Mobile Zombie
Yesterday night I had a very nice wedding gig. Quite small, about 100 guests so I was standing very close to the audience.
Everybody really had a fun time, the dancefloor was filled from first minute to last.
What makes me a bit confused is the bride, she was quite drunk, but anyway she approached me several times during the evening with words like:
Play more EDM
Play more oldschool
Play this and that
Of course I tried to be very open for her requests since after all they are paying for the gig.
But she evolved into having more and more control of what tracks played and in the end of the night she asked me ”what is the next track?” Bla bla
Play THIS track after the next
Every third song should be EDM and so on
She tried to take over my job while the dancefloor was full constantly, so there were not much of a problem really.
The groom was super duper happy and told me several times during the night how well choosen the tracks was so only the bride had to interfere.
Anyway how do you cope with your paying clients go across the line like this?
Everybody really had a fun time, the dancefloor was filled from first minute to last.
What makes me a bit confused is the bride, she was quite drunk, but anyway she approached me several times during the evening with words like:
Play more EDM
Play more oldschool
Play this and that
Of course I tried to be very open for her requests since after all they are paying for the gig.
But she evolved into having more and more control of what tracks played and in the end of the night she asked me ”what is the next track?” Bla bla
Play THIS track after the next
Every third song should be EDM and so on
She tried to take over my job while the dancefloor was full constantly, so there were not much of a problem really.
The groom was super duper happy and told me several times during the night how well choosen the tracks was so only the bride had to interfere.
Anyway how do you cope with your paying clients go across the line like this?
Posted Sun 20 May 18 @ 10:47 am
wildcountryclub
the one's like that and bride-zillas are why I don't do weddings ($1,000,000 non-negotionable flat fee tends ward them off quite nicely) and stick with the lunacy and stress of being a club resident.
but realistically that would have been the time to ask the bride & groom or whoever was footing the bill for the gig for their input. they would have either said to humor her or managed to deal with her themselves.
but realistically that would have been the time to ask the bride & groom or whoever was footing the bill for the gig for their input. they would have either said to humor her or managed to deal with her themselves.
Posted Sun 20 May 18 @ 12:10 pm
djles.co.uk
I had a wedding that was a bit like that last night. 3 times during the night, the bride wanted her chosen song on NOW, not at the end of the current song playing. I had to cut it off in mid song to keep her happy. It was an otherwise excellent night. Also, I had the finish of the night planned in my head, then, with 8 minutes to go the bride wanted Motown. Ah well, it's her day. Turned out alright in the end, but, a bit frustrating for me.
Posted Sun 20 May 18 @ 1:20 pm
wickedmix
dj killer 477 wrote :
hi guys so my name is tinaye babbage . I tried uploading my skin creations but it has not been posted to the public what should I do
stop hijacking topics this is about weddings
Posted Sun 20 May 18 @ 5:32 pm
Exclusive100
We are in the client service business, so if playing her requests made her happy, its a guaranteed job well done!
Posted Sun 20 May 18 @ 10:53 pm
wildcountryclub
not if it makes the rest of the crowd unhappy.
you don't pour water on one burning leaf and let the rest of the forest burn do you?
proper judgement and deciding if one bad review from one drunk lady is better than many good reviews from everyone else that was there.
you don't pour water on one burning leaf and let the rest of the forest burn do you?
proper judgement and deciding if one bad review from one drunk lady is better than many good reviews from everyone else that was there.
Posted Mon 21 May 18 @ 1:37 am
gabycorrea
usually it's about agreeing how the music will be done before a previous meeting,or by microphone you let people know with great diplomacy that the music is being chosen by the bride .............;)
when they are in evidence they calm down
when they are in evidence they calm down
Posted Mon 21 May 18 @ 3:39 am
serieB
It's a tough issue. In one of my weddings the past year the bride only wanted commercial latin music (specially awful reggaeton) and the groom 90's dance, meanwhile the crowd had a more indie pop and rock profile. The couple was paying the bill, but every of their requests was destroying the mood and session.
I tried to get an equilibrium with a mix of everyting, but in the end I realised it was a complete nonsense and went home with a bitter taste in my mouth.
I tried to get an equilibrium with a mix of everyting, but in the end I realised it was a complete nonsense and went home with a bitter taste in my mouth.
Posted Mon 21 May 18 @ 5:19 am
djles.co.uk
gabycorrea wrote :
by microphone you let people know with great diplomacy that the music is being chosen by the bride .............;)
Yeh, I do this. It usually stops anyone complaining when they know it's for the bride (or groom). ;-)
Posted Mon 21 May 18 @ 5:48 am
blckjck
gabycorrea wrote :
usually it's about agreeing how the music will be done before a previous meeting....
Agreed. IMO, it’s their show. I will advise, based on my experience, what works or doesn’t work in a mixed crowd environment. I will suggest that specific requests that don’t fit a dance format get played at a different time.
I will also define who has control of requests. Be it the bride, groom, me, or even a free for all. But I always say, in the end it’s your party.
Key point is that it was all decided before the event.
Posted Tue 22 May 18 @ 6:00 am
RCBAudio
gabycorrea wrote :
by microphone you let people know with great diplomacy that the music is being chosen by the bride .............;)
when they are in evidence they calm down
when they are in evidence they calm down
I would never do it over the microphone. If people approach me I let them know I will take their request and try to mix it in (or at least part of it) with the Bride's requests.
Posted Tue 22 May 18 @ 12:29 pm
gabycorrea
Key point is that it was all decided before the event.
that's what I always do and it never fails
best regards
that's what I always do and it never fails
best regards
Posted Tue 22 May 18 @ 5:54 pm
Smoky Mountain Entertainment
MrJackson2014 wrote :
she was quite drunk, but anyway she approached me several times during the evening
Drunk audience members, especially if they are the client can be a sticky situation. I have made several changes to my mobile show just to address the issue. The main addition was a double layered facade with about 2.5 feet between them where set up my light trusses to give me a nice physical buffer between the audience and myself, and a wall of skrims on either side of my booth. Most folks won't approach and try to scream over the music across that distance, with lights and lasers blaring in their face; drunk or not. To handle requests I have a projector and 2 led flatscreens I use for beat visualization and karaoke, and I use the "showlogo" video plugin to pop up a .PNG I created with my logo and large text reading "To suggest a song go to djzero.net". On the landing page of my website I have a link to 'ask the dj' page, this lets the audience feel like they are participating, gets me added traffic to my site, the occasional PayPal tip, and allows me to ignore whatever requests I choose. Then unless I'm doing the shoelywed game(or the like) I stay behind my fortress.
Another thing I do is provide a questionnaire for brides on which is a music "guideline" section for the dance portion of the reception. "In this section list up to 20 songs to which you and your guests may enjoy dancing. This is not a request list, but rather a guideline for your DJ to incorporate into his years of experience to ensure all your guests' musical tastes are best represented, and your dancefloor stays active"
I still have the sections for first dance, father and bride, cake cutting, bla bla bla, where she can choose an exact song, but I give no illusions from the outset of the contract that anyone other than myself will have control over music selection.
Posted Wed 23 May 18 @ 1:09 pm
blckjck
ZeroZuluBrav0 wrote :
Drunk audience members, especially if they are the client can be a sticky situation. I have made several changes to my mobile show just to address the issue. The main addition was a double layered facade with about 2.5 feet between them where set up my light trusses to give me a nice physical buffer between the audience and myself, and a wall of skrims on either side of my booth. Most folks won't approach and try to scream over the music across that distance, with lights and lasers blaring in their face; drunk or not. To handle requests I have a projector and 2 led flatscreens I use for beat visualization and karaoke, and I use the "showlogo" video plugin to pop up a .PNG I created with my logo and large text reading "To suggest a song go to djzero.net". On the landing page of my website I have a link to 'ask the dj' page, this lets the audience feel like they are participating, gets me added traffic to my site, the occasional PayPal tip, and allows me to ignore whatever requests I choose. Then unless I'm doing the shoelywed game(or the like) I stay behind my fortress.
Another thing I do is provide a questionnaire for brides on which is a music "guideline" section for the dance portion of the reception. "In this section list up to 20 songs to which you and your guests may enjoy dancing. This is not a request list, but rather a guideline for your DJ to incorporate into his years of experience to ensure all your guests' musical tastes are best represented, and your dancefloor stays active"
I still have the sections for first dance, father and bride, cake cutting, bla bla bla, where she can choose an exact song, but I give no illusions from the outset of the contract that anyone other than myself will have control over music selection.
Another thing I do is provide a questionnaire for brides on which is a music "guideline" section for the dance portion of the reception. "In this section list up to 20 songs to which you and your guests may enjoy dancing. This is not a request list, but rather a guideline for your DJ to incorporate into his years of experience to ensure all your guests' musical tastes are best represented, and your dancefloor stays active"
I still have the sections for first dance, father and bride, cake cutting, bla bla bla, where she can choose an exact song, but I give no illusions from the outset of the contract that anyone other than myself will have control over music selection.
While I see what you are getting at with this, I couldn't do that. One of the things that clients talk about is how comfortable they are with me. Their guests comment to them, even years later, how great I made them feel. How great it was that I engaged with people. How I didn't stand behind the gear, I walked around and engaged with the crowd.
I have insurance for the gear as well as clauses in the contract. So, I don't feel I need to protect the gear with a fortress. I actually try to take up as little space as possible at the wedding. It's not about me, it's about them and their celebration. I've had gear damaged by a guest with a fire extinguisher. I had already established a plan for the scenario. It was handled right away, while I kept the rest of the party going. Please understand, I am not judging how you do things. I'm just offering a different view and what works for me. This is where the "fit" is determined in the client meetings.
When we do large "public" events, not family type events, then we have the separation. A stage with a wall of gear for example. When it's a family style event I try to blend the gear in with the space.
I have been dealing with drunk people my whole life, lol. Establish a plan at the beginning. Who do I talk to if a guest starts going to far, for an idea.
I may be taking this a little off topic as it started with requests. But, I feel it goes together with the pre planning during the client meetings. Discuss the different scenarios with the clients before the event. A few days after my last meeting the other day, I got some feedback. The clients really appreciated how I laid out all of the things they were concerned about and even more they hadn't thought of. They felt it showed my experience and capability of performing their event.
Posted Wed 23 May 18 @ 5:22 pm