I Hate Gigging!

[Woodinblack]

I think our guitarist is in the same thing - he really enjoys group practice, but not really gigging, so he is now leaving, the rest of us are the opposite of that and it isn't something you can compromise on!

 

[Woody1957]

I must be totally weird...after reading all theses hate gig comments.....

Im 65, been playing double bass/electric bass since the age of 8. Played in bands aged 14, been all over the UK gigging and loved every single moment...from the rough and ready gigs to the very top end big payers! I love the drive to and from gigs, setting up and ragging down it just ticks every box l've ever wanted to do. I really do understand all the things everyone detests about gigging but for me, playing bass has been a privilege and a totally pleasure.....

[oldslapper]

4 hours ago, TimR said:

 

Who is doing that?

The European water vole that lives in my spoon drawer. It’s relentless. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I can't believe this thread is still going. 

I started it 3 and a half years ago when I was in a covers band. I hated learning new songs week after week then going out gigging every weekend. It just felt like to much of a daily grind and sucked all the fun out of it. 

 

I'm now in an originals band which is much more creative. We're all really good friends so weekly rehearsals are a social event and extremely enjoyable. I still get really nervous at gigs but mostly enjoy it. I wouldn't go bank to gigging every weekend though. A dozen gigs a year is plenty. 

[Bluewine]

23 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

It amazes me how long US gigs are. A standard UK pub/club gig is generally expected to be 2 x 45 minutes plus encores, although many bands usually end up doing 45 mins then an hour as standard.

 

That's slowly changing here. Pub and bar gigs used to always be 4 hours. It's just within the past couple of years that bands have been able to negotiate for 3 hours.

 

It's not much of an issue for use .We don't gig as much as we use to because we really would rather take a pass on bar gigs and focus on showcase gigs and the larger festivals and fairs.

 

Don't get me wrong the occasional bar comes up every once in a while.

 

Blue

[TimR]

2 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I can't believe this thread is still going. 

 

It goes quiet for a few weeks then picks up again.

 

I can't remember what I've contributed. 

 

One band I was in it seemed that the lead guitarist had no intention of ever gigging. Unless it was very local and to his friends. 

 

Which meant we spent a lot of time rehearsing between the 4 gigs a year we did. He then played really badly due to lack of stage experience and what I think was stage fright. 

 

Really he was just someone who owned some very expensive guitars. 

 

When the drummer left, I took the opportunity to give them the chance to find a new bass player. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by TimR

[Bluewine]

27 minutes ago, TimR said:

 

It goes quiet for a few weeks then picks up again.

 

I can't remember what I've contributed. 

 

One band I was in it seemed that the lead guitarist had no intention of ever gigging. Unless it was very local and to his friends. 

 

Which meant we spent a lot of time rehearsing between the 4 gigs a year we did. He then played really badly due to lack of stage experience and what I think was stage fright. 

 

Really he was just someone who owned some very expensive guitars. 

 

When the drummer left, I took the opportunity to give them the chance to find a new bass player. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been there. Played with this front guy/ guitarist and song writer. This guy lived in a  huge expensive home. I found out too late , all the guy wanted to do was play 

" rock star" in his basement.

 

Blue

[Kiwi]

It's definitely true,  in my experience, that the threat of a gig is a great motivator for those who don't bring their A-game to rehearsals.  But its not professional or fair on paying punters to expect them to watch a rehearsal.  And if the gig is full of mistakes,  it'll affect the band's reputation.  OK so the band might not be anywhere near the performance level of Prince but Prince and most other acts  rehearse for a reason.  To see how things go and do whatever needs to be done to maximize confidence before they get in front of an audience.  

[Woodinblack]

On 23/11/2022 at 22:18, Stub Mandrel said:

 

It amazes me how long US gigs are. A standard UK pub/club gig is generally expected to be 2 x 45 minutes plus encores, although many bands usually end up doing 45 mins then an hour as standard.

 

I remember those days, I don't think the group I am in has ever done that short. At minimum we do 2 hours, at maximum it is 3 hours with a 15 minute break. Most of the time it is two hour and ¼ sets.

[dmccombe7]

Both bands i'm in will do a 1st set of 1hr 10mins and 2nd set 1hr and 15-20 mins plus any encores. Sometimes we'll drop a song if time is getting close to closing time. In total we play about 2hrs 30 mins in total with a 15-20 min break on top of that especially with the Glam band as we do a costume change. With the Glam band it takes the singer about 30 mins to get ready as he has his face paint to get on and then we have our costumes to get ready for the gig. At the end of the gig we get changed and dried off before dismantling the gear. We also get a lot of requests for pics with us in our gear which is nice.

Dave

[blisters on my fingers]

2 hours ago, TimR said:

When the drummer left, I took the opportunity to give them the chance to find a new bass player. 

No doubt they were devastated.

[TimR]

10 hours ago, Kiwi said:

Prince and most other acts  rehearse for a reason.

 

They're professionals and I doubt very much they rehearse week in week out for one gig a month or less. 

 

From the professional dancers I know, they'll be called in the morning for a show that evening. They'll block through the dances in a few hours, rehearse and get on stage. It's what they do for a living, they're professionals and they get on with it.

 

If I was in a band that met a couple of weeks before a tour, spent a week or so in the studio and then hit the stage, that would be great. I suspect once the tour is going, there are no more rehearsals unless a change happens. 

 

My brothers band is full of professionals. They don't rehearse between gigs. There's no money for it and they know what they're doing. 

 

I find going through the motions at rehearsals just introduces silly errors that then get disected to find out who played what wrong. Waste of time.

 

 

[TimR]

8 hours ago, blisters on my fingers said:

No doubt they were devastated.

No idea. I sent them an apologetic email. The drummer also sang so we were left looking for a drummer and a singer, I'd lost interest and was playing in 3 bands at the time anyway. 

[Al Krow]

14 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I can't believe this thread is still going. I started it 3 and a half years ago when I was in a covers band. I hated learning new songs week after week then going out gigging every weekend. It just felt like to much of a daily grind and sucked all the fun out of it. 

I'm now in an originals band which is much more creative. We're all really good friends so weekly rehearsals are a social event and extremely enjoyable. I still get really nervous at gigs but mostly enjoy it. I wouldn't go bank to gigging every weekend though. A dozen gigs a year is plenty. 

 

As someone who's been following this thread since it started 3 1/2 years ago when you were in a covers band, I wonder if it's maybe time to update the title to - "I used to hate gigging...but I've seen the light and actually mostly enjoy gigging now, provided I don't have to do it too often."

or, more simply, just:

 

"I used to hate gigging."

 

😊

[chris_b]

16 hours ago, Woody1957 said:

I must be totally weird...after reading all theses hate gig comments.....

Im 65, been playing double bass/electric bass since the age of 8. Played in bands aged 14, been all over the UK gigging and loved every single moment...from the rough and ready gigs to the very top end big payers! I love the drive to and from gigs, setting up and ragging down it just ticks every box l've ever wanted to do. I really do understand all the things everyone detests about gigging but for me, playing bass has been a privilege and a totally pleasure.....

 

100% this. . . . . . .

[Acebassmusic]

2 hours ago, TimR said:

 

I find going through the motions at rehearsals just introduces silly errors that then get disected to find out who played what wrong. Waste of time.

 

 

I always thought that rehearsals were for going through the motions to find those silly errors so they can be fixed! Maybe I've been doing it wrong? 🤣🤣

 

PS: I like gigging....and rehearsing....and practicing.....it's just the very late gigs and packing away are the downside (but nescessary evil) 👍

[ezbass]

2 minutes ago, Acebassmusic said:

 

I always thought that rehearsals were for going through the motions to find those silly errors so they can be fixed! Maybe I've been doing it wrong? 🤣🤣

 

PS: I like gigging....and rehearsing....and practising.....it's just the very late gigs and packing away are the downside (but nescessary evil) 👍

When I first started out, back in the mists of time, rehearsals were also/mainly about learning your craft, with not a lot done as homework, by anyone (we were kids after all). Once I was older, at a good standard and playing with good bands, rehearsals were mainly there to try new songs that we would have learnt at home to a certain arrangement and seeing how that proposed arrangement worked in the flesh (obviously for any new band members, this would mean a complete run through of the set). They were also used to sharpen vocal arrangements. However, we would also revisit older tunes as a warm up or if someone wanted to try something different in a particular tune or, as you say, iron out an error that may have shown up previously.

 

"It's just the very late gigs and packing away are the downside (but nescessary evil)." Yeah, that very much for me too. Plus the waiting around beforehand, even at home used to get to me, it seemed like dead time. I'd rather an afternoon gig, where you could get up, get ready, get out, gig, maybe socialise a bit after (rather than in a dark car park after a normal gig), come home and relax at a respectable time. For this reason, I always liked rehearsing (we tended to do Sunday afternoons), it was relaxed, easy going and also a great catch up with folk I liked. I miss those days as I'm currently bandless.

[BigRedX]

Rehearsals are for learning how to play the songs as band as opposed to a number of musicians who are all playing the same song at the same time.

 

Also for those bands who care about such things (and you should) for sorting out the correct sounds for all the instruments and deciding what to do between songs.

[msb]

I played in several bands that never rehearsed but were always adding new material. You’d get a tape or a link with the material and work it out on stage. Always fun to have a fresh go at something.

It made me appreciate a good practice where you can stop everything mid tune and say “what is going on here?”

Doing a project this afternoon that does rehearse. Everyone has been coming in prepared. It’s fun, but I’d really love this material to see an audience.

[Kiwi]

4 hours ago, TimR said:

 

They're professionals and I doubt very much they rehearse week in week out for one gig a month or less. 

I think you're missing the point. 

4 hours ago, TimR said:

From the professional dancers I know, they'll be called in the morning for a show that evening. They'll block through the dances in a few hours, rehearse and get on stage. It's what they do for a living, they're professionals and they get on with it.

Really?  Given your expertise, I would very much appreciate it if you could expand on how dancing and playing a musical instrument are similar enough that their rehearsal times provide a valid basis for comparison.

 

4 hours ago, TimR said:

If I was in a band that met a couple of weeks before a tour...

Please let us know when you are.

 

4 hours ago, TimR said:

My brothers band is full of professionals. They don't rehearse between gigs. There's no money for it and they know what they're doing. 

There are many bands full of professionals that do rehearse between gigs.  The backing band for the Academy Awards for example.   Maybe your brothers band is more accomplished perhaps?  Or maybe the Academy Awards band is more accomplished than your brother's band?  Hard to tell.

 

4 hours ago, TimR said:

I find going through the motions at rehearsals just introduces silly errors that then get disected to find out who played what wrong. Waste of time.

Maybe "going through the motions" is the problem?  Bring your A-game to rehearsal and show your audience some respect.  Avoid the silly errors completely.

 

[TimR]

@Kiwi woke up in a bad mood?

 

[TimR]

1 hour ago, Acebassmusic said:

I always thought that rehearsals were for going through the motions to find those silly errors so they can be fixed! Maybe I've been doing it wrong? 🤣🤣

 

Typically you've been playing the same song for a long time and someone makes a silly one off error that has never been made before, and will never be made again. Someone else decides to stop the song and have a great long disection of who played what, when and why. When everyone else knows, one person has made a silly one off error. No one actully knows what went wrong, it just did. Sometimes even playing live things go wrong. That's the nature of live music. So you start again and play the whole thing perfectly. 

 

That is wasting peoples time.

 

Develop the ability to continue playing and recognise silly errors as opposed to actual structural issues with arrangements. 

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, Kiwi said:

Maybe "going through the motions" is the problem?  Bring your A-game to rehearsal and show your audience some respect.

This is important, you’re rehearsing for a gig, the same mindset needs to be used for both, otherwise it is a waste and lacking in respect for your band colleagues too.

Edited November 25, 2022 by ezbass

[TimR]

22 minutes ago, ezbass said:

This important, you’re rehearsing for a gig, the same mindset needs to be used for both, otherwise it is a waste and lacking in respect for your band colleagues too.

 

Yep. If you're rehearsing for something I totally agree. 

 

As I've said I don't like endless rehearsals for no reason.

 

Guess it depends on what you're playing. We play simple 4 chord pop covers. There's only so many times you can play vcvcvc before falling asleep. You don't need to rehearse them week in week out if you're also gigging them.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by TimR

[Bluewine]

8 hours ago, TimR said:

 

They're professionals and I doubt very much they rehearse week in week out for one gig a month or less. 

 

From the professional dancers I know, they'll be called in the morning for a show that evening. They'll block through the dances in a few hours, rehearse and get on stage. It's what they do for a living, they're professionals and they get on with it.

 

If I was in a band that met a couple of weeks before a tour, spent a week or so in the studio and then hit the stage, that would be great. I suspect once the tour is going, there are no more rehearsals unless a change happens. 

 

My brothers band is full of professionals. They don't rehearse between gigs. There's no money for it and they know what they're doing. 

 

I find going through the motions at rehearsals just introduces silly errors that then get disected to find out who played what wrong. Waste of time.

 

 

 

Agreed, we've been doing the same show for the past 5 years and we gig at least once a week. No need for rehearsals.

 

Blue