Members antonioctd Posted March 10, 2014 Members Share Posted March 10, 2014 Hi, coming here for help again... I should start contributing more. I always get helped and I don't help much... Sorry. But I finally sold a corporate gig for my Soul band. Its good money and the people hiring us seem very nice. It's a computer products convention and there will be a small cocktail were we are supposed to play and entertain. So, should we just play well with very controlled volume like "ambient music", choosing mostly the mellow and quieter songs form the set. Or should we the a real party and entertain/involve the people? I know it all dependends on the ambient etc... But, most of the time, how is it on this kind of gigs? Thanks! EDIT: Correct the word "coming" (thanks Wesg) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WynnD Posted March 10, 2014 Members Share Posted March 10, 2014 My thought. Keep your sound focused on the dance floor if there is one. If there isn't one, you probably don't want much sound going more than 50 feet away. It's a lot like a class reunion. There will always be more interest in talking than listening to the band. If you don't interfere with that too much, people should be happy. Now that said. I have played a corporate gig where it looked like we were intended to be the actual entertainment. The attendees couldn't have cared less. During break, we asked ourselves, Why did they bother to hire a band? I still can't figure that out. Got paid well. Ugly loadin/loadout. Outside of the pay, I would rather not played the gig. ($300/man Pretty good in Denver.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted March 10, 2014 Members Share Posted March 10, 2014 The best way to deal with it is simply to ask what they want. If they want background music while people mingle, or if they want a louder band to dance to, then that should be pretty easy to figure out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Opus Antics Posted March 10, 2014 Members Share Posted March 10, 2014 What guido said. Ask what they would like. My guess, small cocktail party at a convention, they're looking for ambiance. But ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted March 10, 2014 Members Share Posted March 10, 2014 . My guess, small cocktail party at a convention, they're looking for ambiance. .~~It's hard to say. And different people describe things differently. The worst mistake is to ever assume ANYTHING. We've played a lot of events that could easily be described as a "small cocktail party", but there's a stage and a dancefloor and they want a full-on dance party after they've had a few drinks. Usually if they only want background music, they'll hire a jazz trio or something similar. Not a rock band. But always just make sure you get as many details as possible from the client. Don't presume you understand everything they want and don't let them presume you'll be able to do whatever it is they need. Details! Details! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceNorman Posted March 10, 2014 Members Share Posted March 10, 2014 Whatever you do - don't forget who you have to keep happy! Unlike most parties and bar gigs where if you keep the audience happy you're probably doing good - this is a convention gig. The folks who hired you may have completely different expectations! As has already been suggested - ASK! This is one gig where you could easily where you could easily find yourself playing to an audience that's pushing you to "rock out" - while the folks who sign your check are steaming about you being to loud and overshadowing the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted March 11, 2014 Members Share Posted March 11, 2014 I remember years ago my 8 piece R&B/Funk/blues horn band got hired to do a 10 year law school reunion at a big hotel ballroom. There was lots of speechifyin', and the last speaker, a judge from that class, went on and on and on. Long story short, by the time we played, we expected the place to be lubed up and itching to dance. Nope. they all cleared the room and went out to the hallway where they could step out onto the balcony to smoke and catch up with their old friends. The only time they came into the hall was to get another drink. We ended up playing for about 8 people for 50 minutes. They handed us 1500 dollars and we went home. You just never know. In our case, a dance floor didn't mean squat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members antonioctd Posted March 11, 2014 Author Members Share Posted March 11, 2014 Thanks for all the valuable replies I've followed the advice about getting details and they were amazing, they even sent me a copy the regulations for the sponsors and a plant of the place So, its a big convention center and it will have stands every where. Big room! We will have a small stage set for us at one end of the room. It's supposed to be a live show at the end, 1 hour before the event is over (yes, we will just play 60m ) but not a concert so loud that the people farther away can´t chat with each other. So I'm guessing "small bar gig volume"... People can come close to us and enjoy the concert and it will be background music for the people on the other side of the room. I'm happy because apparently they want a show. Not pure background music. So I can rock out a bit smiley-lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WynnD Posted March 11, 2014 Members Share Posted March 11, 2014 Hoping you get a dead room acoustically. If not, err on the quiet side for better quality. Sounds fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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