Watching all the bands on the bill

[Lozz196]

So, how do we all think this should be then? For my point of view, if on a however many band bill in an evening, you get there before the bands start, play your turn, then stay and watch the rest of the bands. If there are any specific reasons why you can`t do this, you make your apologies in advance to the other bands, and the promoter/organiser. I think this falls under basic manners and decency, plus a bit of band etiquette.

But I`m finding that a fair few bands don`t work this way, so is my view outdated?

[bazzbass]

there is no longer any ettiquette. Bands now just do what they want to do. They will mess with other bands' mix, steal their gear, badmouth the other bands. it's the way of the world.

[MoonBassAlpha]

We play multi band bills all the time. I will normally watch some of the other bands but If they are terrible or just not my thing at all, I will excuse myself until the next one comes on.

[NancyJohnson]

I'll do my darnedest to try to watch everyone, even though fifteen minutes after coming off stage, sweaty, knackered and after breaking down your gear, it's actually the last thing you want to do.

Insofar as etiquette goes, the younger bands we play with tend to be the ones who disappear right after their set and are happy to start carrying out their gear while a band is still playing.

[scalpy]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1494139241' post='3293485']
I'll do my darnedest to try to watch everyone, even though fifteen minutes after coming off stage, sweaty, knackered and after breaking down your gear, it's actually the last thing you want to do.

Insofar as etiquette goes, the younger bands we play with tend to be the ones who disappear right after their set and are happy to start carrying out their gear while a band is still playing.
[/quote]

Hands up I don't do many of these kind of gigs anymore but other bands disappearing used to really get my goat. What they don't realise is they kill the atmosphere for the whole evening, and by extension the live music scene. (Or at least contributing to the slow death) When they truck off, their crowd goes too and everyone falls flat. As many people in the room together for as long as possible, get the energy levels up, make sure it's a great night, more people show up next time. Best gig I ever did in London village ran the bill like Later. Headline band on first, reverse the bill, resident act on at the midway point then the bill in the proper order. Everyone was rocking.

[DangerDan]

This is always a bone of contention.

I will tend to watch a few tunes (more if i enjoy the band) from as many sets as i can, and stay to the end, but i really don't mind if other bands stay to watch mine. I would much rather know that the people in the crowd (or lack thereof) are there because they want to be, rather than because they are bound by some sort of etiquette.

Essentially I'd rather play to an empty room than a bored one.

If i pay to go to a gig i don't feel i have to watch every band, i paid to be there, i'll enjoy the experience how i want to, i know it's different if you are on a bill together, but still, life is short.

[blue]

I play very few multi bill gigs. When I do I stay and watch all the bands. I really enjoy that sort of thing.

Blue

[T-Bay]

I love watching live music so unless they are really really terrible, why wouldn't I stay? But I guess that's not everyone's mindset.

[rOB]

I mostly play multi band gigs and yes, I'll watch all the other bands.

Firstly, more enthusiastic people in the room makes the evening more fun for everyone (unless it's absolutely packed but...)

Secondly, I think it's polite and supportive. A lot of work and sometimes courage goes into getting a band on stage.

Thirdly, watching other bands sometimes gives me ideas on areas that we could improve on.

[SH73]

When I used to play multi gigs. The other bands stole my black widow Pavey bass amp as i5 was capable of fill a medium venuem But then again otgers would steal the best drum kit less the snare. End of gig ended up with a big drinking session.

[NickD]

I try to stay, if I have family stuff to do I'll go but otherwise it's just politeness to me.

I'll usually throw a camera in and try to grab a few decent shots of folks playing. That way I have something to retain my interest, even if a band is a bit ropey or not my thing. People really seem to appreciate a decent picture of themselves doing what they love and I reckon I've won a fair few re-bookings with bands on the strength of that over the years.

[Skybone]

I have been fortunate enough in the past to have played some multi-band gigs (more than 4 bands) where I've liked most of the bands on, so if I hadn't have been playing, I probably would have been in the audience.

If it were less than 4 bands playing, then you definitely need to stay & support the others. I remember many gigs where we would be driving home in the wee hours because we'd stayed at the venue til all the bands had finished, helped load out etc. and then driven back.

If it were at a small venue, single stage, multi-band affair, then yes, stay, watch & support the other bands. If it were a festival style, multi-stage, multi-band arrangement, there could be some excuse for ducking out early, but you should really show some effort to support the other bands playing "your" stage, or make an effort to see other bands on other stages.

[stingrayPete1977]

I don't miss those gigs really, if there are four bands on with an average of four members per band and I'm in one of them then that's approximately 12 people, if the gig really depends on those 12 it's not much of a gig imo! More the merrier of course and it's the lack of audience that's the killer, IF the fans of each act all came to see you you'd have a good gig and i can see the appeal, I've been there many times but they haven't they've come to see their mates normally and each set of mates mainly watch their friend's band then leave, ah I remember the 'headline slot' back in the day, what was a crowd during the middle bands had become a handful of people and David Badiel once!

[PaulWarning]

I'm not a fan of multi band bills tbh, don't even bother with the support band if I go to a major gig (it's the venues fault, the beer is always better and cheaper in the pub round the corner), in my experience being the 'headline act' is to be avoided being last on means all the other bands and their supporters have all f***ed off, leaving just you and anybody you've managed to convince to come along

[mcnach]

It varies, but I rarely stay to watch the whole thing. Over here, when you play multiband events that are somehow genre-coherent, chances are you know some of the other bands, and chances are you've already seen them and you will see them again. Some of them I go out on purpose to see their shows and pay my ticket to do so. Some I would not. I have never encountered a situation when anybody feels offended that members of another band don't stay to watch them. It seems childish to me.

Similarly I don't expect other bands to stay and watch us. It is cool when you see some of them at the front having fun for a while, but we don't feel bad when they're not.

Some times gigs are something you go to early and stay and take it as a whole day (or evening) kind of thing. Others, you just go a little earlier, play, have a chat with some people and leave to do other things.

The whole "bands should stay to support other bands because... we're all bands!" makes zero sense to me. I'm sure some get offended when they see other band members not stay to watch their amazing performance. But most people I meet seem pretty normal and easy going, and rather than being upset if you don't, they show happiness if you do stay to watch even for a couple of songs. I would like to imagine that it's not like that just in our circle, but in general. Otherwise it would sound pretty sad.

[RockfordStone]

i used to stay and watch all the bands, but there is always a toss up between watching the band before/after you and warming up/chilling out after the gig. quite often once ive been throwing myself around on stage, i don't immediately want to watch the next band unless its a band i like.

[mcnach]

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1494145182' post='3293536']
Hands up I don't do many of these kind of gigs anymore but other bands disappearing used to really get my goat. What they don't realise is they kill the atmosphere for the whole evening, and by extension the live music scene. (Or at least contributing to the slow death) [b]When they truck off, their crowd goes too and everyone falls flat. As many people in the room together for as long as possible, get the energy levels up, make sure it's a great night[/b], more people show up next time. Best gig I ever did in London village ran the bill like Later. Headline band on first, reverse the bill, resident act on at the midway point then the bill in the proper order. Everyone was rocking.
[/quote]

Ah, so you mind that their 'crowd' leaves, not so much the band. I have never seen any situation where a particular crowd leaves because 'their band' leaves. Rather, they leave because they were only interested in one or a few specific bands in the event. So, if you want everybody to have a great night, are you suggesting they should stay even when they clearly would rather leave?

I think this highlights a weakness in the organising of the events. Some people put shows by merging a bunch of bands together that have little in common. Those mostly attract their own separate crowds. Some are in for the whole thing, many are in just for one or two bands. So the crowd in front of the stage shifts a lot. This also means that if the crowd falls just before you play, don't blame others for leaving, blame yourselves for not having a stronger crowd interested in what you do! Ok, maybe not blame, but... certainly don't point fingers at others when it's YOUR responsibility to get YOUR own thing going. Rather than being upset at the ones that leave, cherish the the ones that do stay, make sure that the ones that stay love it, and if you only make 2 new fans that night, that's 2 new fans. It's your choice to be upset or not.

One thing, however, that I would not be happy about is about bands who disrupt things by moving gear about. If you're going to leave, make sure you plan your exit to ensure minimal disturbance. If there's a side door, use it. If not, leave on the side and preferably not all at once pushing people on your way out. Take big gear out before the next band starts and the crowd assembles, or wait.

More than leaving, I find it annoying when bands just hang out backstage unnecessarily being in the way. So you're getting off stage... and there they are having a drink and laughing and waiting to go in... just move! Leave some room so that they can get out and then you can get in. Similarly, when you're getting out, don't just stay there chatting and laughing when another band is on the side waiting to go in and set up... THAT does annoy me. I had one guy coming onstage at a local music bar where we usually play (2x45' sets typically, 3 bands a night) coming onstage to put his gear in barely 2 minutes after our set had finished. He bumped me while I was kneeling reaching over to unplug some equipment... I glared at him and just told him that we'd get out of his way a lot faster if he did get out of our way while we were collecting our stuff. He looked at me like I was asking for something impossible. I had to follow by a stern "please get out and leave us room, you'll have plenty of time to set up later" and then he left grumbling. Idiot.

[mcnach]

[quote name='DangerDan' timestamp='1494145615' post='3293542']
This is always a bone of contention.

I will tend to watch a few tunes (more if i enjoy the band) from as many sets as i can, and stay to the end, but i really don't mind if other bands stay to watch mine. I would much rather know that the people in the crowd (or lack thereof) are there because they want to be, rather than because they are bound by some sort of etiquette.

Essentially I'd rather play to an empty room than a bored one.

If i pay to go to a gig i don't feel i have to watch every band, i paid to be there, i'll enjoy the experience how i want to, i know it's different if you are on a bill together, but still, life is short.
[/quote]


+1

summed up nicely

[stingrayPete1977]

Regarding organisers "throwing bands together" I'd actually rather watch four very different acts than four 'new wave hypothetical death folk' bands.

[radiophonic]

I stick around if the other band(s) are worth hearing (if I've heard them before or based on soundcheck), but you do get paired with some utter dreck sometimes though, in which case I don't feel any need to subject myself to it. Plenty of bands have done a runner on us before, so I don't feel any obligation and the good ones are usually people we already know and sometimes share gear with. I always have to drive anyway, so there's no chance of hanging around and having a beer. Plus if it's a weeknight, I always have a 5.30 am start to look forward to, so hanging out for the sake of it, to hear something generic whilst sober is just masochism. As an additional gripe, promoters also tend to pair us up with singer songwriters on account of us being 'folk'* and they mostly send me to sleep.

* I've taken to wearing a CRASS T-shirt on stage just to ram the point home that 'folk' doesn't equal solopistic, introspective whining over an acoustic guitar.

[Low End Bee]

Nearly all the gigs I've ever done have been 2/3/4 band bills. I've always watched the other bands. As Lozz says. It's rude not too. I always get something from it. Even if they're sometimes terrible you can at least see/hear how it's not supposed to be done. A lot of times I've been pleasantly surprised and enjoyed bands I never thought I would.

[Lozz196]

Yep, I`ve got into some really good bands purely by watching them as we`ve been on the same bill. If I`d been playing Jonny Big B*ll*x and the evening being all about me I might not have seen them. And that would have been my loss, not theirs.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1494269958' post='3294595']
Yep, I`ve got into some really good bands purely by watching them as we`ve been on the same bill. If I`d been playing Jonny Big B*ll*x and the evening being all about me I might not have seen them. And that would have been my loss, not theirs.
[/quote]


!!!
Not staying to watch others is not the same as acting as Jonny Big B*ll*x! But the image in my mind made me laugh

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1494269958' post='3294595']
Yep, I`ve got into some really good bands purely by watching them as we`ve been on the same bill. If I`d been playing Jonny Big B*ll*x and the evening being all about me I might not have seen them. And that would have been my loss, not theirs.
[/quote]

There have been two bands I've ended joining after having seen them on the same bill, so it can have it's merits. I'm more likely to stay around at DIY type gigs where the other bands are usually friends (or friends of friends), less so when they've been flung together by a promoter.

[FinnDave]

A week or so ago we played one of our rare multi band gigs. We didn't hang around to watch the band after us as we had to drive an hour to our next rare multi band gig! We did watch the band before us (they were good, too!) and I caught a few glimpses of them watching us before they left. Bearing in mind that we didn't start until close to midnight, you can't blame them for not hanging around.

We usually only play 2 or 3 multi band gigs a year, so two on the same day was a bit unusual!