Good Gig, Bad Gig.

Friday night - okish Gig. Kids disco at the local school. I had a family emergency so I had to drop a trusted friend with the kit at the school and go and pick them both up later! The Gig went really well through (1hr of 4-7yr olds and then 1hr 15 of 7-11yr olds) and they're already talking about rebooking us in Dec. When I turned up the hall was packed with sweaty people doing the Macarena :)

Saturday night - a family oriented joint 18th and 30th. Bit of a weird one because of the massive difference in musical tastes between the two main groups there (the 18yr olds and the 30yrs+). The early evening started off with the usual background music. Because of the hot muggy weather the majority of people were milling around outside so I entertained with a mix of some fairly laid back music. As the evening went on I was asked for a few party dance type tunes (Macarena, YMCA, etc) and then went into the usual party favourites (BEP, Scissor Sisters, Duffy, etc followed by a bit of Disco and some of the usual party cheese which had most of the crowd up and moving). Then I start getting bugged by the teenagers for "more modern music" so I work from Disco through to a bit of Guetta, more up tempo BEP, Beyonce, etc etc and then after about an hour of this the 18yr olds start drifting off. It's about 11:00 by this point, so I'm not too bothered, and switch styles again and start playing some of the requests which have been coming in on slips during the evening... and then as I get into the last 30mins the requests start getting a bit weird. 20mins to go and I announce last orders and invite the guests to get their requests in quick before the end of the night.

Anyway, long story short, I built the set for the last 20mins purely from the guests requests and ended with (by popular demand):

Damien - Timewarp
Black Lace - Music Man
Black Lace - Superman
Glee cast - Don't stop believing
Tinie Tempah - Pass out!

Bizarre as it might sound, it actually worked quite well because they all got up for the cheesy party dances, then the older folk (i.e. 30+) got their final song (don't stop believing) and then the 18yr olds all got up for Pass out!

I have never before been left with a choice between Aqua, Tinie Tempah and Glee for the final song of the night! Really surreal.

Luckily the venue had a strict midnight finish so I had to turn down doing an encore - I have no :Censored: idea what that might have been!! Birthday girls were happy, parents happy, job done :D

Julian

Right then boys and girls, settle down with your cornflakes and coffee, get comfy and dive in. Move over Shakermaker, this is War and Peace, the unedited version. :D :D :D :D

Thursday night, primary school disco. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for various reasons, I left the KAM panels off the overhead, and replaced with three Spin3's. Seven barrels on the truss!!!!! Also, didn't use standard amp and cabs, but used my trusty old Peavey's and my newly acquired mixer amp which I got from Deltic. What a stunning piece of kit. Phonic 740 de luxe. No dramas, everything performed well, except
one of the barrels on a revo roll came off the shaft!!!!!!! :bang:

First job on Friday was obviously to fix this. It simply screwed back on, but I think a dab of Loctite will be called for in the long run. Then foillowed a lengthy sorting job with cables and kit, cos I was due for a Wedding at Cave Castle with Justin where I was providing the karaoke gear, and then an early start to a store launch in Liverpool, with mostly different gear and different motors, cos if I don't need a full rig, I ain't driving an old 3.5tonne twin wheel behemoth on a 250 mile round trip. ;) :D :D

So, van loaded up with karaoke rig and off to Cave Castle at the appointed hour of 5pm. Two weddings going on, ours is the later of the two, they've not started speeches. Exercise in heel kicking ensues, and eventually, we fight our way in. It's not a big room at all, and we've got to fit in Justin's rig, my karaoke rig, and a four piece Indy band!!!! :eek:

In we go, and pick a handy wall, leaving band easy access by the window. Band arrive, with the most amazing home made trailer I've ever seen, and believe me, I've built a few. It's virtually a garden shed on wheels! They amaze venue staff by asking for a trolley. :D :D :D Fortunately, I've got two with me, and we've got our kit in, so off they go. They proceed to bring in a six cab PA, with monitors. We all get rigged up with alacrity ( we had loads of that, even if we were short on space ). Running order is rejigged to take account of time, and after first dance, the band strike up. Part way through their first set, Buffet comes out. :D :D Band finish second set, and borrow trolleys again to remove kit through exit behind them. Good planning on our part, eh? Don't let the cheeky blighters take the rig out through our dancefloor. :D :D Turns out one of the band was in the duo which performed at Twinspin's gig last week, so he recognised me, and said hello. Nice lads all, and a pleasure to work with. It could have been a bit messy if anyone had been awkward, but we all worked together, and even though we were pushed for space, it all worked well. Karaoke finished at midnight, and I was able to get 90% of my rig out the same way.

Justin finishes at 12.45, and we then get his rig out. 2am, and I'm home. Then proceed to load Store rig into car, with the few bits needed from karaoke rig. Inside for a quick Merriemaker, and see bed at 3am


Saturday 5am, what the :bang:'s that noise? :confused: :eek: :eek: Oh, it's the alarm clock. :( :( :( Into the Astra, snag an all day breakfast sarnie and fuel at the garage, and Liverpool here I come. A quick gallop along the M62, and here I am at the store. Set up in the lobby, and joy of joy, I've got a choice of power supplies. :D :D ( A notable feature of the store jobs has been that in almost every case, the refit involves ripping out every useful mains socket. I've got used to heading straight for freezers, photo booths, and one occasion, a kiddies ride. )

Used Phonic amp, and one superb feature is that when I need a louder PA outside and a quieter one inside, this amp can be switched so that each channel has independent control of everything. So two Peaveys outside, to entice the shoppers in, and two Skytecs inside on the new pole adapors. Magic. :thumbs_up: Sadly, the day's a grueller, despite lovely customers and team, cos the store is at the end of the retail park, and we can't intercept passing trade, they're coming in, or they're not. Back in the Astra, and return home, where I finish the last of the Merriemaker, and collapse into bed at 10pm. I'm getting too old for this lark. :D :D :D :D :D

we did a wedding last night in a marquee in the garden of a huge house in Edinburgh, working with a ceilidh band.

due to the meals running late, neither us or the band started setting up till 6.45pm, we were setting up while the guests had there coffees. We had just finished setting up when the speaches started which went on for about 40 minutes.

The band were due to start at 8pm, but with all the delays it was now 8.30 and they still had to do their sound checks. It was nearly 9 when the first dance was finally started. They played till 10.15 and had plenty of people joining in with the ceilidh dances. Time for the buffet which consisted of different posh cheeses with crackers and bread.

I was dreading starting the disco as these were a bunch of really posh people but when i did start, at 10.50pm, i got a full dance floor straight away & plenty requests. I finished at midnight and was thanked for a great night buy several people :)

It made a nice change from the dull 30th birthdays where no one turns up.

Dave

Last night's wedding was at a village hall where I last worked 9 years ago to do a 14th birthday party. I'd been down there 24 hours beforehand to meet the couple & chat things through while people were setting up the room.

It's a nice hall anyway, but they'd got a company in to transform it. Along the walls were metal frames about 12 feet high & 8 feet wide with white fairy lights hanging down & white drapes in front of them. The ceiling had also been covered with hanging drapes, and the back & sides of the stage had drapes around them. There was also uplighting along the back of the stage and the sides of the hall. Therefore, it looked & felt more like a marquee than a village hall.

This was a long gig, but I didn't mind, as I was charging extra for the early set up and extra for the additional playing time, making it my best paying gig ever. I arrived at 1.30pm to set up, and was ready to go by 2.30pm, which gave me an hour to relax, cool off & dry off before they arrived. As people arrived & walked through to the patio for bubbly, I could hear words like magical, enchanting & stunning being used to describe the hall, and only wish I'd taken my camera.

At 5.00pm they came in for their meal, and I kicked off with the background music, which was jazz. Two hours later, it was time for the speeches, for which they'd arranged to use my microphone. Although it's not wireless, this didn't matter, as the top table was literally right in front of the stage. Considering the fact that the microphone is touching my mouth when I use it, I was amazed that it worked at all...as all three speakers were holding it at waist level! My fault, really, as I hadn't told them to hold it close, but it didn't matter, as you could still hear them quite clearly.

Next came the part of the evening which I thought was a mistake. After the speeches, some of the tables had to be moved to make a space where people could dance, so I asked the groom if I should play some more background music while the tables were being cleared, but he said no & told me to turn it up & start properly. I asked if he was sure & he said yes, so reluctantly that's what I did.

Two or three people were dancing between the tables, and I used this opportunity to play the dozen or so less danceable songs from their 105 song request list. After about 45 minutes, and with the tables long cleared away it was time for the first dance, followed by main disco, which went well, with lots of dancing.

Their request list was almost perfect. Apart from a few less danceable songs (which I'd already played on the false start), it was virtually all great party stuff. In addition, their request list contained instructions which were music to my ears..."No R&B & no Hip Hop"

The bride & groom gave me 5 minutes notice that they were leaving, and someone suggested I sort out an archway, which I did, and after they'd gone, the remaining time went very quickly, as it was an 11.30pm finish.

Just after I'd finished, the young barman came up to have a look at my set up, to tell me he did a bit of DJing (surprise surprise...not!) & to have a bit of a chat. Ironically, he also said it was nice to hear me mixing everything together so that there were no gaps & the music flowed, when in reality I'd just been starting each song as the previous one faded out like I always do. He didn't mention the gaps between the background music though!

While I was packing away, a number of people came up & thanked me for the music, which is always a good sign.

I was ready to leave just before midnight, and arrived home at about 12.30am.

So, an enyoyable gig in a beautifully decked out hall for some really nice people, a great choice of music, lots of dancing, some nice compliments at the end, and for more money than I've ever charged a client before, which is just as well, really, as I'm off for the next two weekends, although I do have two weddings the weekend after that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rob1963

As people arrived & walked through to the patio for bubbly, I could hear words like magical, enchanting & stunning being used to describe the hall, and only wish I'd taken my camera..

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As do we. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rob1963

wo hours later, it was time for the speeches, for which they'd arranged to use my microphone. Although it's not wireless, this didn't matter, as the top table was literally right in front of the stage. Considering the fact that the microphone is touching my mouth when I use it, I was amazed that it worked at all...as all three speakers were holding it at waist level! My fault, really, as I hadn't told them to hold it close, but it didn't matter, as you could still hear them quite clearly..

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Telling them makes no difference Rob, they all think that simply having it in their hands will make it work, even though they've seen you holding it to your mouth all night. :bang: :bang: :bang:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rob1963

Next came the part of the evening which I thought was a mistake. After the speeches, some of the tables had to be moved to make a space where people could dance, so I asked the groom if I should play some more background music while the tables were being cleared, but he said no & told me to turn it up & start properly. I asked if he was sure & he said yes, so reluctantly that's what I did..

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:agree:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rob1963

Their request list was almost perfect. Apart from a few less danceable songs (which I'd already played on the false start), it was virtually all great party stuff. In addition, their request list contained instructions which were music to my ears..."No R&B & no Hip Hop".

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My kinda gig.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rob1963

Just after I'd finished, the young barman came up to have a look at my set up, to tell me he did a bit of DJing (surprise surprise...not!) & to have a bit of a chat. Ironically, he also said it was nice to hear me mixing everything together so that there were no gaps & the music flowed, when in reality I'd just been starting each song as the previous one faded out like I always do. He didn't mention the gaps between the background music though!.

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Or the pinspots? And the lack of a laptop? :D :D :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rob1963

So, an enyoyable gig in a beautifully decked out hall .

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Which we didn't get to see. :(




Seriously, glad it went well Rob, sounds like a great gig in all respects.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rob1963

.

No R&B & no Hip Hop"

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Lucky :Censored: .

A whole gig without R'n'B / Hip Hop

Real music all night?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

Seriously, glad it went well Rob, sounds like a great gig in all respects.

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Thanks Peter!

:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robbiedj

Lucky :Censored: .

A whole gig without R'n'B / Hip Hop

Real music all night?

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Exactly...it was heaven!

:D :D :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by robbiedj

A whole gig without R'n'B / Hip Hop

Real music all night?

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Yeah, Macarena, Saturday night, YMCA, Agadoo.... :D

:sofa:

Julian

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Excalibur

Used Phonic amp, and one superb feature is that when I need a louder PA outside and a quieter one inside, this amp can be switched so that each channel has independent control of everything. So two Peaveys outside, to entice the shoppers in, and two Skytecs inside on the new pole adapors. Magic. :thumbs_up: Sadly, the day's a grueller, despite lovely customers and team, cos the store is at the end of the retail park, and we can't intercept passing trade, they're coming in, or they're not. Back in the Astra, and return home, where I finish the last of the Merriemaker, and collapse into bed at 10pm. I'm getting too old for this lark. :D :D :D :D :D

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I have a small phonic mixer for my Mini Disc and Cortex---nice piece of kit.

All Peavey Powered Mixers have the facility to play each channel independently including EQ and volume:D --I have two--:beer1: :beer1: :beer1: :beer1:

I use this facility during the summer for inside/outside events.

In particular a venue at Old Deer Park in Richmond where we have quiet music inside and blasting level outside for the Rodeo Bull Competition and the drinkers!

Which Peavey cabs do you have Pete---XTs?

Your only too old when you cant yank a Peavey UL15 on to a Speaker Stand!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Im hanging in there at the moment.;)

regards

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DJ Jules

Yeah, Macarena, Saturday night, YMCA, Agadoo.... :D

:sofa:

Julian

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If that's what they want and they dance ................. enough said! :D