Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

8 hours waiting for 25 minute gigging


MacDaddy
 Share

Recommended Posts

This was the itinary for yesterdays gig.

It was one of the quarter finals for the m2tm competition which has a slot playing Bloodstock as a prize.


[color=#000000]Crew load 2pm[/color]
[color=#000000]Skarthia load 2.30[/color]
[color=#000000]Skarthia soundcheck 3pm[/color]
[color=#000000]Bands load 3.15[/color]
[color=#000000]Soundcheck comp bands x 2 [/color][color=#000000] [/color][color=#000000]3..45[/color]
[color=#000000]doors 4.30[/color]

[color=#000000]BAND ONE 5PM TO 5.30[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND TWO 5.45 TO 6.15[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND THREE 6.30 TO 7PM[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND FOUR 7.15 TO 7.45[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND FIVE 8PM TO 8.30[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND SIX 8.45 TO 9.15[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND SEVEN 9.30 TO 10PM[/color]
[color=#000000]SKARTHIA 10.20[/color]
[color=#000000]Verdict 11pm[/color]

So that's nearly 8 hours in total, to play for 25 minutes (despite what the timeslots show you are told 25mins).
No refreshments for any of the bands, not even a complimentary drink.
Obviously no pay or expenses because its a competition, but the £7 door fee goes somewhere, even though other regions do not charge.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='bassbloke' timestamp='1459200924' post='3014440']
Kids of today. I've had to load in at 10am for an all dayer. I'd take a book, packed lunch, korg pandora and headphones and be sorted for the day.
[/quote]
I took sandwiches, a flask, and 4 cans :)[size=4] [/size]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1459195793' post='3014385']
This was the itinary for yesterdays gig.

It was one of the quarter finals for the m2tm competition which has a slot playing Bloodstock as a prize.


[color=#000000]Crew load 2pm[/color]
[color=#000000]Skarthia load 2.30[/color]
[color=#000000]Skarthia soundcheck 3pm[/color]
[color=#000000]Bands load 3.15[/color]
[color=#000000]Soundcheck comp bands x 2 [/color][color=#000000] [/color][color=#000000]3..45[/color]
[color=#000000]doors 4.30[/color]

[color=#000000]BAND ONE 5PM TO 5.30[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND TWO 5.45 TO 6.15[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND THREE 6.30 TO 7PM[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND FOUR 7.15 TO 7.45[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND FIVE 8PM TO 8.30[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND SIX 8.45 TO 9.15[/color]
[color=#000000]BAND SEVEN 9.30 TO 10PM[/color]
[color=#000000]SKARTHIA 10.20[/color]
[color=#000000]Verdict 11pm[/color]

So that's nearly 8 hours in total, to play for 25 minutes (despite what the timeslots show you are told 25mins).
No refreshments for any of the bands, not even a complimentary drink.
Obviously no pay or expenses because its a competition, but the £7 door fee goes somewhere, even though other regions do not charge.
[/quote]

I'm glad I am no longer in that segment of the business.

Stay away from competitions , charities and benefits.


Blue

Edited by blue
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did a few like this with a classic rock band, not competition but charity festivals .

They where quite well attended with camping , so at least we could drink and enjoy the other bands, they turned out to be quite fun days

Agreeing to gigs, or not is always a choice up front

Hope you got on ok in the competition ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1459218104' post='3014530']
I'm glad I am no longer in that segment of the business.

Stay away from competitions , charities and benefits.


Blue
[/quote]

This is also my view. Bands playing for nothing is entirely up to them but I have found that organisers/promoters often take advantage as a result.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like what Blue says.

Just a question: Would you do all of that under those conditions for a one off, one hour, unpaid non musical "day job"?

I certainly wouldn't and I guess you wouldn't either.

So why do it for those parasites?

Edited by Jazzneck
Link to comment
Share on other sites

my band were asked to play an oxjam all dayer last year.
alarm bells should have rung when I heard it was in multiple rooms on a sunday. first band over ran (we were second on) so had a stressed out soundman telling us to hurry up before we started!no crowd so we played for 20 mins and went home.
Such a shame.
I'll never do another charity event unless myself or band member is involved with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Stu-khag' timestamp='1459243921' post='3014640']
my band were asked to play an oxjam all dayer last year.
alarm bells should have rung when I heard it was in multiple rooms on a sunday. first band over ran (we were second on) so had a stressed out soundman telling us to hurry up before we started!no crowd so we played for 20 mins and went home.
Such a shame.
I'll never do another charity event unless myself or band member is involved with it.
[/quote]
I do the odd charity event where Its for a good friend, and doesn't clash with somethign else. So this thursday I'm doing a "Bandeoke" for charity, with a few guys who are all involved in said charity. It doesn't bother me as I knoe about 40 of the 60 songs on the "menu" and just means I've extended my repetoire for the function band :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do a smallish number of multi-band charity gigs each year, but almost invariably with King Ralph.

The significance of that is that in King Ralph I am a mere sideman ... I arrange nothing and book nothing, I bring nothing to the gig except me and my bass, if I get paid for [u][b]any [/b][/u]King Ralph gig I see that as a nice surprise, and King Ralph is strictly a local steam-punk outfit so the gigs are always in nearby pubs.

It follows that I don't really care how late we start, how long we play for, or how thin the crowd is. It's just a bit of fun and (allegedly) it's for [i][b]CHARIDEEEEE[/b][/i]!!!

It helps that every King Ralph gig, without exception, is a giant leap into the unknown. The only guarantee is that every song will be as much of a surprise to those playing with Ralph as they will be to the audience.

Set list ... Choice of key ... Tempo ... Structure .. all are entirely optional and up for grabs.

It keeps me young.

:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try being in a wedding band if you don't like long waits. A typical Saturday would be load the van at 8.00 am, drive 100 miles to the venue, set up and sound check to be out of the room by 1.00 to let the caterers set up for the wedding event, then either a) drive 100 miles back home again (which we have done) and return at 8.45 or, more likely, B) find a pub some where, commandeer a corner for the band and sleep/play cards/ drink/play board games for 8 hours. After the gig of course you have 45 minutes to throw everything that took 2 hours to set up back in the vans and hit the road, getting home at 4.00 am. That's not far off a 24 hour day and one of the main reasons I, as an old man now jacked it all in!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We all do things for different reasons. If you're calculating an hourly rate for your services, then this sort of thing doesn't make sense. Me, I don't calculate an hourly rate, and given how much I enjoy playing music with good friends, sometimes playing for free makes a lot more sense than not playing for free.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1459272130' post='3015014']
We all do things for different reasons.
[/quote]

Right?

There's a massive variety of players on the forum playing for different reasons. So its not surprising that each person is happy playing different kinds of gigs. Some people are more career/money focused, and some people are just happy to be playing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to do a set number of gigs per year for Cancer research and also rattled a tin for them at the local tesco on occasion.
Different deal when it is your own pet charity.
Those thinly disguised pay to play things can kiss my fuzzy pink butt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...