Jump to content

Worst Thanksgiving Weekend in Memory. The toll of Sandy and Shopping!


wheresgrant3

Recommended Posts

  • Members

This year we had our traditional trifecta of gigs locally during Thanksgiving break. Every year this weekend is quite busy in the clubs... full of college students fresh from college, itching to get out and meet up with friends. This year all three nights were disappointing for one reason or another.

Wednesday night was busy but disappointing. Every year we play a large 3000sq ft dance club that usually has 1200 people moving through the front door. This year compared to any ordinary night it was packed to the gills, however this year the draw at the door was considerably lower (around 650) and the energy of the crowd was simply not there. We worked the audience all night long and they smiled and bopped their heads but it wasn't the usual enthusiastic sing along, call and answer that we've come accustom to. To be fair I'm thinking we've out grown this club (or they've outgrown us). 5 years ago there was a heavy roster of bands with a DJ spinning in between. Now we are the only band booked playing special events. You can just feel the crowd waiting for the DJ to start. When I asked friends who were out and about how the other clubs in the area were faring.... all except one reported back that the bars were pretty dead.

Friday night was at our new A-list Anchor club. We play here once a month and in the summer have drawn a few thousand through the door... in the winter 800-1200 are great numbers. By my guesstimate less than 300 on Friday night... it was busy but never packed (it's a large restaurant bar area). In fact I've been in the club when no-named bands were booked and there were more people milling about. I was pretty disappointed and when talking with a bartender he admitted it was their best Friday night in about 4 weeks. The previous Friday they closed at 1am and sent the band home early.

Saturday was a predictable bust. We were booked at a new club that is struggling. I thought that we'd draw at least 50 people looking to get out of the house. Instead no one showed. I'm serious. Crickets. The venue we played the night before was closed at 12:30am.

I remember the same lull after last year's freak snowstorm on Halloween. There was a 3-4 week period that never seemed to recover in the bars. I'd guess the same happened this year as well with Sandy... but instead I'm wondering how the retail shopping season really hurt us. Stores here in NY opened 8pm on Thanksgiving. I remember people leaving early on Wednesday night to prep for Thanksgiving and to get some sleep to be up all Thursday night shopping. There were people at our show on Friday that showed for 1-2 drinks and headed home because they were shopping all day.

Anyone else experience an overwhelming lull in bar traffic?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Quote Originally Posted by wheresgrant3 View Post
Anyone else experience an overwhelming lull in bar traffic?
Yep. I posted in another thread that it was one of our worst crowds in a long time. It seems that no one around here went out anywhere that I know of.

The people that were there had a good time, but not to the extent that we're used to seeing. idn_smilie.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Good for where we played but not great. In years past we did MUCH better. the bar manager said the people who drank drank like crazy but there were a lot of people ordering water. Lost of Designated Drivers that night, which is good- there were a TON of cops out in our area and they all seemed PISSED!!! LOL We got pulled over BEFORE we got to the gig! ugghh!- and the guy who shot our video got pulled over on the way home- apparently the cop was riding his ass which made him sped up and the he was pulled over and given the full sobriety test... THATS A DICK MOVE! lucky for him he shot video of us, had one beer and went home.

BUT saturday night we played a restaurant in the poconos and it got crazy! (wish I had a video camera for that!)

Now neither of these places can hold the amount of people you are talking about though...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Also don't forget that the economy has sucked for years. Eventually, even beer can fall off the list of priority purchases. Combine that with the Black Friday deals, when you can get a Wii or whatever for the $50 you would have spent on a (fun) night out, and the choice becomes even more clear.

Plus those who still have a bit of money tend to be older and less likely to get out on Thanksgiving weekend. Kids these days are beyond broke, at least around here.

Personally I've pretty much given up on fronting a cover band. For those who aren't already established, there just doesn't seem to be enough reward for the amount of work involved. Maybe I'll get somewhere as a singer/songwriter. If not, I can always go back to beer. freak.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It was a pretty typical Thanksgiving week where I DJ - packed out Wednesday and Friday, much calmer Saturday. But we didn't have a hurricane to contend with out here.

I've been at this same club for three years now and it's always the same thing. By Saturday night they're partied out and many of the young adults who were visiting family are headed home, so it's quite a bit off from the other two nights.

We had a fair crowd on Thanksgiving night too, but that was because we were the only bar open for probably 20 miles. I'm not kidding... after the restaurants (and their lounges) closed around 8:00 we were it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

While I've been generally optimistic lately, and our band has had some of it's best gigs ever in August and Sept, a couple of our October gigs at our regular clubs were similar to grants experience, slightly lower crowd numbers, and less than enthusiastic participation from the ones who were there. I have a hard time blaming H Sandy, as it really had little effect in my area - it did kick our asses, but my region had everything back up and running in 4-5 days.

I'm thinking it's something else, but I don't know what. There's been an obvious downward swing in local music for years now, but spring and summer this year proved to be an upward lurch, and maybe I got a false sense of security with it, but we were doing extremely well for most of this year, at least until October.

We're playing the same two clubs this weekend and the next, and I have a sinking feeling that it's going to be crickets. I'm additionally worried that the venues might downgrade our bookings or pay because of the lackluster fall / winter so far. ;( sad times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The numbers seems to be down on winter texans so far this season. Time will tell is they are just staying up north in the cold this season or just a delay in comming down> Our peak month is feb where things typically run at full throttle for winter people. This economy is killing retired folks, who are uncertain about future earnings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Quote Originally Posted by wheresgrant3 View Post
We worked the audience all night long and they smiled and bopped their heads but it wasn't the usual enthusiastic sing along, call and answer that we've come accustom to. To be fair I'm thinking we've out grown this club (or they've outgrown us). 5 years ago there was a heavy roster of bands with a DJ spinning in between. You can just feel the crowd waiting for the DJ to start.
This is a horrible feeling. We'd been playing a pretty cool gig (one of only 3-4 bands on their small roster) for about 2 years pretty steadily, but going into 2013 they axed us from the roster. We commented exactly that we can just feel the crowd waiting for the DJ to start. I'm not sure what happened...we used to get such a great response from that crowd, but the last couple gigs it just hasn't been there.

We had a really GREAT Wednesday and Saturday on Thanksgiving weekend. Friday totally sucked.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Our main club here is always slow for Thanksgiving weekend, but this one set new records. Worst EVER. Reflected poorly on my group, although it's not all our fault (I listened to a set that I recorded from Sat. night and thought hey, WE DON'T SUCK!). But the club filled up Sunday night to see an up-and-coming younger, country-rap band (ala Colt Ford) so I dunno, maybe it WAS our fault.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Reading all of these comments makes me glad that I chose to block off the Thanksgiving weekend (and night before). I had a wonderful time with family and enjoyed sleeping in for four days in a row. Ahhhhhh... evil.gificon_lol.gif

Quote Originally Posted by Kramerguy View Post
So I'm curious.. this seems to be a pretty wide trend across many regions.. are we getting a glimpse of the future, or do you all think it's just a bump in the road?
I think we are a dying breed and our time is coming to a close. Twenty years ago, people were outraged if an artist was discovered lip-syncing to a song (Milli Vanilli). Even if a model pretended to sing in a Technotronic, Black Box or C+C Music Factory video, they were villified. Now? People could care less, as long as it sounds like the record. Music has no value to customers anymore (rampant illegal downloading is proof of that), so watching a band play songs "live" doesn't mean anything to them if it doesn't sound the way they want AND they aren't allowed to get onstage to sing the songs themselves too.

I'm just going to ride out the wave until it ends, then sell my equipment so someone else can use it for Karoake and DJ'ing, because I'm certainly not going to go to the dark side and do that...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Quote Originally Posted by Piano Whore

View Post

Our main club here is always slow for Thanksgiving weekend, but this one set new records. Worst EVER. Reflected poorly on my group, although it's not all our fault (I listened to a set that I recorded from Sat. night and thought hey, WE DON'T SUCK!). But the club filled up Sunday night to see an up-and-coming younger, country-rap band (ala Colt Ford) so I dunno, maybe it WAS our fault.

 

He on tour with Eric Church this summer saw him at WE fest, very good show! And he has a lot of exposure through other musicans and his work - Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert, John Michael Montgomery, and Craig Morgan.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Quote Originally Posted by Kramerguy

View Post

So I'm curious.. this seems to be a pretty wide trend across many regions.. are we getting a glimpse of the future, or do you all think it's just a bump in the road?

 

The most disturbing thing I'm seeing (and I say this with a heavy heart) is that those who are just now turning 21 have no interest in bands whatsoever. I hope it's just here...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Quote Originally Posted by tim_7string View Post
I'm just going to ride out the wave until it ends, then sell my equipment so someone else can use it for Karoake and DJ'ing, because I'm certainly not going to go to the dark side and do that...
I'm actually moving to the dark side. $800 - $1000/night to DJ a wedding.

2 subs
2 tops
10' truss
4 scanners
4 moving pinspots
4 Puck 3NX's
1 - 2 lasers
Smoke machine
Laptop

Spinning tunes for a grand pays better than $300/night doing sound for a band. I'll do both. First come first served, hell even school dances pay $500. That's elementary school dances (wut?) and you're done by 11.

I have the gear and the time. Might as well have it earning money for me whenever I can...


DJ'ing doesn't have the glory of being the soundguy, but it does pay well.


idea.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

The most disturbing thing I'm seeing (and I say this with a heavy heart) is that those who are just now turning 21 have no interest in bands whatsoever. I hope it's just here...

 

 

Even though I'd say a lot of our crowd is late 20s-early 40s we are starting to pull MORE younger people lately with Ostrich Hat. I am sure havling a 24 year old bassist/singer helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

The most disturbing thing I'm seeing (and I say this with a heavy heart) is that those who are just now turning 21 have no interest in bands whatsoever. I hope it's just here...

 

 

Perhaps your neck of the woods. In my area bands are doing well... at least good bands are. We in constant demand and a few bands that I know on our level are still drawing decent crowds. In fact the problem is really there aren't enough 'good' bands to keep some venues rolling every weekend. For every room that closes we have 3-4 rooms waiting to get a date on the calendar. We had a terrific summer and fall. It all hit a wall after the recent Hurricane. But again, I wonder how much of that had to due with the post storm 'depression' and the start of the holiday shopping season. Spending $500-1000 on Christmas early can certainly sqash your desire to spend more money in a bar. But in terms of people over 25 wanting to see bands... in my area there are plenty, the acts just need to be worthy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...