Glad the weekend is over!!!

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Hi all,

I am glad to see the back of this weekend. I reported that friday wasn't a great night but last night's wedding was a bit of a letdown.

I arranged to set up early with the venue and bride and groom and then was told that it wasn't possible and would have to be after their meal so I went back at 6.30pm as I was told. It was just after 7.30pm when I was actually allowed in to set up ready for an 8.00pm start. I rushed about and got it set up as quick as I could, I was a sweaty mess afterwards.

When I got to the venue I was surprised to see another Disco unloading their equipment. It turns out that they were in the wrong place and had unloaded all of their equipment only to be told that they had to pack it back into their van. They weren't happy and I don't blame them. Not being funny but the guys (3 of them) looked very scruffy and also like the Adams family!

I got an idea of the kind of night I had ahead of me when I was just finishing setting up and the staff were just finishing off clearing the room down. All the guests were either in the bar area or outside on the patio having drinks. In stormed a guy and said out loud "Are you lot nearly done, hurry up!?". I thought that was rude but then his partner walked past him and said "It's no use, I aint staying out there anymore, it's freezing" (it wasn't at all), and she went and took her seat. Because they did it, other people followed them and I was still setting up and it felt uncomfortable and rushed. I heard a number of people (older guests) say "Let's sit as far away from the speakers as we can" as they walked past me.

Anyway, we got going...It was the first time that I had worked alongside an official toastmaster and he announced the first dance to which everyone looked on and took photos etc etc. There were 75 guests during the day with another 30 due in the evening. The couple (very nice) got married at 1.00pm so it was a classic case of a long day. People travelled from Wales and also Kent and weren't staying over so I knew from the off that there would be quite a few that would not last until 1.00am because that's when I was booked until. There were lots of older people and quite a few kids too.

I was about 15 minutes into the evening and playing some nice chilled out stuff as the bride and groom meeted and greeted their evening guests etc.. A guy in his 60's walked towards me covering his eyes and putting his fingers in his ears and I knew straight away that he was going to moan. The lights weren't on fully and the volume was low(ish) so I was ready to see what he was going to moan about. "Excuse me young man" he said, "I don't wish to complain but you are losing most of the oldies".. "Excuse me?" I said... "Most of the older people are leaving" he said.. "Ok" I replied..."I don't mean to sound rude but how is that my fault?"..."You need to play something for us oldies" he said.. "That's not a problem" I said.."What would you like?"... He humped his shoulders and said the classic "You're the DJ!"..."That's correct" I said..."..But I'm not a mind reader...If you would like to take a request slip and write down a few songs that you would like to listen to then that would help"... "I'm not writing on one of those" he said..."Have you noticed that no'one is dancing?".. It was around this moment that I began to get a bit annoyed but I kept it togeather... "Yes, I can see that but I am playing some background music for the bride and groom at the moment as they meet and greet their guests..." I said. He looked at me as if I was some kind of idiot and then said "Are you going to play something for us or not?"..."Of course I will but I need to know what kind of stuff you like" I replied..."Would you like some 60's stuff?"..."No!" He shouted..."We are too old for the 60's" he shouted again....He then turned his back on me and went to walk away. "Excuse me.." I said..."I will do my best for you but unless I know the type of music that you like then I can't help you at the moment". He walked back to his table and sat down and I could see his grumpy face from where I was stood.

Anyway, during the evening I mentioned about requests a number of times. No'one bothered asking for anything at all apart from one young lady who wanted 'Macarena'. It was hard work and I had to use my skill and experience to try and save it from being a disaster but I felt like a failure to be honest. No matter what I tried (Disco, Motown, Classic Party tunes etc), the dancefloor was not even half full all night. I could see people at their tables singing along, tapping feet etc but no'one was getting up. At 10.00pm I thought "Only another 3 hours to go" and knew that I had a tough night ahead. It was also around this time that I noticed the room emptying out. I guess people were travelling back home after a long day but it didn't help me. I felt bad for the bride and groom as if I was a letdown but they were up enjoying themselves. They actually danced to most songs I played and the groom said he was loving it so I should feel like 'job done' but unfortunately, I don't.

It was 11.05pm when the bride's father came up to me. "Good job.." he said.. "As you can see, we are getting short on numbers now so could you start winding it up at around 11.30pm" he said...."Are you sure?" I asked.. "I hope everything is ok".. "Everything is fine" he said.. "It's just been a long day and people have to travel home".. We shook hands and I kind of felt better straight away. I played some really cheesy tunes and the 20 or so people that were left all got up and joined in. I looked at my watch and it said 11.45pm...I wish the time had gone that quickly all night..It just goes to show that when people are enjoying themselves, the time doesn't drag. Earlier in the evening I was checking my watch almost every 5 minutes because no'one was doing anything. I ended the night with all of the guests and bride and groom in a big circle and received a round of applause and cheers which felt wierd as I thought I had done a bad job. I spoke to the bride and groom who both said that they had a great time. I actually said that I would send them something in the post because I was finishing early and felt that I hadn't given them value for money (even though they agreed with the bride's dad to finish when we did). I think I will send them a bottle of champagne or something.

So, I packed up my equipment and started loading up my van. It was quite a trek and as I was walking out on my first trip to the van, a number of staff started clearing down the room. As I walked back in one of them pointed at me and laughed. He spoke in french so I asked one of the others what he said "Don't worry" the guy answered. I started to get paranoid so I asked again... The guy then said "He said thankyou for finishing early as we get an early night".."Oh, ok" I replied. Then out of the blue one of them said "The Disco was very bad, the music was not good"..."Excuse me?" I said and walked towards him. I had every intention of asking him (nicely) what he meant by that but he actually ran off!! I finished packing the van and could hear the other Disco still going. I wondered if I had been better off doing that one instead of the one I ended up doing.

Now, I think I didn't do a great job personally. I was there to entertain and get people dancing and I think I failed. I don't feel too bad about it because I am taking into account the fact that everyone had a long day. The amount of guests that they had during the day was quite big and most of those were either older people or people with children that had travelled a long way and had to get home. The fact that there were only an extra 30 people for the evening didn't help either because in the end it was probably those 30 that were left for most of the night. I played music that generally guarantees a busy dancefloor but with this lot it didn't seem to work. I had hardly any requests either. If you take all of those things into account then you can understand what a tough job I had. It left me feeling like a failure especially after the french guys comments too and Mr Grumpy at the beginning of the evening.

I know I have gone on in this post and it is yet another long one but I wanted to cover everything to give a good idea of what happened and how I got through it. You know there is something wrong when you play party classics and only a handful of people get up out of their seats to venture to the dancefloor. I just hope that the bride and groom DID enjoy themselves and not just say that they did to make me feel better. If I am honest, I think that they knew that it just wasn't working. This was quite a lavish wedding too...It just goes to show that money doesn't guarantee a great night...it's the guests. The guests at this one let the night down in my opinion.

Oh well...Do it all again next weekend.

[Shaun]

We've all had nights exactly like that at some point (I know I have). All you can do is put it to the back of your mind, shake it off, and get ready for a great weekend next week. :beer1:

[dmckaraoke]

Out of intrest did you have a nosey in the other venue, what was so different, perhaps the member of staff that had said that you was rubbish had been workin in there?

[theoloyla]

You seem to take these things to heart too easily. The b & g were happy, the bride's father was happy, the guests who stayed till the end were happy, the staff who went home early were happy. Ignore the grumpy gits and silly staff giving you a wind up and as for giving them something for finishing early at their request - ARE YOU DAFT? Believe in yourself. You have told us plenty of times that have done blinding nights. Weddings quite often are like this.

[Tom]

I'm sorry to hear about your bad night. :(

I hate it when any function turns out like this.

Last night I had a wedding also, very young couple. It was a great night over all but the famous 10.30pm comes round and the place starts to empty out. Why??? Most of the guests were around the 20-30 mark and were up for a good time. I admit that I had 90% of them on the dance floor all night which made me feel really happy, but when 10.30pm came people were leaving. :(.

Check out the gallery for some pictures of the event.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

"ARE YOU DAFT?".... Yes, probably mate!! I KNOW they asked to finish early and I think it was a good move because they didn't want to string it out when it wasn't going that well but I just thought that it IF there is any chance that they actually thought I was rubbish then a gesture of goodwill may turn it around? I can also see that it may not be a good idea too though so I will re-think that one.

"You seem to take these things to heart too easily".. Yes, I DO. I can't help it mate. I am passionate about my job as it's all I want to do. I get paid well for doing something I love and don't ever want to do anything else ever again. I KNOW it's the guests to blame for this and all that but it still grates on me.

"Out of intrest did you have a nosey in the other venue, what was so different, perhaps the member of staff that had said that you was rubbish had been workin in there?"....No, I didn't go into the other venue. As I was packing up the van I could hear them playing more or less what I had been playing and I thought for one second "I wonder if he has them all up dancing". Funny you should mention the member of staff though as 2 or 3 of them had been down at the other party. It could well be that the guy that made the comment was down there as I didn't recognise him from being at the one I was doing. It was a throw away comment in my book at the time but it does get to me to be honest. There's no need for it and it came from someone that obviously doesn't have a clue. They may well have been happy that they got an earlier finish and so was I to some extent but maybe if he had just used his brain for a second, he may have thought that I would be a bit gutted and felt like a failure because I was told to end early?

"We've all had nights exactly like that at some point (I know I have). All you can do is put it to the back of your mind, shake it off, and get ready for a great weekend next week."....Thanks for that mate. To be honest, I could count the nights that I have had like this in the past on one hand. It doesn't happen that often and I hope it doesn't happen again...but I am sure at some point in the future..it will. It knocks MY confidence even though I KNOW that it wasn't my fault really.

[Andy Westcott]

The crowd makes or breaks a party, every time.

But I'm glad you had a bad night.
Not because I wish it on you, but simply because I've had a run of bad gigs too and it's heartening to hear that I'm not the only one who seems to be having trouble! And it's usually weddings - this presumably is to do with the long day, and that many of the guests don't really want to be there.

My most recent gig (a wedding evening) was the only night I can recall in recent times where Wild Cherry cleared the dance floor, as did a few other 'dead certs' - quite surprising. It was pretty hard work all the way, with one lady criticising the disco and saying "this won't do", saying I need to get everyone up dancing. I politely explained that they were eating and suggested she have a look around - the buffet had been announced about 5 minutes prior to this, and there were actually 7 or 8 people still dancing at the time.

I humoured her and asked what she'd suggest, whereupon she said she wanted the Cha Cha Slide, and she wanted it now. (She was no teenager either.) I guessed it wouldn't work, as the age group was wrong and reactions to music so far suggested it wouldn't, but as it was technically buffet time anyhow I put it on, making it quite clear who had requested it.

The floor cleared immediately, and she did some of the routine for about half the song but eventually gave up and hid away. I doggedly played the song to the very last note...

She was clearly sulking for the next hour or so and had a face like thunder, until she eventually snapped out of it and decided to rejoin the dancers and I didn't hear any more from her, so it's good that she appeared to realise she'd dropped one - why don't these people accept that a DJ who runs a business is more likely to be able to judge the peoples' likings than them? One reason I'm doing it as a business and she isn't...

I suppose it was an OK night overall, but I feel I'd have liked to have done better, although I don't know how I could have improved things, if at all, or how anyone else would have tackled such a night. Most of the guests disappeared early as is the norm, meaning I played to an empty floor for the last half-hour or so. I was intending to finish on a high, but with hardly anyone there this went straight out of the window. In the end I finished to 'Time Of My Life' a track which had been requested by the bride which clawed back a few couples, and that was it.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

'Time of my life' was one of the songs that got most people up on the floor last night thankfully.

When I read the first few lines of your post I thought.. "YOU WHAT!!!??"..but I totally understand what you mean. I know I'm not the only one that has had this happen to them. I like to tell the truth though. I could have lied and said it was an excellent night just to make myself feel better but what's the point? I would still be feeling like dirt this morning though.

I am not naive to think that everyone, everywhere likes stuff like 'Le Freak' or 'I want you back' as all functions are different but those two tracks as examples hardly ever let me down. When you aren't getting people out of their seats to classics and you have tried every trick in the book then there isn't a lot else you can do really. Oh, how I would love to get on the mic and shout out "Oi, you boring bunch of :Censored: !!" or try and be humourous and say "It looks like the super glue monkey has been round the tables again this evening" but at the time I kind of freeze and am almost embarassed. I am not prepared for it because it doesn't happen that often (thankfully).

[soundtracker]

I had a strange night as well, sloping uneven marquee floor, drunken morons falling into my kit at regular intervals, and the classic comment, whilst I was playing Bille Jean. "Can we have something with a bit of oomph!" what would you suggest? "Starship - We built this City"

Sometimes I just despair!

[DazzyD]

'Time of my life' was one of the songs that got most people up on the floor last night thankfully.

When I read the first few lines of your post I thought.. "YOU WHAT!!!??"..but I totally understand what you mean. I know I'm not the only one that has had this happen to them. I like to tell the truth though. I could have lied and said it was an excellent night just to make myself feel better but what's the point? I would still be feeling like dirt this morning though.

I am not naive to think that everyone, everywhere likes stuff like 'Le Freak' or 'I want you back' as all functions are different but those two tracks as examples hardly ever let me down. When you aren't getting people out of their seats to classics and you have tried every trick in the book then there isn't a lot else you can do really. Oh, how I would love to get on the mic and shout out "Oi, you boring bunch of :Censored: !!" or try and be humourous and say "It looks like the super glue monkey has been round the tables again this evening" but at the time I kind of freeze and am almost embarassed. I am not prepared for it because it doesn't happen that often (thankfully).

Time Of My Life is the penultimate song in the vast majority of my shows. And it very rarely lets me down (but I'm not saying "never"!). Other songs that work 99% of the time include 9 to 5 (RWL Remix), I Am What I Am - Hannah Jones, Mr Brightside - The Killers, and Freedom by Wham!.

As for using humour to try and coax folk up on to their feet - be very careful. What you see as humour someone might take offence to. Comments I regularly use (and have yet to upset anyone) include:

"For one night only - no charge for dancing on the dancefloor! How's that for a very special offer?!?"

"The venue owners have had the dancefloor cleaned especially for all you budding John Travoltas and Olivia Newton Johns out there tonight!"

"They told me the best dancers in the area are those at <insert venue name here> - let's see if you prove them right!"

"The best dancers I've had this year were at <insert rival venue name here>. Let's see if you can do better! I'm sure you can!"

Like I said, just be careful what you say and how you say it!

[soundmaster mobile disco]

I know exactly how you feel,I have had this kind of night before,It does get frustrating from a djs point of view but we just have to get on with the job and look forward to finishing time.

[Dillmiester]

If you can honestly say you did the best you could in the circumstances then you should never let it get you down, as others have said, this has happened to everyone and probably more times than most will admit.

My wedding gig last night was similar.
The groom initially wanted me from 4pm - 12pm, now I know many would say yes to this I felt it was too long for me and negotiated 6pm - 12pm.
The venue was a social club with a bar area, seating and big LCD screen in the front and way way way down the back of the building a function room (you can see what’s coming). The guests were eating the buffet when I arrived and access wasn’t a problem with a rear garage parking leading to the fire exit of the room. I started to gauge the guests and what they may like to dance to. I only counted about 50 people with most of them being 50+ and a good half of them being late 60's -70's. I counted four girls in their 20's.
I thought this is going to be interesting night and its only 6pm! We started off with some easy listening from the 60's and 70's and at 7ish the b&g wanted the first dance, Three Times a Lady (well she was allot taller than the groom :)
We had a hardcore of 6-8 girls dancing until about 8pm when I noticed many of the older ones leaving. I hoped that evening guests would start arriving soon but unfortunately only about 4 blokes in their 30's arrived.
My 6-8 girls remained dancing but the older ones including the younger blokes headed for the bar way down the other end of the building and started some serious drinking, chatting and watching the LCD screen which had some rubbish show on it.
We soldiered on, changing genres around seeing if I could tempt people down.
I actually didn’t have any complaints and many commented that people just wanted to chat and drink!
About 9pm I decided to approach the groom out of courtesy and ask him if he was happy with what we were doing and if he would like any songs played. I think he was pretty drunk by this point as he asked for more modern stuff and the birdie song :confused:
By 10pm the b&g had gone home after thanking me for a good night and stating I could pack up when I wanted to, most had left by this time. I still had two of my trusty girls still dancing and now joined by two of the boys.
So with the mass total of 4 people dancing and only four other people in the bar I decided to call it a night at 11pm.

Now I know how you feel because I didn’t feel like it was a great night at all. At the end I was knackered and had a headache which must have been caused by trying so hard all night to attract people to the dance floor. However I know I tried my best and I honestly believe the ones that didn’t dance were not going to do so for anything.

You can’t win them all!

[PropellerHeadCase]

ShakerMaker! Bad night? "BAD NIGHT"?

That wasn't a bad night, for goodness' sake!

You said it yourself, lots of older and (much) younger guests, and lots of people from afar driving home that night. If you know all of these things in advance I think you have to realistically lower your expectations of what the night holds. In those circumstances it's absolutely probable that there might be no dancing.

I don't know your pre-gig processes but this type of gig is the exact reason why I discuss the guests with my client before and make sure they know the likely response and try and pre-programme the night abit. In this case your clients danced for much of the night, thanked you and discussed finishing early due to guest numbers... you're too hard on yourself and you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Go easy on yourself or you'll burn yourself out... which is not to say that you shouldn't strive for a full dancefloor all night, just that you should recognise when it simply isn't likely.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I do mention a few things concerning guests in my pre function meetings. I always say that NOT everyone likes getting up to dance but that doesn't mean that they are not enjoying themselves. I also mention that it is a long day for some people etc etc etc....

I'm always hard on myself, it's just the way I am mate. I look at every function I do as a challenge and that challenge is to get as many people up dancing and enjoying themselves as possible. Last night was a BIG challenge and I was ready for it. I was even more determined after Mr Grumpy had a few words and felt that I had a point to prove, especially to him! I KNOW the Bride & Groom said they had a good time, the Bride's dad said he was happy too and her mum also said "thanks Gary, that was really good..." as she left the room SO all the signs are there that it actually wasn't as bad as I thought BUT I STILL didn't think it was that great on my part. It could have been so much better....I get paranoid even after receiving the above comments because I think that they are saying it just to keep me happy. I am sure they could see that it was hard work but then again...who knows?

I think the problem is that I always expect the best crowds and that everyone is going to be up for a good boogie etc etc and more often than not (maybe I am lucky?), that is the case. When things like this happen it knocks my confidence. As Shaun said...move on and see what next week brings.

[Andy Westcott]

But when this happens, you can't help wondering what the guests thought of the show, and what they are saying to each other about it.

For example, people may go away saying that a particular party 'wasn't very good', maybe not aimed at the DJ, but rather the overall experience, but these comments (if made) will always be interpreted as being the DJs fault, which is something I still haven't learnt to deal with, even after all this time.

Does MDD have a counselling service for traumatised DJs??

[Excalibur]

We've all had nights exactly like that at some point (I know I have). All you can do is put it to the back of your mind, shake it off, and get ready for a great weekend next week. :beer1:

Amen to that Brother. Last night was a sixtieth birthday, maybe had eight people on thr floor at the height of the festivities, but got a round of applause at the end, and a booking on the back of it. At the end of the night the only requirement is a satisfied Customer, not a satisfied DJ! ;) :D :D

[PropellerHeadCase]

At the end of the night the only requirement is a satisfied Customer, not a satisfied DJ! ;) :D :D

That's what beer and/or better halves are for... redressing the balance ;)

[nigelwright7557]

Hi all,

I am glad to see the back of this weekend. I reported that friday wasn't a great night but last night's wedding was a bit of a letdown.
Oh well...Do it all again next weekend.

For me the unknown part of the night is the interesting part.
If it was the same every time I would soon get bored with DJing.

Different venues, different crowds and the challenge of getting them up to dance, its all part of the game.

For me the biggest drag is moving the gear around.
I even have to move mine from the house at the start of the night and back in at the end of the night, I darent leave it in my vehicle overnight.
Some of my gear is very heavy so upstairs gigs are out of the question.
I could do with a roadie or apprentice DJ to help.

[CRAZY K]

Amen to that Brother. Last night was a sixtieth birthday, maybe had eight people on thr floor at the height of the festivities, but got a round of applause at the end, and a booking on the back of it. At the end of the night the only requirement is a satisfied Customer, not a satisfied DJ! ;) :D :D

Yes we took a lot of trouble telling Boogie Boy that:D

As far as it goes to comment on Shakermakers gig I have to say I agree with everyone---you work week in week out getting a result--if the crowd dont respond then you know its THEM not you.

Might sound arrogant but I have been doing the job of DJ and Barn Dance Caller long enough ( too long some say) to know thats the truth of it.

You cant tell the customer as you insult their guests but if the B and G had a good time---job done.

Move on to the next one:)

I started last night by nearly losing it with a Wedding guest for the first time :eek:

Im in an Inflatable Building ( Church :D ) the Church erectors have their own sound man who has set up a PA, its playing the clients own CD with a load of rap music complete with loads of swearing---at very high volume--a woman comes in and says can you play some Abba--?

I explain this is the "background music" the Bride and Groom WANT whilst I set up and I cant touch it because the CD decks are in a corner I cant access due to all my equipment im trying to erect--the fans that keep the inflatable building up and mass of cables belonging to the Church erectors--

The groom is a professional sound engineer---very nice bloke and he likes it LOUD.

She looks at me as if to say your useless--I was tempted to say the wrong thing ending in off--but hey its a Wedding so anything is possible.

Regarding timings I have to say I wont accept Weddings that go to 1am.

Thats partly because I travel long distances and secondly if people have been at a Wedding drinking all day going on to 1am is beyond most of them--

I think im on to a loser because of too much drink and a thinning number of potential dancers--its my decision so thats what I do. Everyone loses because it looks bad if no one dances or theres hardly anyone left, NONE of which is the DJs fault generally speaking.

My suggestion to the client is people will be getting very tired after celebrating all day (read drunk out their heads) so unless its a late starter
say 8 or 9pm they aint going to last--the more intelligent ones get that and laugh knowing what i mean--they are the people I want to deal with.

Last night to prove the point--I was told to wrap up at 10.30 instead of 12pm--they were all totally wiped out with tiredness--ok we did a bit of Line Dancing and Square Dancing;)

No I didnt offer a refund-- because of rubbish access and the Inflatable Church team wanting me out of their building urgently to collapse it all my kit was deposited next to my vehicle in no particular order in a pile--so it took me 45 minutes longer to get everything sorted:eek:

I lose bookings by being upfront with the client over timings--but hey we know what happens at Weddings--- we go to one regularly--the punter goes to a few in a lifetime.

CRAZY K

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Fair play....I would say that's exactly how I feel mate. I know I'm in the wrong for offering to send them something but at the end of the day, it's not my fault that it finished early.

[Danno13]

But when this happens, you can't help wondering what the guests thought of the show, and what they are saying to each other about it.

For example, people may go away saying that a particular party 'wasn't very good', maybe not aimed at the DJ, but rather the overall experience, but these comments (if made) will always be interpreted as being the DJs fault, which is something I still haven't learnt to deal with, even after all this time.

Does MDD have a counselling service for traumatised DJs??

I often think about this as well, but satisfy myself that I don't really want repeat bookings from a miserable/boring/non-dancey etc. crowd anyway!

I seem to be having a run of dodgy venues with bars miles away with rooms inbetween that people often settle in.... everyone crowds into the disco room for first dance and then you're lucky if you see half of them again all night!

And B&Gs who leave the dancefloor as quickly as possible, just as you invite people to join them after the first dance. How can anyone join you if you're not there anymore :bang:

[DazzyD]

Fair play....I would say that's exactly how I feel mate. I know I'm in the wrong for offering to send them something but at the end of the day, it's not my fault that it finished early.

You're not in the wrong, Gary. It's a very nice gesture but don't feel obliged to do it. If you do send something, remember to include your business card! We often send the happy couple/birthday boy or girl a card and always include a business card with it. People remember little touches like that. Recently I've opened a business text message account and we now send brides a good luck message early on the morning of their wedding. It costs a few pence and the feedback has been fantastic with clients saying how thoughtful they think we are. It's all good marketing!

[CRAZY K]

You're not in the wrong, Gary. It's a very nice gesture but don't feel obliged to do it. If you do send something, remember to include your business card! We often send the happy couple/birthday boy or girl a card and always include a business card with it. People remember little touches like that. Recently I've opened a business text message account and we now send brides a good luck message early on the morning of their wedding. It costs a few pence and the feedback has been fantastic with clients saying how thoughtful they think we are. It's all good marketing!

Thats good client care--I have considered phoning the best man on mobile an hour before im due to arrive just to confirm everything is fine etc to stop any worries---will the Entertainer turn up etc. :D

Thats one to think about for me.

Im not saying its wrong to give a bit of a return fee--just that usually the gigs I take are in venues I dont know or private land/ houses/ barns and turn out to be more more hard work than you would imagine.

As it happened I started earlier than Contracted Saturday so finishing earlier was a trade off.

If it wasnt difficult enough playing in a blow up Church Saturday ---:eek: :eek: It was on a nasty SLOPE so it took ages getting wedges and stones under all the equipment to get it level----

Its amazing how much it slows down packing away late at night:eek:

CRAZY K

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Here's an update for you which I can't actually believe.....

I just received an email from the bride which goes like this -

"Hi Gary,

Thanks so much for saturday. We had a great time and received lots of comments on how good you were. My Mum and Dad were very pleased with you and we have no hesitation in passing on your number for anyone looking for a professional DJ. Many thanks"

I reckon that in all probability it was the last hour of the night that saved it and left them with positive vibes. Yes, I have been too hard on myself so thanks for the comments etc.

I feel better now!
G

[Dragonfly]

Hi all,

I arranged to set up early with the venue and bride and groom and then was told that it wasn't possible and would have to be after their meal so I went back at 6.30pm as I was told. It was just after 7.30pm when I was actually allowed in to set up ready for an 8.00pm start. I rushed about and got it set up as quick as I could, I was a sweaty mess afterwards.

Really sorry you had a bad one mate but as you say you got through it and theres always next weekend

"We will need between 60 and 90 minutes setup time prior to the start of your event depending on access and the size of show required , this is non negotiable and will not change even if other events over run sadly it is just how long it takes to get the lighting and sound rigged up correctly and safely"

I no longer do sweaty messes ..... maybe thats why i've only got 5 gigs left till free weekends with the family :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Excalibur]

Really sorry you had a bad one mate but as you say you got through it and theres always next weekend

"We will need between 60 and 90 minutes setup time prior to the start of your event depending on access and the size of show required , this is non negotiable and will not change even if other events over run sadly it is just how long it takes to get the lighting and sound rigged up correctly and safely"

I no longer do sweaty messes ..... maybe thats why i've only got 5 gigs left till free weekends with the family :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Are we opening a book on how long before withdrawal symptoms set in, and just Roadying for Tone is no longer enough?:confused: :D :D

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I have "45 minutes to 1 hour" required in my T&C's and that's usually enough to be honest. I did explain to the Bride and Groom beforehand and then things changed. I did make them aware that there could possibly be a delay in me starting due to delays during the day which always seem to happen. They were actually fine with it. I also asked the C&B Manager if they could do a 'go slow' when they were changing the room round after the meal.

I'm just glad that they were actually very happy. When I saw the email from the bride today I was almost scared to open it as I was dreading negative feedback. I am glad I was wrong.

[Excalibur]

I'm just glad that they were actually very happy. When I saw the email from the bride today I was almost scared to open it as I was dreading negative feedback. I am glad I was wrong.

The expectations of some punters may be different from the service you think you have delivered. On Saturday, I was in a club where the inhouse system was in meltdown, yet no staff noticed!Differing expectations.

[PropellerHeadCase]

In-house staff are notorious for having no-longer-notice-it hearing issues.

[One Vision]

Hi all,

I am glad to see the back of this weekend. I reported that friday wasn't a great night but last night's wedding was a bit of a letdown.

I arranged to set up early with the venue and bride and groom and then was told that it wasn't possible and would have to be after their meal so I went back at 6.30pm as I was told. It was just after 7.30pm when I was actually allowed in to set up ready for an 8.00pm start. I rushed about and got it set up as quick as I could, I was a sweaty mess afterwards.

When I got to the venue I was surprised to see another Disco unloading their equipment. It turns out that they were in the wrong place and had unloaded all of their equipment only to be told that they had to pack it back into their van. They weren't happy and I don't blame them. Not being funny but the guys (3 of them) looked very scruffy and also like the Adams family!

I got an idea of the kind of night I had ahead of me when I was just finishing setting up and the staff were just finishing off clearing the room down. All the guests were either in the bar area or outside on the patio having drinks. In stormed a guy and said out loud "Are you lot nearly done, hurry up!?". I thought that was rude but then his partner walked past him and said "It's no use, I aint staying out there anymore, it's freezing" (it wasn't at all), and she went and took her seat. Because they did it, other people followed them and I was still setting up and it felt uncomfortable and rushed. I heard a number of people (older guests) say "Let's sit as far away from the speakers as we can" as they walked past me.

Anyway, we got going...It was the first time that I had worked alongside an official toastmaster and he announced the first dance to which everyone looked on and took photos etc etc. There were 75 guests during the day with another 30 due in the evening. The couple (very nice) got married at 1.00pm so it was a classic case of a long day. People travelled from Wales and also Kent and weren't staying over so I knew from the off that there would be quite a few that would not last until 1.00am because that's when I was booked until. There were lots of older people and quite a few kids too.

I was about 15 minutes into the evening and playing some nice chilled out stuff as the bride and groom meeted and greeted their evening guests etc.. A guy in his 60's walked towards me covering his eyes and putting his fingers in his ears and I knew straight away that he was going to moan. The lights weren't on fully and the volume was low(ish) so I was ready to see what he was going to moan about. "Excuse me young man" he said, "I don't wish to complain but you are losing most of the oldies".. "Excuse me?" I said... "Most of the older people are leaving" he said.. "Ok" I replied..."I don't mean to sound rude but how is that my fault?"..."You need to play something for us oldies" he said.. "That's not a problem" I said.."What would you like?"... He humped his shoulders and said the classic "You're the DJ!"..."That's correct" I said..."..But I'm not a mind reader...If you would like to take a request slip and write down a few songs that you would like to listen to then that would help"... "I'm not writing on one of those" he said..."Have you noticed that no'one is dancing?".. It was around this moment that I began to get a bit annoyed but I kept it togeather... "Yes, I can see that but I am playing some background music for the bride and groom at the moment as they meet and greet their guests..." I said. He looked at me as if I was some kind of idiot and then said "Are you going to play something for us or not?"..."Of course I will but I need to know what kind of stuff you like" I replied..."Would you like some 60's stuff?"..."No!" He shouted..."We are too old for the 60's" he shouted again....He then turned his back on me and went to walk away. "Excuse me.." I said..."I will do my best for you but unless I know the type of music that you like then I can't help you at the moment". He walked back to his table and sat down and I could see his grumpy face from where I was stood.

Anyway, during the evening I mentioned about requests a number of times. No'one bothered asking for anything at all apart from one young lady who wanted 'Macarena'. It was hard work and I had to use my skill and experience to try and save it from being a disaster but I felt like a failure to be honest. No matter what I tried (Disco, Motown, Classic Party tunes etc), the dancefloor was not even half full all night. I could see people at their tables singing along, tapping feet etc but no'one was getting up. At 10.00pm I thought "Only another 3 hours to go" and knew that I had a tough night ahead. It was also around this time that I noticed the room emptying out. I guess people were travelling back home after a long day but it didn't help me. I felt bad for the bride and groom as if I was a letdown but they were up enjoying themselves. They actually danced to most songs I played and the groom said he was loving it so I should feel like 'job done' but unfortunately, I don't.

It was 11.05pm when the bride's father came up to me. "Good job.." he said.. "As you can see, we are getting short on numbers now so could you start winding it up at around 11.30pm" he said...."Are you sure?" I asked.. "I hope everything is ok".. "Everything is fine" he said.. "It's just been a long day and people have to travel home".. We shook hands and I kind of felt better straight away. I played some really cheesy tunes and the 20 or so people that were left all got up and joined in. I looked at my watch and it said 11.45pm...I wish the time had gone that quickly all night..It just goes to show that when people are enjoying themselves, the time doesn't drag. Earlier in the evening I was checking my watch almost every 5 minutes because no'one was doing anything. I ended the night with all of the guests and bride and groom in a big circle and received a round of applause and cheers which felt wierd as I thought I had done a bad job. I spoke to the bride and groom who both said that they had a great time. I actually said that I would send them something in the post because I was finishing early and felt that I hadn't given them value for money (even though they agreed with the bride's dad to finish when we did). I think I will send them a bottle of champagne or something.

So, I packed up my equipment and started loading up my van. It was quite a trek and as I was walking out on my first trip to the van, a number of staff started clearing down the room. As I walked back in one of them pointed at me and laughed. He spoke in french so I asked one of the others what he said "Don't worry" the guy answered. I started to get paranoid so I asked again... The guy then said "He said thankyou for finishing early as we get an early night".."Oh, ok" I replied. Then out of the blue one of them said "The Disco was very bad, the music was not good"..."Excuse me?" I said and walked towards him. I had every intention of asking him (nicely) what he meant by that but he actually ran off!! I finished packing the van and could hear the other Disco still going. I wondered if I had been better off doing that one instead of the one I ended up doing.

Now, I think I didn't do a great job personally. I was there to entertain and get people dancing and I think I failed. I don't feel too bad about it because I am taking into account the fact that everyone had a long day. The amount of guests that they had during the day was quite big and most of those were either older people or people with children that had travelled a long way and had to get home. The fact that there were only an extra 30 people for the evening didn't help either because in the end it was probably those 30 that were left for most of the night. I played music that generally guarantees a busy dancefloor but with this lot it didn't seem to work. I had hardly any requests either. If you take all of those things into account then you can understand what a tough job I had. It left me feeling like a failure especially after the french guys comments too and Mr Grumpy at the beginning of the evening.

I know I have gone on in this post and it is yet another long one but I wanted to cover everything to give a good idea of what happened and how I got through it. You know there is something wrong when you play party classics and only a handful of people get up out of their seats to venture to the dancefloor. I just hope that the bride and groom DID enjoy themselves and not just say that they did to make me feel better. If I am honest, I think that they knew that it just wasn't working. This was quite a lavish wedding too...It just goes to show that money doesn't guarantee a great night...it's the guests. The guests at this one let the night down in my opinion.

Oh well...Do it all again next weekend.

Hya mate that's a fantastic "gig log" and very honest.
I sort of got a bit hooked in to reading that, have you ever thought of writing a novel? I think you put words together very well and in a way we can all relate to.
"The ups n downs of a mobile disco" would be a huge hit I reckon ;)

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Believe it or not, I have written a book on my life growing up listening to Gary Numan and all the abuse and everything that went with it, the up's and down's and events etc.. I never got it published but I did put it online and had some fantastic feedback from fans allover the world and also....Mr Numan himself!

I have also written a 'Typical week' type thing which Darren has somewhere. I have thought about doing an 'in detail' thing and maybe your comments (thanks) will push me into doing that. I may well do that sooner rather than later.

Thanks

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I have also written a 'Typical week' type thing which Darren has somewhere.

I haven't forgotten and will try and get round to sorting it out very shortly. :)

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Hi mate, hope the holiday was ok. I was hinting at all. In fact, I wouldn't bother with that one mate. If you leave it with me I will do a personal thing and it will more than likely be very long but I would like to do it properly if that's ok.

Cheers
G

[One Vision]

Believe it or not, I have written a book on my life growing up listening to Gary Numan and all the abuse and everything that went with it, the up's and down's and events etc.. I never got it published but I did put it online and had some fantastic feedback from fans allover the world and also....Mr Numan himself!

I have also written a 'Typical week' type thing which Darren has somewhere. I have thought about doing an 'in detail' thing and maybe your comments (thanks) will push me into doing that. I may well do that sooner rather than later.

Thanks

Complete honesty works every time mate as its from the heart, which shows in such posts that you do, although your reflecting on the hard side of the business its still very enjoyable reading and like a good book were you dont want to put it down.

Gary Numan lol my older brother was big on him too, even had the red hair stripe and the Telekon flying suite and ea ring in the wrong ear :D
He has never changed really, always been a bit strange :p

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Hi mate, hope the holiday was ok. I was hinting at all. In fact, I wouldn't bother with that one mate. If you leave it with me I will do a personal thing and it will more than likely be very long but I would like to do it properly if that's ok.

Cheers
G

OK, cool.

Yep, nice holiday, thanks.

I'll keep the other one anyway, just in case you want me to post it. :)

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Karl, you'll wish you had'nt mentioned it now mate as I am already on the case. On to my 3rd page of A4 now!

As for the whole Numan thing - Yep, I was exactly the same!

[One Vision]

Karl, you'll wish you had'nt mentioned it now mate as I am already on the case. On to my 3rd page of A4 now!

As for the whole Numan thing - Yep, I was exactly the same!

Excellent good onya and good luck :)