How many gigs is enough?

[Leonard Smalls]

13 for me this year with the punkyfunky beat combo, which is about right - I'd do more if they were more local!

However, I've just started a blues jazz funk thang, which may do more nearer to home stuff.

And my nearly 40 year old band has finally got round to thinking about releasing a mini LP, so we may even do a gig or two (EEK!) to promote it...

[Linus27]

My current originals band is about 30 - 40 a year. My old 50s/60s Rock 'n' Roll band a few years back was about 120 a year.

[bassbiscuits]

I average about 20-30 gigs a year, so a couple a month usually. That’s enough for me with family, kids, studies and work. 
 

[casapete]

This year has been a strange one for me - left the theatre/tribute band in April (supposedly to

play fewer gigs),  and then immediately joined a local blues band, as well as continuing with

the acoustic duo and the odd dep here and there. Anyway, total gigs for 2024 will be about

85 I think. In previous years I’ve done around 140 though, so at least it’s kind of semi-retirement.

😁
 

[SumOne]

One gig a month is plenty for me, although it tends to be a bit more than that (sometimes two in a weekend, which is a bit much). 

 

I'm not a 'born to be on stage' showman type, it doesn't really interest me and I don't enjoy all the faff of travel, missing out on things other friends are doing, packup/down, and staying sober while all the punters are drinking. So in a way I could give or take playing gigs.....What does really interest me is though playing music with other people - particularly when they are good musicians but it is a relaxed jamming session and you get those occasional moments of great music just pulled out of nowhere. So I generally prefer rehearsals to gigs (gigs tend to be more faff, stress, formulaic), but purely jam bands with no gigs I've been in have always fizzled out - gigs are needed to keep that focus and slight nervous 'must practice so I don't f*ck up in front of an audience' motivation, otherwise I'd get lazy with it. 

 

 

Edited October 18 by SumOne

[Happy Jack]

Since Covid I've averaged 80/90 gigs a year, playing in two/three main bands plus various side projects and dep gigs. As others have mentioned, there's been a lot of venue closure and gig cancellation this year and I'm currently standing at 78 for 2024. Gigging is what I do. It's my main hobby, activity and interest. It's also a shared passion with my wonderful wife, @Silvia Bluejay

 

I entirely agree about preferring quality gigs to mere quantity, but that reminds me of something I first heard when I joined an advertising agency in the mid-70s: "We know that half the money we spend on advertising is wasted. We just don't know which half."

 

If I knew in advance which gigs were going to be a triumph and which a waste of time & energy then I'd be a very happy bunny. Sadly, my crystal ball is no better than anyone else's. In order to play a dozen truly wonderful, memorable gigs each year, I accept that I'll also have to play 70 dull or ropey gigs. I'd like to improve those odds, but for the moment I'll take what I can get.

 

 

 

[Beedster]

1 hour ago, Happy Jack said:

"We know that half the money we spend on advertising is wasted. We just don't know which half."

 

Brilliant 👍

[Hurricane Jimmie]

Our little Ameriana trio will finish up with 50 gigs this year.  A little bit of fun, a little bit of money.   

We might cut one venue (10 gigs) back a little next year as we've had some offers at new places that we've had to turn down. 

50 is plenty for us since we're all retired and have other interests. 

 

[Barking Spiders]

Once a month is enough for us...and no doubt the punters too

[Burns-bass]

Out tonight and tomorrow then a week off.

[Burns-bass]

Going to spend two weeks practising double bass for some November gigs.

[martthebass]

We used to do 45-50 a year pre Covid. Since Covid a number of our venues have shut up shop and we’ve diversified into other areas. We’re now on about 35 per year and to be honest I think we’re all happier at that level.

[Mottlefeeder]

The busking band are out pretty much every weekend, doing 5 hour gigs in all weathers, sometimes on both Saturdays and Sundays. That makes our annual total about 70-75 gigs.

 

Pre-Covid we were out almost every Saturday and Sunday and doing sheltered accommodation gigs some afternoons and some parties in the evenings. We peaked  at 180 gigs in one year just before Covid, and that included nine gigs in seven days in the run up to Christmas.

 

A few years ago I told the BL I would be cutting down to three gigs a week, and this year I am doing one 5 hour gig most weekends. I no longer have the stamina to do two 5 hour gigs on successive days.

 

David

[stewblack]

I want 4 gigs a week minimum. I don't always get that though. 

I'm in (or am 1st dep for) 7 bands and yet I mostly only get 3 a week. I seldom ever get paid enough.

However I don't go to a 'job' 5 days a week, so I'm still winning.

[Dad3353]

12 minutes ago, stewblack said:

...However I don't go to a 'job' 5 days a week, so I'm still winning.

 

To be discussed again once you reach the age to retire. With my modest career, and occasional gigs, I'm now very happy with the pension I receive, having contributed for all those decades. It helped that the jobs I had were interesting, even if modestly paid; the gigs weren't bad either. It's possible to have both sides of one's bread buttered, and still have cream towards the end. 

[stewblack]

2 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

To be discussed again once you reach the age to retire. With my modest career, and occasional gigs, I'm now very happy with the pension I receive, having contributed for all those decades. It helped that the jobs I had were interesting, even if modestly paid; the gigs weren't bad either. It's possible to have both sides of one's bread buttered, and still have cream towards the end. 

For some people it is. For me it is not.

I'm under no illusion about my future but I can't live then, I can only live today. I've wasted enough years of my life in jobs I detested thank you very much. 

Now I'm earning what little I get on my terms. The mental health benefits alone make it worthwhile.

[Franticsmurf]

12 hours ago, stewblack said:

I've wasted enough years of my life in jobs I detested thank you very much. 

Now I'm earning what little I get on my terms. The mental health benefits alone make it worthwhile.

I was in the same boat - I spent 30 years in a job that wore me down little by little; slowly enough that I didn't really notice the effects. I stayed because for me that's what you did, and it was relatively well paid and easier than looking for something else. When the effects of the stress and pressure of petty politics and personality clashes finally started manifesting themselves to an extent that I noticed, I knew it was time to go. I went, and it was the best thing I ever did.   

[Woodwind]

On 14/10/2024 at 08:10, BigRedX said:

I've done 21 so far this year with another 5 definitely to come, plus anything else we get offered in the next two and a half months.

 

That's playing in two originals bands.

 

 

In these times that sounds really good for an originals band! Excellent 

 

This has been my quietest year since my solo project began 9 years ago, but I have turned more gigs down this year than ever before.

[AndyTravis]

We’ve done 7 or 8 this year - well, since June; our drummer quit in May…so that’s not bad.

 

What’s frustrated me is that 6 of those were back to back Friday and Saturday shows - which, if you’re a covers band is great news…

 

As a relatively new Originals band…not so much.

 

But, we’ve played to 8/9 people at one and 200 the next night so god knows…

[BigRedX]

11 hours ago, Woodwind said:

In these times that sounds really good for an originals band! Excellent 

 

Thanks. Although compared with my previous originals band who were doing 35+ paying gigs a year it's not that impressive.

[Al Krow]

On 17/10/2024 at 14:08, Happy Jack said:

Since Covid I've averaged 80/90 gigs a year, playing in two/three main bands plus various side projects and dep gigs. As others have mentioned, there's been a lot of venue closure and gig cancellation this year and I'm currently standing at 78 for 2024. Gigging is what I do. It's my main hobby, activity and interest. It's also a shared passion with my wonderful wife, @Silvia Bluejay

 

I entirely agree about preferring quality gigs to mere quantity, but that reminds me of something I first heard when I joined an advertising agency in the mid-70s: "We know that half the money we spend on advertising is wasted. We just don't know which half."

 

If I knew in advance which gigs were going to be a triumph and which a waste of time & energy then I'd be a very happy bunny. Sadly, my crystal ball is no better than anyone else's. In order to play a dozen truly wonderful, memorable gigs each year, I accept that I'll also have to play 70 dull or ropey gigs. I'd like to improve those odds, but for the moment I'll take what I can get.

 

What makes one gig truly memorable and another dull or ropey for you?

[mike257]

I'm at 98 so far this year, 24 left to go in the diary! 

[Happy Jack]

15 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

What makes one gig truly memorable and another dull or ropey for you?

 

Most of the stuff I play is dance music; most of what isn't dance music is singalong stuff. For me a really good gig is one where everything goes well technically and musically, AND where there's an enthusiastic audience who 'get' what we're doing and join in. Doesn't have to be a crowd of thousands - I've played gigs that made me very happy in pubs that were no larger than the 1930s semi I live in.

 

Conversely, dull or ropey involves small audiences of ageing punters who have forgotten why they even bother to go out any more, or Club Members sitting lined up on the banquette seating with their arms folded and a grim "Entertain Me" expression on their faces, or a mass brawl breaking out on the dancefloor, or a bunch of pikeys invading the stage so that they can sing inappropriate songs about how everybody wishes they were back in wherever (including the band).

 

The really memorable gigs tend to be either exotic and interesting venues (e.g. playing a national car show with the stage alongside an active airport runway) or utter disasters (e.g. playing to a large, completely empty field during a rainstorm of Biblical proportions).

[Al Krow]

38 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

 

Most of the stuff I play is dance music; most of what isn't dance music is singalong stuff. For me a really good gig is one where everything goes well technically and musically, AND where there's an enthusiastic audience who 'get' what we're doing and join in. Doesn't have to be a crowd of thousands - I've played gigs that made me very happy in pubs that were no larger than the 1930s semi I live in.

 

Conversely, dull or ropey involves small audiences of ageing punters who have forgotten why they even bother to go out any more, or Club Members sitting lined up on the banquette seating with their arms folded and a grim "Entertain Me" expression on their faces, or a mass brawl breaking out on the dancefloor, or a bunch of pikeys invading the stage so that they can sing inappropriate songs about how everybody wishes they were back in wherever (including the band).

 

The really memorable gigs tend to be either exotic and interesting venues (e.g. playing a national car show with the stage alongside an active airport runway) or utter disasters (e.g. playing to a large, completely empty field during a rainstorm of Biblical proportions).

 

So what proportion of the dull ones do you think: "would have given that one a miss if we'd known in advance?" 

 

I'm guessing ropey = sub par on the musicianship side and therefore actually quite useful in pointing out where things need to be tighter?

 

Or is it the case you're glad you did them all cos it's an evening making music with a band who are also mates?

[Happy Jack]

10 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

So what proportion of the dull ones do you think: "would have given that one a miss if we'd known in advance?" 

 

I'm beginning to think that it's any venue with "White" in it.

 

The worst gigs I've played were at The White Hart, The White Bear, and The White Swan.

 

If Trump wins again and wants to book me, I'm not answering my phone ...