first dance hadn't cued properly!!! So, I cut the track, put down the mic, held my hands up and apologised to the room without the mic whilst I cued their song up! Seemed like it took me a lifetime to do this! It was taken well and I think I recovered extremely well. If a little red faced.

Sorry to hear about this, but I'm glad things turned out well in the end.

There's just one thing I don't understand, which is the fact that you put down the mic BEFORE apologising. Surely it would have been better if you'd apologised ON the mic? That's what I'd have done, and would also have made some comment about how modern technology isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[mike8863]

well saved;) :beer1:

[Ecstatic Events]

There's just one thing I don't understand, which is the fact that you put down the mic BEFORE apologising.

I use a small footnote PC. A mouse, keyboard and mic would of been a bit of a handful!!!

I had to say something!!! Of course I apologised after the first dance had finished using the mic, when i got my breath back :D

[simon1969]

What a rollercoaster of a night, that ended well. A very tough crowd where the usual anthems weren't working so it was a challenge to say the least.

I did a wedding on behalf of Gary (shakermaker) last night and managed to screw up the first dance! I'll explain, I was using Virtual DJ and was told (by the photographer) they were cutting the cake and starting their first dance immediately after the song that was playing (approx 1:30 remaining)

I announced this and gathered all of the guests on the dance floor. Stopped the music, introduced the happy couple and started playing the previous TRACK!!! Their first dance hadn't cued properly!!! So, I cut the track, put down the mic, held my hands up and apologised to the room without the mic whilst I cued their song up! Seemed like it took me a lifetime to do this! It was taken well and I think I recovered extremely well. If a little red faced.

The night ended perfectly. We saw the bride and groom out under my first ever spontaneous ARCH of guests, I have seen this done unsuccessfully a number of times before, and was surprised with my confidence considering the earlier incident...

On a final note, One of the parents came over at the end and physically abused me in a nice way (massive hug) and said it was one of the best Wedding Discos she had ever attended with a packed dancefloor all night. This was by far one of the most memorable compliments I've had because it was very sincere. When I asked her to pass on my apologies to the bride and groom about the first dance, she didn't even realise I had screwed up, and told me not to worry!

Not the best gig I've done but it's one I wont forget in a hurry!

Sounds like something i've done in the past, well done on the arch though!!
The big hug you recieved is what makes it all worthwhile and 90% the reason why I dj (other 10% the money).
It's all experience though and you learn by it, well done !!! :) :)

[rob1963]

I use a small footnote PC. A mouse, keyboard and mic would of been a bit of a handful!!!

I had to say something!!! Of course I apologised after the first dance had finished using the mic, when i got my breath back :D

Ahhhh...fair enough.

:)

[thex-faders]

Sounds like you recovered really well though! At all weddings we do the first dance is cued up in PCDJ and then also cued up on the CD deck pushing play at roughly the same time, that way if the laptop decides it can't handle the pressure the trusty CD Decks take over! :D

We had one night where a DJ in another function room at the venue we were at kept getting 'error loading file' for the first dance and had no backup. He struggled for a few minutes in silence and then put on a really obscure 90s track (which i cant remember!) He then rushed down to see us in the other room and asked us for the song on a flash stick. Luckily we had it and was able to put it on there for him.....although the pressure of the first dance and the resulting backlash from the guests left his confidence in tatters and he walked out! :eek:

So my colleague Tom DJ'd at the wedding for about 20minutes until he walked back in while I stayed downstairs DJ'ing the presentation we had been booked for! So for you to have a similar problem, recover and still get that kind of feedback obviously shows you're a great DJ :D

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Stupid question - why hadn't you cued the song correctly. Did you not listen to it beforehand?

[Ecstatic Events]

Stupid question - why hadn't you cued the song correctly. Did you not listen to it beforehand?

I think it's obvious I didnt listen to the track beforehand :( The first dance was cued up in the opposing virtual deck, it just didnt play resulting in the previous track repeating itself!

It was probably user error :cool: But only having just over a minute to gather people and announce the first dance was a little pressured...

I normally have a duplicate CD handy too, but im becoming increasingly reliant on digital format...

Lesson learned :headphones:

[Ecstatic Events]

Sounds like you recovered really well though! At all weddings we do the first dance is cued up in PCDJ and then also cued up on the CD deck pushing play at roughly the same time, that way if the laptop decides it can't handle the pressure the trusty CD Decks take over! :D

We had one night where a DJ in another function room at the venue we were at kept getting 'error loading file' for the first dance and had no backup. He struggled for a few minutes in silence and then put on a really obscure 90s track (which i cant remember!) He then rushed down to see us in the other room and asked us for the song on a flash stick. Luckily we had it and was able to put it on there for him.....although the pressure of the first dance and the resulting backlash from the guests left his confidence in tatters and he walked out! :eek:

So my colleague Tom DJ'd at the wedding for about 20minutes until he walked back in while I stayed downstairs DJ'ing the presentation we had been booked for! So for you to have a similar problem, recover and still get that kind of feedback obviously shows you're a great DJ :D

I cant believe the other DJ walked out :eek: The show must go on!!!

[CRAZY K]

I use a small footnote PC. A mouse, keyboard and mic would of been a bit of a handful!!!

I had to say something!!! Of course I apologised after the first dance had finished using the mic, when i got my breath back :D

Sounds like 1-0 to a Denon or Cortex controller. ;) one hand puts the track back--the other has the mike giving some :BS:

I dont listen to the tracks personally--as I dont have earphones;)

BUT I do a run through on the Cortex at home to check the track plays correctly.

Personally rather than a back up CD I have my trusty i pod cued up with the track as well, although next Saturdays first dance will be on my Mini Disc Player--the big daddy of all that is 100 per cent reliable in the digital world;)

No back up necessary;)

[Excalibur]

Sounds like 1-0 to a Denon or Cortex controller. ;) one hand puts the track back--the other has the mike giving some :BS:

I dont listen to the tracks personally--as I dont have earphones;)

BUT I do a run through on the Cortex at home to check the track plays correctly.

Personally rather than a back up CD I have my trusty i pod cued up with the track as well, although next Saturdays first dance will be on my Mini Disc Player--the big daddy of all that is 100 per cent reliable in the digital world;)

No back up necessary;)

Some of us running two HDC's have the same track cued up on both machines. I had one where a track failed on one, so I switched to the other machine.

Mini Disc? :cry: I still miss it. :(

[sleah]

Mini Disc Player--the big daddy of all that is 100 per cent reliable in the digital world;)

Just wait til your discs start getting old and worn out:(
Mind you, some of my discs are the wrong side of 14 years old and well abused;)

[Corabar Steve]

Can you still get minidiscs? I thought they'd gone the way of 8 tracks & Betamax.

[rob1963]

Can you still get minidiscs? I thought they'd gone the way of 8 tracks & Betamax.

Unfortunately, they are indeed on the way out.

However, a quick search on an auction site found a fair few people still selling brand new blank discs, so for thouse of us who use them, things are alright for the time being.

It's fortunate that mini discs can be used over & over again.

Like Crazy, I've also found them to be the most reliable playout format there is.

I've been using them for the music round in my quiz a fair few times each week for more than a decade now, and have never had a single problem.

[Excalibur]

And I too found them the most reliable and versatile playout system I've ever used. Superb for creating quizzes. Unless there's some numpty proof software for doing it with MP3's?

[Tony Scott]

Well done for turning it around Mike... :approve:

I had a similar situation recently. I'd put the first dance into the playlist in Virtual DJ at the start of the evening but then did a bit of 'house keeping' in Windows explorer tidying up some random files. In the process I had unknowingly moved the first dance from it's original location.

I got on the mic and announced the first dance, called the B&G to the floor and got all 150 guests up and realised I hadn't cued the song. When I went to load it from the playlist Virtual DJ couldn't find it! :eek:

There was a 15 second delay while I frantically searched for the song... 15 seconds is a long long time under those circumstances. I've had proper nightmares about this in the past but the reality was much worse... not an experience I want to repeat!

The gig was a great success in the end but I can't help thinking I messed it up big time by not being prepared. I've now taken to the practice of burning a CD of the first dance and having it cued ready to go, I'll never be caught out like that again... :o

[CRAZY K]

Can you still get minidiscs? I thought they'd gone the way of 8 tracks & Betamax.

Yes you can buy them, but the only way I can see me wearing them out
is what I did a few years ago, dropped one into my drink:beer1:

They will outlast the players--still I have 2 of Peters old ones to use so thats me covered till I throw in the Hat;)

[Excalibur]

Yes you can buy them, but the only way I can see me wearing them out
is what I did a few years ago, dropped one into my drink:beer1:

They will outlast the players--still I have 2 of Peters old ones to use so thats me covered till I throw in the Hat;)

Play your cards right, you could have a few more. ;) Since I now don't use the last player I have, they're not too valuable to me. ;)

Sony Neige 80 minute blank minidisc 10 disc pack: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

I can remember paying £7 each for the first discs I bought. And you couldn't get them everywhere. :(

[CRAZY K]

Play your cards right, you could have a few more. ;) Since I now don't use the last player I have, they're not too valuable to me. ;)

Sony Neige 80 minute blank minidisc 10 disc pack: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-Neige-minute-blank-minidisc/dp/B0007MAJBQ)

I can remember paying £7 each for the first discs I bought. And you couldn't get them everywhere. :(

You know my address--even better you could send over your whole mini disc music collection as you wont be needing it--naturally every track will be carefully documented in a folder like mine:D

:sofa: :sofa: :sofa: :sofa: :sofa:

[Banqo]

Only ever messed up one first dance in 30 years of DJing. I have a batch of home made ballad CDs - and as chance would have it - two first dances for weddings a week apart were on the same CD. As I cued up Track 1, Amazed by Lonestar, I had without knowing it cued up the song for the "following" weeks wedding. I should have been playing Track 7 "Come what May" from Moulin Rouge. It took me about 30 seconds to rectify it, but after seeing the horror on the bride's face, it was the longest 30 seconds of my life. We had a fantastic night though, including a "Dirty Dancing" moment when the GROOM flew through the air to be caught by his stags - and the only person that remembers it is probably me.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Only ever messed up one first dance in 30 years of DJing. I have a batch of home made ballad CDs - and as chance would have it - two first dances for weddings a week apart were on the same CD. As I cued up Track 1, Amazed by Lonestar, I had without knowing it cued up the song for the "following" weeks wedding. I should have been playing Track 7 "Come what May" from Moulin Rouge. It took me about 30 seconds to rectify it, but after seeing the horror on the bride's face, it was the longest 30 seconds of my life. We had a fantastic night though, including a "Dirty Dancing" moment when the GROOM flew through the air to be caught by his stags - and the only person that remembers it is probably me.
Hi there.

Please have a read here: http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11711

Look forward to reading your intro thread.

:thanks:

[Excalibur]

You know my address--even better you could send over your whole mini disc music collection as you wont be needing it--naturally every track will be carefully documented in a folder like mine:D

:sofa: :sofa: :sofa: :sofa: :sofa:

Don't push your luck, pal. :p :D :D The magpie in me won't let it go. ;) Added to which, I still have the all in one CD/MD player which I used to use in the house. You don't think you got them all, did you? :D :D :D :D