Good Gig, Bad Gig.

Hi Pete yeah it seems to be working out well for me (and I continue to push my fees upwards too.... for what is worth)

@muscilogy - I agree also. Actually on that vid most of my lights were off apart from the 4x iShows on the tripods to each side, plus the one Martin Wizard I was running that night on the right hand tripod, and the Martin Ego on the left... and of course the Lasers - 2 x 4 channel 760mW rgyb + 5 x cluster (mixture red/green/yellow/blue) + 1x geometrix

But certainly i am always up for a bit of drama - lights wise :)

So.....

I do have here five stupidly powerful strobes, can't quite remember what exactly they are as I grabbed them cheap on ebay and they are stashed away in the pantry lol. Two supposedly working, two faulty and one in bits. Paid £50 for the lot. They are (from the datasheet - funny I remember exactly what they were capable of rather than exactly the make/model that I bought :daft:) are 92 Joules output each - which is bloody well bright - and are DMX controlled so can be synchronised together

So yep agree with you 101% on that one - expect some seriously flashing video posted here soone as I sort it all

Rich

Two gigs this week

Friday at the Hebburn Masonic Lodge for a 65^th surprise birthday. Avg age well in 50’s so the music played was older and to my absolute liking. Pretty full floor for most the night and even some pre-buffet dancing. Bad side was really poor walk-in pay for gig and something I’m probably going to stop doing now I’ve got enough of my own working coming in. Previously it’s paid the bills and got me exposure and experience so can’t be overly critical of the companies who do this.

Had large sections of motown, funk and disco topped off with some decent cheese. The food was top notch and was well happy to be invite to attack the buffet. At 12pm switched off and walked out which after being at work from 7am was really appreciated.


Next event was a wedding at the Crescent Club in Cullercoats. Overlooking the Tynemouth beach it’s all good bar the phone signal. The couple had been married by Jack Sparrow on a nearby island so was loving that. They hired me from 6pm but to this day I don’t know why as the club was turning the room around between 6 and 7 so I played to the staff.

Took them an age to find the dance floor but at 10pm when they did it was stacked to closing. Far too much chair dancing going on for my likings. On packing up the car boot wouldn’t open so was a right pain and my fav chip shop in the NE which is right outside the club was closed when I got packed up.

Ah yes the Cullercoats chippy. Best fish & chips I've ever had!

So last night. Midweek weddings have generally been okay, but not this one. I showed up an hour early, got set up & was told the SP by the assistant manager. Rock. Or as it turned out, metal after speaking to the bride. Yay! The guests had been pretty thin on the ground during the day, with at least 30 invited ones not showing up. Never fear, everybody thought - the night time invited folks will all show up, right? Wrong.

I wasn't quite badgering guests for requests and I had three up until this point - Kanye West - All Day (nope), Bob Dylan (any will do), and Gangnam Style. I played Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone just after the buffet & the guy who'd asked for it danced with his wife & they both say down again. The folk who remained at the reception weren't the standing up dancing sort & besides it was a pleasant night so the majority of those still there were outside.

I counted about 26 out of a setting catering to 100, and of those about 18 stayed until 9pm after the buffet. Of those, there were couples with kids & they left at around 9.30pm. From the remaining 14, a further 6 left at 10.15pm..

10.30pm rolled up & somebody asked for some Metallica & Muse. This got cheers from the remaining table, and still nobody got up to dance.. and we wheedled our way to 11.45pm on what I'd call request led heavy metallic tunes. I even bought a couple of tracks for the couple - Rammstein's 'Du Hast' and something by Pantera I can't remember the name of right now. Hey ho, they'll come in handy another time.

Tough gig, but I felt for the B&G.. but then that's always a risk when you host an event in the middle of the week. Anyway, everybody who stuck around seemed happy about my part of the proceedings.

De-rigged & put the gear in its cubbyhole & was home for 12.30am & went straight to bed. Up at 6 this morning for my fourth day in my new job. God, I hate the A1 around the carbuncle of the North (aka the rusty upturned aeroplane)

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Originally Posted by juski

I even bought a couple of tracks for the couple - Rammstein's 'Du Hast' and something by Pantera I can't remember the name of right now. Hey ho, they'll come in handy another time.

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I was going to allege that I play that at almost every gig, with my customary whimsy, but I won't. :) I have to say though that I really like that track, and don't dislike Rammstein at all.

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Originally Posted by juski

God, I hate the A1 around the carbuncle of the North (aka the rusty upturned aeroplane)

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If you think you've got problems, just have a trip down the A15 to Lincoln. :mad: You can even get stuck behind a truck doing 40mph at two in the morning!! :eek: That road's a nightmare. Undulates like crazy, overtaking in my van is virtually impossible, and it's always solid at the sort of times I head off down it.

By contrast, the A1 Southbound is an absolute pleasure, and I'm always happy to use that one. Even the A1 North of us is normally no problem, but obviously I don't often head as far North as you do, and probably at less busy times.

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

I was going to allege that I play that at almost every gig, with my customary whimsy, but I won't. :) I have to say though that I really like that track, and don't dislike Rammstein at all.


If you think you've got problems, just have a trip down the A15 to Lincoln. :mad: You can even get stuck behind a truck doing 40mph at two in the morning!! :eek: That road's a nightmare. Undulates like crazy, overtaking in my van is virtually impossible, and it's always solid at the sort of times I head off down it.

By contrast, the A1 Southbound is an absolute pleasure, and I'm always happy to use that one. Even the A1 North of us is normally no problem, but obviously I don't often head as far North as you do, and probably at less busy times.

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That traffic sounds like my kind of nightmare Peter. I hoped my commuting days were over when I jacked in the M56 halfway through 2013. I can tolerate a 25 mile drive taking 40 minutes or so.

I probably like a lot more heavy metal than I realise - it's just that I've not been exposed to much. I used to (grudgingly) play college parties where we'd have a section with music provided from 'lent' CDs & had my eyes opened some. Good rock & metal always seems to be exquisitely recorded too.. sparkling highs & really nice wobbling lows. I don't like some of the shouty grunty stuff, especially when instruments are hard panned.. no good in headphones, that kind of thing.

I've also played Ramstien at a few gigs, it goes down well with the right crowd

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

By contrast, the A1 Southbound is an absolute pleasure, and I'm always happy to use that one. Even the A1 North of us is normally no problem, but obviously I don't often head as far North as you do, and probably at less busy times.

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A1 around the M18 junction can be a sod on a Friday afternoon, just when I'm trying to get to the venue.

Really good wedding for me last night.
I was supplying the Disco and Blue Uplighting at a venue I play at regularly throughout the year. The Groom was a friend of mine. I hadn't met the Bride before as they'd moved out of the area a while back but as all of the family were still down this way they decided to get married down here.
Set up the day before and so I didn't need to be back at the venue until 7.30pm, ready for an 8.00pm start.
The plan was to do the cutting of the cake and then the first dance around 8.30pm. When I arrived everyone was enjoying the sun in the gardens. I went out and let the Bride & Groom know I was there and congratulated them and got some background music going to an empty venue.

8.30pm came along and the Hog Roast man asked me firstly if I wanted something to eat and then to announce that the food was available. I did this and the venue quickly became full. By 9.00pm and lots of background music later they'd finished eating and we did the cutting of the cake. I then asked the guests to welcome the Bride & Groom on to the dance floor and they were nearly there when the Bride quickly turned around and walked in the opposite direction back outside. Everyone wondered what was going on for a moment and then one of the Bridesmaids ran over and explained that there was a dress malfunction that needed fixing.

It was quite a funny moment as I had to do some filling in. I introduced myself, said I was up for requests and the Groom stood by the side of me. I asked him if he wanted to use the microphone to say a few things and he took the opportunity. He's in a band so he's used to it. He started to tell some jokes and although it was probably only 5 minutes it felt like ages as everyone waited eagerly for the Bride to re-appear again. I put on the Benny Hill theme tune and everyone started laughing and cheering and a few people started running around the dance floor after the Groom. When it finished there was a round of applause and then back to waiting. Then we heard the voice of the Bridesmaid who shouted "1 more minute". That gave me time to quickly find the Countdown clock and as soon as the music started, everyone started cheering again. The Bride got to the dance floor just as it finished and it was as if it was choreographed. We couldn't have timed it better.

So, first dance was supposed to be The Penguins - Earth Angel but in our meeting the Groom said that he wanted to surprise the Bride as he'd written and recorded an acoustic version of one of his bands songs which she loved. She was expecting The Penguins and when his song started playing her face lit up. She loved it.

After that it was a full on dance floor all night with lots of current chart, 80s and cheese. I announced that the Bride & Groom were leaving at 11.30pm and they left along with lots of others to the sounds of Green Day - Time Of Your Life. There were a few people still hanging around and a group of around 5 young guys who had asked me at the start of the night for Darude - Sandstorm. I couldn't really fit it in anywhere with what I was playing at the time and when they came over again and asked me at nearly 11.30pm I said it was doubtful that I'd play it unfortunately. They were fine but once the venue had emptied out a bit I got back on the mic and told them that we'd have one more and played it for them. They loved it.

It was a proper night and really enjoyable. The only negative was that as I was packing up there was a guest helping pack stuff away that wouldn't stop bloody whistling and it was so out of tune it was becoming annoying. Ok, it's not such a big deal but I could see on others faces that they just wanted him to shut up. Quite funny really.

Couldn't sleep at all last night and expected to have a pub garden night tonight with a few beers but will have to wait until tomorrow now as I have literally just had a call from a fellow DJ who has come down with a bug and needs his booking covered. I don't normally do this last minute thing so I am a bit apprehensive with it not being my customer as such. Still, the beer will taste all the more better tomorrow when I've really earnt it.

Just a quick one for me. This morning I did a joint 4 and 6 year old birthday party in a Leasure hall for twenty kids. I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing because all the dealings beforehand was done via email and text and she never answered her phone whenever I called.
The party was due to start at 11-30 and yesterday I found out, through calling the venue, that I only had 30 minutes either side of the party to set up and clear out........ Communication eh!
Anyway, I got there at 10-30 and started setting up outside the hall until the caretaker showed up. The birthday girls and their mother turned up at 11-15 and totally ignored me, not even saying hello, until I was ready at 11-25 and actually introduced myself to her.
Now I've done a lot of children's parties over the years but I have noticed a lot recently that parents of kids under the age of six are no longer staying with them for the duration of parties now. There must have been 15 four year olds there and only four parents there, including the mother of the birthday girls.
A good time was had by all but some if the younger children had real problems understanding that when they were out of a game, they couldn't continue playing the game.....awww.
The 2 hours went very slowly but the mother was very pleased and has booked me for later in the year for her 7 year old son........ Result!
I have a 50th Birthday tonight which should be a lot easier (he said)

Well, my inaugural gig in my new residency (still using borrowed gear for the most part, which I'll be rectifying soon) didn't get off to an auspicious start.

I arrived at 6pm as usual to find the room still packed with people & table clearing hadn't even begun yet. Oh, and a slightly annoying white sparkly drape covering the area where I usually put the PA & hang the lights from an architrave. I was told nobody could move it, and setting up the speakers behind it wasn't an option (well duh), so I rigged the speaker stands & Mackies next to each other with my GigaBar behind them juuuust touching the cloth of the drapes. I was fuming.. and then the massive black & white (plastic) dancefloor turned up meaning I had even less space to play with.

Man, what is it with DJs always being the last consideration?

Aaaaanyway, I was waiting for some more tables to be cleared when a lady in a yellow dress rolled up & asked if I was the DJ. I said "why, yes I am" & she proceeded to tell me I'd better play enough 70s music or she'd "set the :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:in IRA onto ya". What a charming introduction, I thought.

The dancefloor guys made a sharp exit, laughing at the yellow dress woman's comment as they went, saying I'd have my work cut out. I tested the PA & was astounded at the amount of bass afforded by putting the Mackies closer together (I still think there's something out of phase going on, but that's a moot point since my own will be going in soon). Guests began to file in & at 8.30pm I gave the couple a massive intro, they got a huge cheer & applause before vaguely shuffling to Billy Joel 'Just The Way You Are'. From there to Bruno Mars, Marry You, then some current material & before I knew where I was it was buffet time.

Yellow dress lady came over to tell me to turn the ":Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:in rave :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:e off or there'll be hell to pay". I managed to placate her by saying I was only using it as filler between the first dance & the buffet & she seemed satisfied with that.

After 20 minutes of background music I decided to try tempting the dancefloor with some of the bride's mother's favourite era tunes - THE SEVENTIES. Yes, she of the yellow dress was the mother of the bride. Oh heck. This is gonna be one pain in the neck I'm gonna have to work hard to keep off my back, I thought.

I was wrong. Sticking to 70s classics or various genres I got a rammed dancefloor where there wasn't even room to swing a kitten let alone full sized cat - and kept it there through the 1980s, rock & roll, motown(ish) and big singalong numbers like Sweet Caroline. Bride came over at 11pm to ask me to play The Proclaimers & I showed her it already cued up to play next, much to her disbelief. "Oh", she said. "Now I need to ask for something else! HELP ME THINK OF SOMETHING!". Oh, I wasn't going to get off the hook by saying I'd already got it covered :lol:

Ah yes, then the woman who was pestering me for the 500 miles song for the last 3 hours.. Was it MY fault she missed me playing it when she'd slipped out for a fag? :whistle: Serves people right for being so rude I think.

11.45 came last orders at the bar, and I started planning my last songs & fake ending. I had a feeling the guests were going to be "go on, just one more" til the cows come home... but then the bride wanted to make a short speech. Five minutes later & I had to ditch one of the last songs. The bride thanked everybody from dressmakers to cake bakers, to waiting staff, bar staff & the manager, the dancefloor people & the neighbour's cat... but the DJ? Did the DJ get a mention for making nigh on 120 people seriously glow for 3 hours non-stop? You know the answer..

NO!

Anyway last songs.. Loads of people wanted 'Marry you' again followed by 'Mr Brightside' so that's where I was going to go, with another song in reserve for the 'encore' to take me up to midnight. Didn't quite work, and the groom ended up getting very irate & pushed a twenty in my hand to play Proud Mary after midnight. Sheesh, if you're gonna bribe me to bend the venue rules do it with a shorter track! I was not popular with the staff tonight.

A self-confessed ex-DJ came over to me & I thought "uh oh here we go", but nah he said I'd been amazing. Shucks. Praise indeed, coming from DJ A.N. OTHER.

Somebody else came over & asked if he could borrow the mic for a couple of minutes. Nope, all packed away I said. He gave me a 'Nescafe' gesture (magic the beans). Maybe he was the best man... I dunno. A bit of a git, going on like that IMHO.

Got all packed up, said my goodbyes to the staff & yellow dress lady collared me again to tell me I was ":Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:ing amazing & fantastic". Cheers, yellow dress lady. She certainly had a way with words.

She then told the 500 Miles woman (who was yelling abusive comments about me & making threats to smash my laptop) it was her own stupid fault if she missed her request being played, and stuck up for me.

In all a fantabulous night, but wow, what hard work it was.