Members BlueStrat Posted October 10, 2011 Members Share Posted October 10, 2011 Did a restaurant gig 200 miles away-my friends live there, so It's a good chance to go see them and hang out and get paid for it. Anyway, the gig is 6:30 to 9:30. I usually play straight through without a break as lots of times people take the break as a cue to cash out and leave and not leave a tip for the poor schlub in the corner with the guitar. Anyway, 9:30 rolled around and just as I was thinking of winding down, a table of 8 rolls in. Then another one of 4, and another one of three. This place is fairly small (seats about 35) so now the house is nearly full again. So I kept playing for another hour and ten minutes. Meanwhile, one of the guys at the table of 8 comes up and waves a bill in front of m face, tells me he really likes what I'm dong, and drops it in the tip jar. I thought "cool, ten bucks!" At the end of the night, I start counting the tips- the guy had dropped a hundred dollar bill in there. Add that to the 34 dollars already there, and the 200 I got for the gig, a 334 dollar night and dinner wasn't bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members charlie13 Posted October 10, 2011 Members Share Posted October 10, 2011 Good for you, man! That's sweet money...always makes the ride home more enjoyable...LOL And playing straight through...well, my bladder would never allow that....course I'm a technically a senior citizen so I'm allowed pee breaks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members musicmanmu Posted October 10, 2011 Members Share Posted October 10, 2011 Ah, the rare $100 tip. I've had that happen 3 times in my playing career. It's always an awesome night! The last time it happened was last Saturday when I played/DJ'ed/MC'd a wedding. The groom (visibly hammered) staggers up and hands it to me. Gotta love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted October 10, 2011 Author Members Share Posted October 10, 2011 Yeah, that's the second time for me, but the first as a solo. The other time wass at a band gig, and a guy asked if he could sing La Bamba. I told him we didn't play it. He dropped a benji on the stage and said "How about now?" And I said "La Bamba in G, 1-2-3-4!...." Yeah, I know, I'm a whore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tjb Posted October 10, 2011 Members Share Posted October 10, 2011 I had a similar situation a few weeks ago. Currently living in a small city in Denmark for my main job, but been playing an international open mic night at a local pub once a month. The good think is, I've been the only international player so I've been playing the full night. One night a table of people from Switzerland came in. They liked what I was doing so they stayed a good while. When the night was winding down, one guy stands up and hands me 100 Danish Crowns, which is about 20.US dollars. Then another guy comes up and he hands me 100 Swiss Francs. I had no idea what is was worth until I got home and discovered it was worth about 115 dollars and since then is now worth 130 US dollars. I thought that was cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted October 10, 2011 Members Share Posted October 10, 2011 A hundred bucks! That's awesome. I'm doing well when I get a 5 instead of a 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tjb Posted October 11, 2011 Members Share Posted October 11, 2011 I posted this yesterday but it did not show up, but......I am currently living in a small city in Northern Denmark for my main job. I have been attending a local international open mic first Monday of each month. Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, I have been the only international performer to show up the past few months, So, I have played the whole night. Last month a table of people from Switzerland came in and stayed the whole time. When the night was winding down, one guy gets up and hands me 100 Danish Crowns, which is about 20 bucks. Then another guy comes over and gives me 100 Swiss Francs. I thanked them but had no idea what the Francs were worth. When I got home I looked up the exchange rate and discovered they were worth 115 bucks and since then they have appreciated to 130. Not a bad night for 150 bucks and free beer. I could likely get a regular gig there but, my work schedule may make it tough right now, but for now, the open mic is enough to keep me happy and at some point, I'm sure some other musicians will stop in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Bartus Posted October 11, 2011 Members Share Posted October 11, 2011 Back in some of our semi-recent history in the Florida Keys, we used to see the occasional smuggler of illegal substances in our local watering holes. We could always tell when the deal went down successfully because someone would come in the bar, buy everyone a drink, and leave a huge tip for the bartender. This particular night, I was performing solo at a legendary local bar called the Brass Monkey. It had to be late 1980s, because at that point I was playing three nights with the house band, and two nights solo. The bar was not very busy when a guy walks in and orders a drink. A few songs into my set, he comes up and asks -- very nicely -- if I play "Freebird." Normally, I would have given him the middle finger and said, "No charge!" Because, however, he asked nicely, I just told him that we did the song as a band, but I really didn't play it solo. He then reached into his wallet, pulled out a C-note, and said (nicely) that he'd really like to hear it if at all possible. Needless to say, I did my best solo rendition of "Freebird." Right after I finished, Mr. Generosity came back to the stage, pulled out another Benjamin, and asked if he could hear the song again. "If I leave here tomorrow...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members greenonion Posted October 11, 2011 Members Share Posted October 11, 2011 I am currently living in Aalborg, Denmark for my main job. Since I/ve been here for 6 months I have been attending the first Monday of every month an international open mic night. Fortunately for me, I have been the only player showing up so I get to play all night. Last month a table of people cam in from Switzerland and stayed the whole night. When they got up to leave, one guy came over and handed me 100 Danish Crowns which is about 20 bucks. Then another guy came over and handed me 100 Swiss Francs. I had no Idea what it was worth. I thanked them and when I got home I looked up the exchange rate to discover it was worth about 115 dollars and since then has grown to 130 dollars. Not Bad. I would take a regular gig there if my regular job was not so time consuming, so for now, one Monday per month with free beer and tips like that is OK with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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