NOT a very nice gig at all. And that's about all I can say about it on a public forum. Guests were lovely though. The very epitome of politeness.
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NOT a very nice gig at all. And that's about all I can say about it on a public forum. Guests were lovely though. The very epitome of politeness.
There is a place away from prying eyes where a tactful report may be posted, you know.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by juski
Well, a first for me last night. A Legslappers gig at a regular venue, twenty guests down from the usual hundred plus. They went for it in a big way, and the FFN had a fantastic night. It appeared as if I might have a riotous end to the night, and I did!
For three records.:eek::eek::(:( After that, I was alone! Seems that as a younger crowd, they'd all ( the ones who were able. We'd seen an awful lot of " walking wounded " already. ) jumped in taxis and headed into town, while it was cheaper.
I packed up forty five minutes early, and set off towards BPM, stopping at Leicester Markfield Travelodge. See you all at BPM, hopefully.
Another belter of a wedding for me last night but not short of talking points which as always I shall report back.
Firstly, this was a wedding for a couple that met at one of my regular Alternative nights 14 years ago so there were quite a few familiar faces there too that I hadn't seen for ages. There were also quite a few other faces that I recognised too from other parties that I had done including a big Christmas party last year.
I always like that when I walk into a venue and I can see people talking about me because they recognise me and (hopefully) know they're in for a good night.
So, the first bit worth mentioning was when I went to set up yesterday morning. Previously in the meeting beforehand with the Bride & Groom they had told me that they were having a buffet and that the Disco was to start at 6.30pm and finish at 11.00pm. The venue is one of those where you have to be cleared and out by Midnight or you start getting charged extra for going over the time. That wasn't a problem for me. I had Disco and Uplighting to clear but with an hour in hand it would be easy.
When I arrived at the venue in the morning the Groom and Best Man were there putting up a large gazebo outside. The venue was done up very nicely and I had very limited space to set up but I managed it. The Groom looked stressed and we chatted for 5 minutes before I got on with it and he couldn't apologise enough. He said that the Bride's Mum was interfering and the Bride had been in tears the night before. The Mother of the Bride had decided that she'd surprise the couple with a sit down meal and had booked caterers. She probably thought that it was a good idea but obviously didn't adhere to her daughters wishes because at the meeting the Bride & Groom told me that they really didn't want a big fuss about anything and just wanted to chill out, not make a big deal of anything and just enjoy their day. She'd told the couple the night before that she'd paid for caterers and wasn't having any arguments.
So, the Groom said that the timings had to change and it would be 7.30pm - 11.30pm. Like I said, he couldn't apologise enough and I could see he was very tired and stressed about the whole situation. I told him to stop worrying and just enjoy his day. I told him I'd be as quick as I could at the end of the night but deep down I knew that they'd have trouble clearing everything with the amount of guests they had for the day (140) so I just got on with setting up.
When I turned up at just gone 7.00pm I couldn't believe the number of people that were there. It seemed like more than 140 easily and there was hardly room to move.
7.30pm passed and people were still sat eating. 7.45pm passed and then someone decided that tables would have to be moved to create a dance floor area so it was just gone 8.00pm when I eventually started with background music. Again, the Bride & Groom looked stressed. The Bride looked gorgeous and came over and started apologising to me. I told her not to worry and gave her a hug and she was in tears. Bless her, all she was worried about was me and it made me feel a bit bad. I told her to try and ignore everything else that was going on and just enjoy her day. I quickly grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass from a table and poured her a glass of wine and said "Drink that and stop worrying. I'll look after both of you" and I think that did the trick......for a while anyway.
Eventually we got round to the first dance (The Wedding Singer - Grow Old With You) which was followed by Eddie Cochran - Three Steps To Heaven. I then went in to some classic rock 'n roll which was on the request list (from the Mother of the Bride) and added a few of mine and did about 20 minutes worth. I was then approached by a lady who looked like she'd fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. She didn't look very happy and she shouted at me "Haven't you got any other music?" - I asked her what she wanted and she didn't have an answer. She'd said her piece and didn't hang around to listen to my reply. Quite rude I thought but I soon changed to some current chart stuff which packed the dance floor instantly. I could see her through the crowd of people, dancing in the background so I thought to myself that I'd kept her happy. It was about 30 minutes later when I saw another lady on the dance floor who wasn't dancing. She was stood there talking to the Bride and pointing in my direction. The Bride looked over and mouthed "Sorry" at me and then the lady came over. I now realised it was the Mother of the Bride...."More rock 'n roll" she shouted at me. I replied with "I've just done 20 minutes worth and will get some more on shortly for you". I thought that was enough to keep her at bay but she came back around 10 minutes later and asked again and I soon realised that she would be a pain in the proverbial.
I wasn't wrong. Whatever I did wasn't good enough for her. Just like in one of last week's reports when I said I was concentrating on one person and not everyone else, this was the same. I just kept seeing her talking to others and pointing in my direction and then she'd walk over to me and I'd make out I hadn't seen her coming when I knew full well that she was there. I put on a smiley, chilled out face and was in polite mode listening to her say "When is the rock 'n roll coming back on?". I explained this time that I had lots of requests to get through and would get it on as soon as I could. I kept my word and 10 minutes later I put another 20 minutes worth on. It had an ok effect but I could see some getting a tad bored with it....then someone asked if I had the Five Megamix. This went on and again, the dance floor packed out and off walked the Mother of the Bride. Time was getting on now and the Bride came over and started apologising again. At 11.00pm she said to me that I could finish when I wanted to if I'd had enough. That's the first time I'd ever heard that. I guess she'd just simply had enough of her interfering Mother. I told her that I would finish at 11.30pm like I was supposed to and she smiled and thanked me.
That last 30 minutes was full of Indie / Alternative classics and some cheesiness and everyone.....well, nearly everyone loved it. The last songs of the night approached and I got everyone together for those and then it was time for the last song which was Joe Dolce - Shaddup Your Face. It went down really well and I finished dead on time. I received a massive round of applause and to be honest, I didn't really acknowledge it as I was on a mission to get everything out as quickly as possible. I took out the Disco set up and the Uplighting in the quickest time I'd ever done......28 minutes! I got a hug off the Bride and Groom before I left and a couple of people came over and thanked me and one person asked for a card. Another lady said "We'll see you at Christmas" as she and her work mates are booked in at one of my residencies for their Christmas party. I was back indoors by just gone Midnight and crashed out on the sofa.
A couple of meetings today and then that's it for a few days.
Phew!
I too had a strange wedding.
This one was booked off the back of an anniversary I did last year by the Father of the bride, and it's been impossible to make contact with the bride and groom themselves (everything, and I really do mean everything) has been through her parents.
After weeks of chasing, I eventually last Tuesday found out the B&G's names, the first dance and a smattering of stuff they'd like to hear. OK - I'm going to have to work with what I've got....
Got to the venue yesterday lunchtime (this is a new venue to me just 3 miles from my front door in an old converted barn....absolutely gorgeous and really nice to work in), and introduced myself to the owner. We got chatting and both realised we were in the same boat....neither of us knew anything about this wedding. The venue had a rough timeline (with bits I wasn't aware of such as the bridesmaids doing a routine to the Spice Girls), but other than that, they'd had the same problem as me in not being able to get past mum and dad to speak to the people involved. To be honest (and we'd both admitted it to each other whilst chatting away), it was going to be one of "those" weddings.
Setup done (and complimented by the venue) and that was that until 7pm when I was due to go back and play background until the first dance at 8pm. So, turn up, plug in, off we go. 8pm arrives, people start flooding in from the dining marquee on the side of the building. I eventually collar the B&G, introduce myself and confirm the order of what I'm supposed to be doing.....and that was the last time I spoke to them.
Halfway through the first dance I fired off the confetti canon and invited the rest of the guests to join the B&G on the floor as agreed, and they may as well have had superglue on the bottom of their shoes.....nothing. This was a disappointment as the father/daughter dance was supposed to be done with everyone else on the floor....it ended up being a solo affair.
Bridesmaid's routine out of the way, they all went back to the dining marquee. This is going to be a very long night.
Started going through some of the brides choices which were all modern up to date stuff....nothing. So, started working through the decades (had a bit of joy on the Motown).......and they went and opened the buffet! :Censored::Censored:
From there on, I was on a hiding to nothing. No more than half a dozen out of 140 guests on the floor at any one time apart from when I went through a bit of a cheesey set (no hardcore cheese...that was off limits but would have probably worked to be honest last night).
Finally it's time to shut off and go home. Got lots of handshakes and thanks from the B&G's families. Apparently they haven't seen each other for ages and preferred to sit and talk......wish they'd have told me that from the start.
The good news is...it looks like I'll be going back to this particular venue again plenty of times in the future. They have a preferred suppliers list and they've got a cheap DJ (who does mainly kids parties), a high end DJ (who I know personally and who actually owns an event company with a warehouse full of stuff I could only dream of owning), and they were looking for a mid-range to recommend....that's now me :)
Apparently the venue couldn't fault what I did or how I operate and want to see me there again. A stack of business cards later and I'm on the way home.
This afternoon, a last minute 8yr old party (it was booked on Friday) at my old school. Now I grew up in a bit of a rough part of the Cambridgeshire area and this school had been closed about 20 years ago for being on special measures, having only reopened again recently. The booking came in and I thought why not? I used to stand and admire the flashing light boxes of the school discos in that very hall so for me to be standing their nearly 40 years later appealed to me :)
Wasn't too bad for a kids party. Lot's of Chesney's and Kylies (it's that sort of area), but they all enjoyed the afternoon and that's what matters in my book.
Right, I now have a couple of hours officially left of my weekend before going back to the backup job tomorrow so it's time to fetch a beer and chill for a while. I've got a lockup that desperately needs sorting out, paperwork to get done....urgh.
Next weekend - I have a weekend off :). The first one in months and I'm really looking forward to it (even if I AM being dragged around a certain Swedish furniture store)
Scots / Indian wedding on ye bonny bonny banks of some Loch I hear there's a song about last night.
Was meant to be 80. 60ish turned up. 40 left after the meal and it had an 11pm curfew.
Needless to say I thought it would be a drag and an early tap out but the 20 that were left went for it.
All really up for the ceilidh stuff and pretty well coherent given most of them had never done it before (not spending all afternoon on the bevvy like your average Scots wedding guest probably helped)
At the end of the night the bride and groom couldn't thank me enough and were desperate to know where to leave feedback which is super except it was my first NaD gig in ages and they'd not closed the lead :D
Oh Jim, I feel your pain. Been there..............................:(:(:(Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim - Scotland's Party DJ
Ok then. I've calmed down significantly so won't be as tempted to swear (ahem - except when directly quoting "what SHE said") - when relating the sorry tale of last Saturday's wedding...
I spoke to one half of this customer on the phone a couple of times a good few weeks ago & we started exchanging emails. The idea was to accommodate rock, metal, classic Disney & 'musicals'. Great, I said. Care to elaborate on 'classic Disney & Musicals'? asked I. No answer. Tried again. No response. Time rolled on & wahey it's the week of the wedding.
The wedding party was in an upstairs lounge until way after the B&G's big entrance was supposed to be. No worries. Bride came running down to have a word with me about the lateness. Hey don't worry say I, take a pew, have 5 minutes. Your day, your pace, no problem. She gives me a hug & off she goes.
People start to mill into the room & when we're all full up I warn the guests of the B&G's impending arrival. Nervous as hell I step out of the pulpit to centre front of the room, duty manager shakes his head as if to say "nooooooooooooo".... I open my mic... "Ladies & Gentlemen, your bride & groom name1 & name2 will be entering the room through this door on my right <points at door>. As they come in I'd like you all to stand and make as much noise as possible". Yeah? So far so normal for some of you guys. I don't fluff a word, I go back to the console to wait for the nod. And off we go. They get an amazing reception & the bride is well made up with it all. Yay for me growing a pair & emerging from the booth!
All very good life affirming stuff so far but sadly it didn't last. Something changed after the buffet & I became like some kind of puppet. With a full floor, out came the word that I had to change the style next song and play the bride's whim. Build it back to full floor, empty floor. Full floor again, another sharp style change demand. Another empty floor. Between the bride & the best man they had the art of dancefloor clearing completely sewn up.
This continued unabated & I must've seemed like an incompetent beginner. Meh, who cares, so long as the customer's happy right? A bitter pill for me to swallow I'll admit, wantonly destroying an outwardly very happy dancefloor.
In spite of everything last orders time crept up on me & I went to see the bride about her thoughts for the last song & she agreed it should be a song from 'Wicked' (I asked her mother during the buffet, who put me onto a bridesmaid, who told me it's her favourite musical & I managed to grab a couple of key songs to save my sorry backside). I mentioned I'd be doing a 'fake' ending with Journey first which she was apparently fine with. The time came... I was just on the Journey intro about to do the 'all the best' stuff when mrs bride came over and yelled absolute blue murder at me to "get this :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored:ing :Censored::Censored::Censored::Censored: off & put my Wicked song on. NOW!". My cool vaporised completely. I pressed CUE on Journey, stopping it in the most abrupt way possible (naughty Justin) & hit PLAY on the Wicked track. Ooohs & Ahhs from its fans among the guests & I didn't say another word from that point onwards. Better that than say what was on my mind.
She seemed so cool on the phone. So nice early in the night too.. which was kind of ironic because when i first arrived the duty manager quietly said to me he was expecting an early finish on account of somebody being a (how best to say this).. bit of a git all day long. How I scoffed after the hug, and the intro going so well. Talk about counting chickens too early eh.
I was thinking about the good parts of the event today & suddenly remembered the dance off, all the whooping cheering & screams of "CHOOOOOOON!" .. and even the people who thanked me at the end of the night. But that one person & their friend... grrrr. Hey ho. Figure it out.. 2 as memorably obnoxious as that out of I've lost count how many weddings now.. that really isn't a very bad innings at all, is it?
Is that by Mr. Please and Mrs. Thank You?Quote:
Originally Posted by juski
Friday night was a night off for me, and I was invited to a fancy dress party. I went as Pitbull (skinned my head and everything!).
Saturday was a wedding at one of my regular venues, and I got a bit cross with the videographer. I gave her and the 'tog a chance to see the first dance lighting and adjust their settings. He was happy but she wanted me to keep my pink wash lighting on. That would be a 'no'. This is the service I provide and that my clients have paid for - on top of that, the pink wash lighting was too bright for people to watch the first dance comfortably and it'll look crap. She said that it was fine, but then goes off to tell mommy on me...er, I meant the bride. :rolleyes: The bride comes over and asks what the problem is, and I smiled and told her not to worry about it. You've paid us to sort it out, and we will. She gave me a hug and said thank you.
Mrs. Videographer, however, was not likely to give me a hug after I gave her both barrels and reminded her that our mutual clients have paid professionals to sort these things out between ourselves. Even the duty at the venue couldn't believe it! If she was any good at her job, she'd be able to work with this lighting which was put together after years of feedback of working with photographers and videographers. I then challenged her about how would she have coped if I was a DJ who only had dotty effects in his arsenal, and asked her how she would feel if I went to the bride and told her that I think the first dance should be filmed with a 16-35mm lens at a 2.8 aperture, as I feel that would work best with my rig?
I'd have tried to meet her half way, but when she said it was fine I thought all was said and done. But the moment she pulled that crap, stuff it. No half way.
Other than that, it was a decent night.
Sunday I roadied for a friend at an 'older' wedding. It was actually quite fun to be there, with the highlight of the night of my mate playing the 'nice' version of Living Next Door To Alice and the guests not singing the nice version. :lol:
Monday was BPM day. Completely missed most of it due to beer, but I have made an order for a pair of SubSafes.
Well if you're going to be wicked and play tricks on them!Quote:
Originally Posted by juski
Another wedding. No names, no first dance info... and there was a band sound checking when I rolled up to set up my gear. Well I say a band. A rag tag group of old bluesmen who blanked me. I went in the room said a brisk friendly "evenin all!" and there was I in Coventry (without the help of Google maps for a change eh Peter). Ah well. There was no room for my speakers or lights in the usual place, so they had to go in the unusual place instead.
One of the band was more amiable than the others - he told me there were doing 2 30 minute sets & a couple of the guests were going to play a song or two as well.
Sooo... the group didn't sound so good (I think the lead guitar was out of tune by half a semitone.. ugh) & they weren't hot at keeping time. Eventually it was my turn. Man, that crowd were tough. Dancing was sporadic at best & we lost a lot of guests after the buffet. However.. at the end of the night the bride, groom & various family came over to thank me for the 'brilliant' music - they said you'd never have known it was a wedding the music was so good! As I was rearranging the gear ready for tomorrow (er.. tonight - ed), the groom came over again & happily pointed out he 'used to do this sort of thing' and appreciated what a difficult crowd I'd had but that I'd still done really well. Yay.