Not looking forward to gigs...

[lojo]

[quote name='dbass' post='1054921' date='Dec 11 2010, 01:01 PM']He's not negative just very laid back and "lazy" which sometimes annoys the crap out of me but he's my mate so I tell him to shut up and get on with it! It's so much of a big rant about him but just wanted to get feedback on what others feel about it???

A fellow drummer friend of his once said "Bill, your the most un-enthusiastic drummer I've ever met".

The thing is, he's a fantastic drummer and we are stupidly tight together!!!!

*brain melts*

Really interesting hearing everyones' experiences though :-D[/quote]

Not sure what level of playing your at, but certainly with the small time things I do and at this age, almost everyone I play with that is worth playing with, has some sort of issue that bugs me, and I them

Sounds like aright character, but one who despite what he voices, turns up and plays extremely well, can I borrow him

Edited December 11, 2010 by lojo

[JPS]

I got to the stage last last year where I realised I hated every aspect of gigging (having loved it for years) - the driving, the setting up, the boorish drunks, the songs we were playing, finding somewhere to park etc etc. Even when we got a great reception and the dancefloor was packed I hated every moment of it. Not surprisingly I decided to stop gigging and I haven't gigged for months now. It got to the point where I was dreading each and every gig and was a pain in the arse for days before.

Can't say I've missed it for a moment. However, I am really enjoying playing the bass purely for my interest and occasionally with a few friends for fun. Hopefully one day, having had a decent break my interest in gigging will be reignited. I think most of us just need a break from all the extra hassle and pressure that gigging brings, especially when trying to juggle children, partners, jobs etc. Ironically I played with a drummer for several years who claimed to love gigging, yet never smiled or seemed to have anything positive to say on the night of a gig. Perhaps drummers are just a breed apart.

[lojo]

Yeah I gave up gigging when I had kids until a few years ago, for me it wasn't I hated gigging, it was I hated the pack down after

Still have to love the gig enough, to see you through the pack down

[chris_b]

It's not always been like this, but I look forward to playing all the gigs that I do. I know it's odd but I love driving to the gig, the setting up, breaking down and the drive home after.

I look forward to playing with all the musicians, except one particular guitarist! He's the band leader of the cover band, but I have another cover band coming on stream next year so in 2011 I'll be as happy as a pig in s**t.

Edited December 11, 2010 by chris_b

[gjones]

It depends on the gig. An example would be the last two gigs I did which were with excellent professional musicians who really know their stuff. The band was thrown together at the last minute and we were doing the gigs without rehearsal. I was so looking forward to it I actually got nerves in the 1/2 hr before we got up on stage (me nerves). The first one went so well we got asked back by the venue the next week. I had such a good time my smile had to be surgically removed.

As long as the musicians are good and the venue isn't dodgy I look forward to every gig. But as I get older I get pickier. I've refused to play certain venues (because I don't fancy getting stabbed) and I've also declined to play gigs with rotten musicians (I've wasted many a night trying to make iffy drummers sound half decent).

[JTUK]

Generally, I'd say, if you don't look forward to gigs..then why do them...?
it would be time to take a break from it all

[WalMan]

I keep getting "why bother" moods more regularly recently down to me & the drummer doing all the bookings and advertising and gigging less last year than in the previous couple, but I get really twitchy when we're not gigging and can't wait to get back to it.

Drummer has another funky functions type band now, and I have the part time proggy band, but for both of us the band we are in together takes precedence. He can very easily drop into Ian Paisley "NO / NEVER!" mode as in[list]
[*]We've been asked to do a friends/"fans" birthday - NO you can find another drummer if you want to do it
[*]Guitarist is ill shall we do it with the one guitarist? - NO
[/list] - which can be tiresome but there is no point pushing once we hit that. I can understand some of the sentiment behind that as in "will grandma & auntie Dollie [i]really[/i] like what we do" and wanting to put on the full show not half of it and busking through (but would anyone [i]really[/i] know).

Big old gap to the next gig now so by the end of Jan I shall be going mad

[Pete Academy]

I remember last year when I had a gig with a band that only occasionally gigged. We basically played the same venue every 3 months - a wine bar that was populated by drunk people looking for a late drink. I got to the point where I got in from work and couldn't be arsed to get ready for the gig. The other band members were feeling the same. Yet I recall when I was a young lad, every gig would have me excited for at least a week before.

It's all about familiarity. Generally, if you're a pro musician, you'll eventually treat gigging the same as any day job. It seems great, but you're actually putting in more hours than a regular job, what with the travelling, setting up, etc.

Also, I tend to find that if you think a gig is going to be great, it generally turns out crap. But then vice versa.

Edited December 12, 2010 by Pete Academy

[lettsguitars]

i've been playing for 20 odd years, and music has been the only true constant in my life. now, gigs, f&*^ing hate them. always the same. some nob calling himself a soundman gettin arsey about every little problem, and a room full of nobody. it's always been a total waste of time gigging on school nights, and there's usually one or two 'in bands' that get all the support slots. the rest of the band love playing and i try not to moan about it too much, as it is a free practice after all. but i wouldn't wanna travel very far for rubbish venues with no promotion. i'm the lead singer and guitarist.

[thepurpleblob]

I'm a bit of a neurotic and it's only when I know a gig hasn't been organised properly that it starts to get to me. I'm old and miserable enough that I mostly try to avoid that sort of gig. When I used to play way too much it got a bit like that too. That was mostly complete exhaustion though.

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1056276' date='Dec 12 2010, 06:10 PM']Also, I tend to find that if you think a gig is going to be great, it generally turns out crap. But then vice versa.[/quote]

This happened to me last night, I had been moody all day and had a bad vibe about the gig, didn't really want to do it. Got there, set up and went on to play the best gig of my life! Can't wait for the next one now!

[leschirons]

Is he lazy or unenthusiastic? If it's the latter, although you don't want to lose him, suggest that maybe he takes a break from playing and see what he says. Maybe there's something a bit deeper going on and you'll find out.

I've played about 50 gigs this year and I'm fed up with them but I put that down to my advanced years and just getting a bit too tired of all the effort involved.

Last night's gig was a good one but thats because it was 1km away and I knew everybody in the audience. We played really well and enjoyed it. However, I can see me packing up gigs and bands altogether next year and being content to sit at home and mess about in the studio on my own. I've never suffered from nerves re performing in public but it's all just too much effort now to go out and entertain people although I still get immense pleasure from noodling on a bass or guitar on my own.

[Chris2112]

I stopped gigging due to the hassle and the grief it causes. There is just no reward in doing it now! Instead, the band retired to the studio full time. It's a private studio, so we can spend as much time as we like there messing around and playing to suit ourselves rather than sell tickets. I get a lot more enjoyment from sitting in a comfortable chair in a nicely heated studio, poring over my lines note by note with an Anthony Jackson style scrutiny than playing gigs in lousy pubs full of drunken buffoons!

[mrtcat]

I still enjoy gigging a lot but in recent years a lot of the excitement has been worn away a bit by miserable landlords/ladies, low numbers of punters and our whinging drummer.

We have a good few regular haunts where people come out to see us which are always fun. More and more we get booked by new venues, some of which are an hour+ away and when we get there they want to know where all the "followers" are like they expect us to bring a bus with us or something. I find it hard to comprehend them booking a band and then not advertising. We always advertise our gigs on our various sites but can't expect our regular punters (who come and see us when we play their local) to follow us across the counties.

Our drummer is very negative tho. He's got a wife and nipper so I totally understand that he's got pressures on his time but we always feel like we have to keep him happy or he just won't turn up. On a couple of occasions he's actually emailed us to say he's cancelled a gig with the venue as he can't make it. When we do gig he's always grumbling about "it's a crap venue", "I don't like the landlord's attitude", "the money's not good enough" etc etc. It's almost like he thinks we should be treated like royalty cos "we're the band". Now he's a great drummer and he can be great fun too. He almost left once in the past so we auditioned heaps of new guys but none of them were even close to being good enough to gig pubs with let alone play functions etc.

I guess almost every band will have someone a bit like this tho.

[dbass]

Really great replies coming back guys, definitely making the day job go a bit faster ;-)

Gig at the weekend went stellar, and James wasn't at all complaining, well, only about the first band altering ALL of his stands and toms, after he'd been told nothing would get changed. Apparently setting up heights and positions on a kit takes a long time to get perfect and he never moves another drummers kit if having to use that.

We normally play on our own but lately we've found that the tribute scene is working better doing double or triple bills. You generally end up with the same/slightly more money and normally twice the crowd which IMO seals the deal. Just playing with other bands ends up with situations like above.

I think the venue helped though, it was The Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton and is a really nice sized venue, really good sound, engineer was helpful and pleasant so all in all, good gig.

(Could of had something to do with the fact I drove though???!!!!)

[Al Heeley]

If I get a downer about a gig I tell myself I'm getting paid to go out in the evening and play live music and get people dancing. It feels a lot sweeter than working in an office.
I can get disappointed after a gig when I know we did not play as well as we could or we didn't make the most of the occasion, or some drunk yob spoils the atmosphere, but I still find it empowering when I am back behind my desk during the week to have this musical outlet at the weekends.

[oldslapper]

Packed in gigging with the covers band..........hated playing the songs, and to audiences who were too p@@sed to care if it was a disco or not!

Packed in playing live with originals band coz at 49, I really can't be bothered with the whole getting on late waiting around for other bands to play, sharing gear, poor pay, generally being a miserable git! But I still write & record for them, just get some young keener to get in at silly o'clock.

Love playing live with the jazz quartet though, probably because we're all grumpy old men together....

[tauzero]

Not getting many gigs at the moment (basically because both covers bands are in the process of taking off, and barn dance enquiries are at a trickle). I do enjoy the vast majority - with the old club band, there were some places where I really just wanted to finish and get the money, and others where I really got quite a buzz (even playing music I wasn't that keen on). Both covers bands now consist of enthusiastic members, which helps a lot.

[icastle]

[quote name='tauzero' post='1058464' date='Dec 14 2010, 12:55 PM']Not getting many gigs at the moment (basically because both covers bands are in the process of taking off, and barn dance enquiries are at a trickle). I do enjoy the vast majority - with the old club band, there were some places where I really just wanted to finish and get the money, and others where I really got quite a buzz (even playing music I wasn't that keen on). Both covers bands now consist of enthusiastic members, which helps a lot.[/quote]

Out of interest - do you find the demand for barndances is still pretty seasonal or is it pretty much spread over the year now?

[EdwardHimself]

I must say it does make me wonder; if you hate doing gigs so much, is there really much point in being in a band? I mean that just leaves you with "practices" (which implies that you're "practicing" for something, what exactly?) and recording. I personally just got pretty bored with practicing all the time and not getting anywhere with gigs which is one of the reasons one of the bands i was in fell apart. Also really I must say that if I'm doing recording then I'd really rather just do it on my own. That's just my opinion though. Obviously everyone is different.

[tauzero]

[quote name='icastle' post='1058551' date='Dec 14 2010, 02:08 PM']Out of interest - do you find the demand for barndances is still pretty seasonal or is it pretty much spread over the year now?[/quote]
Pretty much spread over the year. We've got one on the 23rd and another one next February (and one next October too), and there'll be our regular one in summer too. Of course, almost none are in barns (just the regular summer one).

We're doing far fewer general admittance ones though, it's almost entirely birthdays or weddings.

[derrenleepoole]

I very rarely ever feel like I'm not going to enjoy a gig. As I'm now very much a hobbyist bass player doing the odd gig every month, the whole gigging thing doesn't feel like a chore so I do enjoy it more. I think this is helped by the fact that I know I can rely on my fellow band mates to deliver a good performance regardless. If I am feeling down during a gig, I always try to deliver a competent performance for the benefit of the other band members and the audience. But what I often find is, by the time were getting to the end of the first set, my spirits have lifted anyway because I'm playing live and I'm using gear that I've payed shed loads of money for! I remember why I like doing it in the first place

[bassace]

I read an article in this month's Musician, The MU magazine, that Bill Bruford hasn't worked for two years because he doesn't feel up to the job. He just doesn't want to play. If Bill's not up to it what hope is there for the rest of us? Anyone else heard this story?

[oldslapper]

[quote name='bassace' post='1061426' date='Dec 17 2010, 11:09 AM']I read an article in this month's Musician, The MU magazine, that Bill Bruford hasn't worked for two years because he doesn't feel up to the job. He just doesn't want to play. If Bill's not up to it what hope is there for the rest of us? Anyone else heard this story?[/quote]

I read his autobiography earlier this summer. Really interesting.
He's just a normal bloke who got fed up with dealing with knobs in the music industry, stroppy musicians, touring, being away from home/family. Also suffered from huge self doubt.
I felt a lot better after reading it. I realised that if someone as talented and esteemed as him can feel like that, then so can a nobody like me.
I choose what I do so much more now, without feeling that I have to play at any opportunity.........sometimes I turn down playing so I can spend a night in watching a crap DVD with the kids... I'm no less a musician for it.

He has some interesting thoughts on Yes's lyric writing too!!! made I laugh, pretentious nonsense.