http://www.std.org/russ/tips.html

Good stuff. Been there, got tee-shirt, recognize all situations mentioned (including the fight).

I especially agree with point that gaps between songs are to be avoided.

Having said that in my duo situation we don't use a set list as such, however by the end of a song we will have decided what the mext one will be so we can start promptly and not suffer from the 5 seconds of death. As there are only the two of us we can get away with this approach.

By contrast I also gig with a 5 piece band for which a set list is essential. You've got no chance making a decision about the next song when there are 5 people involved, most of them too busy being noisy to cope with having to think! Regrettably even with a set list the gaps are excessive (and drive me mad) but I'm working on that.

Of course if we play a song and it bombs then we may not hurtle blindly into our usual next somg but may take the opportunity to engage with the audience in some way just to get a feel for the sort of things they like. This can be especially useful if you have a small audience in a more initimate environment.

With my 7pc band years ago we never had lost time between songs...we always had SET MEDLEYS that lasted 45 min continuous one song into another. Most bands in the Casinos in AC here, etc, work that way also. Absolutely NO in-between song time lag...
4 hour gigs.....45min continuous on-15 off all night....
keep em dancin.

The link reads as if it was written by a disgruntled sound man that also plays guitar with a band. We've all played with bands at one time or another, most of us have dealt with fights, crazoids, drunks, arrogant people, etc..., and that was sometimes the band members. If you ever played in a smoke-filled, redneck, honky-tonk bar on the outskirts of Baltimore, that was just a normal night 40 years ago. How things have changed over the years. The smoking has been outlawed in bars and restaurants here, the rednecks pretty much are ancient history, if a person gets drunk, they arrest the bar owner, and I haven't heard of a bar fight in years. The only thing that didn't change was the pay rate - it still sucks!

Dead time between songs is obviously a no-no, but a 45-minute medley - nah! Not for me. And for tonight's job, I'll do two hours straight, no breaks, and because the dancefloor will be packed with just about every song, that two hours passes very quickly. Tonight, I'm filling in for a friend that is back in the hospital with severe cardiac problems. He said this might just have to give up playing out if his conditions doesn't improve. I told him I hope he gets better because I really don't like the low pay scale of nite club jobs. I figure if he gives it up, and the club asks me to take over, I'll hit them up for a big raise and that will pretty much be the end of it.

Cheers,

Gary

the 45-minute medley is for a band situation not a solo act Gary I'm sure you will make a lot of tips at that restaurant gig....

Ironically, the tips are not all that good, Donny. Most of the people come to dance, they eat the least expensive thing on the menu, most are over 80 years of age, on a fixed, small, retirement income. They're really nice people, love to dance, but places to dance to the music we play, in this part of the world, are few and far between these days. There are about a dozen ballroom dance locations around, but that's a totally different deal, and they don't tip at all. At the most, I'll pick up $30 in tips tonight - that's it! And the job, because it's just two hours, pays only $75. If this were not a favor for my friend, I wouldn't have even considered it.

Cheers,

Gary

One thing for sure...quite a few of those situations were gone once I started playing solo.

In my restaurant gig, I always took a bit of time between songs, unless it was a medley.

Constant music may be good for dance floors, but not for listening.

Ian

Ian, I always schooze with the audiences as much as possible, mainly before and after the job begins.

Gary

Schmoozing is very important, Gary, and certainly takes us further away from being just a player and closer to an entertainer/player.

Ian

Please reread.... BAND SITUATION NOT SOLO OMB GIGS!!