Band Cancels Events

[BbAltered]

The 7-piece soul band I play with just cancelled their next two shows scheduled for the next two weekends. After that we have a 4 week hiatus before we have a scheduled performance again. So the thinking was by cancelling two shows, we then have a six-week period to see how things go. I'm disappointed of course, and also can't help but think we are committing band suicide by cancelling, and the venues won't have us back again. We are really just a glorified bar band, so there were no contracts to break (just our own promises). I am trying to remind myself this move confers some small degree of protection for band members, venue staff, and audience.

 

I went to see Dweezil Zappa Hot Rats Live at a 1200-seat theatre on Weds nite. It seemed like a normal night out, tho' it was clear that coronavirus was on everyone's mind. I wondered if that was the last public concert I will ever attend. (It was an amazing performance with keyboard parts split between 3 different keyboard players: I love watchinglistening to good musicians play.) They have another 10 dates at least on their tour.

[J. Dan]

No offense personally, but how many threads do we need on this subject? Coudnlt this be part of the other half dozen threads already gone "viral" (pun intended)? Yes, gigs are getting cancelled. We have threads many pages thick discussing this,

[Delaware Dave]

Amen, suddenly coronavirus is the only news on the TV. It's amazing how intercity shootings are no longer occurring, or are they but not as important to report. I guess when the coronavirus is no longer the hot topic they'll play catchup on crime and shootings again on the boob tube.

[Threadslayer]

Amen, suddenly coronavirus is the only news on the TV. It's amazing how intercity shootings are no longer occurring, or are they but not as important to report. I guess when the coronavirus is no longer the hot topic they'll play catchup on crime and shootings again on the boob tube.

Ah, for the good old days of low speed car chases and people driving into houses and storefronts... memories.

 

[Delaware Dave]

Ah, for the good old days of low speed car chases and people driving into houses and storefronts... memories.

LOL

[BbAltered]

My apologies. i was wrong to think other performing keyboard players might have some wisdom or insight or empathy to offer regarding this difficulty now facing performing keyboard players.

[Doerfler]

No need to apologize. This happens here often, which is why you saw some negative comments. Sometimes helpful people just get out on the wrong side of the bed some days. These are troubled times.

Personally, I think you made the correct decision. Where I am, DC area, everything is closed. Schools, churches, businesses (I'm working from home today). If it is not bad yet in your area it will be soon.

Don't panic, prepare, which is what you did by cancelling your gigs.

[Tusker]

No need to apologize. This happens here often, which is why you saw some negative comments. Sometimes helpful people just get out on the wrong side of the bed some days. These are troubled times.

Personally, I think you made the correct decision. Where I am, DC area, everything is closed. Schools, churches, businesses (I'm working from home today). If it is not bad yet in your area it will be soon.

Don't panic, prepare, which is what you did by cancelling your gigs.

 

Well said. ð

 

[Stokely]

I wish mine would cancel. And/or, I wish the venues would cancel.

 

Tons of people around here think this is no big deal and I expect places will stay busy until tons of people are actually showing symptoms (oops, too late). Certain news sources suggest this is no big deal, and they believe it. I wouldn't care except it affects me and mine.

 

My mom is highly at risk and stays with us most of the time. She is going about business as usual despite what places like John Hopkins are saying. What do they know....So I'm way more likely to get it from her than the other way around. On one hand, I can't protect another adult from themselves...but my wife had chemo last year and is at risk too.

[Outkaster]

No need to apologize. This happens here often, which is why you saw some negative comments. Sometimes helpful people just get out on the wrong side of the bed some days. These are troubled times.

Personally, I think you made the correct decision. Where I am, DC area, everything is closed. Schools, churches, businesses (I'm working from home today). If it is not bad yet in your area it will be soon.

Don't panic, prepare, which is what you did by cancelling your gigs.

 

I think it was just there was an active thread about it Dave that's all. It's hard to get inflection on a message board I guess.

 

[Garubi]

Stay at home. period.

This thing spreads itself fast and exponentially, trust us who are in the middle of the emergency.

It takes days to manifest the symptoms and in the meantime you go around potentially infecting others.

 

All of our gigs were cancelled, it was annoying in the beginning, now we see that it was the right thing to do, in fact it would be better if it was done before.

 

Keep safe!

 

Stefano

 

p.s.

this is from the Crumar people: https://www.facebook.com/instruments.crumar/photos/a.179482355578928/1247216932138793/?type=1&theater

[Dave Bryce]

It's hard to get inflection on a message board I guess.

Hard? It's a bloody art form!

 

dB

 

[LennyTunes]

The day after our mayor canceled SXSW here in Austin, he encouraged us to move our gigs to the local restaurants and bars.

[Bobadohshe]

The 7-piece soul band I play with just cancelled their next two shows scheduled for the next two weekends. After that we have a 4 week hiatus before we have a scheduled performance again. So the thinking was by cancelling two shows, we then have a six-week period to see how things go. I'm disappointed of course, and also can't help but think we are committing band suicide by cancelling, and the venues won't have us back again

 

 

Nobody is going to hold this against you. Believe me within a couple days wherever you are, pretty much everything will be cancelled. Out here in Cali EVERYTHING is cancelled.

[Bobadohshe]

No offense personally, but how many threads do we need on this subject? Coudnlt this be part of the other half dozen threads already gone "viral" (pun intended)? Yes, gigs are getting cancelled. We have threads many pages thick discussing this,

 

I don't really see that many threads discussing it?

[Mr. Nightime]

I'm expecting my gigs to be canceled. Tomorrow's was canceled, but it's because the lady that handles the bookings doesn't have a clue. Shame, because I needed to money to purchase a birthday gift for my wife.

 

Where I work for my day job has already started sending people to work from home. I'm hoping to be one of those that get's this soon, because my wife is actively getting chemo treatments. She's been battling cancer for so long that she has little to no immune system left. And I have diabetes and a serious heart condition. We're both in our 60s, so we're in the high risk demographic.

 

This weekend they are bringing in a company to seriously disinfect then entire building. They're taking this very seriously.

 

I saw something that explains how to properly wash your hands. Make believe you've just sliced enough jalapenos for a large batch of nachos, and you need to remove your contacts.

 

 

 

[Bobadohshe]

I lost:

-Hockey game tonight

-Duo gig tomorrow

-Indoor Soccer game Sunday

-Corporate gig Monday

-Big event w/ Ska Big Band gig next Sat

-Corporate gig a week from Monday

-2 more hockey games that week

-Padres opening day, that following Sunday, all following baseball games

-Big corporate gig that week.

 

Just through the end of March. About $3K of work through the end of the month. Thank God I have a 3 month emergency fund and a wife whose Speech Therapy gig isn't gonna be payless at least for the time being.

[Al Quinn]

I"m in Boulder, Colorado visiting my daughter. My flight back to NY is on 3/18. Next gig is 3/21 on Long Island. It"s going to be interesting to see how this plays out. Does the flight get canceled? Does the gig get canceled? Will I end up driving home? It"s a long drive from Colorado to New York! I"m thinking I"ll fill in the band leader soon so he"s not blindsided by what might happen.

[xKnuckles]

No offense personally, but how many threads do we need on this subject? Coudnlt this be part of the other half dozen threads already gone "viral" (pun intended)? Yes, gigs are getting cancelled. We have threads many pages thick discussing this,

 

I don't really see that many threads discussing it?

 

I haven't seen any.....but admittedly I have not been around much recently... These are very hard times for musicians. All you can do is what feels right for you - and of course in a seven piece band, you have to go with the majority even when it is not your choice. I hope it turns out ok for you - I bet people will be understanding as these are not normal times..

 

BTW.....why are people still wearing their halloween costumes? Are you being darkly ironic - or just too lazy to change twice before October??....

[Bill H.]

The following are thoughts as a club DJ and KJ to young adults - feel free to ignore if not appropriate.

 

At this point, practically everyone under 30 in my rooms is treating this as either a joke or a huge inconvenience. The thing they're most worried about is loss of income because most live on razor's edge financially. I had a gal in her mid-20s come up to me last night. I hadn't seen her in awhile... huge hug... and then she told me that she was laid off for two weeks at the Marriott because she has a cough!

 

Right in my face. I'm trying to protect myself, but it's practically impossible. So this will probably be the last week for the karaoke gigs. The call will be mine to make. These are big moneymakers for the clubs at little cost, so it's up to me to do this. I know several of the bartenders who rely heavily on tips to survive, so it's not going to be easy.

 

The DJ nights... I think I can keep unless governor Kate closes down all nightlife. I'm almost always in a booth, and can easily maintain the social distancing guidelines.

 

 

[Doerfler]

I don't really see that many threads discussing it?

 

I believe they are over at CA's SSS forum.

 

[EscapeRocks]

Yeah we just now got the word that an annual large show we play has been postponed next weekend based on the county officially declaring an emergency and urging no gatherings of more than 250 ppl

 

 

[Stokely]

The following are thoughts as a club DJ and KJ to young adults - feel free to ignore if not appropriate.

 

At this point, practically everyone under 30 in my rooms is treating this as either a joke or a huge inconvenience. The thing they're most worried about is loss of income because most live on razor's edge financially. I had a gal in her mid-20s come up to me last night. I hadn't seen her in awhile... huge hug... and then she told me that she was laid off for two weeks at the Marriott because she has a cough!

 

Right in my face. I'm trying to protect myself, but it's practically impossible. So this will probably be the last week for the karaoke gigs. The call will be mine to make. These are big moneymakers for the clubs at little cost, so it's up to me to do this. I know several of the bartenders who rely heavily on tips to survive, so it's not going to be easy.

 

The DJ nights... I think I can keep unless governor Kate closes down all nightlife. I'm almost always in a booth, and can easily maintain the social distancing guidelines.

 

 

There are a lot of insensitive selfish pricks out there. Not just young either, in fact the ones I know that say things like "people are just being ****ies" are older and way more at-risk than most. I don't care if people want to off themselves (one guy and his wife were planning to fly to London as of last week), but we are all in this together and their risk-taking becomes my own.

 

Beyond the sickness and death aspect of all this, musically this affects me because I was about to replace a keyboard I just sold. My job is at risk due to this, and I can't buy what I was going to. All this trickles down....

[Bill H.]

^ To be fair to our younger population, I think a lot of this has to do with social media. The FB posts I seem them share are of people their age who test positive but have little or no symptoms.

 

In contrast, the people my age share posts of older adults on breathing machines.

[MotiDave]

The day after our mayor canceled SXSW here in Austin, he encouraged us to move our gigs to the local restaurants and bars.

 

I saw that, no offense but that was pretty darn funny. I have some friends in Austin from my last company that had an office there. They had some sharp opinions on that move.

 

Most friends i know in bands are having all of their shows cancelled. I still have a bar gig tomorrow night. Look forward to getting a lil rock on and forgetting this trauma.

 

I"m a skeptic in general of most hysteria, this one is no different. Hope i don"t offend anyone by not personally buying the panic, I"m not judging how others feel about it. Its none of my business how others feel, to me it seems like the flu. 10,000ish people died of normal flu in US this year, last year it was closer to 20k. Shutting down a country, or the planet, for a flu seems hyperbolic. People brawling over toilet paper at costco, stockpiling spam and sanitizer like its Armageddon .... its getting to be mad max out there.

 

but hey, don"t follow me, because if I"m wrong, ... well ....

[MathOfInsects]

I officially lost more money in gigs this month, than I pay for rent. And SoCal rents ain't low. I don't have a margin for lost income; every dollar I don't make, is an expense I can't cover. It's pretty dire.

 

BUT...we are necessary collateral damage IMO for the bigger picture, which is that the only way COVID-19 is going to stop from being a problem long-term, is if we let it be a HUGE problem short-term. We should all be home for three weeks. My landlord won't agree, and things are going to be interesting round about the time I am supposed to bring rent over on the 1st. But in the long run, I honestly feel none of us should be playing a single gig, anywhere, and people should be thinking past this month's bottom line.

[Bill Spencer]

Luckily, I play in mostly smaller local venues. A few are cancelling here, but most are holding, including my steady gigs. I usually gig 4-7 times a week, looks like 3 or 4 for a while. Maybe I'll have time to practice.

[Bill Spencer]

I honestly feel none of us should be playing a single gig, anywhere, and people should be thinking past this month's bottom line.

Hmm. I shouldn't play in a restaurant that's open, serving customers? Or a Country Club resort, that has 97% room occupancy? Or Church? I'll take my chances. Also, if I don't get it now, I likely will next time around, when I may not be able to miss work as easily.

 

250 People seems to be the cutoff point for 'safe' socializing, so I just keep count, and leave the gig when the 249th person walks in. : )

[Anderton]

I don't really see that many threads discussing it?

 

I believe they are over at CA's SSS forum.

 

Actually, there's only one thread over there. I posted it to get a sense of how many people were being affected by the corona virus. If more threads had popped up, I would have merged them into the main one. Once an editor, always an editor

 

It's not just concerts. I lost a writing gig for a music magazine temporarily because a large percentage of sales is on newsstands and at airport kiosks. They were concerned non-subscription sales would tank, so they wanted to be ultra-careful about budget. Of course that's nowhere near as much of a problem as much of what y'all are going through, but lost income is lost income.

[MathOfInsects]

I honestly feel none of us should be playing a single gig, anywhere, and people should be thinking past this month's bottom line.

Hmm. I shouldn't play in a restaurant that's open, serving customers? Or a Country Club resort, that has 97% room occupancy? Or Church? I'll take my chances. Also, if I don't get it now, I likely will next time around, when I may not be able to miss work as easily.

 

250 People seems to be the cutoff point for 'safe' socializing, so I just keep count, and leave the gig when the 249th person walks in. : )

 

It's not your chances you're taking, though. You'll be fine either way. It's the outcomes of others you inadvertently pass it to. The only way to keep it spreading too fast, too soon, is through social distancing early on. If you get it later on, you won't contribute to the overwhelming of the system right now. That's the goal. We are collateral damage on the way, but the long view says we all need to be home right now.