The gig or the band?

[Bullitt5135]

My band has been offered a slot at a local art fair. We can either take the Friday night headliner slot, but we would need a sub for our guitarist — or — we can take the Sunday afternoon slot with our normal lineup. Everybody agrees the Friday slot is more desirable (high-profile, late nite party vibe, & cooler weather). The guitarist is not jumping at the chance to take one for the team and sit out since we have the Sunday option.

FWIW, I’m not crazy about acting like any one of us is expendable for the sake of a gig. Then again, maybe the guitarist is putting himself above the interests of the band? We have plenty of shows on the calendar, and our primary motivation is to play fun gigs for good crowds. Money is not an issue for us.

What’s more important to you …the gig or the band?

 

[Pulverizor]

Has the sub been contacted and is available, ready & willing?
Seems like an important part of the equation before choosing the Friday night gig.

 

[Pocket Dave]

Normally I'd say the gig.

But I'm a mercenary.

Of the 115 gigs I played last year, the lion's share were with my main band.

I've had 2 schedule conflicts with them in the past two years. In both cases no one had to think twice about getting a sub.

OTOH, the fact that you have a choice of festival slots muddies the water.

Not knowing your guitarist's reason for being unavailable - not that it matters if he already blacked out the date - or how big a deal the headline slot actually is, etc, it's hard to say.

Also, are there issues with your guitarist beyond this one date? Could this be an opportunity to audition the sub?

Can you get a sub?

Or do your guitarist's values outweigh any issues he might have? Would taking the headline slot and subbing out his position be likely to cause otherwise avoidable resentments?

Also keep in mind that headline slot may end up being not all it's cranked up to be:

I've done a lot of festivals over the past 45-50 years, some headlining, some opening, some in between somewhere.

We put in our request for a headline slot for one in 1990 where a lot of local DFW heavy hitters were billed. Despite a strong value-prop - we were the only rock & motown party dance band on the bill at a festival that promised a spirited, dancing crowd, we were given the #2, early afternoon slot initially, with the headline slot being offered to the 2-time Grammy winning Brave Combo.

Brave Combo then requested our slot since they had an out-of-state gig that night, so we were shuffled to the #3, mid-afternoon slot.

Ours turned out to be the best slot of the festival. We followed Brave Combo, who had everyone on their feet their whole set, and we were able to dove-tail our set into their energy.

Since I was a huge fan of the festival's second-choice headline band, I stuck around. By the time they took the stage, most of the crowd had tapped out. Sometimes "headlining" just means sticking around to lock the doors.

Also, a good rule of thumb with festivals is to accept that they often don't go the way you think they will.

 

[pepj]

Good weather for an arts fare may well be a bigger more eclectic audience sunday afternoon, and headliner might only mean last on...not necessarily anything more tangible.

I'd need more info, but the clincher is you wantvto 'headline' with a sub...
Doesn't make sense to me unless the sub is pretty regular. Not used before for a proper headline..er, no.

 

[Polfuste]

To me the band, if you have a possibility for original lineup in the place. If no choice, Sub is no more a question.

 

[Tom Winter]

I have to say theband. See if the guitarist can change his schedule.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Depends on the goals of the band. But unless you are playing primarily for the $$$, I'd take the Sunday slot.

One other issue - if guitarist was late in getting back to you about his availability. Then take the better slot.

 

[Bullitt5135]

Has the sub been contacted and is available, ready & willing?
Seems like an important part of the equation before choosing the Friday night gig.

Yes, the sub is also our sound man. He’s available and has performed with us several times. He is a solid player, so no issues there. Our regular guitarist is on vacation with his family that week. No way that he can make Friday. Given that it’s often said that “families come first,” it seems only fair that we schedule around everyone’s family obligations.

 

[J Wilson]

I've found that often a sub who's at least as good (works better if he's WAY better) and willing to zip right in (extra strength results if he's looking for a new gig) often brings the regular guy back in line pretty quickly.

In a band, you either work as a team or crew, or you piss away a lot catering to individual egos who need constant stroking. Life is too short for the latter, especially as you find out enough is never enough.

 

[ebo]

My band would opt for the Sunday slot with the original guitarist. For us, subs are a last resort, and festivals are unpredictable…Sunday may be better. We like day time gigs and do a fair amount of them.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

IMO, most gigs with subs are definitely noticeable. A very late night crowd of drunks would overlook this or may not notice. If you don't care about reputation, lack shame and self respect, or just need the cash, go for it.

 

[NickyBass]

Personally, I would pick the band.

 

[40Hz]

I believe in my family coming first - for me - but not for my band. So if I can’t make a gig due to prior family commitments that I can’t reschedule, I fully respect the band electing to have a sub fill in for me.

The real dilemma for you is which slot to choose. Generally the later you go on, the later in the festival, the fewer will stay to see you - unless you’re a recognized band with a well established following.

Most festivals I’ve attended will have people starting to head out earlier on the last day for the trip back home. Needless to say, Saturday is the prime day for a three day festival. But that’s usually reserved for the bigger names. And most festivals have the biggest name headlining on the last day to keep people there. So if they’re doing that at this festival you’re going to notice most people just want the other acts to get off the stage as quickly as possible so they can see the big star and go home.

If it were me, I’d opt for headlining on Friday with a sub. I just think it’d be a more strategic move.

 

[john_g]

So the guitarist is pushing to take the sunday slot because he doesnt want you to take the gig on friday with a fill in? Sorry, no coffee yet. If that is the case, it can be a little tricky if he ends up resenting it. Ive done alot of these types of fair/festival gigs and they always sound alot better on paper than they end up being. Not worth creating an issue over IMO.

 

[GodPlayedBass]

I'm gonna get some heat for saying this but if people want to be a serious musician they have to make the band/shows a priority. I don't know what your guitarist has going on but he shouldn't be trying to hold you guys back

 

[FrozenCloud]

I play in a trio, there’s nowhere to hide. A sub would have to be spot on for it to work. For my band we all play or we don’t do the gig.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

My band has been offered a slot at a local art fair. We can either take the Friday night headliner slot, but we would need a sub for our guitarist — or — we can take the Sunday afternoon slot with our normal lineup. Everybody agrees the Friday slot is more desirable (high-profile, late nite party vibe, & cooler weather). The guitarist is not jumping at the chance to take one for the team and sit out since we have the Sunday option.

FWIW, I’m not crazy about acting like any one of us is expendable for the sake of a gig. Then again, maybe the guitarist is putting himself above the interests of the band? We have plenty of shows on the calendar, and our primary motivation is to play fun gigs for good crowds. Money is not an issue for us.

What’s more important to you …the gig or the band?

‘For a ‘Marquee” event, unless a sub has your material down cold and not jamming his way along, IMO, you turn down the gig. We had several subs for our last NYE gig, a very high end high dollar event, and they sucked therefore the rest of us sucked. So in our case, never again.

 

[micguy]

Family comes first. Good principle to keep.

Your second family (the band) comes second. The band is (hopefully) a group of folks with whom you're trying to build something - doing a gig in the daytime with them is good for that - it's a gig and you all work to pull it off. Unless you are a huge name band (Journey or something similar) the chance that you'll have a big excited audience for the "headlining" spot on Friday evening is actually kinda slim - pretty good chance you'll play to a thinning audience in that time slot.

Playing with your bandmate helps build the band and reinforce that you're a team. Playing with a sub because the "time slot" was better, you're saying to him/her that the time slot is worth more to the band than he/she is. In the long run, that's not a good move.

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

I would pass on the headliner spot. Years ago, one of my bands got the penultimate spot in a multiple-band festival. By the time we played, we had 15 people left - including the 7-piece band that headlined. And they basically played for us.

I'm gonna get some heat for saying this but if people want to be a serious musician they have to make the band/shows a priority. I don't know what your guitarist has going on but he shouldn't be trying to hold you guys back

Sure, if that is the agreed-upon common goal of the band. If said goal was adjusted due to the availability of a headline spot (which may or may not lead to better things), I would disagree with you.

 

[51PRI]

My band has been offered a slot at a local art fair. We can either take the Friday night headliner slot, but we would need a sub for our guitarist — or — we can take the Sunday afternoon slot with our normal lineup. Everybody agrees the Friday slot is more desirable (high-profile, late nite party vibe, & cooler weather). The guitarist is not jumping at the chance to take one for the team and sit out since we have the Sunday option.

FWIW, I’m not crazy about acting like any one of us is expendable for the sake of a gig. Then again, maybe the guitarist is putting himself above the interests of the band? We have plenty of shows on the calendar, and our primary motivation is to play fun gigs for good crowds. Money is not an issue for us.

What’s more important to you …the gig or the band?

What I would ask, and what I AM asking, is why is your guitarist not available for a Friday night gig? If the reason is "he's gigging with his other band" then my response about which night to play would be different than it would be if the reason is "his son's college graduation."