honor the agreement, start on time & play for noone or milk it until they are peeps

[J.Paul]

You're booked from 9-12

It's 9:15 and 2 people in the bar.

Do you play anyway or milk more time for more audience (thereby saving your voice).

Discuss....

[Chaff67]

Honor the agreement and play, unless the manager says otherwise.

[Potts]

What a great topic! Without going off on a big tangent, this is right up my alley of things that have made me successful locally. I wait it out; not for me but for the relationship with the venue. I'm very careful to make sure that the venue or owner is happy, and I'll normally give them an "out" if its a dead night. I've done this for years and it's always worked.

 

The single most important thing to me is to be able to have a number of clubs that absolutely love me...not so much the music but me. The music part is easy- just go play and don't suck. It's the relationship that's the important thing. When I leave a club I'm hoping the owner and staff sit back and say, "Man that dude is so cool. Why can't they all be that way?"

 

Judging by my calendar and repeat bookings, I think I'm doing it mostly "right". Some of these owners have actually become friends which is always nice.

 

So to answer your question I'd wait it out and get some free food and see what happens.

[tinfish]

Potts, I give my clubs an out too, but I play at a few places with heavy foot traffic right across the front of the club, under that circumstance, I think it's my job to get up there and play hawker to the people on the street as they go by, I'm usually pretty sucsessful at filling up the bar when I've got the traffic!!! plus, it's fun to f*** with people on the street!!!

[Potts]

 

Potts, I give my clubs an out too, but I play at a few places with heavy foot traffic right across the front of the club, under that circumstance, I think it's my job to get up there and play hawker to the people on the street as they go by, I'm usually pretty sucsessful at filling up the bar when I've got the traffic!!! plus, it's fun to f*** with people on the street!!!

 

 

That's awesome! Florida?

[tinfish]

not yet....Rehoboth Beach DE pops to mind, as does Saint Michaels MD....moving in t-minus 6 weeks!!! dunedin, tarpon springs, clearwater area....

[tim_7string]

 

You're booked from 9-12 It's 9:15 and 2 people in the bar. Do you play anyway or milk more time for more audience (thereby saving your voice). Discuss....

 

 

Depends on the situation and the bar owner. If it's up to me, I play on time. I don't give a {censored} if it's completely empty in there, save the staff, I'm starting on time (and I've played gigs just like that). But if the bar owner tells me it's cool to start later and take longer breaks when it's dead, then get up onstage when people show up, I will follow that.

 

I just prefer to have a professional mindset and that means being there early, everything is ready to go and we start right on the dot, as is expected of us. If something happens to make us late, that gets irritating, but it does happen.

[TIMKEYS]

 

You're booked from 9-12 It's 9:15 and 2 people in the bar. Do you play anyway or milk more time for more audience (thereby saving your voice). Discuss....

 

 

 

I think it depends on the kind of act. For what we do , if you have two people you entertain them for at least 45. Break and give it some time to develop. We never really can predict when the place is going to fill up , other than it usually always fills up. Do the job you are there to do. When you see what i call a slow start , i know we are usually going to end up playing later. I think the difference is that we are typically always dealing with repeat customers and its house gig situation. When its a 7 day a week live music venue. ya gotta give em live music,, if its 2, 15 or 140 in the joint. Its just like when you have a good sized group roll in third set. You give them the live music they expected when they looked at the ad in the beach rag. For us its repeat business and building a venue.

 

We are not the normal band ,, and we dont have to load in and out. It makes it possable to give a little extra if thats what the situation calls for.

[sventvkg]

I usually ask the manager what they would like me to do and do as directed.

[rodclement]

We are always there, and ready to go 30 minutes early, from there on it's on the venue management to make the call. We have had both requested, start at the asigned time, or wait to start later, the most important is to be professional and play to the max even if there is no one there! Worst case scenario it's a paid practice.

I agree with what has been said already, most important is to maintain a good relationship with the venue so follow their lead.

 

Rod

[jayare]

anyone ever start 30 min EARLY if there is a crowd?

[Potts]

 

anyone ever start 30 min EARLY if there is a crowd?

 

 

Yeah...I play a regular Thursday night gig. I usually get there early and start early if it's already busy.

[SusieP]

Wait a bit until a few more people arrive.

Then take shorter breaks than you usually would so you end up finishing your last set not too much later than you would normally do.

 

That's what we tend to do, but we ask whoever has booked us if they'd like us to hang on a wee bit before we start.

[rodclement]

 

Do think that's it's professional to play the entire gig even if the venue is losing money by you playing? Yeah...I play a regular Thursday night gig. I usually get there early and start early if it's already busy.

 

 

What I mean is that, if management want's us to play, then we play the same regardless of how many people are there.

 

We also start early if asked, house dictates the rules.

 

Rod

[donkey 12]

 

Honor the agreement and play, unless the manager says otherwise.

 

 

This.

[Potts]

What I mean is that, if management want's us to play, then we play the same regardless of how many people are there. We also start early if asked, house dictates the rules. Rod

 

Sorry pal... I misunderstood

[guitarjrh]

 

anyone ever start 30 min EARLY if there is a crowd?

 

 

Yes. The last full band I was in started at 9:00 instead of the normal 9:30 one Saturday last year when the club we were playing was already full to capacity before 9:00.

 

Fun night, but it didn't happen every week!

 

I personally don't get the "start later" deal, but agree the venue management should make the call. They did in the above mentioned situation.

 

I have also waited till 10-10:30 to start 9:00 gigs as per management decisions.

[Potts]

 

I have also waited till 10-10:30 to start 9:00 gigs as per management decisions.

 

 

That's a tough one! LOL I always say it but they better be feeding me if I have to sit around that long.

[Terry Allan Hall]

 

anyone ever start 30 min EARLY if there is a crowd?

 

 

I've done that a few times, as well as stayed later...it was appreciated, in substantial ways, in each case.

[jayare]

Re: Later starts--Around here most of the bars have multiple big-screen TVs.Sometimes ya gotta wait for whatever big Final4/Nascar/Superbowl/RoseBowl,etc,etc finishes up.We once played underneath a bigscreen showing a Steelers game.Sound on screen was off.Took a while to figure out why the applause was coming at odd times.

[Telecruiser]

 

Wait a bit until a few more people arrive. Then take shorter breaks than you usually would so you end up finishing your last set not too much later than you would normally do. That's what we tend to do, but we ask whoever has booked us if they'd like us to hang on a wee bit before we start.

 

 

I will disagree. If there are only a couple of people in the place start the music anyway. Some people walking in may not stay with just a couple people there, but if there is music going the chances are better for them to stay. If the manager says otherwise then go with that.