Weird gigs?

[toomanyslurpees]

I just got back from a strange strange evening.... We got booked to play a pub, just one of these pub in a strip mall places, we show up and there's about 8 old men in there, set up and play two hour long sets, the whole night I swear not more than 30 people come and go, there was about 6 songs where after we finished anyone clapped, two where it wasn't only someone that worked there. We didn't bring a single person out, after we're done I'm bracing for a lowball payment because the person who booked us never got back to me to conferm a number and was pretty sure that would be the last time we play that place... Then the server tells us they thought we were awesome and want us back, dinner was on them and pay us about twice what I was expecting..... odd. (must have been the Stingray)

 

[jlepre]

I can honestly say that has never happened to me in all my 30+ years of gigging.

 

[five7]

Getting paid double is alot better than not getting paid. Next time bring friends. It also sounds like the place to try out new material. I was in one of the first punk bands in Denver back in the day and a club named the Caribou Club in Aspen booked us for a show. They thought Aspen was ready for punk music. We show up at the club, soundcheck, eat dinner and go back to some killer rooms provided for us, the whole time thinking"what a gig". About 6:30 the phone rings and it is the manager of the club telling us to come and get our gear. They changed their minds and decided that Aspen was not ready for a punk band. We had to drive back to Denver as they wouldn't let us stay in the rooms for the night. It did give rise to a new song though. The first line of the song as I remember was. Aspenhole, aspenhole, blow it out your aspenhole. Kind of a punk yodeling song. So, anytime a club pays you double and buys you dinner, enjoy and don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[ScreaminFloyd]

the whole night I swear not more than 30 people come and go, there was about 6 songs where after we finished anyone clapped,

I think this is what Billy Bob Thornton meant when he refered to the Canadian audience as "Mashed Potatoes without the gravy"

 

[Dr. Lemonator]

I have had one of those! We were on a little "tour" as we called it then and one of the shows was at an FOE in the small town our drummer grew up in. We set up, warmed up a bit and then waited til our start time which was about an hour. In that time I think one person came in and they went right to the bar. The gig was really awkward. We played through most of our set with absolutely no response from the audience. I know the feeling, at least your night seemed to wrap up rather nicely!

 

[Powman]

Wow. That is so lucky. I have heard so many stories of pub/bar owners refusing to pay bands. (Getting had, Getting took...Its a long long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!).

Count your blessings.

 

[Powman]

I think this is what Billy Bob Thornton meant when he refered to the Canadian audience as "Mashed Potatoes without the gravy"

Careful dude...that offspring of excessive consanguinity is not very welcome here anymore. Lets just let the whole ugly thing him die and fade away.

 

[jlepre]

We were on a little "tour" as we called it then and one of the shows was at an FOE in the small town our drummer grew up in.

What does FOE mean?

 

[ScreaminFloyd]

Careful dude...that offspring of excessive consanguinity is not very welcome here anymore. Lets just let the whole ugly thing him die and fade away.

I didn't mean for it to offend. Same thing though sorta happened to me. A few were dancing and when the song ended no one clapped and then sat down. Awkward moments, I'm sure everyone has gone through it.

 

[Jim C]

How about when a club you've played at many times asks you to open for some bigtime band from Ireland that's touring with a new record. Club holds approx 700 people and 2 sold out shows.
We played pop music and the band "Stiff Little Fingers" was a punk band.
Crowd hated us and through ice cubes from the balcony; really nice looking forward to the 2nd show knowing how well the first went.
The band was cool, appologized for the crowd, and then sent over a bottle of some top shelf liquor to our dressing room.
The club (The Bayou in DC; no longer open) also gave us some extra gigs as a bonus.
Just goes to show you can never be sure how a gig will go.
And I wasn't even playing a SR then!

 

[toomanyslurpees]

calgary's not the easiest place to be doing original music at the best of times, I just joked we were paying some dues, but being we got a nice chunk of change to put to recording I don't really know what that was... but it made it worth the awkwardness, we're certainly not complaining. We joked that they probably gave us the wrong envelope.... Yeh, next time we'll at least bring a table of friends and buy them some beer if they promise to initiate some clapping, I hate that awkward dead silence after you finish a tune.

 

[oli@bass]

I hate that awkward dead silence after you finish a tune.

That builds character!

 

[Aussie Mark]

Nothing wrong with a paid rehearsal, especially when you get fed as well.

 

[cyoungnashville]

i once got paid an astronomical amount of money to play bass for a singer that looks and sounds just like rick astley. it was creepy.

 

[douglasspears]

Lol You got Rick rolled!


...wait, what?

 

[cellkirk74]

Great Gig!

We played pop music and the band "Stiff Little Fingers" was a punk band.

You supported SLF? Well congrats. That was one of Europe's most influential punk bands back then, even without mowhawks. They had some good songs too.

Great story!

 

[Powman]

Nothing wrong with a paid rehearsal, especially when you get fed as well.

+1

Thats the spirit! There's always another, more positive way to look at things.

 

[nurnay]

I DJ at a club that has had its share of quiet crowds when we have live music. I've seen more than one band play to a good sized crowd and the only person clapping after songs is me. But when my band played there a few times, the place was going crazy. Must have been the song selection and Stingray (natch).

 

[strummer]

You supported SLF? Well congrats. That was one of Europe's most influential punk bands back then, even without mowhawks. They had some good songs too.

Great story!

Yeah, Stiff was good, though their finest moment imho was the Doesn't make It Alright cover

I'd have played for whatever s**t crowd if it meant opening for SLF