Good Gig, Bad Gig.

Interesting weekend. Came down with the dreaded lurgy late Wednesday, after venturing into the West Riding for a NADJ meet. Musn't have kept my inoculations up to date. :D Did nothing Thursday and Friday, until I loaded up for a wine tasting in Lincoln.

What a function! Room all decked out with Halloween trimmings, so plenty of balloons and other ephemera underfoot to hamper me. Grr. Got set up, and worked out the grand entrance. The tasting team would walk into a virtually dark room, filled with smoke, wearing robes and masks, and carrying lanterns. I'd be up on the stage, with the smoke machine, strobe and suitably creepy music.

And sound effects.

You know what I'm like. How they didn't make their entrance to Dance of the Cuckoos, Police Sirens, and assorted comedy noises, I'll never know. Somehow, I managed to restrain myself, and merely used bells, thunder, and other appropriate things. If I'd really been up to speed on the intentions before hand, I think I could have improved things. The creepy music they chose wasn't perfect in my opinion. I could have found better. A couple of Black Sabbath tracks spring to mind, and possibly some Black Widow. Also, if I'd brought the Behringer desk, I could have put effects on the mic for the early part of the night, which would have obviated the need for the presenter to try to create them himself vocally. I'll know for next time.

Rest of the night was normal, then load up and drive sixty miles home. Almost a perfect night, function wise.


Saturday.
Like Friday, almost perfect. Almost.
40th Birthday, nice playlist, only a twenty mile drive to a venue I've been at before, no worries.
Except, they've got extra tables in, so I'm pushed for space. No matter, in best Procrustean style, the kit's in. The main man of the venue comes in at this point, and says I can use any of the venue's installed lights if I wish. Then looks up at the Powerbar and Cheetahs, and utters words which would have gladdened Steve's heart:
" Mind you, with what you've got there, I don't expect you'll need/want to ". Wise fella.

So, I'm ready to Rock and Roll, birthday girl arrives, pays up, and we're good to go. What a crowd. After a bit of background music, I put on the Smiths -Panic. Floor fills, and never empties except for the Hog Roast. I play Indie, Britpop, spot of Tamla, Soul, trace of R & B, and loads of classics. Can't do wrong.

Until the end. :( I overrun by one track, and the time honoured cry of " Just one more " goes up. Birthday girl says I haven't played "Happy Hour-Housemartins ", so I stick that on, no problem. Except a repeat of " Just one more " , with a smattering of " Have you got any Xmas songs? " :daft:

When I didn't play any more, the atmosphere changed altogether. Bet I get bad feedback on NaD for this one. Totally spoilt another night for me. :mad:

Saturday night, had a fancy dress Halloween function in a local working mens club. 100+ turnout.

Some really good costumes, some actually quite freaky.

Mainly aimed at the kids, with games with balloons, fancy dress competitions etc.

Played a mixture of music, including some relevant themed tunes. (Ended up playing Ghostbusters several times due to popular demand)

Overall a very good night.

On Friday I was at my local for a Halloween party and it was a cracker.
It's THE place to go on Halloween in town as everyone always makes an effort with their costumes and the atmosphere is great. Some of the costumes this year were outstanding. I usually dress up too but due to being ill I didn't have time so I just got on with it.

Saturday was a 40th Birthday party at a venue in town. I was booked by the venue as it was for a member of staff. I didn't get to meet the customer in advance unfortunately so my pre-function meeting was a quick 10 minute chat with the birthday girl once I had set up. I always get a bit apprehensive if I haven't got that much information as I don't feel prepared but I need not have worried. There were lots of children in attendance and I played all of the requests that they were bombarding me with which went down really well and it was them that encouraged everyone else to get in to the party mood. Dancing all night, lots of positive feedback and a couple of tips too. One from the father of the birthday girl and a bit extra from the venue owner and some free drinks too.

Went back to the venue yesterday afternoon to collect the equipment and got a cheer from some of the family who were having lunch.
A good weekend!

A good surrogate marker of a pretty crazy night is when one of the bridesmaids comes behind your stand looking for her underwear.

'nuff said. :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Benny Smyth

A good surrogate marker of a pretty crazy night is when one of the bridesmaids comes behind your stand looking for her underwear.

'nuff said. :p

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Hope you weren't wearing it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mattydj50

Hope you weren't wearing it.

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They were keeping my ears warm. :pants:

Strange one for me last night.
Wedding at a large venue about 5 minutes away from me. Been there a number of times over the years and am always apprehensive because firstly, many moons ago I fried 2 amps in one night before I even played a song and I put it down to dodgy electrics there. The last time I was there the marquee had been totally refurbished and I had no problems at all yet it was still in my mind. I loaded the van up with a full active system (subs and tops) and also 2 x amps and full range passives. Bit of a pain but better to be safe. Secondly, it is a pretty long load in. Access isn't that great and it's a fair old walk in to the venue and across the marquee to where the set up area is.

I set up in the morning which took me just short of 90 minutes which is a lot longer than I normally take to set up.

I knew in advance that the couple were getting married at midday and that it was for 80 guests and that there were also a lot of children attending too. I kind of knew what to expect if you know what I mean.
So, I'm booked from 7.30pm - Midnight. Met with the Bride & Groom on Monday and the Bride especially was quite specific about the music that she wanted which was current chart stuff, some classic 90s floorfillers and some 60s and Motown. She made the comment that she listened to Heart FM everyday and wanted something along those lines. Having not listened to the radio for years I wasn't entirely sure what she meant so I had a listen to it for an hour or so yesterday afternoon to get me up to speed.....ish.

I arrive at just after 7.00pm and head straight for the Bride & Groom to congratulate them. They look shattered to be honest. The Bride (who had been very excited and talkative during the meeting) didn't seem up for it that much. The Duty Manager introduced himself (he was from another venue and covering) and asked me if I could get the music up and running as he said that the guests needed some encouragement to get in to the party mood. I knew what he meant as there didn't seem to be much atmosphere at the time. Lots of children running around and I even walked past a guy who was asleep at his table on my way to the set up.

So, I switch everything on and get some background music going. First dance is planned for 8.00pm but the Bride & Groom want to do it as soon as possible. I could see what was happening already. I introduce myself, give the Bride & Groom a big introduction and play their first dance - Etta James - At Last and then encourage the guests to join them for the second dance - Jack Johnson - Better Together.
It was encouraging as everyone joined in and once I got the music going and got in to current chart stuff etc, lots of people started dancing. There were times when the odd song here and there saw some leave the dance floor but most of the time it was looking pretty good. It was around 9.00pm when a guy approached me asking if I could play some 60s stuff for him. He asked for Rolling Stones, The Kinks and some other bits and pointed at the dance floor which was empty for the first time (someone asked for Blurred Lines but nobody danced to it). He also said that there was far too much up to date stuff being played and he wanted something for the 'oldies'.

He wasn't being nasty or anything and I told him that I was just sticking to what the Bride & Groom wanted. He told me he was the father of the Bride and we had a laugh and I told him I would get some on as soon as possible. As soon as I did, he was up on the dance floor with a few others and I played a good 45 minutes of 60s, Motown and Disco classics. He kept giving me the thumbs up whenever a different song came on.
At around 10.15pm the Groom came over and asked me if I could play their last song for them as they were knackered and wanted to leave. I could see it coming from a mile off.

I played a couple more songs and then made the announcement and played their last song which was The Beatles - Here comes the sun. The Groom originally had another song choice but decided that he wanted it to be ironic because it had been raining all day. I played the song and the dance floor filled up. As they made their way off the dance floor and towards the exit I played the Five Megamix as someone had requested it and the Bride & Groom came rushing back. It was the quickest I had seen them move all night. The Bride looked at me and laughed and shouted over "I need my bed!" She lasted until halfway through the song and then they made their exit.
As always, a number of guests followed them and by about 10.30pm there were around 20 people left in a marquee that can easily hold 200+
It looked empty and I had a word with the Duty Manager. I told him that I had spoken to the Groom and that he had said that if the numbers drop to just phase it out and finish.

I was playing classic party stuff and the 20 or so that were left were sat at a table right down the other end. On the table was the father of the Bride so I didn't want to finish it just yet as I wanted to keep him happy. There were a handful of people dancing to various songs here and there but there was no continuity and at 11.00pm I saw them all start getting their coats on. I said thanks over the mic and there were a few whistles, waves and claps as they made their way out. The father of the Bride came over, shook my hand and said "Good job" and that was it.

The Duty Manager said to me as I was packing down that I'd done well considering it was a tough crowd in his opinion. I personally thought it was "one of those".
All packed down and back indoors by Midnight.

Good gig for me tonight, my one freebie for the year a friend of ours and his wife who are trying to fundraise for a powered wheelchair for their son. The brave man waxed his chest to raise a few quid and I've been told the night was financially a grand success as well. My role in all of this was to play background music, provide projection to pull at the heart (and purse) strings and entertain the many kids (which I did).

Bad bit of the night... have you ever wondered what would happen if you lifted a T-bar full of lights too far and the upright popped out of the end of the tube? Well.... now I know, it feels a bit like a heart attack!! Ironically I should have been using my new winch stands tonight which would have made the accident an impossibility, but the bloomin' delivery didn't turn up this morning :( Luckily the projector, Jellydomes and Cougars all survived without damage. The lens on the Stairville LED bar broke, but I was expecting that to happen at some point as it's pretty flimsy, the bar itself still works fine.

Anyway, lots of good feedback, and lots of possible future bookings so it paid off in more ways than one :D

Julian

Great night last night.
50th birthday party at Camberley cricket club ( up stairs . nothing new there)
around 60 guests , a mix from UK and India

Play list

60s

I wanna hold your hand - Beatles
Hard days night - Beatles
She loves you - Beatles
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley
Rock around the clock - Bill Haley and the Comets
Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones
Honky Tonk Woman - The Rolling Stones
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison
70s

Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Staying Alive -Bee Gees
Blockbuster - The Sweet
Killer Queen - Queen
Don't stop me now - Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
Celebration - Cool and the Gang
Summer nights - Grease
Dancing Queen - Abba
Good Times - Chic
We are Family - Sister Sledge
80s

Livin on a prayer - Bon Jovi
Park Life - Blur
Don't stop believing - Journey
Come On Eileeen, Dexy's Midnight Runners
Love shack - B52s
Start me up - The Rolling Stones
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Get into the Groove - Madonna
Look of Love - ABC
Walking on sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
90s/2000s

Can't get you out of my head - Kylie Minogue
Happy - P Williams
Ed Sheeran - Sing
Bring the stars out - Tiny Templer
Push the button - Sugar Babes
Get this party started - Pink
Valerie - Amy Winehouse
Let me entertain you - Robbie Williams
Rock DJ - Robbie Williams
Livin la vida loca - Ricky Martin
Crazy in love - Beyonce and Jay Z
Gang Nam Style - PSY
Born this way - Lady Ga Ga
Rock

You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
Paradise City - Guns & Roses


Bhangra


Punjabi by Nature – Ft Dippa Dosanjh
Tharti Hilde – :Censored::Censored:Aman Hayer
Teray Hussan de Maare – DJ Sanj/Master Saleem
PBN Boliyan – PBN featuring Teamdips
Kharku -- Diljit Dosanjh
:Censored:Johal Boliyan Kulwinder Johal Feat. Raman Aujla:Censored:
:Censored:Katal Kare -- Dj Sanj Ft Jay Status
Darshan -- B21
Seeti -- Miss Pooja & Geeta Zalidar
Saa Charju -- PBN
Billo Nach Nach Key -- Geeta Zalidar
Phatte Chuk Di -- PBN
Desi Jatt -- Miss Pooja
Naag 2 -- Jazzy B
High Heels -- Jaz Dhami
Jatt :Censored:kaim-- Jazzy B
Gabru -- Honey Singh Ft J – Star
Jawani -- Dj H, Dj Rags & Kaka Bhaniawala.
Mitran De Boot -- Jazzy B - Dr Zeus
Punjabi Hurrr -- Bups Saggu
Chabi -- Baljit Malwa
Suchiyan Suniyan -- Lehmber Hussainpuri
Puth Jattan De -- Tru Skool
Radio -- Diljit Dosanjh
Dil Tharkeh (desi mix) -- B21
Heer -- Jags Klimax

Was I out of my comfort zone...er yes, Was it a success, .....oh yes

The party had over run by about an hour , so I did not start until gone 9 , background music from 6:00pm , all Bollywood .
I was well fed , all cooking was by Indian chefs , the food was fantastic.
The only problem was , the room seemed to be split in half , guests from an Indian background on one side , every one else on the other , and so it was with dancing, one half sitting down , while the other half danced.
when I played Billie Jean, a gentleman got up walked to the dance floor , and did , What can only be described as brilliant Micheal Jackson dancing, even I applauded .
However with a fair bit of mic work ( much more than usual) , I encouraged both cultures to dance to each others musical tastes , success at last :):)

All finished by midnight ,I use the disabled lift to get things down to the van, pity about the fog all the way home , and the fact that the fan dont work, takes 5 miles to even feel a little warm.
Could I do a whole evening of Bhangra....no , there are excellent Bhangra DJ`s out there, would i do the same mix again , you bet I would.


Cheers

Daryll

Did a presentation night this weekend for a motorbike team (dirt bikes stuff I think) 150+ people, mixed ages, from 6-60+

Played a mixture of music, starting with modern before the pie and peas.

Then onto the presentation, just sat down for 30mins or so whilst they gave out the trophies etc.

Then onto a quick game. (Which I obviously knew about before hand)

They got two teams of 2 blokes, and two kids plastic bikes. They had to do two laps around the function room each before changing rider.

They usually have a start "girl" to start the races, but for tonight only, they had a young lad (19 ish) dressed in a bikini, hid away in a room next to me. Played "Hot Stuff", and out he came. Everyone found this rather amusing.

They had the race to the Benny Hill theme tune.

It was rather entertaining.

Then over to me for the music.

Switched to the 60's music, cheese etc full dance floor all night.

23:20, called last ordered, received lots of boos. (As expected for a great night)

Land ladies orders were to play the last song at 23:50, which I did. But....
Yes, I was getting a lot of pressure for "Just one more", said over the mic, that it's not my call, but the bar staff gave me a nod to play "one more" so I did.

After that song, said my fairwells, lowered the music, and packed up. (Still getting "one more, one more" whilst packing up)

After I had packed up, the land lady come up to me, with a stern face, giving me verbal for playing after 23:50. I told here the bar staff gave me the nod. Still, she was not happy.

Anyway, really enjoyed the evening, client said it was great, crowd loved it, so could not be happier.

One thing I did find unusual, I've done a few presentation night is the past, and usually after the award, people start to vanish. With this one, the majority of the guests stayed all night, drinking and dancing :)

Wish all events were like this. (Other than the usual kids which you cannot get of the stage)