Good Gig, Bad Gig.

Saturday we arrived at 6.30 for a 7.30 start wedding and discovered they hadnt even begun to eat! It was 8 before we could get in and we did the first dance at about 9. Fortunately the hall was air conditioned. The reason they were running late was that the groom's elder brother had been taken poorly during the afternoon and had to be treated by paramedics. The groom had warned me during our phone calls that he didnt think they would dance - but I proved him wrong thank goodness. It wasnt a wild night but it was a very pleasant one with nice people. B & G were an older couple. Jan was impressed as the best man was a black man wearing a kilt!

I don't normally post on here but Saturday nights gig surpassed all my expectations.

It was a 21st birthday party in Gateshead. Got paid well before the start which is always a good sign! The birthday boys' mam came and paid me so I asked what kind of stuff they wanted playing and she said she had no idea so sent her son over to see me. He wanted dance an R&B all night. So I asked if I was to play requests that weren't dance or R&B and he said no problem.

Anyway, up until the buffet no-one danced (although this is hardly unusual). After the buffet, I started with Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing and a few people were dancing in their seats but still an empty dancefloor. So I took a chance and put the Nolans on. Success! 8 dancers! Then this middle-aged bloke came up and said "Hoi! Do you not know this is a 21st party? What do you think you're playing?" so I explained that I played the requested stuff in the first half and got no response. He then said "Well try again!". So I put on Mariah Carey Touch My Body and then the dancefloor was heaving. I played a few more R&B and someone asked for the Ting Tings so I played Shut Up... and the dancefloor went mental! From there in, I played a combination of R&B, bouncy dance and the odd request (including Starship and The Gap Band!) and the dancefloor stayed really busy for the rest of the night! It was one of the best nights ever, loads of energy from the guests (eventually!) and has restored my faith in why I still accept 21st birthday bookings! :)

I had a couple of really nice gigs over the weekend. Fridays wedding was a good night, but Saturdays was even better. Quite a bit of interaction and chat on Saturday for a change as they seemed to enjoy it. The brides father was a big Quo fan and had bought his own inflatable guitar, so we had a coupleof Quo tunes, aongside few of the grooms requests, which included Led Zeppelin - rock & roll, Nirvana - smells like teen spirit, Radiohead - just, Pearl Jam - alive and Hendrix - all along the watchtower.

It was one of those functions where I just seemed to have control of the dancers. I knew that most people would sit when I was playing the grooms requests and that they would get back up as soon as I went back to more MOR tunes, and also I didn't get any strange looks when I was playing the requests either.

A very happy atmosphere, lots of dancers and singers and a massive round of applause at the end, as well as a hug and kiss from the bride.

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Originally Posted by Solitaire Entertainments Ltd

I had a couple of really nice gigs over the weekend. Fridays wedding was a good night, but Saturdays was even better. Quite a bit of interaction and chat on Saturday for a change as they seemed to enjoy it. The brides father was a big Quo fan and had bought his own inflatable guitar, so we had a coupleof Quo tunes, aongside few of the grooms requests, which included Led Zeppelin - rock & roll, Nirvana - smells like teen spirit, Radiohead - just, Pearl Jam - alive and Hendrix - all along the watchtower.

It was one of those functions where I just seemed to have control of the dancers. I knew that most people would sit when I was playing the grooms requests and that they would get back up as soon as I went back to more MOR tunes, and also I didn't get any strange looks when I was playing the requests either.

A very happy atmosphere, lots of dancers and singers and a massive round of applause at the end, as well as a hug and kiss from the bride.

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Strange my one on Saturday was like that too. The bride and groom asked for some rather unusual tracks and were often the only ones on the dancefloor (all credit they danced to their requests) and everyone was relaxed about it and the b & g were quite happy when I did some more mainstream stuff and got everyone up.

Bit of a late post but been away to Sunny (well rainy) Scotland for a few days. On Saturday though done a gig which I would love on a regular basis. It was at a very nice venue 5 minutes walk from home. A 'walk in' gig which used really good equipment and lighting and playing from 1030 pm till midnight. I have played there before at cheaper rates but this time THEY OFFERED ME my usual charge for a gig. Great - I get payed for an hour and a half work instead of 5 hours plus setting up and putting away using my own equipment. Gig was great with a full dance floor and everyone wanting more. Spoke to the venue manager who is goin to be in touch about further gigs with the same arrangement. Only bad point - Saturday night telly is rubbish.

Nice work if you can get it. Well done.

I had a very good gig last night.

It was a wedding at a new venue, Cherkley Court in Leatherhead. It's a large house & public gardens with an orangery which is used as a tea room for visitors in the daytime and can be hired out for functions in the evening.

The venue is set in many acres of land with lovely views, making it ideal for wedding receptions, and access is nice & easy.

I was very impressed by the staff, who were all very firendly & helpful. While I was waiting, the lady in charge even gave me a quick tour of the house!

This was a wedding for an older couple, and the average age of the guests was probably about 45-50. It wasn't a large reception, there were about 65 of them.

Unfortunately things were running late (as normal), so instead of setting up at 8pm as previously advised, it was more like 8.45 until I got into the room.

I had the background music going by 9.30, and it wasn't long until we had the first dance, which was just as well, as the function ended at 11.15.

All the music had been requested. They'd actually given me a list of almost 180 songs, from which I got them to highlight about 20 must plays, with me selecting the rest from their complete list.

This was one of my best wedding receptions for a while, because they were really up for it from the moment I started until the last song, and it was a really great atmosphere. Becasuse of that, the time flew, and the one and three quarter hours felt more like 30 minutes.

The bride & groom were very pleased with what I did, and the lady at the venue asked for some cards, as she said they often get asked about discos.....so a great night all round.

:)

Glad you had a great night last night Rob, Well done!
Had a pub job for a friend last night which was really good fun and i was able to let my self go abit and have some fun with the punters.

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Originally Posted by djsteve10

Glad you had a great night last night Rob, Well done!
Had a pub job for a friend last night which was really good fun and i was able to let my self go abit and have some fun with the punters.

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Nice one Steve!

I have a pub gig tonight, although it probably won't be as good as last night!

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Originally Posted by rob1963

Nice one Steve!

I have a pub gig tonight, although it probably won't be as good as last night!

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Snap. Except I'm led to believe it will be right in my comfort zone. :D If not, somebody on here isn't getting taken to any more shows! ;) ;)

Edit: I'm set up in the pub, arrived early just in case, all sorted, and now I'm............................................... .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .......watching Rugby League! :eek: :D :D Reckon I won't be firing up for an hour. Thank heavens for my Mobile Internet, can't seem to connect to the nearest wireless. :( :(