I had a very interesting conversation this week with a long term client. She voiced concerns about two other acts' shows and asked my advice...

#1) She and other staff members were watching a duo perform recently when they both noticed he was lip-syncing to a CD of his. This isn't what he was hired to do and she had no knowledge of this before hand. He's been there a fairly long time. His basic act is that he works the room while he sings over CD's...

#2) Another act is well liked but always plays the same tunes, in the same order every show. The foodservice staff at this venue jokes that if so & so are here, that means such and such will be the 1st song...

AD was curious if these were grounds for dismissal...

I told her in my opinion she needed to talk to both entertainers. In the case of the lipsyncing, ask them straight out if they have ever lip synced in her facility. If they say no, I suggested letting them go because people are already aware of it.

If they say yes, then come to some agreement on the issue. No lipsyncing is ok, some is ok, whatever..

As far as the other act always playing the same songs, tell them they can't play a place every month and not change their content, especially if they wish to continue playing there.

Both underscore some of the disrespect some musicians have for these type gigs. I wouldn't dream of trying to fool people with lipsyncing, and most of you on this forum wouldn't either.

As far as keeping our set lists fresh, its a thing we all should watch. We all get a number of requests and we should play those, but vary the other songs monthly. For example, I have a standing request for "I Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do" at a nursing home. In the last 3 months, I've done it as a ballad, a gentle swing and this month as a latin...



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Bill in Dayton