First & maybe last gig

Jan 25, 2011
1,410
2,086
4,571
62
S.E. Mo
I will turn 53 in a couple of weeks & I finally had my first "gig". Only about 10 people showed up, mostly family. Actually I guess this would be my second gig because I played once in high school at a basketball game in the pep band in the early '80's & I actually butchered "Smoke on the water". Anyway last Friday I played my first "paying" gig, I made a whole $10.00. The video does not kick in until the :35 second mark

 
Forgot to mention that the lead player has only been with us about 2 months and he & the rhythm guitar player are butting heads. So it may have been the last gig for now

OP, sounds like The Stones, Guns 'n Roses, Kiss, the Kinks, and about upteen other great bands. Maybe you got something there. :thumbsup:
 
And so... why should it be your last gig again?

Next time, you may get twelve people to show up. The time after that, eighteen! The time after that there will only be three. But the time after THAT there will be thirty-five, and five years from now you'll be playing to a hundred people. Then three again.

If guitarists butt heads - they may still play. Or one will quit, and you get along with just one guitarist, or find a new one. No biggie.

This trainwreck was my first "gig" - open mic night with some guys I had been jamming with. I don't believe we ever played another. I would have been 40 I believe.


Not very promising.

This is four years and forty or fifty gigs later (different group):
 
Stick with it. For most players this saying is true: "If was was doing this for the money, I'd be doing something else."

And regardless of how many people show up for the gig, or how much you are being paid, if you aren't playing for the enjoyment of the music and band members, its not going to be worth it in the long run.
 
  • Like
Reactions: champbassist
I recently played my first gig after almost two years - this was at an amphitheater at an outdoor event. We were 3rd on the bill and watched in despair as the bands before us completely turned off the 200 odd people that had gathered (the first was a colossal trainwreck, the second was a decent but out of place extreme metal band). We ended up playing to no more than 50 people :meh:

I also count myself among the guys who play for the love of it and certainly won't give up due to this one Spinal Tap-esque moment :p I'm pretty certain you're playing for similar reasons - in such a case, I personally suggest it'd be great if you stick with it :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: jd56hawk
Actually I guess this would be my second gig because I played once in high school at a basketball game in the pep band in the early '80's & I actually butchered "Smoke on the Water".

…we have all butchered songs. I recall having a total brain-lock on "Beat It"...a lot more than 10 people were present, too (more on this). We had a female singer who could nail MJ. She was giving me that look until I figured it out. On the break, our bandleader read her, not me, the riot act.

How did you butcher "SOTW"?

I would say playing in front of a small "crowd" is more difficult...especially family!
:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: champbassist
I play in two fairly successful bands. I've had a couple of gigs recently that bombed so bad we got shut down early. Even after 40 years of playing , this still happens from time to time. Last night we played to a packed house. They passed a tip jar during the third set and kept us in for an extra set. Those are the nights we all live for. Don't get discouraged. There's always going to be good nights and bad nights. The good ones are soooo worth it.
Musicians butting heads? There are other musicians and other bands. Stick it out. You'll find a good thing soon enough.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jd56hawk and zontar
The jam we went into in the second half of the video is one of my favorite gigging moments. I thought of posting it in the "jam that feels like sex" thread, but that's not quite the word for it.
Your band went on a great musical journey there and took us all along with you. Really enjoyed that a lot. Love it when the players are feeding off each other.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hrodbert696