I play a gig tomorrow night and the ventilation is not too good. The smoke is never terribly bad but bad enough. I know of a couple of people coming (then there's ME!), who really don't like the smoke. The bar is probably 60' x 60'. I was wondering if I placed a fan at the door (the only door that I know of), do you think that would help? If it blows along the ground, would that be about as good as up at the top of the door? Any ideas?

I was thinking of making a big sign for my stage "If you smoke, thank you for smoking LESS in here." I wonder if that would make smokers mad enough to leave. I don't want them to leave but I sure hate smoke and as I said, I know people who want to hear me but they hate smoke.

I sympathize with your problem.

I don't think a fan will have much of an impact on the smoking situation. You would need cross-ventilation; a fresh air source at one end of the building and an exhaust at the other end.

Also, any sign will only offend smokers who are very sensitive to being singled out.

I would move to New York where we don't have this problem anymore; Yahoooo!!!!

Man, I know how you feel...when I was doing Vegas and AC, it never failed, we always had some Wise Guys come in to see the show and pull out the giant stoggies and just continue to puff away not thinking about anyone but them selves....I think that Al has the solution, open a window on one side of the room and put a big fan onthe other side of the room facing out the other open window.....I think the sign would only prove
to make some of them somke more if you know what I mean....Try wearing an oxygen mask between songs and when they ask why the mask you can tell them it's because of the smoke
maybe it will make them wake up....good luck

Anyone know if hotel bars would likely have a setting on their central air thermostat that provides for continuous "fan" setting like you do in your home? So air is always circulating?

With no offense to the smokers out there ... I smoked cigs for about 15 years (gave them up about 30 years ago) but I remember how I enjoyed it and how difficult it was to quit ... and I would hate to give up my 'golf course' cigar now, but that could be coming ...

SLM ... You might reduce the smoke effect by placing the fan close to you, blowing away from you ... I agree with kbrkr that any sign might offend the smokers, and possibly the management ... After all, YOU are the one who decided to work there ...
This is one of the hazards of 'club' work ...
When I work a smokey room, I usually hang my clothes in the garage when I get home ... then it's off to the dry cleaners ...
Fortunately, RI becomes the 7th smoke free state in the country next week ...
t.

There should be a 'fan' setting ...
t.

Who is that son of a birch that invented cigars? I want to kill that jerk. There was a guy in the bar last night puffing away on one, I wanted to snatch that sucker out of his mouth and just stomp it on the ground. Wouldn't I love to be 6'8" and 280 lbs.

Hey, I just remembered a song I wrote. A silly, folky story song...

===

“KEN THE CONMAN CAVEMAN”
©2004 Bill Pittman All rights reserved

Ken [D] the conman [C] caveman started [D] it
Ken invented booze and ciga-[A]-rettes
First [D] thing was blueberry beer
Then [C] found tobacco leaves grew here
Told [D] Gonzo, See these [A] leaves, I got an [D] idear

Ken [D] said when they're [C] dry, we'll roll 'em [D] tight
We'll light the end and suck with all our [A] might
Gonzo [D] said Aw, come on, Ken
Who [C] would want to suck smoke in
You're [D] just drunk, your [A] logic sure is [D] thin

But [D] Ken the conman [C] caveman was a [D] pro
Drank blueberry beer, made Gonzo [A] roll
Movin' [D] 'round the campfire there
Dodging [C] campfire smoke for air
Gonzo [D] said, See, [A] Ken, smoke's bad, I [D] swear

Soon, [A] Gonzo 'as puffin' like a [D] train
Caveman [A] peer pressure was to [D] blame
Then [G] Ken said Let's hunt a deer
We'll [D] take cigarettes and beer
They [D] wheezed thru the [A] forest, all could [D] hear

A cigarette was dangling from his lip
Gonzo said, Hey, Ken, we sure look hip
Ken said Yeah, at caveman school
I was voted Mr. Cool
And when you got it, use it, that's a rule

Somehow, Ken got tangled up in vines
Stompin' 'round, discovered he'd made wine
Wine and cigarettes and beer
Just like rednecks hunt a deer
Where that came from, now, that much is clear

Yeah, Ken the conman caveman did us in
Sold the rights to homo sapiens
Adam fell for anything
When it came to pleasing Eve
And Eve said Ken was sexy, blowing rings

Ken and Gonzo fin'lly lost their mind
Neanderthal, a victim of the vine
Ken's wife, Barb cut off the kiss
And Gonzo's wife stayed really pissed
Booze and cigarettes did all of this

They all died without a single kid
Thank God, Eve and Adam fin'lly did
It could happen again, homo sapiens
Ken the conman caveman started it

SLM ... I think you should sing that song every set at your club gig ...That should get the crowd's attention ...

While I do enjoy a good cigar on the golf course or while working on the lawn or garden, I don't smoke them indoors... Wouldn't be celebrating 42 years of wedded bliss if I tried that ... ...

When we had the band in NYC, the sax player was especially sensitive to cigar smoke ... We had a couple of functions we played every year that this particular cigar smoker attended, and guess what his favorite instrument was? ... RIGHT .. and all night he would stand next to the bandstand right near the sax player smoking this long stogie !!! ...
Used to kill us trying to do vocals too....
t.

Some of the places we work down the Jersey shore are a mixed barrel...The Bolero[new hotel] is great with a two plus story high ceiling and a decent ventilation system...Right up the street from the Bolero[Wildwood] is Alfe's..It is usually pretty good, untill you get a couple cigar smokers up near the stage...it seems to draw to us on stage...BTW ,this is where UD will be joining me and JoAnn on stage Saturday night[our lead singer is getting radiation treatments]...

The worst place we play is in Philly at Lyrics..we play to more than 250 people[dancers]...the smoke is so bad,we play behind and above the bar[large stage]..
How bad..besides having to get undress before coming into my house..the reak is umbearable..sooo baddd,I insist on another $50 each to put up with it...

I envy ScottYee with his smoke free work places...

I don't worry about insulting smokers,,they have no idea how bad they smell...and you don't have to be 6'8"..280lbs to tell them....5'7"..180 lbs will do..

Install a big non-smoking label on the entry. So, if anyone wants to have a cig, then he has to go outside.


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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)