Last night I performed at a big wedding all they want to hear was 80's rock Motley Crue Kiss Poison Aerosmith etc, all night long it was loud the people in 4 hours drank so much that many of them couldn't even stand up by the last hour sloppy drunk vomiting it OMGwas horrible..... In no way would using an arranger keyboard go over well and a party like that I DJ'd live and got the hell out of it as a minute it was over....... I o did it as a favor to the mother of the bride was one of my clients...

That sure sounds scary to me Donny. It is a good thing you had plan B.

Yuck... Did you even bring a KB?

Yeah, the gig from hell. We've all been there, done that. Glad you came through unscathed, Donny. I guess you know who to turn down next time they ask.

I brought the keyboard played 3 songs knew that this wasn't going that this wasn't going to work when in to DJ mode for the rest of the night at least I have the songs on my laptop just couldn't wait till it was over you just have to be prepared for anything cause that's going to happen at any job

people had a great time?
you got paid @ the end?

that's all that matters

onto the next party !!!

Lee after 45 years of gigs I can handle anything......might not like some of them but tomorrows another day on stage....the percentage of these Nightmare jobs is very minimal per year .....just wanted to share my experience so maybe it wont happen to someone else unaware using just a keyboard & end up ruining their night and the clients party too...just be ready for anything, have many tools in your bag of tricks JUST IN CASE!

Donny ... wasn't there any conversation with the bride and groom before the wdding about the music selections? ...

Sure makes me glad I no longer do weddings.

Gary

I agree, but it could conceiveably happen elsewhere.

Donny, I hope you packed up all the unnecessary stuff early and got outta there quickly.

Tony. They got married in Iowa the bride is from there they got married last week they got married last week at last the mother I know here just wanted to just wanted to have a party for her friends in New Jersey and family members so I had no communication with a couple. She is. 85!!

... there ya go ...
... didn't even know they KNEW Motley Crue, Kiss, Poison, Aerosmith, out there ...

juggling 80 yrs of different generations music is getting tricky out there....you better be ready for it if you wanna make a living performing music !

Donny

Just did a similiar one at the Pines in Edison NJ last year. They did want the keyboard for the cocktail hour and it was in the same room. Some people appreciated it but I could of DJ'd that too. Entrance song for the Bride & Groom was "Kickstart My Heart" !!! That's how it went all night. Wasn't worth dragging the keyboard in. I've run across a few Brides who have no clue about pleasing their guests, "its their day". Had one who totally programmed the whole wedding, down to the minute. Gave me a time chart and all the CD's in order !! I was one big jukebox and the wedding sucked !!
After the hard rock intro I mixed up the rest of the night best I could for all there, got paid cash, ate well, had a few drinks and I'm gone. As long as they don't get all over me with "do this, do that" I'm OK with anything. Been there and seen it all.
Like you said, be ready for anything.

Bill I worked the Pines Manor many many times thru the years with my band years ago as a club & as a OMB Kb & Dj as it is now a wedding hall etc, for private affairs, did a corporate Xmas event last year there.... I try to book gigs I would rather perform at with the age group I prefere 45-90+.......... or a mixed aged family affair where you can easily mix it up FOR ALL.....but in todays world doing a straight teenager,20's-35 yr old crowd get ready for all kinds of Drunken nonsense and wild shenanigans as a DJ,......they will eat you alive if you only go there with just an arranger KB imo...another plus if you DJ some parties is to give yourself an edge over other acts and be a good singer which lets you break up the room feel when needed, cocktail hr. dinner etc,....and even as a DJ you better know how to read the room and keep the RIGHT dance music going one song after another All Night Long! Good luck out there my friends..

I am guessing this was a 45+ crowd if they were wanting 80s rock.

Nigel funny thing 25 - 35 !!!

I came of age in the 80's... I recently went to my high school class reunion. The band (yes- no DJ) played mostly 70's classic rock. Everyone seemed totally fine with that... Anyways I have noticed the 80's music is pretty popular with the young folks. I remember in the 80's, my friends and really dug the 60's and 70's music. Wasn't there a big 50's rock revival back in the 70's (Happy Days, American Graffiti, Grease) I guess the whole retro thing makes people feel nostalgic...

And remember every song has to be danceable no matter what year it is ..

That's what I LOVE about my following - I can stray from the dance tunes when the situation arises - I love going into singer-songwriter mode and telling stories too. Even at a popular dance hall like my shore spots - I can slip in a few acoustic offerings later in the night when the crowd thins. It's great to shut off all the electronics and just go with it. Tonight, I had just such a moment and I pulled "Sometimes when we touch" out of the vault (my bald head) - I also did "Blackbird", and "Wild World" on guitar. I had a ball.
Dancers are great, but listeners are in the room too, and they need their due!

They would have thrown you out of the party I played with those songs Dave The Motle hahaha

Knowing Dave - only from S-Z - I doubt that he would have played those songs at that party either ...

Donny, just a few weeks ago my dou was hired to play a house party. The contact person told us that they wanted fun, high energy up beat dance music. it turns out it was a dinner party at a very elegant house and the host was doing basically a business meeting over a meal of several courses. About every 15 min he'd get on our mic, show a PowerPoint, then the chef would come out and explain the food they were being served, the wine selection and so on... So we hardly played. When we did play it was our soft bossas novas and standards. No dance stuff at all...The host never told what to play, we just could feel that the high energy dance stuff wasn't a good hit. He gave us the thumbs up and a nice tip too. he said he'll call for his next event... Sometimes you never know until you get to the gig...

People dance to my standards and bossas always.. I always make all musical genres.danceable.... Of course you can always listen as well

Yes, towards the end we had some couples dancing to some romantic boleros. It just didn't seem like it would have been appropriate to throw on some mp3 of Cupid Shuffle, 80's hard rock, or Gangnam Style would have fit for this particular dinner part, even though the contact person made it sound like it was going to be a balls to the wall, high energy event. Like you say, you got to be ready for anything because they will throw you some curve balls from time to time.

Paul ... I had a VERY similar experience a few months back ... a woman hires me for a retirement party and says they want fun, party, dance music ... so I get a playlist prepared and as I am setting up the wife of the retiree comes over and says "you will be playing nice soft background music so the guests can speak with my husband and say their 'goodbyes', correct?" ... "OF COURSE" I said ...
So much for my 'fun, party, dance music' playlist ... Ours is such a GREAT business ...

Years ago a popular musician from the Jersey shore named "Crazy Hugie" gave me a hint as to why he was so popular. Mind you he really wasn't a good musician or singer but packed all the bars he played and had a great run. He told me "Know how to read your crowd"
Great advice and you did it at that dinner party. That's one of the things that experience brings. I've found people rarely know what should be played at their events, its up to us to read the crowd and react accordingly.
I've learned to be ready for anything. Congradulations on a job well done.

Bill, I agree wholeheartedly - there are very few DJs, KJs, OMBs and full bands out there that have someone that can actually look at an audience and read the crowd, an attribute which I consider an absolute necessity if you are going to survive in this business. Of course, the vast majority of the players out there today DO NOT perform for a full-time living. For them, it's something they do part time for the extra income.

Cheers,

Gary

Weekend warriors could care less all I care about is your money...... I played what happened at he would play the bar and I was playing the weddings in the other he would play the bar and I was playing the weddings in the other room he was a very good entertainer had some set up to.

Want to edit that into English for us, Donny?

Donny been dipping in the holiday punch bowl?

DonM

Kickapoo Joy Juice!

Haha.......this dam voice texting on this phone stinx...lol

hahaha Gary.....this dam Voice TEXT on my phone works like crap lol.....here's the corrected version sorry about that...

Weekend warriors could care less all they care about is money,...... I played with Huey years ago also.. he would play OMB at the bar and I was playing the weddings with my band in the other BIG Banquet Rooms, on breaks I would stop in to see him perform and chart a bit he was a very good entertainer had some great KB set up too. But this was back in the 80's when it was still 50/50% band & Dj's....unlike now where DJ's are dominating....... reading the crowd and NOT letting what YOU LIKE interfere with the performance as after all it is a business and the customer ALWAYS comes first!!...leave your "personal musical likes" at home when your working & playing for the public, give them what they want and do it well as repeat business and personal recommendations is your major lifeline to longevity...

Carry On!