Good Gig, Bad Gig.

[rob1963]

I thoroughly enjoyed the night and for once could have played extra time, but didn't.

You were lucky...I was meant to finish at 1am, but eventually called it a day just after 3am!

It was a booking taken by a friend & passed onto me for a house party about 15 minutes from where I live. The couple were very friendly and the hog roast was YUMMY!

Not only was it my longest ever disco at 8 hours, but it was also the one where I received the most requests on the night...somewhere between 40 and 50.

They also had some of those sky lanterns which I'd heard about before but never seen. Great to watch, but I can imagine all sorts of possible accidents depending on where they land.

At the end of the evening, the woman complimented me on the music, which she said was brilliant, and also the fact that I didn't talk much. She then mentioned the DJs she'd heard who love the sound of their own voice. I'm getting more and more compliments for not talking too much. It really is a different world from the eighties.

Anyway, I'm a bit tired today, but one of my best functions this year and two very happy customers...so job done.

[JAMdisco]

Well, my second ever marquee disco and due to the nature of the music requested (Heavy Metal & D&B), Peter was my paid roadie (first time for everything eh Peter?).

Peter volunteered to drive and collected me and some of my equipment at 4pm for a 5pm arrival time. Peter took care of the sound equipment (speakers, amps & desk) and I took my stand, playout system & a few lights. Peter also kindly leant me his LED barrels as I discovered that one of my scanners has blown a lamp (again!) I will have to get that looked at as one particular scanner blows a lamp about once every gig.

Well we arrived in good time and pulled up along the marquee next to where we were setting up (very easy load-in) and began setting up.
We had to do some re-jigging of the lighting crossbar as I left one part of the cross-bar at home Peter rescued the situation with a spare bar, cordless drill and lots of gaffer tape

We were asked to play background music for the buffet meal (which we were both told we could help ourselves too ) and they planned the first dance for 7pm.

Well, as per usual, first dance was actually around 8:15 (I think) and they had a few more up halfway through. As soon as the first dance was over, the dancefloor cleared completely. I tried a few popular tunes and due to lack of response, went straight into the heavy rock set from the playlist I was supplied.

A couple of young children were running around the dancefloor with air guitars but still no one was dancing. After about 40 minutes of this we had a few requests from the more mature guest for “milder” music and had the floor pretty full with the usual suspects (Abba, Shania, Dolly…).

The B&G had no problems with this and then after a good hour of dancing, the ‘mature’ guests started departing, leaving around 20-30 guests around the B&G’s age group (mid 20’s).

Peter and I had plenty of banter with the guests throughout the night which they seemed to enjoy. In all honesty, we had a couple of 'smashy & nicey' moments

Then came the requests for D&B and up-beat dance music (from one particular pretty guest). She and the bride and a few others then danced for a good 30-40 minutes but again, the dancefloor was getting emptier & emptier till it was again, empty.

Despite several attempts from both Peter & myself for requests, they were very few and far between.

I was originally booked until 1am but heard a rumour that it was finishing at 12. This was quite a relief as they all seemed more interested in drinking than dancing and at 11:00 there were only a handful of guests left.

Well, 12am came and the B&G came over and thanked us for a fantastic night and I was asked for cards by a couple of people. Surprisingly, they all seemed to really enjoy it and couldn’t thank us enough – strange, but yet familiar…

We packed up (in-between nibbles from the buffet), turned off the genny and set back off to Beverley in the SS Continental Drift (complete with a handfull of sausage rolls) and I was home for around half one.

Big thank you to Peter for the assistance and equipment.

[Shaun]

Yesterday I had a wedding reception in Glenrothes, in a relatively small detached house. Just over 20 people in attendace, but it turned out to be a frenzy of fun. By the end of the evening I was on first name terms with everyone, and the small crowd meant I was able to have some excellent banter back and forth which made the evening all the more personal. Just goes to show you don't need a large crowd to have a great night.

[rob1963]

Just goes to show you don't need a large crowd to have a great night.

But it generally helps!

[Charlie Brown]

Do you not talk very much on the mic then Rob?

[rob1963]

Just goes to show you don't need a large crowd to have a great night.

But it generally helps!

Do you not talk very much on the mic then Rob?

Sorry Charlie, but you've completely lost me there!

What does how much you talk on the mic have to do with my post suggesting that more people at a function generally makes for a better night?

[Charlie Brown]

Sorry, I was referring to your original post on last night. I forgot to quote.

[Ryu]

Two gigs so far this weekend, got a third tonight. First two were weddings, and Friday's was through agency...which I think causes a bit of a barrier, you don't get the same level of personal service (we got a request list through, but its not the same as actually speaking to the person) Anyway, the night went o.k, Crowd did a vanishing act to the bar after the first dance, despite hitting them with traditional dancefloor fillers. Won them back later on with...weirdly...Matthew Wilder's "Break my Stride" after that it was full on, and Mr Brightside was easily the best received track of the night.

Last nights was another wedding, but this was a private booking, and I'd spoken to the client regularly ahead of the gig. Nice-ish venue in Banbury and some really good feedback (which was pleasing as we got this gig through a referral...the good kudos chain continues). The bride and her family were from the Orkneys and I'd never done a half scottish wedding (Didn't know about Passing the Cog...a Bucket with what smelled like Mulled Petroleum in it, which you share with the audience...Not too worried about Swine Flu contamination as that concoction would have murdered any viruses! )

Anyways, the Bride had requested 3 final songs, Black Eyed Peas - I've got a feeling (Easily the most requested track) followed by Runrig - Loch Lomond and finally Proclaimers - 500 Miles. You know sometimes at gigs (usually 18ths) where the crowd are bouncing and jumping and packing the floor your actually a bit concerned for your (and your equipments) safety...well, they started jumping at the opening of B.E.P and didn't stop until the last "Da Na Na Naaa" of 500 Miles. An Awesome crazy ending to a great night.

Tonights is a charity do for a friend so expecting good vibes and a nice bank holiday monday to recover!

[Jonny Boy]

Had a corker of a gig last night: went in to sing only, as the venue (25 mins away!) has their resident.

B&G requested 3x30 min sets starting with Rat Pack @ 7.30pm , but start was delayed until 8.10 as only about 30 of the 150 guests had arrived by 8pm! (By 9pm a total of about 110 were there.)

Some early dancing, filled unprompted during first dance, (although sporaddic during 2nd "MOR" set), then rammed full through 3rd set. Even got an encore!

It was nice to concentrate on just the singing, although I was biting my knuckles at some of the DJ's choices. (None were bad, and the audience responded fairly well from what I saw...just not the orders I'd have chosen.)

I did feel awful for the B&G that 40 of the people they invited never even turned up, nd most didn't come until an hour after they were asked.

[rob1963]

Do you not talk very much on the mic then Rob?

Sorry Charlie, but you've completely lost me there!

What does how much you talk on the mic have to do with my post suggesting that more people at a function generally makes for a better night?

Sorry, I was referring to your original post on last night. I forgot to quote.

No problem.

The answer to your question is no.