My band mates in Lake 32 and I recently had a "difficult gig." This particular event was an outdoor performance featuring several bands spread throughout the day. We showed up about ninety minutes early, which is customary for us, and discovered that:
- Our style of music was significantly different than all the other bands playing that day
- Most of the other bands were made up of teenagers, and the audience in attendance represented that demographic well
- This "family friendly" event wasn't quite as family friendly as those of us with, well, families would have liked
- The event, which was held for a very worthwhile charity, had, well...let's say a lot of interesting surprises
Needless to say, all of these factors combined made for a challenging afternoon. That situation got me thinking about some of these things we could have done in advance that would have helped us make a better decision as to whether this was the right gig for us to take or not.
As Much as Possible, Avoid Accepting Difficult Gigs in the First Place
"Easier said than done," you say? Well, there are several questions that, had we had asked them before making a commitment, would have allowed us to better judge whether we were a good fit for the gig or not. Here are the questions I recommend you ask and get answered before accepting any gig:
Where is gig being held and how many people do you expect to come? This first question can be optional, but is probably good to know when considering a gig. Is this an indoor or outdoor gig? Is live music common at the venue, or is this a one time thing? If you're playing a club, you can get a feel from the owners what kind of crowd usually shows up on any particular night. If you're playing with a band you know, you might have a feel for the kind of crowd they'll draw based on their history. Honestly, most bands I know working to make a name for themselves, like the one I'm in, will play even for a small audience if it helps get their name out there. If you can make fans out of just a few folks in the audience, that can help draw more people to future gigs.
What other bands are scheduled to play? If you're not familiar with them, what style of music do they play (or see if they have music samples online you can listen to)? I this question may be the most important. If you're scheduled to play with several other bands, it's important to you and should be important to the people hosting the performance that your music fits well with the other acts. Otherwise, you're at risk of really bringing an audience, one who's really into the bands before you, down in a big way. In my specific example, we ended up playing our standard, modern rock set after several nouveau punk bands in a row. While the mostly teenaged crowd in attendance seemed to like us, they weren't anywhere near as into us as they were the other bands, and understandably so. We just don't play the kind of stuff to which they like to listen. The advise I would give you in this case is, if the lineup isn't known when you're asked to play, answer with "We're interested in playing, but we want to make sure we're a good fit for the other bands in the lineup. Can you give us a call when you have a better idea who else is playing?" When you get the lineup, do thirty minutes worth of homework to check out the bands' music on their web site or mySpace site.
Who is providing the PA and sound services? What kind of equipment do they use? This final question may be the most logistically important. Your band is only going to sound as good as the sound guy lets you. We've had a few gigs where, on stage, we're thinking everything is going great only to look out at the audience and see people holding their hands over their ears because the guitar is way too loud or the vocals can't be heard over the drums. Knowing who is going to be managing your band's sound and having an idea if they've invested in good, dependable equipment should be a contributing factor to your accepting the gig or not. Again, people will only remember that you didn't sound very good -- rarely does anyone think to blame the sound guy.
Playing the Difficult Gig
So, you asked all the questions and got what you thought were the right answers, and you still find yourself in the middle of a difficult gig. Here are some tips to help get you though it.
Above all, be professional. There's nothing worse than looking or acting discouraged or hostile when you're performing because you're uncomfortable with the situation. I've been on gigs where I wondered how bad it would be if I just left before we were supposed to play. It is so important to go through with the gig and try to engage your audience as much as possible. Who knows, you might even make some new fans, but at the very least you will look like you belong on stage and will probably get positive feedback from the hosts. That can help you land future gigs and will boost your reputation in the local music scene.
Pay close attention to your audience. When you get on stage and start playing, pay attention to what your audience is doing. Are they bobbing their heads to the beat? Are the smiling? Are they yawning? Are they pointing their fingers and laughing? First, don't let negative reactions affect your playing. Remember, you're there to do a job and it's not always going to fun. As my bass player, Jeff Laird, likes to say, "Art is hard." Play your best and engage your audience like you would if they were your biggest fans, even if they're making it hard to do that.
Also, if things aren't going well, choose a couple of songs before you go on stage that everyone is comfortable cutting from your set list. Keep your strongest tunes and cut the ones that you know to be weaker. There's no point in torturing and audience who just isn't going to like your music no matter what. In fact, you might win some respect if you stay professional, do a shorter set and get the band they all came to see out there.
Don't take it personally. As artists, we tend to connect with the music we create at a very personal level. When people don't show approval for it, we take it very personally. We get defensive and, in some cases, combative. One of the most important things to remember when you're playing that difficult gig is that, if the audience isn't paying attention, it doesn't mean you and your music sucks. It simply means it's not their thing. Coming back to the previous two points, give them your all and gauge their reaction. If it's just not working, like any bad relationship, cut it off before both sides get hurt and acknowledge that it just wasn't right.
My hope is that these suggestions will help you and your band mates avoid ending up in awkward situations in the future. If you've had similar experiences, I'd love to hear about them. Leave a comment for this post and tell me all about your "difficult gig" and what you did to work through it.