It was bound to happen someday..

10 minutes to 3..my band member called me and asked where I was..thinking I was on the road..

Turns out the gig was 3-7 and not the usual 8-12 at this location...Apparently the house booked a private party....and I plum missed the time period...Breakfast with Donny..didn't help..

So I told him I would leave as I was....It would take 2 and a half hours to get there..plus set up..I would be "SUPER LATE"..
He called back and said our customer was livid...so don't bother driving down...

Lesson to be learned..when you are a band member..you should always be in contact with each other about schedules prior to gig day...especially with the member that makes the band work.. .

Also , I have stressed for years the need for a back up..in case I can not make it..after all 120 miles away every night...odds are..there will be a situation as this..

I supplied the band with a backup CD for such an emergency..Stu ..my lead singer..did not have it with him..Just a simple player and the CD would have got them through my messed up no show..I even had it loaded on a Zune for him too...but he did not have the Zune with him either...No excuse..he lives 10 minutes from the location..He could have ran home and saved the day...but decided[feared] he could not pull it off...

I hope I don't forget tomorrow's gig..

Fran my heart goes out to you. I think for all of us who play professionally, that's our greatest fear. It happened to me when I was a still a teenager. I missed playing a church wedding. I've never forgotten it and to this day I always dread listening to my messages for fear of hearing "Where in the hell are you?" Don't be too hard on yourself, it's happened to all of us.

Joe

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Songman55
Joe Ayala

I would feel bad about missing the gig, but not as bad as knowing I can be replaced with a Zune. I say, go all the way; have a dressed and ready mannequin to go with the Zune. This could lead to a whole new way of gigging (and add years to your career). Oh, and if the mannequin weighs too much, you could always use a blowup (inflatable) doll. You're familiar with those, right Fran?


Your Buddy,

chas

Hey Fran,

Many years ago I packed up with 16 other musicians and drove from Dallas to New Mexico for a gig only to find out we were there a week early. What a bummer.

Hammer

Fran,
I had a recurrent dream for years, it was about being late for a wedding gig, thank God it never happened.

The one thing that comes to mind – Boy, are we hard on ourselves.

Take care, John C.

So this wasn't actually a 'band' gig, but another karaoke setup?

I only ask this because, in any band gig I've done, if I didn't make it (for whatever reason), the drummer, bass player and guitarist would have done it without me

Live by the track, die by the track (ask Ashley Simpson!)...

BTW, what were you and Donny drinking for breakfast?

I guess I'm the exception when it comes to bookings. I ALWAYS confirm each and every job--even the NH jobs. I do this with phone calls, Emails, and confirmation of appearance letters. I've never been late for a job, never missed one, and never shown up on the wrong day. Good book-keeping and follow-ups are an intrinsic part of this industry. You would be amazed at the number of folks that call and ask if I can perform three hours from the time they called. Most of the time it's because someone forgot when they booked the job, or decided to cancel at the last minute because they found something more lucritive. If you're meticulous about your paperwork these things will not occur.

Cheers,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy

Communication is the key every time.

I guess that's better news than what the title suggested