What a night!

[Shaun]

What a night!!

Great gig, lousy venue (and staff).

I arrived to setup at a local venue and started bringing equipment through the fire exit next to the stage. Mr "jobsworth" caretaker comes over and closes the door. I politely ask him if I can keep the door open for a few minutes to get the rest of the gear inside.
I was told "The heat is escaping, keep all doors closed.".
I smile and politely ask him how I'm meant to get the equipment inside if the doors are to remain closed? He grumbled and walked off. I open the doors again to get the rest of the gear in and he comes running across the floor shouting "KEEP THOSE :Censored: DOORS CLOSED!".
Incredulously, I reply "Won't be long now, Sir. As soon as I've got the last of the equipment in I'll close them as soon as is possible".

Now, at this point he's he's going ballistic moaning about the heat escaping and I'm trying to figure out what's got him wound up so much. I can't bring in equipment any other way except through the doors..lol. I remained polite and professional throughout his tantrum.

Anyways, got everything in and set up. His wife comes over to me SHOUTING! "NO SMOKE MACHINES..DO YOU HEAR ME!!!!". I didn't have a smoke machine with me.
I replied..."Excuse, do you mind not shouting at me".
"NO :Censored: SMOKE MACHINES, SMOKE IS NOT ALLOWED, You've been warned".
I informed her I wasn't using a smoke machine, and didn't have one with me. I asked her again (politely) to stop swearing and raising her voice at me.
I said "Am I swearing at you?. Am I raising my voice to you? I expect the same courtesy. If you can't speak to me in a civil manner then please go away".
At that point her husband (the caretaker) runs across the hall and tells me that if I say one more word he'll throw me out the premises. I laughed and told him he could try if he liked. He walked off grumbling.

I still don't have a clue what brought on the couple's tantrum. I've never experienced anything quite like it.

Fast forward onto the end of the night. Finish at 11.30 as scheduled, I took an hour to pack up just out of spite (it usually takes around 20 mins). The stood over me with the arms folded telling me to ":Censored: HURRY UP". I smiles and carried the gear out slowly to the van. Payback is sweet sometimes.

Like I said at the beginning of this thread....GREAT GIG, outrageous venue staff. Very strange.

[Penfold42]

How bizarre.....I take it, it's the first time at said venue...:D

[Paul James Promotions]

*venue added to blacklist

[Jiggles]

jobsworths....

[Dragonfly]

handled with professionalism and dignity well done shaun , don't think i would have been able to resist alot more sarcasm...... something like "if you'd like to throw me out that's fine at the end of the day i'll still get paid, and i'm not sure you're paying customer will like the new silent low lighting entertainment on tonight , so in short ...... no you won't so :Censored: off and let me do my job properly ....... please"

that said , however , I think in this day and age swear words sadly seem to have become an acceptable part of language , here in the midlands we have what i call "the midlands dictionary "

which goes :

A

aardvark
:Censored:
ant
:Censored:
armadillo
:Censored:
armour
:Censored:


as i said very well done for being so professional.

[Shaun]

Tony, I've been at the venue once, years ago. This couple weren't there last time I was.

Cheers, Dave.

Jamie, venue is definitely added to the blacklist.

[Corabar Steve]

As a contrast, the staff at the venue I worked at last night (Sir Christopher Wren's House Hotel, Windsor) souldn't have been more helpful if they'd tried. Even getting a wheelchair ramp out for me so I could load the micromax straight off of the van & just wheel it into place.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

As a contrast, the staff at the venue I worked at last night (Sir Christopher Wren's House Hotel, Windsor) souldn't have been more helpful if they'd tried. Even getting a wheelchair ramp out for me so I could load the micromax straight off of the van & just wheel it into place.

I've worked there a few times.

Loads of parking space there, isn't there Steve!

Not the easiest place to manoeuvre in either....

[Corabar Steve]

You'll be OK now you've got rid of the trailer.

I ended up going out backwards at the end of the night.

[Tom]

Shaun, corr you have logna long fuse. I know if I was in your position I would be giving it some myself. We are here to do a job, not get shouted at for no reason.

So far for me I have never had this problem, yet. Mst of the venues I work at are quite nice. Might just be the south???

[501damian501]

i would name and shame them in every way i could, Also i would go and get some press coverage on this, how strange, how an earth to they manage to keep a business running if they speak to the public like that, You cant really blacklist the venue as it was the managements problem, just remember their names for future refrence, cheers damian

[Corabar Steve]

Of course you can blacklist the venue.

We have several venues on our list that we would never send any of our DJs to work at ever again.

Remind me later & I'll tell the tale of the wedding reception in a chinese restaurant a few weeks ago.

Shaun, is it really that cold in Scotland this time of year?

[Shaun]

Shaun, corr you have logna long fuse. I know if I was in your position I would be giving it some myself. We are here to do a job, not get shouted at for no reason.

So far for me I have never had this problem, yet. Mst of the venues I work at are quite nice. Might just be the south???


Most of the venues I play at are very nice too, this was definitely not a normal situation. THe venue itself was a working mens club, and extremely filthy. There was so much dust particles in the air there was no need for smoke. My lights cut straight through the dust to give a good show visually...lol. SERIOUSLY!

As for having a long fuse...I've learnt to bite my tongue and smile. It's either that or spend the night in a cell for flattening the moron. :d



i would name and shame them in every way i could, Also i would go and get some press coverage on this, how strange, how an earth to they manage to keep a business running if they speak to the public like that, You cant really blacklist the venue as it was the managements problem, just remember their names for future refrence, cheers damian

No point naming and shaming them, I just won't take any future bookings in the venue. I guess I'll never know the reasons behind their hostility. Maybe they've had a bad experience with another DJ and they've tarred all the rest of us with the same brush?

The gigs over and the client was happy. Job done. :)

[djsteve10]

Now i hate this gigs, its mostly in the lower end venues such as halls, social clubs & Working mens clubs.

You don't get these people in the upper class venues.

[One Vision]

Now i hate this gigs, its mostly in the lower end venues such as halls, social clubs & Working mens clubs.

You don't get these people in the upper class venues.

O you do mate, maybe not with the language? but equally as arrogant and self opinionated.
In some ways it can be worse, a bit like the terraced house scenario (Sally Webster, Corry) one up from a council estate but think they are royalty.

[nigelwright7557]

What a night!!

Great gig, lousy venue (and staff).

I still don't have a clue what brought on the couple's tantrum. I've never experienced anything quite like it.
.

You have obviously never been on a caretakers wages !!




You don't get these people in the upper class venues.

I got a call early one evening from a posh venue near me asking if I would do an old time gig. I said no as I dont really do that sort of gig and dont carry that sort of music.
Anyway they begged and said just play what you have. so I said OK.

Turned up and started playing and this posh bloke started getting uptight because I didnt have any old time music. I tried playing rock and roll and 60's stuff but he wasnt happy. He was getting really uptight with a bright red face and said they had paid good money for old time music.
I tried to explain that I was a "last resort" and no one else would take the gig on, he eventually went away muttering to himself.

I agree with you tho, in general the more middle/upper class gigs are usually the least trouble.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Now i hate this gigs, its mostly in the lower end venues such as halls, social clubs & Working mens clubs.

You don't get these people in the upper class venues.

That's rather a blinkered view Steve. You get idiots and jobsworths in every sort of venue in my experience.


I
I agree with you tho, in general the more middle/upper class gigs are usually the least trouble.

In general, yes.

[Shaun]

What a difference a day makes. The staff at last nights venue couldn't do enough to help.

The load in should have been quite a trek through the hotel to reach the setup area. The man in charge said "not to worry, I'll have some people remove all the seating round the side of the building, just drive round the on the footpath". I was able to park on the footpath right outside the setup area. They couldn't do enough to help.

[blitz]

something as simple as that can make our job so much easier and lets face it how much time and effort does it take, some people just like to see you struggle I think.
In the whole tho I don't find to many ackward venue staff (I'm on a lucky streak :)), the past while a lot have even offered to help take kit in and out, bonus