Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Live sound engineer vs DJ


Silvia Bluejay

Recommended Posts

20 minutes ago, mcnach said:

Then when we finished she came and sat next to me while I was sorting out some cables, and took my hat again. I said nothing, just took it back, but I think my face must have shown my feelings, for she looked shocked and I thought she was about to cry, and left and never saw her again... 

I think she wanted your body......

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, MoJoKe said:

I then took a load back to the van, and came back for more to find the best man, a senior anaesthetist, sitting inside one of my (£80) sub covers and shuffling it across the floor like he was in a toy car...  Jeez!

 

At Ye Olde Swan in Burnham (a pretty lairy venue)  I came back from a load-out trip to find a drunk lying down inside the gigbag for my DB and pretending to be dead.

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

I think she wanted your body......

 

That's what I was afraid of at that stage, that her annoying behaviour was part of some sort of misguided mating ritual...

Unfortunately (for her) we might as well belong to different species. I don't do stupid. I have enough with my own stupidity :D

 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 17/11/2019 at 16:54, Dan Dare said:

A lot of people don't realise we have to physically play instruments and sing to create music. They think what we do is the same as someone shoving a CD in a slot or picking a number from a playlist on a laptop. They really are that unaware.

 

Hordes of Janet Jackson fans storm out of Australian concert over ‘terrible lip-syncing’

Any surprise when the pros take the p*iss?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At university I spent a term doing lights for bands in the SU. One night a bloke in front of the desks turned round, looked me in the eye and pulled the power to the lighting desk before vanishing into the crowd. Fortunately the cable didn't disappear and it was only a few seconds before it was back in and being the days before digital desks, or at least, ones that the ENTS team could afford, it was only a minute of darkness.

The sound engineer and l, who fortunately for my reputation, if not my peace of mind, was the ENTS manager shared a "What an Arschlöche" look and had a beer over it later one. Probably nicked from the band, SU bands were usually generous to the crew with their riders! 😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Happy Jack said:

Mind you, it's not just the punters. At a very well-known music venue in Dunstable, the owner/manager came over during the break, grabbed the sticks from the snare, sat down and started drumming. Really really badly.

 

Christ I remember that too. In fact I think we took video! 😮 :D

(No, I won't publish it.)

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Christ I remember that too. In fact I think we took video! 😮 :D

(No, I won't publish it.)

Go on you know ya wanna. Publish it. 

I remember playing in Dunstable in mid 80's  Would it be the Wheatsheaf or something like that. I remember it being a great wee gig. We were well looked after by Landlord / owner and the punters both before and after the gig.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The White Hart in Hemel is another one where theres every chance of a drunken punter taking out a monitor or worse. If not during the dancing then during the fight at 11:40 or thereabouts.

It's a great gig but you can guarantee that some drunken tosspot will try to dance with his pint slopping everywhere before face planting a monitor. We ended up moving the PA speakers well back onto the stage area as i was always terrified that someone would end up underneath a 15" EV speaker.

And why is it that the girl who wants to request her favourite track always singles out the bass player to ask? Is it because we're so incredibly cool that we look like we have all the time in the world to chat?

No, i didn't think so either - but there must be a reason and it's not my boyish good looks....

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At one Dogs gig at the White Hart we were forced to wait on stage, in the alcove, for about half an hour after the gig, just so some space would free up on the floor, so we could start breaking down and loading out.

At another gig there, there was a massive fight, complete with spilt pints and broken glass, right in front of our extremely expensive subwoofer placed on the floor, stage left.

At Ye Olde Swan, the guy who tried to sleep in Jack's DB case also walked off with it a few minutes later, once it contained his shiny Ali DB. We ran after him, of course. He was too out of it even to realise what he was doing, so we had no problem taking it back from him. He then proceeded to try and wrestle an extension lead from my hands, at which point I angrily yelled at him. That seemed to work - he went away... :D

The Wheatsheaf in Dunstable is a friendly place. I'm not keen on the layout and the area  where the band has to set up, as there seems to be no decent place where I can be more or less in front of the band with my tablet and the camera. No complaints about the manager or the crowd.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

The White Hart in Hemel is another one ...during the fight at 11:40 or thereabouts.

Does the landlord ring the Time bell to kick this off?  'Come on now gentlemen, let's be having your best fisticuffs please...'

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It happened again, tonight - twice.

Junkyard Dogs gig. Middle of the second set, a young guy comes to me and asks me to play some Rod Stewart. Usual reply, along the lines of 'Fraid not, he's not in the setlist'. 'You have a setlist?' comes his reaction. 'I thought you were choosing the music...'

I'm beginning to get the impression these people believe I should have even more power over the band than I already have. Hmm...  :o😄🙄

Beginning of the third set, girl comes to me, and goes straight to the point: 'Are you the DJ?'  'No, I'm the sound engineer.' 'Oh.' *walks away*

She clearly didn't think I was even worth talking to any further, not being the DJ.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We play regularly in a large chain pub in Glasgow, and there is a DJ on playing crowd-pleasers before we go on. Without fail, while we’re setting up we’ll be asked to play some ridiculous pop song - clearly intended for the DJ. Usually while I’m crawling on the floor running cables in to a monitor or something equally glamorous. I’d more expect to be mistaken for a janitor than DJ!

While actually playing the same pub a couple of weeks ago, we do ‘One Vision’ by Queen I’m the first half of the set. After EVERY song for the rest of the night, a girl approaches the stage and asks us to play Queen. We don’t know any more. Emotions rise as she gets more drunk, and she’s almost in tears by the end. Though while we’re actually playing, she’s very happy and dancing to every song.

There’s also the punters who request songs that are obviously not going to happen. Like Beyoncé or David Guetta. We’re a bunch of guys aged from late 30s to mid 60s...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Si600 said:

I don't suppose that you have the opportunity to ask them what they think is going on during a gig, but it would be interesting to know their reasons for why the band aren't producing the music!

I'm usually too busy keeping an eye and an ear on the band to start conversations with drunk punters, but one day I probably will! But I don't expect a coherent reply... 🙄

Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

I'm usually too busy keeping an eye and an ear on the band to start conversations with drunk punters, but one day I probably will! But I don't expect a coherent reply... 🙄

Given the likely futility of trying to explain (and my own suppressed violent fantasies) may I suggest simply learning the Vulcan nerve-pinch.

Or, a saying I once heard, “ Never try and teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.”

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 30/11/2019 at 08:06, geoham said:

There’s also the punters who request songs that are obviously not going to happen. Like Beyoncé or David Guetta. We’re a bunch of guys aged from late 30s to mid 60s...

We go out as a trio of 40s-50s blokes, and regularly get asked for ‘Tina Turner stuff’: I now point at the 18st singest and say ‘We used to, but he insists on putting on his leather mini dress to do it’. That usually sorts it. Oh, and we played a do at an Italian restaurant last night and got asked for Rammstein. ‘We would do, but I forgot the flamethrowers and foam cannons. Sorry.’

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, Muzz said:

We go out as a trio of 40s-50s blokes, and regularly get asked for ‘Tina Turner stuff’: I now point at the 18st singest and say ‘We used to, but he insists on putting on his leather mini dress to do it’. That usually sorts it. Oh, and we played a do at an Italian restaurant last night and got asked for Rammstein. ‘We would do, but I forgot the flamethrowers and foam cannons. Sorry.’

An Italian Restaurant ? That has to be up there with some of the weirdest places to play. :D

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...