Gigs cancelled due to virus...

[uk_lefty 1,365]

My gig for the 21st has been cancelled...  Not directly due to virus fears but I think that played a part. Lack of ticket sales for a rugby club centenary, could have been down to people expecting mandatory isolation by then or waiting to see what happens. It was a good paying function gig too, hoping it can be rearranged to a time we can do and the virus has gone. 

Wondering how this is affecting those of you who make your living, or a substantial part of it, from gigs and whether you're keeping deposits or just having to take it on the chin? 

Edited March 13, 2020 by uk_lefty

[Happy Jack 4,697]

It had to start somewhere, I guess. We nearly cancelled tomorrow's gig when the BL went down with a high fever; it turned out to be sunburn (seriously) but sooner or later it's going to happen.

My two gigs last weekend were both packed, no signs of C-panic at all, but clearly that's not going to last. I'm working on the assumption that every gig for the next two months is liable to last-minute cancellation.

 

[Roger2611 683]

We have lost two festivals overnight due to virus fears, fortunately? we don't rely on gigs for income and don't get deposits for gigs so we are not going to lose money from it, if fact it will actually be the opposite for me, I won't be shelling out on fuel to get to and from the gigs! 

[uk_lefty 1,365]

I did immediately say when the gig was postponed we should have got a deposit, but I also think that may be a bit unfair. They're going to move the date, not cancel, and it's not like it's just a localised problem and we could have been gigging elsewhere if the country goes in to semi-lock down... 

[Jakester 339]

We’re playing tomorrow night - I am half expecting it to be cancelled today. 

[KevB 295]

Yes have pulled out if this year's Cruise to the Edge. End of the world is nigh...

[Toddy 26]

UK Gigs as normal for now, Guessing Belfast next week is now off (Ulster Halls), expecting the update today,  

[musicbassman 943]

I teach English to groups of mostly European students at summer schools, due to start at the end of this month.

Just had the entire seasons bookings cancelled. Not just me, whole school is closed down for everyone.

I'm OK, can manage without the income, but what about those people who rely on this sort of thing - and all the associated staff - cooks, cleaners, coach drivers etc etc?

I really can't see how this loss of income/employment for millions of the mostly lower paid in the hospitality industry is going to be resolved quickly and successfully.

 

[SICbass 1,071]

We‘re booked to play a sold out club tonight. Disco dancing, sweaty and full. The majority of the band are for cancelling. I haven’t reached the manager yet but I’m pretty sure we’ll have to pull the plug on it. According to the  press, the local authorities here are extending their ban of larger halls to smaller clubs anyway which spares us the agony.

However, we are all full time musicians who do this for a living. Having resisted overreacting up to this point, it seems to me that cancelling now is the responsible thing to do.

[chris_b 4,314]

I'm due to  play tomorrow and if we're cancelled I'd like to know if the pub is going to be closed as well. If it remains open then why cancel the gig?

I've got 3 gigs in the next week and 2 the week after. I'm up for all of them, but who knows how many I'll get to play.

I'm also invigilating for the local University several times a week over the next couple of months. We are hearing that some other Universities are seriously thinking about postponing their exams. Just waiting for the email about that!!

[mentalextra 582]

1 hour ago, musicbassman said:

I teach English to groups of mostly European students at summer schools, due to start at the end of this month.

Just had the entire seasons bookings cancelled. Not just me, whole school is closed down for everyone.

I'm OK, can manage without the income, but what about those people who rely on this sort of thing - and all the associated staff - cooks, cleaners, coach drivers etc etc?

I really can't see how this loss of income/employment for millions of the mostly lower paid in the hospitality industry is going to be resolved quickly and successfully.

 

Yes exactly! It’s fine for all the professional ‘middle management’ types to work from home. What about bus/train drivers, postman/couriers dustmen etc. But the biggest concern are those that cannot afford to stay home sick and unpaid, and will plough on regardless, using public transport!

[pete.young 971]

We have two this weekend, and a band member has just pulled out of one (usually a packed sweaty and fairly unhygenic pub) citing his own age and health conditions. Fortunately there's a lot of us so we can cover it, but hey.

[petebassist 249]

Pub gig planned for next week, though if the country goes into lock down I wouldn't be surprised if it gets cancelled.

I don't fancy playing dressed like this either....

[wateroftyne 3,605]

I've got a gig in a pub in a railway station on Sunday afternoon. It's usually rammed, so I was (am?) expecting it to be cancelled. So far, all signs are that it's going ahead. We'll see.

[Happy Jack 4,697]

Just phoned the venue for tomorrow night, warned her that the band has had illness this week but we're pretty sure at this stage that it's not Covid-19.

She says we should come and play, just don't expect a full house.

 

[chris_b 4,314]

Most of us are going to catch this thing anyway, so we might as well do as many gigs as we can.

[Bilbo 1,539]

I am running my Jazz East event in Felixstowe this Sunday. I spoke to the venue yesterday and we are still planning to go ahead. At last count, we were looking at one confirmed case in Suffolk so we are choosing not to over-react to the threat. We have one more gig before the gig closes for the summer (we operate September to March) so I am hoping it will have all blown over before we re-open and, if we close the last gig in the season, it is no hardship. I don't pay myself for these gigs so the consequences are minimal for me and the last gig is a big band so nobody is doing it for the money. I guess I am lucky in that respect. After 29/3, I have two gigs in May that I fully expect to see cancelled but, as it's not be bread and butter, it's ok.

 

I am far more concerned about the day job. I work as a Child Protection Social Worker. We are worried about the impact of the virus on the capacity of families and professionals to keep children safe (if children are placed with grandparents because their parents are unsafe, what do we do if the grandparents succumb etc). What happens if social workers are self-isolating and can't get to families? What do we do about visiting children if there is a risk that someone is infected? Things could get complicated as things progress.

Edited March 13, 2020 by Bilbo

[Bilbo 1,539]

6 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Most of us are going to catch this thing anyway, so we might as well do as many gigs as we can.

As perverse as this sounds, getting the thing and recovering is the best way to protect ourselves. That feels like Russian Roulette though. I think most of us are concerned for the vulnerable around us. Many of my audience at Jazz gigs are of pensionable age and we have several attendees who are clearly not in tip top condition. I kind of hope they don't come. It would be awful to think that someone caught the bug at a gig I was promoting.

Edited March 13, 2020 by Bilbo

[burno70 241]

Haven't people caught it twice though?

[chris_b 4,314]

27 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

 It would be awful to think that someone caught the bug at a gig I was promoting.

That's true. Many of the guys in the bands I play in are right in the cross-hairs.

I have a 95 year old mother whose health is a cause for concern on a good day. But the carers, doctor and community nurses can bring the virus in on any of their visits, as well as me.

My view is that if I catch it I'll be safe after, and if I catch it early I'll hopefully get treatment before the NHS melt down. I haven't been hoarding loo roll, but I have enough pain killers to see me through the worst.

Edited March 13, 2020 by chris_b

[Rich 5,972]

My gig tomorrow night is still on... hardly surprising, as the last time we were there I got the distinct impression that the main clientele of the pub in question are the sort of people who will claim it's only a cold and that anyway it's all a Chinese/lefty/EU plot. It's not my favourite place to play...   

[Dubs 243]

31 minutes ago, burno70 said:

Haven't people caught it twice though?

Yes.

Re: gig cancellations, at the moment we've not heard from the agency and aren't affected but we're fully expecting some cancellations from next weekend onward through April. It's inevitable.

[MoJo 574]

Our gig tomorrow night is still going ahead despite the current situation and the venue being told that the guitarist/frontman is currently on a flight back from a cruise in the Far East. Go figure

[thebassist 423]

We had 5 gigs scheduled between 21-31 March and all have now been cancelled.

[wateroftyne 3,605]

1 hour ago, wateroftyne said:

I've got a gig in a pub in a railway station on Sunday afternoon. It's usually rammed, so I was (am?) expecting it to be cancelled. So far, all signs are that it's going ahead. We'll see.

....aaaaaand it’s just been cancelled.