Good Gig, Bad Gig.

A night not unlike Daryll's. Golden wedding anniversary, covering for Dave Jackson in Driffield. Interesting start, all the guests were sat at their tables an hour and a half before my kick off time? :eek: No matter, most of the kit was already in there, so setting up was no problem, and I started playing an hour early.

Just over thirty guests, many of whom looked candidates for an early finish, and I said as much to Dave, who had popped in for a look. My timetable was 7 till midnight, and around 7.30 the food was served, which effectively took us up to 9pm. After a short speech from my " Groom " I played Happy Anniversary, and the happy couple obliged by taking to the floor for a dance, lovely. :)

Dancing and requests were varied and sporadic, with around half a dozen dancers being my limit. One of those evenings where the floor was never going to be packed, but you could see folk taking notice of the music. Most of what I played was in the " Easy Listening " mould, apart from some requests.

At 10.50, the Groom came up and said 11 would do just fine. As I packed up, folk said they had enjoyed it, so all in all, a job well done, and an early night for me.

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

A night not unlike Daryll's. Golden wedding anniversary, covering for Dave Jackson in Driffield. Interesting start, all the guests were sat at their tables an hour and a half before my kick off time? :eek: No matter, most of the kit was already in there, so setting up was no problem, and I started playing an hour early.

Just over thirty guests, many of whom looked candidates for an early finish, and I said as much to Dave, who had popped in for a look. My timetable was 7 till midnight, and around 7.30 the food was served, which effectively took us up to 9pm. After a short speech from my " Groom " I played Happy Anniversary, and the happy couple obliged by taking to the floor for a dance, lovely. :)

Dancing and requests were varied and sporadic, with around half a dozen dancers being my limit. One of those evenings where the floor was never going to be packed, but you could see folk taking notice of the music. Most of what I played was in the " Easy Listening " mould, apart from some requests.

At 10.50, the Groom came up and said 11 would do just fine. As I packed up, folk said they had enjoyed it, so all in all, a job well done, and an early night for me.

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No mention of the hidden speakers? :p Did you enjoy your beer? :beer1:

Yesterday afternoon I was taken back to war time for a 90th birthday party.

I was booked by my regular hotel venue from 2pm until 8.30pm for 40 people for Doris's 90th birthday party. I was told that there would be no children there and that it ws booked by the care home.

Not only that but it was in the big main room (why???) when the previous night we had been in the Manor House annexe for a 50th birthday. That room would have been much more suitable, but hey-ho, I'll shift all my kit then, shall I. Even the hotel function staff were slating the sales office for this one.

So, set up for about 1.40 and a lady arrives with a million balloons, banners and a birthday cake with two candles on. Fire regulations I guess precluded having 90.

At 3pm, the function manager (who was running in on his own, no help needed for this one), the bar girl and me had finished our cup of coffee and were sat patiently waiting for Doris and her guests. At 3.20 four people arrived.

At 3.35, Doris arrived. In spirit maybe, but not in mind it seemed. Her carer wheeled her in and parked her at a table and proceeded to try to explain to her why she was there. A few more guests arrived and it was clear that each elderly guest had their own carer with them.

Grandmaster Swing was in full flow and I kept the volume down (though perhaps some might have wanted it LOUD so they could hear something). Anyway, after about 30 minutes, I was asked for some wartime music as Doris is 90 you know. So (thank you my mum - who is 82 and used to play all that stuff when I was a boy), out came my recent purchase from Amazon, 100 Greatest War Time Hits and Mastermix's In The Mood and off we went, with Vera, George, Glenn, The Andrews Sisters etc. to the fore.

Food was served at 4.30 and, after scoffing virtually every last scrap 14 of the 36 people there upped and left! We know why they came then.

They then decided that they had better cut the cake, so Doris was wheeled over to her birthday cake and parked behind it. She was given 3 balloons to hold (non helium ones, that could have been interesting) and the flashy clicky flashy clicky began. It was decided not to loght the candles as she probably didn't have enough breath to blow them out, so on came "Happy Birthday" and I followed it up, courtesy of Mastermix with a wartime sing-a-long medley which they all joined in with.

I did get one request for some rock & roll to which I gave considerable thought on medical grounds, but hit them with Bill Haley and Buddy Holly and coaxed 4 onto the dance floor. That led me into some swing and Rat Pack and I had, at one time 16 people on what was now the gentle sway floor.

At 6pm, it must have been taxi time, because suddenly 8 left leaving 8 there. 15 minutes later another 4 left leaving Doris, her carer and two others. I heard one say "how many has she had?", getting the reply three! Oh well, she might as well finish this bottle then. A drunken 90 year old in charge of a wheelchair. This could get interesting!

At 6.30 they started clearing up, so the function manager was into action whipping off chair covers and table cloths. The organiser came across to be telling me that they had had a great afternoon and really envoyed the music, which was absolutely perfect. She told me that they had got my number and three people were asking about me. So I've now conquered the nonagenarian market then.

A quick strip down and home, via Colonel Sanders's emporium and I was sat on my sofa still getting paid, eating KFC.

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Originally Posted by djdj

No mention of the hidden speakers? :p

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You mean you left some speakers as well? :confused: You spoil us Ambassador.*

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Originally Posted by djdj

Did you enjoy your beer? :beer1:

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Well, yes, and then again, no. The one I fancied from the chalkboard had sold out, and I ended up with a lesser offering, but at least I got one, so that's a bonus, as was the bottle of Glug M'Glug I took home to savour at leisure. :beer1:

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Originally Posted by mattydj50

She told me that they had got my number and three people were asking about me. So I've now conquered the nonagenarian market then.
.

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There's always somebody muscling in on my patch. :mad:


* Whimsy again. Dave had placed his Yamahas out of sight under the booth he'd placed against the wall, causing me to wander off searching for them. I was tempted to place them more securely out of sight in my van, but decided that I might be prime suspect in their disappearance, so settled for putting everything back as I found it.
Thanks again Dave, I reckon I owe you a lot of favours by now.

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

You mean you left some speakers as well? :confused: You spoil us Ambassador.*


Well, yes, and then again, no. The one I fancied from the chalkboard had sold out, and I ended up with a lesser offering, but at least I got one, so that's a bonus, as was the bottle of Glug M'Glug I took home to savour at leisure. :beer1:


There's always somebody muscling in on my patch. :mad:


* Whimsy again. Dave had placed his Yamahas out of sight under the booth he'd placed against the wall, causing me to wander off searching for them. I was tempted to place them more securely out of sight in my van, but decided that I might be prime suspect in their disappearance, so settled for putting everything back as I found it.
Thanks again Dave, I reckon I owe you a lot of favours by now.

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No worries,
I did have another possible for Saturday night but knew you were already busy,
I did manage to call a certain DJ from Hull, who spent 10 mins of my call telling me that I should be a multi op and how he had never let anyone down in 5 years of trading. To then be told he couldn't be bothered ringing round 'his boys as it was in Driffield and none of them Drive'.
:Censored:

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Originally Posted by djdj

. To then be told he couldn't be bothered ringing round 'his boys as it was in Driffield and none of them Drive'.
:Censored:

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Hmmmm. Stretching the term Mobile DJ too far, I feel. :zip:

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Originally Posted by djdj

To then be told he couldn't be bothered ringing round 'his boys as it was in Driffield and none of them Drive'.
:Censored:

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I wonder how much gear you could get in a taxi?

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Originally Posted by mattydj50

I wonder how much gear you could get in a taxi?

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Thing is
I probably could have sorted some gear, Just his general attitude was completely off.
I really try to pass any work on that I can't cover, but my list of suitable alternatives is dimishing rapidly.
Just need another 3 Pete's :)

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Originally Posted by djdj

Thing is
I probably could have sorted some gear, Just his general attitude was completely off.
I really try to pass any work on that I can't cover, but my list of suitable alternatives is dimishing rapidly.
Just need another 3 Pete's :)

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I'm not that far away, in Doncaster. You can always try me, though being a hotel "resident DJ" has its pitfalls when they "forget" to tell me about bookings until they discover at the Tuesday meeting the week before that they haven't actually booked me for the function that they took in 9 months previous.

Any of you covering the holiday Inn in Doncaster for a wedding at the beginning of may?