Wedding Gigs

[chris_b]

[quote name='crez5150' post='570586' date='Aug 16 2009, 12:42 PM']Your wrong..... The guests are the audience.... they want to be impressed AND entertained. That's what your booked for.... if you impress then you get more bookings from it hopefully.....

I've played three weddings this weekend, we have gained 4 more gigs for 2010/11 because we impressed the guests and one booking because we impressed the Venue manager.... you have to be able to do both!![/quote]
I'm not going to say you're wrong. I can see that you are doing a lot right, but I think we're splitting hairs. My definition of an audience is people who have come to see you or have come to see live music. In my book wedding guests don't fit into that definition.

I did a wedding where the singer complained that the "audience" didn't dance or clap! It was a great band, but, we were playing blues!! For the second set we played covers and they danced and clapped. There are a lot of different lessons in this example but thinking an "audience" had come to see him was a fundamental mistake for this guy!

[casapete]

[quote name='tonybassplayer' post='570416' date='Aug 16 2009, 08:12 AM']An ex work colleague who was a pro drummer in the seventies ( even made new faces !! ) told me a story of the worst gig they played in a south Yorkshire wmc mid seventies. They were waiting in the wings as the con sec went up to the mic and said "we've got four lads on next for you, not my cup of tea but the commitee out voted me" he then turned to the band and said "your on" as they walked on to a packed but silent club !![/quote]


Similar story, again from the 70's I believe. Some mates of mine were playing at Bernard Manning's Club in Manchester (The Embassy IIRC?),
and were announced onstage by the man himself - " Okay you cu**ts, we've got a band on now all the way from fu**in Hull. I heard them
soundchecking earlier and thought they were sh*te, but anyway see what you think......" !!!!!

We play a lot of weddings, and yes the older section of the audience will dance at the front of the dancefloor right in front of our PA speakers / pull faces at the volume rather than move further back. It's almost as if they enjoy being able to comment on how the band are too loud etc.
We do try to keep sound levels acceptable (after all,what's the point of upsetting potential bookers,whether they are are daft or not?!),but there will always be someone who thinks it's too loud.
A few years ago we had the father of the bride (who was somewhat tired and emotional it has to be said) ask us to turn down which we did.
Then he stormed up and demanded we did again,rather unwisely threatening our singer (who was a big handy lad)of the consequences if we did n't!
Having restrained our singer, we then continued our set at an unbelievably quiet level - nobody now dancing! In the end the bride came up and apologised for her pis**d father and asked us to carry on as we had first played! That's weddings for you.

Edited August 17, 2009 by casapete