Just how important is buffet access at wedding/party/function gigs?!?

[Bluewine]

On 27/11/2018 at 17:25, mingsta said:

To me, it's everything. More important than the money, the job or the music. 

But on a serious note, I've yet to play that type of gig where the hosts haven't invited us to mingle and tuck in to some grub in between sets. It's a nice surprise and not something we'd ever take as a given. A stacked plate at half time makes us feel like part of the occasion rather than hookers with musical instruments. It gives us hope in humanity and raises our game to new heights in the second set.

I'm providing a service at these types of events. I'm not a guest.

I'm no different than those serving or cleaning up.

I never eat at gigs. I eat earlier in the day at home.

Blue

[Bluewine]

We have a place called Martin's. It's a neighborhood bar restaurant that books good bands on Wednesday nights. Place is small always packed.

We've been asked to play there many times. We always diplomatically declined. They don't pay the bands they only offer a meal.

Blue

Edited December 2, 2018 by Bluewine

[Deanol]

When I played (finished gigging 20+ years ago now) guitar in bands we only did pubs and clubs, and we didn't get fed. But I must admit, these days if I was faced with a big meal before a gig I would be asleep on my feet!

I do recall one memorable occaision at Barrow Hill club (I think - it  is 30 years ago now) when half way through the second set we were blasting away through something when the power went off to our stage gear, only for the concert secretary (do they still have them?) to mutter through his mike "T'pies 'ave come!". Virtually the whole audience left the concert room whilst we were powering up the amps hoping they hadn't been shafted to go and buy pies from this block who brought trays of them in from a van. What a classy place that was. They did provide half a dozen "broken" pies and pasties in our changing room though, which we scoffed whilst they were doing the bingo and meat raffles between our second set and last set.

The delights of working men's clubs and Miner's Welfare clubs. What pleasures they were.

[casapete]

2 hours ago, Deanol said:

The delights of working men's clubs and Miner's Welfare clubs. What pleasures they were.

Ha, remember them well. Pie and peas, often served with mint sauce instead of gravy. Also hot pork pies, where the jelly oozed out when you cut or bit into them.

Also in Hull there was a bloke nicknamed 'Supercockle' who used to do his rounds of the pubs and clubs on Saturday nights selling all manner of seafood in small polystyrene tubs, which you ate with a cocktail stick and had a bit of vinegar sprinkled on. If he came in while you were playing, you ended up performing to a queue at the side of the concert room. ( Also the same thing happened when an old guy came round selling 'Green Sports Mail', which was a special late edition of the local paper containing the football and racing results from that afternoon.) 

[Maude]

19 hours ago, King Tut said:

Tonight's before and after!

As nice as that looks I just couldn't play an energetic gig after eating that. I don't like to eat closer than two hours before gig time, even then nothing heavy. I had to clean all sorts off my pedal board but my dinner isn't going to be one of them. 

 

[stingrayPete1977]

Some thing those who say the band are not guests and shouldn't be fed need to think about is that quite often these days weddings are further and further away from towns and cities, I did a dep gig at a wedding in the lake district, we had to be there early to set up, a round trip to a normal food place would have been well over an hour at least, the band wouldn't have got into one car either. A meal in the hotel with a drink would have cost £30 a head easily so we could have either added £180 to the bill or asked for the band to be fed, which they did with platters of sandwiches in the meeting room they'd set aside as a green room.

[SH73]

Good opportunity to grease up fingers

[dontregartha]

There's a practical aspect to this.

When I used to produce awards dinners (1000 diners - celeb presenter etc.) I always ensured there was a crew meal laid on for the gap between the rehearsal and the show, just to keep the crew from disappearing off to the kebab shop.

Sandwiches, chips, cakes and lots of soft drinks and coffee do just fine.

Same now with the band - if we get something like that I'm happy.

One big dinner we played, they laid out plates and bowls of mayo and ketchup in our dressing room - then removed them as 'they weren't for us' - we all packed up and went down to the local 'spoons - if I was the the organiser, I wouldn't want the act dissappearing like that - but most of us had come directly form work - I'd driven 60 miles - and were starving. When an event is costing £50-60k to stage, you are a real pillock not to spend £60 on a plate of sarnies and a bowl or two of chips for the band.

[josie]

Perhaps a bit ot, but for most of you who are in established bands and being paid, it's one thing. Otoh the first regular repeat gig we had was Sunday afternoons in a fun local pub which is also a social enterprise / community centre, and we were happy to play there, just to get some gigging experience and to support them. But they gave us lots of excellent food and beer, which was more than we were asking for, and made everyone feel good. 

[bazzbass]

On ‎28‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 19:21, stingrayPete1977 said:

Why do vegans and vegetarians feel the need to make themselves sound special? 

I dont like fish or gammon for example so I'd just avoid it at a buffet, it's a buffet so you just take things you like, aren't allergic to or have moral issues eating. If there's nothing you like get a McDonald's on the way home! 

😋

 

POST OF THE YEAR !

 

I wish we could fast forward a million years so all the vegans would die out from lack of iron and good protein. We developed these large brains from eating cooked meat.

[stingrayPete1977]

Ha I think we might all be dead by then anyway. 

[stingrayPete1977]

11 hours ago, josie said:

Perhaps a bit ot, but for most of you who are in established bands and being paid, it's one thing. Otoh the first regular repeat gig we had was Sunday afternoons in a fun local pub which is also a social enterprise / community centre, and we were happy to play there, just to get some gigging experience and to support them. But they gave us lots of excellent food and beer, which was more than we were asking for, and made everyone feel good. 

Certainly, it works both ways, treat people how you'd like to be treated. 

We used to host a little Friday night jam, it was only £90 once a month between three of us but they used to bring out a few plates of this and that every week for us and the punters.