Not Again!! Worst Multi-Band Gig Ever

[refin]

For starters----- ;)
We were doing a Celebration Night once with about 8-10 other artists.Everyone was supposed to do about 3 or 4 songs,and our band was going to finish up.There was a couple of record execs who were supposed to come see this young girl sing,but they were nowhere to be seen when her turn came,and she hit the stage.
Two friends of mine had waited 3 hours for their turn to go on (the whole schedule was way behind),and they were barely into the second song when they were asked to finish up.The reason? The record "execs" had shown up late,and the parents of the previously mentioned girl wanted them to hear her sing! :banghead :banghead
It left a baaad taste in alot of people's mouth----why didn't they just reschedule her spot till the execs got there? Political madness has no place at such an event! :soapbox

This wasn't a funny situation,but everyone got over it....of course,on the sidelines,our flesh was going,"Make her forget the words! Let her trip when she gets up there!" :-) (Not really).

Multi-artist events are always fun,but they are rarely on time,or something weird/funny happens....what's your story?

[MrMike]

We were asked to do a benefit for a young mothers' home. In return, we were promised motel rooms and free drinks. (This was my B.C. days.) I should have known that something was up when I ordered a drink and had to pay for it. When I tried to find the event organizer, he was nowhere to be found. The event was very poorly organized and barely advertized. The guy bailed, leaving us and another band in the lurch. Things turned ugly when the other band was found smoking dope inside the hall. The organizer had completely bailed. The other band had driven six hours to the gig with a rented truck and an entourage of about 10 hangers on. They got stuck for the cost of the truck and the 6 motel rooms. We only had to drive about 2 hours to get home in a potent Iowa blizzard.

[Teleguy]

High expectations = low serenity.

Expectations are just pre-meditated resentments.

I learned a long time ago that if you want any guaranty, get it in writing (a Musician's Union Contract worked good for me).

Now that I'm mostly out of that scene I can sorta see that stuff comin' a long ways off in most Christian "concert" situations.

I guess I've got a well developed gauno detector.

The same thing happens in every Little League or Youth Soccer situation I've ever seen!

Call me cynical, call me defensive, call me jaded, call me pessimistic.
I don't mind.
Your opinion of me is none of my business! :cool:

When it comes to those kinds of grandious schemes and striving, the Lord showed me the book of Ecclesiastes, and I read it, and reread it: sometimes monthly.

John Fischer said a long time ago in the back of a CCM magazine,
"...If God has a place for you in music ministry, He will bring it about, probably in spite of your own efforts!"

[stephen]

About the only place that actually handled the multiple artist/band gig's was Gazzari's and The Whiskey in hollyweird (definitely before Jesus took over my life!).

I havent had any bad experiences in a Christain setting (yet), but I remember one ugly instance at the Troubador, and a soon-to-be well known band from back then, decided to not take the intimidating 'Guido' type tactics from the owner and his bouncers.

It seems the owner decided to bump them from the headline spot, and cut their pay. He was too busy shootin cocaine in his veins and having an orgy upstairs to go and tell the band himself, so he sent his bouncers to go and tell them, and to tell them they aint gonna gripe about it either, if they know whats good for em. The band started a full scale bar-brawl. They and their two roadies, sent all of the troubadors bouncers to the hospital, pulled the owner out of his lair naked, got all the originally agreed to funds from him, and played the headline spot after they beat up the other band and their roadies. No one ever tried pulling that on those guys ever again!

Thank God I am out of that scene!

[Crunchyriff]

having been in both sides of the biz (secular and christian) people are people.

But I've seen some mighty disappointing things happen on our side of the fence... up close and personal, Within churces on the tour circuit, and in the CHR music industry itself. It nearly makes me want to go play with the unsaved- at least you know what you are gonna get for the most part, and if they are crooks, well, they ARE 'lost', right?

ONE thing that REALLY chaps my butt, if I may be so blunt is those churches that expect you to play for free "because it's for the Lord.." Like a Deacon for example, who may have a painting biz: he isn't going to paint your house for free, "for the Lord"... yeah like yer paint biz is a "little hobby"..the CPA on the church board isn't going to do your books for free, and so forth.

or worse, a church promises you x amt of dollars to show up, play and minster, and then backs out and says "oh there must have been a misunderstanding this is supposed to be an offering to the Lord, brother..." (can I puke now?)

I was raised to be a man of my word, and to HAVE to have a contract to keep the scum/wolves (within the body, mind you) from ripping me off really, really insults me to a very deep degree.

I hate like heck having to deal with contract riders and such, but you know this part of it is BIZ. Once we got on the Salt Music Label, it was all 'formal biz' (contract, rider, stage plot, etc), and there IS a PLACE for that. As unfortunate an aspect as that may be.

Oh yeah, I've been in a few screwy 'multi-band' lineups too..one was at a CHR event in the Bay area. The Christian Rap group ahead of us treated our band worse than I have ever been treated in the secular world, complete with a real, bona-fide racist mentality, too... :cry:

[MrMike]

What really burns me up is that many churches will dump a few grand to have an evangelist come in for a weekend, but when you try to get 500 bucks for a band to bring in their own gear and play, they just "don't have room in the budget". :banghead

[seagullplayer]

What really burns me up is that many churches will dump a few grand to have an evangelist come in for a weekend, but when you try to get 500 bucks for a band to bring in their own gear and play, they just "don't have room in the budget". :banghead

Our board decided several years ago that we will pay the Evangelist and the "band" the same. And we set what we pay, it's the same for everyone. We invite alot of "local" ministers in and didn't want anyone thinking they where "worth" less than someone else. ;)

[refin]

Some great vents here,guys......seems that no matter where we are from the same things happen in Churchworld as in the "Sick-ular" music business.
I agree about having a contract and rider.....one time a woman called me up and wanted to book my band 40 miles away for a lock-in.Well,you know the brutal hours of a lock in---you play an hour at 10,bible study at midnight,games,and then you play again from 2 to 3:30.
Back then I said we get a $250 honorarium plus a love offering for a gig like this------SILENCE....more silence....."Uh....hmmm....well,let me talk to my leadership and see what they can pay."
Bottom line---this poor woman was probably in the middle,and had been given no budget to work with! I finally had to mention the cost because she was going into detail about the gig without ever asking what it would cost!
As far as charging for what I do,I challenge any non-musician to go to work on Monday and tell their boss to not pay them anymore....that they will simply put a love offering basket by their desk and "trust the Lord."
:ROFL
This is superceeded by any prompting of the Lord to freely give my services,of course. :angel
As one business sign said: "In God we trust...all others pay cash."
An elder's wife once asked me, "Have you ever had a real job?"
We both laughed at her question because of how it sounded,but in my mind I was thinking,"Tell you what,sis....I'l strap a guitar around your neck,put you in front of 300+ people who are hanging on every word and note you present,and see how you view my career."
The lyrics to Taking Care Of Business were ringing in the distance. :ROFL

[kewlpack]

Not sure if this fits in... but it was the best bad experience...

In my senior year at high school, I was in a heavy metal band (lead singer). We were the "freaks" band (e.g. druggies and losers according to many) and up against the "jocks" band. There were several other bands too, but this tale only involves the jocks. ;)

We could play up to three songs each. They were up first and did a pretty good job. Lots of cheering and stuff. So we are up last and give it our all... In the middle of our second song - suddenly all of our power went out - yes, just our power on stage... Well... after about 10 seconds of complete panic, we just kept right on playing unplugged (LOL). Then all of the power came back on and we finished the song.

Someone came up and told us before the last song that someone had unplugged the main power on us. We didn't have time to think about that though... we played the last song without any problems. As we ended that song the kids in the auditorium (lots of friends) all ran up on stage and were huggin' and cheerin' us on. It was a total thrill. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: I wish I could get copy of the video tape. One of our guitarist's mom recorded it all... sadly he committed suicide in '91 over a marriage problem - and I was unable to keep in touch over the years.

After things settled down, the voting results of the competition came in - well, we came in second (lots of boo's), and then as fate would have it the jocks band won first place.

A few days later we found out that the jocks band had been the guys who unplugged us. :-s

Oh well - in our hearts we were just happy to have been able to play, learn and um... be "cool"... :cool: :cool: :cool:

Ah... the memories.

[refin]

Aaahhhhhhhh.....those "jocks".
I remember working sound for what I would call a "track-o-thon"---almost everyone who was performing was bombarding me with cassette tapes of backing tracks--"Now,I want to do track 2 and 4 on this side.....fade the solo down so I can share.....make sure the music isn't too loud....can you jack the bass a little? The music you are playing now sounds thin...."

:lol: :lol: Good thing I had a pad and paper,could've been a disaster.
I've seen such events where the wrong track was put in for a singer.
(I'm not a fan of spiritual karaoke,so the dark side did try to rise up :angel ).

[Crunchyriff]

"jocks" and "jerks" I found somehow to be synonymous...(with a few exceptions)

[refin]

"jocks" and "jerks" I found somehow to be synonymous...(with a few exceptions)

People from "Land Of The No Necks".
They would often be the main crowd of the disco clubs here.
The harder they tried to be cool,the worse they looked...........(with a few exceptions) :lol: