Bluewine

6 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

A few months before my 50th birthday I joined two bands. A covers band which included a good friend of mine on guitar and an originals band started up by the singer from a band I had been involved with very briefly the previous year. Two years later I had to quit the covers band because the originals band was doing more and better-paid gigs, not to mention that it was a lot more fun! I haven't gone back to playing covers since then and TBH I can't see myself doing covers in the future.

It sounds like the originals band had someone with connections and motivated to book gigs.

There are plenty of band better than my band. However, some hardly ever gig because while they're great musically nobody in those bands had booking skills.

Daryl

8 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Is this an age thing/ type of music problem?

Sometimes. However I've seen young top notch cover bands playing at poorly attended events.

Daryl

11 hours ago, BigRedX said:

IMO it doesn't matter if you are playing to just the bar staff and half of the other band on the bill or an adoring audience of several thousand. You have to give it everything. If you can't do that then maybe live performance isn't for you.

 

I've played my share of poorly attended gigs, and you never know if one of the two people who aren't venue staff or in one of the other bands is going to be someone important who will open the doors to better gigs, as has also happened to me.

I'll give it to the pros that can go from a packed room on a Friday night and emotionally handle playing to an empty room Saturday night.

This is an area I need a lot of improvement in.

Daryl

8 hours ago, ricksterphil said:

Played a gig in Hinckley to the proverbial 3 men and a dog and I've done gigs where the crowd is standing on the bit of floor that passes as a stage it's so busy. I was in a fairly successful Bowie Tribute band for 5 years and we usually got great crowds, but that's because we were pretty good and it's the draw of Mr Jones himself. I imagine most decent tributes get the same lift in attendance from fans of the original band or artist being tributed. I'm now in a Country Rock band and we get pretty good crowds, including 130 at a ticketed event in Melton Mowbray. Again, we're not too shabby and Country is hot right now in the UK.

 

On Daryl's point, it is soul destroying to play to thin air. I get upset if the venue is full and I don't see heads nodding and feet tapping.  However, as has been said, the show must go on and there's no excuse for not putting in 100% (or for wearing shorts on stage unless you're the drummer 😂)

I'm a 4 string 60s guy. I could never wear shorts for a gig. And nobody wants to see 71 year old legs. Lol

Daryl

14 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

A few years ago we played to the barman and a cardboard cut-out of Marc Bolan in a venue in South Wales. We actually got paid - £13! That was between us... To be fair, it was raining.

Love the Marc Bolan cut-out story. I remember once we an outside event on a farm where we ended up playing to the livestock. 

Daryl

2 minutes ago, ezbass said:

We’d had a gig booked for months, a ticketed affair. I’d seen social media promotion and I assume something more locally. Come a week beforehand and, IIRC, a whole 6 tickets had been sold. Given it was a trek and any payment would at least have to cover fuel, the promoter pulled it. Fair enough, but a bit more, up front, clarity about the ticket sales would have saved the last minute ‘are we, aren’t we?’ shenanigans.

In the pics posted we sold 234 seats $18.00- $20.00 at the theater gig. Maximum capacity is 300. Very unusual for us. However it was in our hometown and The Bend Theatre has built a fine reputation as a premier live music venue. They book 2-3 national touring bands every week.

Daryl

36 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

I played two festivals on Friday. At the first, we played to the security team. The second, we played to about 400. Madness.

I think it's easier to take when the second gig has the big crowd. Playing to a packed crowd on a Friday and then playing to a few " lost souls " on Saturday is hard to take.

Daryl

28 minutes ago, Beedster said:

I’ve twice done gigs where the band outnumbered the punters, once because the venue f***ed up, once due to the bloody world cup final being on in the other side of the venue. Both were cracking gigs however, we got paid, enrolled punters into a jam session, and had fun. Easy to take it personally but it’s life 👍

We don't play any pub gigs anymore.  However, when we did many times we'd have to cancel gigs if there was a major "play off" football or baseball game on game on during the gig.

Daryl

It's nice when any of us play a venue with what we call a " built in " crowd. The Zeigler Winery put a lot of thought and resources into establishing themselves as a music venue. Not live music as an after thought. 

Daryl

2 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

We played 2 nights at the Chorley festival last year - Friday and a Saturday.

 

its a multi-venue thing across the town.

 

first night peaked with a ukulele orchestra and by the time we played, one couple and 6 people who I knew arrived.

 

the second night in a more “prime” venue - was absolutely rammed…

 

it’s a venue problem as well as a band concern.

 

I think it was merely some very inexperienced folks at the venue that thought you could just throw live music at their problem with no real thought put into it 

Daryl 

Please share any new thoughts on dealing with poor attendance at gigs. I've been dealing with it for years, yet I still struggle with weak attendance. 

I know it's part of the job. Take a look at the contrast we've all had to deal with.

Daryl

4 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

That's poor from HD with no advertising. Don't understand that at all. Why spend money on a band and have poor turnout by not advertising it. Its just stupidity especially when HD aint doing so well at the moment.

Onto the next one Daryl.

Dave

Agreed. On to the next one.

Daryl

6 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

That's an odd one Daryl, over here that would've been very well attended like all HD events even in the sun and heat of the afternoon. The only downside is that most people would be more interested in looking at the bikes than the band.

Normally when we have HD events at dealerships its supported by the local HD Chapter so their members always turn up and make it busy. 

Would love to have been at that. Warm sunny day, Harley Davidsons and a great band. What's not to like about that. That's an ideal day for me.

Dave

Thanks Dave,

There was no special event to support the gig. Just us, no advertising and we can't pull a crowd on our own in Milwaukee. 

Dave, it was bad.

Daryl

6 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Last night was at Bridgeness Bowling Club in Boness with BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers band. Played it last year and the organiser booked us that night but last night wasn't so busy. Apparently there was an all day beer festival on in the town but still busy enough to have a decent audience.

We had scattered dancers up from early on but the floor fillers didn't happen until the drink kicked in. We even had a group of "young ladies" celebrating a 21st birthday party so that helped the party move along. 

First gig in 5wks and i expected us to be a bit rusty but all went really well.

My usual gear :-

Sandberg VM4

MarloweDK (back up bass)

Shure wireless

Keeley Comp.

Handbox WB-100 

BF 212 cab

Jamman for sound effects samples thru a GK MB200 as a pre-amp direct to PA

Last night i was mainly wearing the blue outfit for first set and purple for 2nd set with my trusty old platform boots. 

Using our new PA guy last night again as we hope to use him every gig next year to save us a lot of work.

Next gig end of Oct. These long breaks are a nuisance as my plucking fingers are a tad aching this morning.

Dave

Dave,

Your Gig sounds good to me. We had a major disaster of a gig at Harley yesterday. 

Daryl

7 hours ago, Gank Bass said:

The gig itself was a bit shit - private event in a posh garden, lovely surroundings but it was cold and rainy so we played most of it to an empty garden occasionally punctuated by their kids doing cartwheels 

 

However I did get to use my newly contoured and painted custom bass which felt much nicer 

Join the club. We had a not so great gig yesterday.  A real " downer " after 3 hot gigs in a row.

Great pic though!

Daryl

On 25/09/2025 at 20:56, Bluewine said:

We're doing an outside 12:00-2:30 full Maple Road gig this Saturday at The Harley Motor. We'll be leaving at 9:00. That's very early for me.

 

This one will be a little  different Usually we do our acoustic offering inside 5:00-7:30.

 

I'm hoping there's some type of special event to ensure a decent crowd.  I hope we can keep our streak going.  We've had 3 really good gigs in a row.

 

Daryl

Ok, here goes.

Probably one of the worse gigs I've had in years.

The Harley Motor, we left at 9:00 and it was already 80°. I had to drive because we used our heavy production gear ,so no room in the van for me.

The Harley Motor is having a rough time of it so they tried something new. A full band at noon instead of our 3 piece acoustic set inside 5:00-8:30.

The heat would not let up.90° and no shade. We basically played to nobody. Just a poorly planed idea that didn't work.

I did get some bike pics for Dave.

Daryl

7 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Have a good one Daryl.

First gig in 5 wks tomorrow night with the Glam band. Leaving the house 3pm for an 8:30pm start and 11pm finish. Two 1hr sets so should be a fun night. Our new PA company is doing the PA so that saves me humphing those blooming large QSC cabs in and out of my car especially at the end of the night. Should be back home for approx 2am. An 11hr day for me but i do miss it when we have these long gaps between gigs plus my wee plucking fingers get soft and will be painful by the end of the gig unless i really take it easy and concentrate on playing lightly.

That'll last for approx 3-4 songs then i just get carried away and into the zone. 😂

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I hope you guys have a good one too.

Yeah, August was slow for me. September has been busy.

Daryl

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Small venue tonight so I went DI with one of the 'baby' devices.

 

Struggled all first set until nearly done when I realised the PA on my side had the top turned down.

 

Used it to Bluetooth music to the pa in the interval... then struggled for two songs until I realised it had reset and was on a preset, then I got my sound back.

 

All this combined with gigging flats gor the first time,  I couldn't relax and felt awkward.

 

Ironically a bass player in the audisaid I had a really good sound... I  just wish I could have heard it better.

 

Conclusion... if I go ampless again, I will need IEMs. But it took me decades to find earplugs I like so...

 

 

Took me a few minutes to pack away, then 50 minutes helping the others...

I think DI is the way to go for small venues. I use a pretty basic DI. I wonder if I should shop some of the high end bass DI/ pre-amps with all the bells and whistles. 

Daryl

We're doing an outside 12:00-2:30 full Maple Road gig this Saturday at The Harley Motor. We'll be leaving at 9:00. That's very early for me.

This one will be a little  different Usually we do our acoustic offering inside 5:00-7:30.

I'm hoping there's some type of special event to ensure a decent crowd.  I hope we can keep our streak going.  We've had 3 really good gigs in a row.

Daryl

On 21/09/2025 at 02:37, SteveXFR said:

I was in a prog metal band for a relatively short time. We wrote and recorded enough for a 40 minute set and then had a meeting about getting ready for gigs. At this meeting, the front man brought lists for each band member with specific items of kit each of us had to have. This wasn't little things like leads etc, my list included Ampeg SVT Classic with 410 cab, the guitarists list included a HiWatt amp and a load of pedals. After a relatively short argument, we all quit. The front man contacted me again recently claiming he's a bit more chilled out now, I told him to get stuffed.

Very unfortunate and I've been there with other bands. For me it was always the guy that took things too seriously. 

My current  band has been together and gigging constantly since 2007. I've been with them since 2009. 

Outside of gig confirmation and details  there's  no Interaction with each othe until we're on stage. We don't rehearse, no list of dos and don't. However there's an unwritten rule, show up at every gig with a positive attitude and have fun.There's also no material suggestions or exchange of musical ideas. 

I really think it's why the band has been together for 18 years.

Don't get me wrong,new musical ideas happen and become apart of our set,  however they happen organically. There's never any formal discussion. 

It's a sad thing when things in a band don't work out and fail. I think it can happen even when initially everyone is on the same page.

Daryl

On 19/09/2025 at 16:28, Dad3353 said:

 

You'd be less tired if you used your Hofner bass a bit more. 

 

...

 

 

Agreed, I need to gig the Hofner Club and my Gibson Thunderbird more often.

Daryl

5 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Looks like a couple of nice venues Daryl. Well done. Hope you feel ok after it.

Dave

Thanks Dave, We have 3 " hot" gigs in a row under our belts now. 

This Saturday we're doing a Harley event with a 12 noon start time. This won't be The Harley Motor Restaurant  . I believe this will be a dealership event.

Daryl

47 minutes ago, casapete said:

Quiet couple of weeks for me, our annual 2 weeks blanking the duo’s diary for holidays etc.

However, I’ve had a couple of gigs this weekend with friends.

 

First one was my favourite boozer, The Sun Inn in Beverley on Saturday evening, depping with 

a band of mates in their dad rock band. Absolutely torrential rain so expected it to be quiet but

by 9pm we had a nearly full pub when we started. It was one of those gigs that didn’t really gel

for some reason - guitarists struggled a bit, and it was a bit too loud towards the end. Still,

went down well so job done I guess. Played my P-Lyte into the Rumble 500 combo.

 

Then yesterday it was playing at a memorial gig for a good friend Lynn Blakeston ( Blake ) who died in April.
This was in a local civic hall, with a big PA and backline / kit supplied. Plenty of acts / bands lined

up to play, and of course we were on last ( bit annoying because we all arrived early but hey ho).

I was playing with an old Hull band called ‘Uncle Sam’ who were an early country rock band in

the mid to late 70’s. Four original members plus myself. John Cambridge on drums ( ex-Bowie)

and Steve Lee on lead vocals ( also a writer / multi instrumentalist with a CV including Joan

Armatrading, Lionel Richie, Will Young, Then Jericho). Steve came up from London for the gig,

and was amazing - a pleasure to play with such a talented singer.
I used my 63 Precision which had done a lot of gigs with Blako so seemed fitting. Used the house

HA5000 / 410 which was fine. We did eight songs, including stuff from Poco, The Eagles and

Linda Ronstadt and went down well, with a few dancers at the front and a good reception from 

the rest of the audience who were mainly made up of musicians. Despite the sadness of the 

occasion it was still good to see loads of people I’ve not seen for ages, and we all agreed we’d

have to do it again in happier circumstances. 

 

 

Beautiful!

Daryl

8 hours ago, cetera said:

Great gig, depping with Duran/Spandau show 'From Gold To Rio' in Gainsborough on Saturday night. Almost full.... and receptive audience up and singing/dancing.

 

Bass sounded great in my IEM's, and apparently out front too, really cutting/punching through.

 

Gear used:

Spector Dimension HP4 set flat, through dimed HAZardlAMPS preamp pedal, in to HXStomp with my own EQ'd GK800/Ampeg 810 setting (& chorus where needed).... and out to desk.

 

 

 

That's what I call a "high end" gig. Nice.

Daryl

On 19/09/2025 at 16:13, dmccombe7 said:

Ach you'll be fine. Get the youngsters to do all the hard work. 😂

I do most of the heavy lifts in the Glam band.

Dave

I'm very lucky . I didn't have to drive and the band leaders helped move my gear.

Daryl