Originally Posted by
Corabar Steve
I see you're trying to twist my words again Robbo, but I'll ignore that this once & address the point I was making.
If any client of ours wanted a "decades" format, I wouldn't have a problem with it purely because there are enough different genres in a 10 year period (as well as the mainstream pop from that era) to be able to give a varied & danceable set for each decade.
For example, in the 60s set you could play mini sets of Rock 'n' Roll, Soul (of the Stax/Motown variety), Ska, Beat groups/British Invasion, & more upbeat Hippie era tracks, to name just a few different types.
I could go on for the other decades, but I won't, as any good DJ shouldn't need telling what genres go with what eras.
As long as you make it clear to the other guests that it's what the client wants, there should be no problem. Nobody should be able to get too bored with what's being played, because no one genre would be being played for much longer than 10 - 12 minutes at a time. The only people that it might upset are the "Have you got anything new? / Got any R&B/Garage mate?" brigade & even they should be able to understand that if it's what the B&G want on their big day then it's their prerogative to do so.
Work in the big &/or cheesey tracks from each era / genre & you'll have a great night.
I know I'm good enough to pull it off, & a DJ with your amount of experience should be able to also (any good DJ with a varied collection could).
Yes there are occasions that the B&G's choices won't work & if (after discussion with the DJ) they are adamant that it's what they want, they should be made aware that it may not work & that it may be necessary to abandon their plan at some point should it flop. If they still want to go ahead regardless, you have 2 options, either don't take the booking, or grit your teeth, get on with it & (if you're worried about your reputation) don't advertise/self publicise yourself during the event.
I've done a number of gigs that had even tighter restrictions than sticking to a particular era for an hour. For example 2 weddings that all that was required was Rock & Disco & another that wanted Rock & Cheesey Pop. Even within those genre constraints here was enough variety to make an enjoyable evening from it. (for example, Bon Jovi, Status Quo, RHCP, & the Darkness, vs the Nolans, Abba, Chic & Sister Sledge & those are just a few off the top of my head without really thinking about it). All 3 functions resulted in busy dancefloors all night.
In short DJ knows best, but it's the customer's function.