Corporate gigs vs the bar scene

yeah...my jazz combo has only micro brewery gigs books right now, and it is the same setting, tho not all the rooms are great sounding...

but what a great vibe
yeah I guess some of the rooms had a little too much concrete but once the room was full of people it wasn't so live.

The brewery gig thing is new for me... I'm digging it.

very different from the Thurs, Fri, and Sat bar scene .
 
I think lots of bands don’t really embrace the bar gig, playing their own favorites, no crowd banter, won’t (or can’t) field a request, etc. I was in a bar band that just killed every time, and every gig was life-affirming. I’ve been in plenty of less-than -stellar bar bands, too. If patrons are yelling “Freebird”, maybe your band isn’t entertaining them. It’s really rare to be in a band that actually draws a crowd, keeps them there until closing, and fills the tip jar. It’s much more difficult than it looks, and I owe most of it to our frontman/lead guitarist.

I hear you on the $$$ and hours. But I miss a good bar gig with my old band. We killed at weddings and private parties, too. I miss being able to drink beer, trade solos, and crack jokes on the mic with my friends. If only it paid double! Maybe it’ll happen again one day.
In the rockabilly scene, our music draws very specific types of crowds. So most nights we can keep them there for the whole time.
But...like it's been said, the drunk patrons, "musicians" who want to come up on stage and play your instrument because "they used to be in a hot band back in the day" or they "want to show you something".
Guys who want to help with the load in/out and it's quickly apparent they have no clue what they're doing.

Then when you tell them no to any of these, they get all butt hurt & want to stand outside & tell everyone what pricks you are while clearly drunk.

I don't miss ANY of that at all.
Corporate shows are good as they're on a tighter schedule, you know what's expected & you follow it. Do your thing & get gone,
A lot of corporate shows have a pretty good backline too. So I don't have to show up 1.5 hours ahead of everyone else to get my stuff right.
Bar bashing can be fun every now & then, but at 50 years old and decades of gigs under my belt, I just don't want to anymore.
 
yeah I guess some of the rooms had a little too much concrete but once the room was full of people it wasn't so live.

The brewery gig thing is new for me... I'm digging it.

very different from the Thurs, Fri, and Sat bar scene .

yep...and the food is usually reeeaally good too. I don't drink, so i have no interest in the beer...
 
In the rockabilly scene, our music draws very specific types of crowds. So most nights we can keep them there for the whole time.
But...like it's been said, the drunk patrons, "musicians" who want to come up on stage and play your instrument because "they used to be in a hot band back in the day" or they "want to show you something".
Guys who want to help with the load in/out and it's quickly apparent they have no clue what they're doing.

Then when you tell them no to any of these, they get all butt hurt & want to stand outside & tell everyone what pricks you are while clearly drunk.

yeah...the metal scene around here usually has a specific draw, so people come specifically to se a show

I don't miss ANY of that at all.
Corporate shows are good as they're on a tighter schedule, you know what's expected & you follow it. Do your thing & get gone,
A lot of corporate shows have a pretty good backline too. So I don't have to show up 1.5 hours ahead of everyone else to get my stuff right.
Bar bashing can be fun every now & then, but at 50 years old and decades of gigs under my belt, I just don't want to anymore.

interesting...I have never played a corporate gig where there were instruments supplied...
 
In the rockabilly scene, our music draws very specific types of crowds. So most nights we can keep them there for the whole time.
But...like it's been said, the drunk patrons, "musicians" who want to come up on stage and play your instrument because "they used to be in a hot band back in the day" or they "want to show you something".
Guys who want to help with the load in/out and it's quickly apparent they have no clue what they're doing.

Then when you tell them no to any of these, they get all butt hurt & want to stand outside & tell everyone what pricks you are while clearly drunk.

I don't miss ANY of that at all.
Corporate shows are good as they're on a tighter schedule, you know what's expected & you follow it. Do your thing & get gone,
A lot of corporate shows have a pretty good backline too. So I don't have to show up 1.5 hours ahead of everyone else to get my stuff right.
Bar bashing can be fun every now & then, but at 50 years old and decades of gigs under my belt, I just don't want to anymore.

Many years ago I would let people play my kit during a gig. Big mistake. One guy was a "basher" who wailed away at my precious cymbals like they were junk. Another was a Jazz guy who couldn't click with the song. After that, I was done being a nice guy.
 
Many years ago I would let people play my kit during a gig. Big mistake. One guy was a "basher" who wailed away at my precious cymbals like they were junk. Another was a Jazz guy who couldn't click with the song. After that, I was done being a nice guy.

I never mind people using my kick and toms, but they have to bring their own snare, kick pedal and cymbals

there have been 2 times in my life where the sharing drummer "didn't get the memo" about bringing their own stuff, and I had to be a d**k and send them away. Go back and get your stuff, and also your brain while you are at it. Up until about 5-10 years ago, you didn't even had to say it...it was an expectation to show up with those items...it was etiquette...
 
I never mind people using my kick and toms, but they have to bring their own snare, kick pedal and cymbals

there have been 2 times in my life where the sharing drummer "didn't get the memo" about bringing their own stuff, and I had to be a d**k and send them away. Go back and get your stuff, and also your brain while you are at it. Up until about 5-10 years ago, you didn't even had to say it...it was an expectation to show up with those items...it was etiquette...

When I got requests from visiting musicians to "play a few songs" I started telling people "no". I didn't even offer an explanation. They didn't deserve one.
 
since things have opened back up I've played 4 gigs at a friends brewery and few at breweries that they collaborate with... I have to admit that they were all fantastic.

Straight ahead jazz in great sounding rooms ... fantastic beer... wonderful people... good pay

I'm in

Straight ahead jazz gigs that pay?! And there’s beer? Gtfo haha! Record those gigs and re-live it.
 
The brewery gig thing is new for me... I'm digging it.

very different from the Thurs, Fri, and Sat bar scene .

I was getting ready to comment how different bars are from breweries. On the surface, it doesn't seem like there would be, but there is a big difference from my experience. I'm enjoying playing more festivals this year than I ever have.

I believe you get a better investment staying out of bars if possible. Bar gigs only lead to call-backs to that same bar. The sets are long and late, the pay is crap, and they never lead to anything most of the time. It's almost like the longer you play, the less you get paid.
 
Micro brewery gig sounds nice. Do they give you free drinks with that? Count me in.

I'm gonna have to learn to play jazz.
 
Micro brewery gig sounds nice. Do they give you free drinks with that? Count me in.

I'm gonna have to learn to play jazz.

in my experience, it depends on the place...and what I see my band mates doing since I don't drink...

and yeah, the crowd at a micro brewery are not there to get blasted and in a fight...it is a different demographic for sure.
 
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in my experience, it depends on the place...and what I see my band mates doing since I don't drink...

and yeah, the crowd at a micro brewery are not there to get blasted and in a fight...it is a different demographic for sure.
I have played hundreds and hundreds of bar gigs and I still don't understand the whole "fight" culture in bars. And this is coming from a "Neanderthal" guy who spent decades in the Army. Fighting is no fun. It's just the opposite.

But you see it all the time. I can almost predict who is gonna cause trouble as soon as they walk in the door. The body language is stiff. Eyes constantly scanning and locking onto people. They don't talk much. Once they manage to provoke an incident, they talk A LOT.
 
I have played hundreds and hundreds of bar gigs and I still don't understand the whole "fight" culture in bars. And this is coming from a "Neanderthal" guy who spent decades in the Army. Fighting is no fun. It's just the opposite.

But you see it all the time. I can almost predict who is gonna cause trouble as soon as they walk in the door. The body language is stiff. Eyes constantly scanning and locking onto people. They don't talk much. Once they manage to provoke an incident, they talk A LOT.

alcohol..../thread

add some young machismo idiocy, and the completely f-ed up street definition of "disrespect" and that is it...
 
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Band members get front row seats to the bar fights/brawls. I've literally seen 8 guys going at it on the dance floor. Bar owners always told us..if you see a fight don't stop playing. This was back in my country days. I've got some stories.
 
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alcohol..../thread

add some young machismo idiocy, and the completely f-ed up street definition of "disrespect" and that is it...

On those rare occasions when I had too much booze, I don't get angry and want to fight. For me, everything is funny. Fighting isn't on the agenda; just laughing.
 
Band members get front row seats to the bar fights/brawls. I've literally seen 8 guys going at it on the dance floor. Bar owners always told us..if you see a fight don't stop playing. This was back in my country days. I've got some stories.
Just the opposite for us. We'd stop playing and turn on the lights. That alone would end a lot of the scuffles.
 
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