Gigs declined

[FatBoy46]

Hated to say no to two gig offers in one day. One was with a European 7/8 piece high energy band planning to tour here this month whose drummer had pulled out and my name was put up as potential local replacement. It all coincides with an eye surgery mid month apart from the fact that I don't think I could have handled their genre. The other was for NYE with a blues band in the big city but pay was a pittance for that night and anyway I have a jazz brunch on New Years Day and driving back through crazy traffic that night for 2/3 hours to set up again at around 10am the next day was not something I would do for a lot more money. What gigs have you had to decline ?

Probably the biggest gig ever- that could have started me playing kit- about 15 years sooner- or been laughed off the stage. Had to turn the opportunity down. Was headed home for holidays while in college. Always wondered what would have happened.

 

[reh333]

I had to turn down a gig at a nudist campground. I'd done one already. The adage is true: 'People who actually should not be nudists, are.'
Hot, early August night, lots of booze and dancing. Way too much sweating, and not by me. What could be bad about that? On top of that, a long drive, average pay, and boring music.

 

[AgDrumma07]

We've certainly turned down gigs before, typically over money. We all have full-time jobs and 3 of us have kids, so it's just not worth giving up a full Saturday for $100 and a few free Miller Lites.

 

[lossforgain]

@dcrigger i can totally get that, I’m just not playing at the same level as you guys.

 

[jptrickster]

Local dive bar my regular band Dec 29 100 bucks told them to get a sub!

 

[goodcat1337]

I think you may have misread my post. The lack of a required rehearsal would make the gig FAR more attractive to me than one that required rehearsal(s). It's not necessarily about the band/artist not caring much about the end result, it's about having a network of experienced pro musicians who can be counted on to show up and nail the gig without a rehearsal or, at the absolute most, a quick run-through of tricky or key moments in the show during soundcheck.

In my circles, rehearsals are the rare exception to the rule. I routinely hire subs strictly on personal referrals, without ever hearing them play a note, or ever meeting them until I pick them up at the airport or meet them at the gig. I know my guys would never send me a sub who couldn't nail the gig without a rehearsal. It's just a baseline expectation.

For me? Give me recordings of the tunes (ideally live recordings so I can hear the endings) and I'll see you at the gig. I'll even sing harmony, cold, if you need. That's not to say I refuse to do rehearsals, if they're required. I just prefer to work on my own. It all comes down to "being comfortable with being uncomfortable", preparing as much as possible, and keeping your ears and eyes open on stage.

Two of the biggest opportunities of my career were "sink or swim" gigs, with no rehearsal and barely even a soundcheck. If they weren't confident I could step in and nail it without a rehearsal, I would never have gotten the calls in the first place.

I'm currently going thru this situation for a gig coming up on the 15th. No rehearsal ahead of time, the bass player is coming up from KY to SC. But we've all played together tons over the years and we all trust each other to learn their stuff on their own. I've got the set list, notes and some rough scratch recordings one of the guys did at home, so I'm good.

 

[cribbon]

I think you may have misread my post. The lack of a required rehearsal would make the gig FAR more attractive to me than one that required rehearsal(s). It's not necessarily about the band/artist not caring much about the end result, it's about having a network of experienced pro musicians who can be counted on to show up and nail the gig without a rehearsal or, at the absolute most, a quick run-through of tricky or key moments in the show during soundcheck.

In my circles, rehearsals are the rare exception to the rule. I routinely hire subs strictly on personal referrals, without ever hearing them play a note, or ever meeting them until I pick them up at the airport or meet them at the gig. I know my guys would never send me a sub who couldn't nail the gig without a rehearsal. It's just a baseline expectation.

For me? Give me recordings of the tunes (ideally live recordings so I can hear the endings) and I'll see you at the gig. I'll even sing harmony, cold, if you need. That's not to say I refuse to do rehearsals, if they're required. I just prefer to work on my own. It all comes down to "being comfortable with being uncomfortable", preparing as much as possible, and keeping your ears and eyes open on stage.

Two of the biggest opportunities of my career were "sink or swim" gigs, with no rehearsal and barely even a soundcheck. If they weren't confident I could step in and nail it without a rehearsal, I would never have gotten the calls in the first place.

Exactly!

 

[Russian Dragon]

I got a call to sub for a friend of mine. No problem, I say. "It's a wedding gig", he adds sheepishly...No problem. "Here's the date and time", he says, "and the bandleader's contact info, a Dropboxed copy of some board tapes and his charts, if I want them." No problem.

"Oh, and in case you need more info about the venue, here's the bride's name."......Uh-oh. Problem! Turns out she's an old girlfriend of mine. She's not the problem - we're friendly and I wish her well in her new life. But her friends and family would definitely have been a problem, and might have ruined her big day. So I turned it down.