Ten biggest reasons I hate gigging

[NWBasser]

What's the point of playing to a stone-faced and disinterested crowd?

I mean, if there's no reaction from the audience, why even bother?

[deeaa*]

What's the point of playing to a stone-faced and disinterested crowd?

I mean, if there's no reaction from the audience, why even bother?

Well, if all bands thought like that, then there would be no new bands at all coming to the scene, would there? Gotta start somewhere. Maybe after a few gigs some of those will get interested as well, if they happen to be there again. I mean, the 1st time you yourself see a band play in your usual bar, are you cheering and whatnot? I must confess, I maybe check out the guitarist's gear and then just pay attention to my friends and the drink. Maybe if I happen to see the same band again I remember it a little and it sounded interesting the first time, I might go stand near the stage for a while at least, and nod approvingly and such. Third time, if sufficiently drunk, I might get up close and applause even.

You can't choose the audience, you can only try to affect on the venue. It's luck of the draw whether someone will be there.

Many a times I've traveled 200 miles to a gig and literally played two hours for about a dozen people altogether, of which maybe six at best were in at the same time in the bar. Because there were two big name bands playing in the neighboring bars, nobody came to this bar save a few drunkards who could not care less. Except one of them kept begging us all night to play some song I never even heard of.

Another time, same city, we happen to have the playing time just as a local hockey match ended and the bar was chock full of jubilant people...the only time I ever could have stage-dived and really had everyone in the bar jumping up and down with the music.

Sadly, nine times out of ten it's the first scenario.

Our town is not big, about 90.000 people, but if there are 4 bars with live music on tonight, one is bound to be some real big name or a foreign band passing, and two some medium-league recorded bands with some following, and one a cover band. How do you compete? Not many people will come to listen to this no-name band they never heard of. What audience there happens to be is NOT there for the band; they may view the band as a plus or maybe even a nuisance if they don't agree with the style of music, but in any case they never asked for a band that night in their regular watering-hole, so the unknown band is always the underdog. You're coming there to disrupt their usual setting, forcing them to listen to music they never heard before, so yeah...it's not like you're usually super warmly welcome.

But, you gotta start somewhere or you're just playing by yourself and not getting anywhere fast.

BTW this particular gig this Friday...it's a non-drinking youth bar...so none of my friends are coming to see us play :-( they say they don't want to be amidst some teenagers and besides, what's the point if there's no beer...