Tonight I told Pple in the audience at the restaurant to Fu*K Off

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Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

Tonight I told Pple in the audience ...

It was one of those nights

There was this table of 4 girls right at the front next to the stage who did not stop talking all the way trough the performance, the lights have gonne off everyone else went quiet except for them.

SO we keep going thinking that they will stop, we started with this slow piece we worked out today and were very excited about (but ofcourse they talked all the way trough )

We put the sound up , they talked louder.
You would hear about theyr day in out intros, it was so loud me and the other guitarist knew more about them than we ever wanted too.

I have been in this situation before but normaly everynow and than they stop , but not this girls OH NO

My blood was slowly rushing to my head , I messed up so many falsetas tonight because i was so tense. 9 out of 10 times i would have just ignored them but not tonight

there was something different about tonight. I had enough.

As soon as we finised, i sat my guitar back on the chair, went directly to theyr table and sat down. The girls facing me have stoped talking surprissed ( by this stage the girls that had theyr backs on me turned around to see why the other 2 where surprissed)

I said : "- What the fu*K was that !?" they were like "- What?"
I said : " - You guys were the rudest f**Kin bunch of pple to ever sitt at the front, you talked all the trough the show, did you notice that there was a show on ? the lights going off and the spotlight on stage didnt give it away?"
They were just sitting there looking at me surprissed and shocked.
After I said :" - Thanks alot !!

" and walked off

I couldnt belive i did it !!!

I was the hero !!! everyone in the changing room was like GOOD ON YOU FLORIAN !!!
My victory was short lived tho as they complained to the waitres and the waitres went to the manager of the restaurant and he went off at my boss. And than everyone was like : THAT WAS BAD FLORIAN " DONT YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN "

SO now I stand alone

but you know what, tonight I just had enough !!! I do not regret one second !!!
I have done my bitt for felow musiceans , those girls will never talk at another show ever again !!
I dont care if i dont play at that restaurant ever again, they pushed me too far.

Is very healthy to confront bad audiences sometimes :))))
PLEASE DO IT AT YOUR NEXT GIG and than tell me about it :))

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 3 2004 16:19:33

Kate

Posts: 1827
Joined: Jul. 8 2003
From: Living in Granada, Andalucía

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

If this had been at our Peña the management would have told the girls to shut up or leave from the outset. They would not have been allowed to behave like that. When I first came here I was always amazed at the reverence of the audiences, now I expect that sort of respect, for the artists and also other members of the audience. At the Peña, Pepe the manager regularly comes in and says SH SH frowning at everyone. We have a recording of Emilio at the Eshavira, another club here in Granada, where you can almost hear the audience holding its breath. Listening to the recording it is hard to imagine the small club, packed to the hilt with people hanging from the rafters, standing on chairs and yet not making a sound.

I don't blame you for losing your rag with these people. Hope you dont lose your job as well.

Kate

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 3 2004 17:22:55

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

Florian,
I think a lot of young folk don't know how to listen anymore.
These girls have probably been brought up on a diet of discos, and bars with piped music all their adult lives.
Probably the only concerts they've been to are high wattage pop concerts where you can shout and scream till your heart's content.
So they don't know how to behave at a proper live music venue.
I don't think it was too cool to blow your top though.

After all the restaurant/bar is there to keep their customers happy, so I think a quiet word may have been more in order. (if you still want a job LOL).
As an example, I saw a concert of the El Sali Dance Company once, and two girls at the front of the audience were pissing themselves laughing while he was doing an unaccompanied part in Seguiriyas.
It was really embarrasing, they were rolling around their seats in fits of laughter, and here was this guy trying to portray a particularly dramatic and sensitive piece.
He could clearly see them, as they were in the front row.
He must have switched off or something, as it didn't affect his performance one bit.
Mind you, he had been treading them boards for a lot of years and had probably worked in all sorts of conditions.
But I definitely understand why you lost your cool.

cheers

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 3 2004 18:31:33

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

Wow, Florian, that's a good way to get fired.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 3 2004 23:21:37

TANúñez

Posts: 2559
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
From: TEXAS

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Good for you Florian! Demand Respect!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 3:16:12

Billyboy

Posts: 389
Joined: Aug. 18 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to TANúñez)

Thats part and parcel of Restuarnt jobs, most I have done you can't even hear yourself play, I don't know why restuarants pay for a guitarist, seldom brings in more customers, all people ar intrested are eating and if its a women natering, actually I might have gig next week, and am looking to borrow or buy an Amp, If I got more gigs I'd probably invest in an amp, does anyone know the bare minimum you can spend i.e. mic and amp
Cheers
Dave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 6:42:10

Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Billyboy)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Billyboy
Thats part and parcel of Restaurant jobs, most I have done you can't even hear yourself play, I don't know why restuarants pay for a guitarist, seldom brings in more customers, all people ar intrested are eating

With a portable 150watt rig, I can assure you that I can hear myself play quite clearly. In fact, the restaurant next door can probably hear me clearly too

Restaurant gigs can be good too, Dave. Whilst I have certainly had a fair share of being totally ignored (or playing to a huge audience of two people) there have been plenty of great ones too. Last Friday I brought the house down - rapturous applause after every number, requests, people asking me if I had CD's to sell, asked for about half a dozen business cards, etc, etc. Makes all the hard slog worthwhile.

"If I got more gigs I'd probably invest in an amp, does anyone know the bare minimum you can spend i.e. mic and amp"

Cheapest amp I could find when I started out was the Peavey Solo, Dave. They're about 70 quid, though if you're lucky you can pick them up second hand (ebay?) for half that.

Forget about trying to mic yourself up in a restaurant, thats madness!

Jon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 16:13:25

aarongreen

Posts: 367
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

My buddy Dennis Koster told me he once looked in a Spanish dictionary and found the word "Guitarasso" which had the following "Una golpe de la cabaza con la guitarra" or something like that. If it's not a very good guitar, you could try that next time.

Another way to deal with people like that is to stop playing and join in on their conversation from the stage. A well placed "You don't say?!" or "My God but that's an interesting story, don't you agree? (said to everyone else in the place) I mean here I am playing guitar for everyone but really I think we'd all rather listen to what you said to so and so about what's his name"

I think you did right to tell those women off, the lack of common manners that people so freely display these days is truly staggering. I went to the movies with my girlfriend not too long ago and we were treated to a bunch of inner city kids behind us yelling at the screen and each other, a snorting middle aged man with a bad sinus infection on one side of us and a young couple with a very talkitive toddler and did they feel the need to shut him up? Heavens no, that might stunt his personality. Of course now he's going to blossom into the full on raging self centered a**hole that his parents can only aspire to be. Long rant short, now we rent movies.

Good for you, Florian, if you get fired be sure to tell your boss what you think of his pathetic excuse for a spine.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 16:45:09

Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Florian

It was one of those nights

There was this table of 4 girls right at the front next to the stage who did not stop talking all the way trough the performance, the lights have gonne off everyone else went quiet except for them. <snip>

Florian, good for you!

I once played a gig where this couple sat right in front of the stage, by the speakers, and the guy's mobile phone rings. He answers it of course, and then starts complaining loudly to his girlfriend that he can't hear a f***ing thing.

Florian, you have struck a blow for unappreciated guitarists everywhere

Jon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 16:53:28

Billyboy

Posts: 389
Joined: Aug. 18 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Jon Boyes)

Thanks Jon, without a mic though how do amplify a guitar, I'm certainly not going to start drilling holes to fit pickups, and all the Takimine guitars sound terrible for flamenco, Ive heard using a mic is the only way get a reasonble sound.
Cheers
Dave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 16:54:47

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to aarongreen)

hehe well thank you aarongreen and everyone else for the support, this was not one of those things that i do all the time it was just one of those things.

It wasent me beeing a drama quen it was me for once in my life standing up and saying something rather than just accepting it just because I was getting paid for it.

Everynow and than you have to stand up for yourself rather than just take it and accept it just to avoid making waves.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 17:02:58

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

On Aaron mentioning the couple with the badly brought up toddler, did anyone see the bored fat kid filmed behind George W Bush giving his speech in Florida?
That was truly priceless.

cheers

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 17:17:31

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

Hi F.

Im totally on your side here,but did the group fire you? or just the resturant?
I hope it was only the resturant.

For florian

......For the girls

Henrik

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 18:43:53

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

SO far Neither , the only thing that would happen if anything is that i dont do the restaurant gig with them id still do everything else with the group.

Not doing the restaurant gig wouldnt be the end of the world infact it would be kind of cool , I have done that gig every Saturday for the last 3 years.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 18:56:20

aarongreen

Posts: 367
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

Oh I wish I had seen that kid behind Bush. That would have been great except for having to listen to the ramblings of a self deluded simpleton. There's no shortage of that.

Florian, one thing I did think of is that you could point out to the owner of the restaurant that there were many people there trying to listen and enjoy the music who may never come back for the simple reason that they had to listen to those rude girls banter on. I certainly would think twice if I had to sit through that. Try to make everyone happy and you make no one happy.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 19:16:34

Merle

Posts: 218
Joined: Jul. 6 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

Well, hell...where is Bobby when you need him, Florian?

Just take some chocolate candy with you to your gig, and take Bobby in a small cage to keep behind the stage. Next time you have trouble with the audience, at the break, just go over to where the rowdy crowd is and tell them, "Hey, girls/guys, to show my appreciation to you for coming to see me, here is some chocolate candy for you"!

Then, LET BOBBY OUT OF HIS CAGE!!

After all the panic, things should resume to normal!! ;>)

Merle

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 4 2004 20:23:33

Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Billyboy)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Billyboy
Thanks Jon, without a mic though how do amplify a guitar, I'm certainly not going to start drilling holes to fit pickups,

You can buy under saddle pickups that you can fit with no drilling, or how about a clip on 'internal' condenser mic from Maplins for 20 quid? Or a mixture of both?

"and all the Takimine guitars sound terrible for flamenco"

I beg to differ, and so would the Gipsy Kings (oh hang on they aren't F...

)
Have you tried a guitar with a pickup through a quality PA? Half the problem in getting a decent sound is determined by what amp you put your guitar through.

Miking up in a restaurant just isn't practical - you are often playing in a tiny camped space as it is, you'll have cables everywhere for waitresses to trip over, loads of background noise for the mic to pick up, Yuk! (I'm taking about a conventional mic, plus stand etc., here) If you start playing larger gigs, miking up becomes even more of a pain as you have to deal with feedback.

The best all round solution for any gig situation IMO (and incidentally, several of the pros on FT like Richard M agree) is an internal mic/under saddle pickup blender system like the Fishman pro Blender, or the B Band that Yamaha put on theirs. Unfortunately they are not cheap, and it is does require some drilling (though you should have this professionally done).

As usual Dave, this all comes down to (a) what your budget is, and (b) what compromises you are pepared to make to actually get out there gigging.

Jon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 10:16:06

Fergusito

Posts: 206
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: UK

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

This is exactly the reason that I very rarely will acept a reataurant gig, after all they're only there to pay the rent Right and they only go there to eat right , I really don't think eating and listening go hand in hand as for eating and talking well!!!!!!!! I rememeber a gig where the guitarrist confronted the whole aduience and these were pll who had paid considerable money to talk the way through a show. I think you have to be very taktful if you do this coz if you win the audiences respect they will naturally shut up!! but if you tell them to f+++ing shut up most lickely they will just get offended!
I have to say my experience in Spain is that if the audience is appreciative of flamenco there is a very different quality in listening. There is a kind of conversation happens, and when you hear a whole audience say ooolllleee together wow there is nothing like it!!!! You just don't get that naywhere else, it's such a cultural thing. If an audience doesn't encourage you to play your best why should you or how can you....
Florian I really feel for you if you have to put up with this crap. I know it sounds rediculous but have you ever tried playing softer if pll are talk then they really have to shut up to hear(just a thought!)
Fergus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 11:15:50

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Fergusito)

quote:

Florian I really feel for you if you have to put up with this crap. I know it sounds rediculous but have you ever tried playing softer if pll are talk then they really have to shut up to hear(just a thought!)

You might have cracked it there Fergus. You and I did enough "suss"ing at the Teatro Marta when the piece was quiet and we were stuck at the back (you cheapskate

). Might just work but I doubt it.

Music is wallpaper in a restaurant, if people go to be with friends and not specifically to hear you, they will eat, drink and fart all night - it's their dollar that's paying you.

Either that, or turn it up so loud that their talking does not interfere with your playing.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 12:07:47

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Escribano)

quote:

Music is wallpaper in a restaurant, if people go to be with friends and not specifically to hear you, they will eat, drink and fart all night - it's their dollar that's paying you.

I agree with you sadly but it is up to you if you accept that or not , personaly I would prefer to play for Bobby for the rest of my life in my room before i settle for that.

You can take it quietly or you can atlist go out with a bang :)))

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 14:10:55

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

quote:

You can take it quietly or you can atlist go out with a bang :)))

In the 80s, we were supporting Sonic Youth or REM at the Electric Ballroom. Someone called out "hippies!" from the audience.

Now this was clearly offensive so one of our guitarists leapt on him, Doc Martins first and they had a right old bust-up. This was between songs. We started the next one the set list, while they got on with it.

Security broke them up and threw the heckler out. They loved it... it gave them a chance to practise.

It got into our reviews and no-one heckled us again until Preston Clouds, where their venue security decided to take us on, for a laugh, half-way through our set!

You reap what you sow.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 14:23:51

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Florian)

Don't take it so seriously Florian!
Better having a little stock of effective "put downs" to cope with folk like that or for folk who shout out for you to play "Viva España" etc.
(You could maybe even embarrass them by asking if they would like to come up on stage and try their hand at some Flamenco Dancing or something.)
Being behind the mic gives you a lot of power so long as you keep it jokey.
All the stand up comics have a bag of put downs to cope with bad situations.
A guy in the audience kept interrupting Billy Connolley's routine with heckles and one-liners which he thought were funny, but Connolley was starting to get annoyed.
Connolley said "Look pal, if you want do this professionally then I'd advise you to get an agent....Or maybe you prefer just to sit there in the dark handling yourself...."
Of course the audience roared with laughter and the guy shut up.

cheers

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 16:05:34

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Escribano)

Great advice Ron. But part of it is the type of venue you choose to play.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 16:48:54

tanolonco

Posts: 18
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Aaron's idea about stopping and joining in the conversation is great for a wide variety of reasons. First, it puts the offenders on the spot. Nothing like a little public embarrassment to put an offender in his/her place. Secondly, and I think most importantly, it is the peers of the offenders (peers in the sense they all are members of the audience) who most likely will provide the negative consequences. If all of the members of the audience tell the offenders in question to shut the f**k up, the message that needs to be delivered will be delivered--and by the party management definitely does not want to offend--the paying audience.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 21:16:45

Billyboy

Posts: 389
Joined: Aug. 18 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to tanolonco)

I think you have to be able take being ignored at restuarant gigs anyway, I have never enjoyed them, and top restuarants never have live music, personally I dont like to eat and listen to music at the same time gives me indigestion, so I dont blame people for ignoring a guitarist.
Dave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 22:17:08

Merle

Posts: 218
Joined: Jul. 6 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Billyboy)

Florian...screw em!! que si, or no?

The audience is not alway going to listen, at least at a restraunt...your only back ground musiks.. ;>) However. there is one way that's really effective for any one that performs that and has someone annoying you!! boy or girl .

At the mic, you tell the audience, (towards either the boys/girls or boys & girls)...(But since your problem was girls talking...this works good!)

Florian just finished playing...

"Ok, thank you, ...thank you, thank you.....excuse me, (to the audience)...in the mic, look at the table that was giving you fits and say outloud on the mic...(look at the loudest girl at the table).

"HONEY, you told me you were gonna wait in the TRUCK

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 5 2004 23:21:18

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Escribano)

Just to be clear , this was not background type of thing , there was a show, in a Tapas bar, the restaurant is a Spanish restaurant that has had flamenco every Saturday since 30 years ago.

We were 2 guitarists , cajon, 3 dancers, singer.

I have done many background music type think where you just sit and blend in. This was not one of those gigs, it was a Flamenco show at a Spanish tapas restaurant where everyone knows they get flamenco.

This post was more to say that I DID it, I cant change it now, I dont plan to do it again and I dont regret doing it.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2004 2:55:39

Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Billyboy)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Billyboy
I think you have to be able take being ignored at restuarant gigs anyway, I have never enjoyed them, and top restuarants never have live music,

Nonsense, I've played many decent restaurants where they have live music.

There seems to be a fair bit of negativity, or snobbery even, directed towards restaurant gigs in this thead (not singling out you Dave, but the tone in general). I'm interested to know where you guys actually play/intend playing if you don't do restaurant gigs.

Sheesh, I bet not many of you do pub gigs - much tougher I assure you.

Jon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2004 8:16:59

Billyboy

Posts: 389
Joined: Aug. 18 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Jon Boyes)

Dont get me wrong if I got one restuerant gig a week I would be chuffed to bits, but doesnt mean I would enjoy it, I agree pub gigs must be a nightmare, full of pissed up dicks, that dont know a Buleria from a fandango

When you say decent restuarants, I mean foody type restuerants Micchelin star and all that.
Dave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2004 11:40:02

Jon Boyes

Posts: 1377
Joined: Jul. 10 2003

RE: Tonight I told Pple in the audie... (in reply to Billyboy)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Billyboy
Dont get me wrong if I got one restaurant gig a week I would be chuffed to bits, but doesnt mean I would enjoy it, I agree pub gigs must be a nightmare, full of pissed up dicks, that dont know a Buleria from a fandango

Yep, thats it. Last week I had three gigs and one was a pub - I got heckled for the first time, it was quite a shock. I also played a live music club in the week, and was virtually ignored. Then came my Friday spot at a restaurant which was great and had me buzzing all weekend ( I've already posted about it earlier.)

I think if it wasn't for that restaurant gig, I would have spent the weekend jumping up and down on my guitar.

Restaurant gigs can be a case of wallpaper music, yes, but they can be great too.

Jon

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 6 2004 12:17:49