Twelve minutes of the Dirty Dancing one ( which in my humble opinion is a pile of poo ), and The Grease Megamix. It was then made clear that more would be welcome. We got started on Soul Banana before circumstances dictated a change. I suspect I'd have got round to That's What I like as well, but never got the chance. .Originally Posted by juski
Last night it was another wedding for me with Daryll at my residency covering another wedding.
My one was for a long time family friend of my wife and it was one of those occasions where I was asked to DJ and if I hadn't of DJ'd I'd have had to go along anyway as a guest.
So, it's at a venue that I know very well and that I know is an absolute pain in the proverbial not only when it comes to access but also because of the stupidly, stupidly low ceiling inside.
First of all, the access.... Well, there's a large pond and river running around the venue, lots of tables outside the pub that is attached to it because the grounds are so nice and they are always packed full of people. Even though I turned up at 9.00am to set up I still had to move tables and reverse (very carefully) down as far as I could to a gate and then it's a short walk from there into the actual venue. When the gig was over last night I had no chance of getting out without any hassle because the outside was packed. Loads of people had ventured to the pub side for the evening because they had a big screen showing the football. Many of those were still hanging around afterwards. There's was no way I'd have been able to get my van anywhere near the venue so it would have been a very long walk with equipment through the wedding guests and then outside and through the pub goers and then across a large car park and finally to my van!
Sod that! I packed everything down and am going to get it shortly (8.30am as agreed!).
So, the wedding itself....Well, I knew almost everybody there. The Groom used to go down my local every time I DJ'd so I was in the mood for a good one. It was a relaxed playlist with an Alternative / Indie / Rock and 'Cool' Retro vibe to it. They didn't want any of your "usual party stuff"..... Ok, no problem!
A mutual friend warmed up the guests (not that they needed warming up, it was sweltering in there!) from 7.30pm - 8.15pm and then I started with some background music. To be honest, the place was empty as many stayed outside as there was lots going on.
I was also a bit narked because one of the X Moves decided to rotate and do its thing but without any light! That's going straight to my mate in Reading on Tuesday.
First dance was planned for 8.30pm but it didn't actually happen until 10.00pm but it was worth the wait as it went down really really well.
Fleetwood Mac - I Need Your Love Tonight was followed by The Black Keys - Have Love, Will Travel and then Led Zeppelin - Rock 'N Roll and finally John Butler Trio and their version of 'Happy' (if you haven't heard it you must....it's awesome!).
I had a packed dance floor in the heat until Midnight with lots of people being very complimentary and it was really nice. I actually gave out a couple of cards and told the people that I gave them to that I was relocating in 8 or 9 weeks time but they weren't bothered. One person even said "I just want you to do the same kind of thing for me mate as that was brilliant".
Time to go and get my stuff now. Back out again later this afternoon to set up for an 80th birthday tonight with projection too.
10.30pm finish which will do me nicely as I am creamus crackeredus!
Not so much a wedding reception. More of a photoshoot really
I showed up at my residency last night to have my suspicions confirmed. Yes, there was a band coming! Yay, I love a good band, me!
I did all my setting up, leaving half my lights in the van because there wouldn't be room for them knowing where everything has to go to make the space work.. 7.15pm the band finally start showing up. Fat chance of an 8pm cake cut then I thought. Most of them totally blanked me. I thought fine, whatever. I'll get on with my job, you get on with yours. They had cables strewn everywhere across walkways & apparently hadn't heard of runners, mats or gaffer tape.. and left the room for me to play background music as people started to file in. I decided to tape their cables down so at least lip service would have been paid to safety. At least that lot had brought their own lights. TWO gigAbars actually. If you've seen one in action you'd know how bright they are. One is more than enough for that room on full brightness. Their PA (Yamaha DXR10s over Behringer 12" bins) initially sounded good but when they actually started, oh dear. Even with my earplugs in my ears felt like bursting with all the midrange. You couldn't hear the vocals too well - probably because their ProSound mics didn't have much feedback resistance
Cake cut & first dance times were continually revised. After the band's first set, then no, just after the buffet.. and ended up being at 10.15pm. Got a great reaction from the crowd doing the intro, then after getting a full floor for the first dance the band's turn came again. I left the room to give them their allotted 45 minutes. The hotel staff tried shutting doors etc but the band were still pretty much too loud everywhere downstairs. After half an hour a very harrassed looking barstaff member came to find me. Oh. The band are finishing already? Bleh.
OK then, started my set with Proud Mary & planned to work my way through a few genres to see what'd stick. Then the requests came flying in. NEXT. Or 'in 10 minutes'. No pleases, no thankyous just NEXT, NEXT, in ten minutes. Bride asked for this 'Hold ya head up' by Stevie S. Didn't have it, and it's not on any of my usual services. It was apparently essential, so I worked harder & found it. Played it.. it killed the floor. Filled the floor again with the next one. Bride wants Hold Ya Head Up on again NEXT. Okaaaaaaaaaaaaay. I bite my lip but resolve that if this continues, somebody's gonna get a lesson in manners. It bombs again. Things go really well dancefloor wise but the tog, who's easily the most scruffily dressed person there is still mithering everybody to strike poses & do his bidding on the dancefloor. Another bride request.. this time for The Beautiful South. Don't Marry Her. I explain it's only the radio version I have & she said it'll have to do I suppose. Kills the dancefloor energy. Bah! Got them back again only to have another messenger come over asking me to play Elvis - I can't help falling in love with you for the groom. He loves Elvis apparently. It's all cued up ready to go, and up she pops again.. oh no! Not that! Burning Love instead! What. The. Merry. Hell? So on that goes & gets a fair response.
At this point mr tog came over & insisted I play his choice of last 2 tunes. He says he gets every wedding DJ to do this & it works a treat every time. Well duh, they're cheesy peasy lemon squeezy tracks straight out of DJing101. Guests & customers yes.. they can ask. Togs.. not so much. Apparently they're for a 'thing' he does at the end. Riiiight. I dismiss his demands. I'll take requests from customers & guests.. but a photographer?
11.45 comes, last orders at the bar.. and up comes another requester. Bride's grandad wants to dance with her, so have I got anything slow from the 1950s? Sigh. Way to kill the dancefloor off yet again! So, I wheeled out Dean Martin's Memories Are Made Of This. Bride danced with grandad for all of about a minute leaving said old gent with a bridesmaid. Got back on track via The Mavericks' Dance The Night Away, then planned a rousing end of night. I saw the tog having a word with the bride & up she came to request the 2 songs he'd suggested.. for the end of the night. Ok then. Your day, your way. Or his way. Whatever.
Yes the Grease Megamix followed by New York New York worked. I did my usual outro as sincerely as I could between songs. Rapturous.
What was the very last thing I heard from the corridor when the last note of NYNY had played out? "Aaand hold that pose...... ". Sigh. I've heard of togs being demanding & running the show, but that was utterly ridiculous.
As I was packing down the tog came over. "SEE?", he says. "Told you those songs would work brilliantly at the end didn't I?". I thought "right. I'm gonna be speaking my mind for a bit... you asked for it with your proclamation mate...". "Teach your grandma to suck eggs much?", I asked. "You know that on 'end of the night anthems volume 1 CD, NYNY is tracks 1 through 10? It's like DJing by numbers! Have you never thought to try ending the night on something ORIGINAL instead of very tired old standards? And what's with your outfit? You're easily the scruffiest person here. Do you not have a shirt & trousers.. this was a WEDDING after all... And I hope at least some of your shots come out in focus the way you were jumping around while you were snapping away...". Safe to say he got both barrels but I tried not to be too insulting. He disappeared & I continued to pack down... but he'd left his camera on the bar. Too tempting. Did I? Nah. Somebody needs to have an album full of photos of people doing forced poses rather than having fun apparently.
If the crowd had been a little less NOW! with their requests, and the couple had seen fit to use my contact details before the gig to fill me in on their music preferences maybe I'd not have been so riled & gave it all back to the tog.. Maybe.
Last edited by Nakatomi; 12-06-2016 at 09:54 AM.
Should have left the SD card and took the camera.
Mine was an evening of no-shows....but we managed to get the party going with the few bodies that DID turn up.
It was a last minute 40th (booked only a couple of weeks ago), in the next village in a huge hall (and by huge, it's actually set up as a proper theatre, including all the very complicated lighting gubbins behind the scenes).
It was absolutely boiling.
It was a retro-rig night (so nice heavy and hot lightscreens, the full 16 feet of them), and can you set up on stage please? Being a theatre, this stage is high, around 5 feet high. Oh well.
Speakers were left on the floor, and I don't like that arrangement. For some reason I was getting some sort of feedback which seemed to "pulse" every now and then on the mics. Must work out what that was.
Anyhoo.....the deal was to start at 5pm (because there were to be loads of kids), break for a buffet at around 6:30, then start the main event from 7:30 to 10:00 (this was ideal timing for me on account of the fact I had to be up at 3am to take my son to college where he's on a trip to LA for the week). Win win really.
The allotted hour came, and went - with only 3 kids and three adults in the room. I agreed with the boss to keep things low key for the time being, and wait to start the kids party once I actually had some kids there.
Eventually we get to 6pm....hurrah...a dozen of the 2 dozen expected kids. Time to crack on. The VDJ remote came in handy for the duration to save me keep running a stupid distance around the back of the stage and up behind the booth, and the kids party seemed to go well. In fact it went on, and on, and on....because the ovens in the kitchen had broken and the buffet which was supposed to indicate the break between kids and adult parties was around an hour late.
Eventually it's time to open the buffet (and "please - help yourself....there's more than enough"). You're not kidding. Out of 40 adults invited, we had 20....this is going to be tricky. Buffet disposed of and toasts and birthday cake done....it's time to crack on with the adult stuff.
Now, the reason for having the retro screens there....it was to be a 90's Ibiza themed evening and this is the sort of thing the client remembers from those days. I'd cheated and added a pair of Dualizers into the mix (because I don't use lasers), and with the haze I have to admit they looked pretty damned good
In fact the haze itself was good. I took haze fluid and diluted it by 50% with distilled water. It was a really nice, fine effect which did wonders with the beams and without choking me
However, the floor didn't look quite so healthy. A lot disappeared after the buffet. In fact I was down to a dozen adults to entertain for 2 hours. The Ibiza club stuff the birthday girls' husband had insisted on didn't and never was going to cut it. He came onto the stage and apologised for the thinness of the crowd and I voiced my concerns over the music choices. "Stick with it for now" was the reply.
Eventually, I started to wander off course. The floor was "full" with all 12 ladies and I veered into Weathergirls, Whitney and Spice Girls territory. They were happy, the birthday girl was smiling and husband came and took a handful of business cards from me saying I obviously knew what I was doing
10pm came around and it's time to pack away. Handshakes and thank you's aplenty (well, from those that were left) and actually had the rig dismantled in 15 minutes flat (I needed a speedy getaway to get any chance of a short kip before getting the teenager up and driving him to college).
All in all, just one of those nights where there were better things going on (like watching football if that's your thing or sitting in a nice cool garden rather than sweating it out in a hall dancing). But, we made the best of it and it worked as well as it could have done. Maybe on a cooler night with no footy match, I'd have had a hall full of 30-40 somethings with their arms in the air. The important bit is, the client was happy so that's a job well done in my book.
Next week I'm back on wedding duties. Two really nice chaps getting married on Saturday and having the reception celebration on the Sunday (I'm even doing music for a firework display they're having).....something different and I could do with a group of plenty of people up for a party for a change......
Were you in the same country as me last night, Wayne?Mine was cold and wet. You wouldn't have wanted to be sat in the garden here last night.
Neighbour's 10th wedding anniversary. Huge marquee which we erected last week. In boiling hot weather. Which held until a couple of days before the function, and then heavy rain. All manner of garden games were planned, a bit of a golf challenge, swimming pools and everything. The weather put a real crimp in all of that.
It all kicked off mid afternoon, and I popped in to get ready. The electricity was being brought long distances from three supplies, and guess who wanted to tag onto mine? Yup, the caterers, with theirtea urn. That tripped out my supply, and off I went to find the break in the chain. Didn't have far to look, it was the current breaker in the cable reel near me. Reset that, and by then the caterers had thankfully moved to another supply.
We sat down to a splendid tea around 5pm, and after we'd had that the children wanted music and lights. And smoke. Lots of it. There was supposed to be a break to watch the footy, but by then we were off and running, and in full flow. There was a plan to recreate the proposal of ten years ago, involving live singers, a line of candles, and a ribbon. Fat chance with the rain that started soon after we'd got the surprise underway. We had a shortened line of candles, the singer under a gazebo, and no ribbon to follow. Ah well.
So, back into the tent and party time. I'd got two swarms, three lasers and two light bars on the overhead, and uplights round me. With everything on, and smoke it looked somewhat impressive. My audience was predominantly young, and it fitted the bill exactly. We had some raucous games, and I switched off at 4am and crawled into bed, leaving the kit set up. My area was so wet I'd ended up wearing rigger boots to combat the mud, and this morning it looked like a ploughed field. Many of the cables will have to be cleaned before next Saturday.
Holiday in Norfolk next week to look forward to.
Oh I almost forgot. When I played the first dance can you guess what happened? Nothing on my side. It was the band. They were on next so they had a good old tune up at full volume, the selfish
Just a thought-- I dont do Weddings now really--but when I did always insisted on a play list---if I didnt get one my proviso was I cant guarantee your requests.I showed up at my residency last night to have my suspicions confirmed. Yes, there was a band coming! Yay, I love a good band, me!
I did all my setting up, leaving half my lights in the van because there wouldn't be room for them knowing where everything has to go to make the space work.. 7.15pm the band finally start showing up. Fat chance of an 8pm cake cut then I thought. Most of them totally blanked me. I thought fine, whatever. I'll get on with my job, you get on with yours. They had cables strewn everywhere across walkways & apparently hadn't heard of runners, mats or gaffer tape.. and left the room for me to play background music as people started to file in. I decided to tape their cables down so at least lip service would have been paid to safety. At least that lot had brought their own lights. TWO gigAbars actually. If you've seen one in action you'd know how bright they are. One is more than enough for that room on full brightness. Their PA (Yamaha DXR10s over Behringer 12" bins) initially sounded good but when they actually started, oh dear. Even with my earplugs in my ears felt like bursting with all the midrange. You couldn't hear the vocals too well - probably because their ProSound mics didn't have much feedback resistance
Cake cut & first dance times were continually revised. After the band's first set, then no, just after the buffet.. and ended up being at 10.15pm. Got a great reaction from the crowd doing the intro, then after getting a full floor for the first dance the band's turn came again. I left the room to give them their allotted 45 minutes. The hotel staff tried shutting doors etc but the band were still pretty much too loud everywhere downstairs. After half an hour a very harrassed looking barstaff member came to find me. Oh. The band are finishing already? Bleh.
OK then, started my set with Proud Mary & planned to work my way through a few genres to see what'd stick. Then the requests came flying in. NEXT. Or 'in 10 minutes'. No pleases, no thankyous just NEXT, NEXT, in ten minutes. Bride asked for this 'Hold ya head up' by Stevie S. Didn't have it, and it's not on any of my usual services. It was apparently essential, so I worked harder & found it. Played it.. it killed the floor. Filled the floor again with the next one. Bride wants Hold Ya Head Up on again NEXT. Okaaaaaaaaaaaaay. I bite my lip but resolve that if this continues, somebody's gonna get a lesson in manners. It bombs again. Things go really well dancefloor wise but the tog, who's easily the most scruffily dressed person there is still mithering everybody to strike poses & do his bidding on the dancefloor. Another bride request.. this time for The Beautiful South. Don't Marry Her. I explain it's only the radio version I have & she said it'll have to do I suppose. Kills the dancefloor energy. Bah! Got them back again only to have another messenger come over asking me to play Elvis - I can't help falling in love with you for the groom. He loves Elvis apparently. It's all cued up ready to go, and up she pops again.. oh no! Not that! Burning Love instead! What. The. Merry. Hell? So on that goes & gets a fair response.
At this point mr tog came over & insisted I play his choice of last 2 tunes. He says he gets every wedding DJ to do this & it works a treat every time. Well duh, they're cheesy peasy lemon squeezy tracks straight out of DJing101. Guests & customers yes.. they can ask. Togs.. not so much. Apparently they're for a 'thing' he does at the end. Riiiight. I dismiss his demands. I'll take requests from customers & guests.. but a photographer?
11.45 comes, last orders at the bar.. and up comes another requester. Bride's grandad wants to dance with her, so have I got anything slow from the 1950s? Sigh. Way to kill the dancefloor off yet again! So, I wheeled out Dean Martin's Memories Are Made Of This. Bride danced with grandad for all of about a minute leaving said old gent with a bridesmaid. Got back on track via The Mavericks' Dance The Night Away, then planned a rousing end of night. I saw the tog having a word with the bride & up she came to request the 2 songs he'd suggested.. for the end of the night. Ok then. Your day, your way. Or his way. Whatever.
Yes the Grease Megamix followed by New York New York worked. I did my usual outro as sincerely as I could between songs. Rapturous.
What was the very last thing I heard from the corridor when the last note of NYNY had played out? "Aaand hold that pose...... ". Sigh. I've heard of togs being demanding & running the show, but that was utterly ridiculous.
As I was packing down the tog came over. "SEE?", he says. "Told you those songs would work brilliantly at the end didn't I?". I thought "right. I'm gonna be speaking my mind for a bit... you asked for it with your proclamation mate...". "Teach your grandma to suck eggs much?", I asked. "You know that on 'end of the night anthems volume 1 CD, NYNY is tracks 1 through 10? It's like DJing by numbers! Have you never thought to try ending the night on something ORIGINAL instead of very tired old standards? And what's with your outfit? You're easily the scruffiest person here. Do you not have a shirt & trousers.. this was a WEDDING after all... And I hope at least some of your shots come out in focus the way you were jumping around while you were snapping away...". Safe to say he got both barrels but I tried not to be too insulting. He disappeared & I continued to pack down... but he'd left his camera on the bar. Too tempting. Did I? Nah. Somebody needs to have an album full of photos of people doing forced poses rather than having fun apparently.
If the crowd had been a little less NOW! with their requests, and the couple had seen fit to use my contact details before the gig to fill me in on their music preferences maybe I'd not have been so riled & gave it all back to the tog.. Maybe.
Although I wasnt doing a huge amount I cant recall anyone ever not providing a play list.
Maybe things have changed?
Yes I would have told the Photo man to
They always get provided with my contact details. If they don't see fit to get in touch with me it's not generally an issue but it can sometimes be a pain. E.g. when they ask for an 'essential' tune I've never heard of and only seems to be available as a physical CD single from Amazon for over £50. I dunno. Maybe it's on iTunes, but I don't do iTunes.Just a thought-- I dont do Weddings now really--but when I did always insisted on a play list---if I didnt get one my proviso was I cant guarantee your requests.
Although I wasnt doing a huge amount I cant recall anyone ever not providing a play list.
Maybe things have changed?
Yes I would have told the Photo man to
I know you dont like Apple but I tunes is easy--download then burn to CD --its yours then in MP3 to do what you want with if you rip.
I was using I tunes for disco songs to play on my Cortex well before I owned any Apple playouts like i pod, I pad etc.
I did have a funny one last year--Wedding again obviously--where they wanted something weird so I asked them to bring it on an i something and plug into the PA--im not proud!
As its a private domestic event I dont think it beaches any copyrights.
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