Tips: What to do a few days before your band has a gig
This is the time to start ironing out the final details for the evening’s entertainment. There are some basics which should be addressed and agreed to by both parties well in advance of day 0.
Arrival time, setup time, show time, packup time - having all of this clearly agreed to will make the night run smoother. Make sure any breaks are agreed on ahead of time. Confirm band bar tabs, meal allowance rules and crew/guestlist information
Does the band need to soundcheck, if so for how long? Some bands still have loud(ish) soundchecks, does your event have a dinner schedule? Perhaps it’s worth asking the band to soundcheck earlier in the day (during a lull) in order to not have them interrupting the dining of the patrons.
Parking and unloading. Inform everyone where and when to park, how long they can be parked in certain bays for etc… Give this information ahead of time to ensure a smooth event. Include Google Maps location links to ensure everyone has the exact place
Define the expectations of the performance. Is the objective to be background music, or to try and create a lively atmosphere, or to be an immersive show for everyone to attend? This hugely influences things like what equipment gets brought, what songs will be played etc etc… So many times we have turned up thinking someone has booked a party only to find out we are expected to be background music. Having context greatly helps keep preparation time efficient.
Define any drink or food specials for the night, and get the staff familiar with those ahead of time. Try and work these into the performance wherever possible (having a printout of these to leave on stage is a great way to ensure they get repeated to the audience). A bonus trick is to serve the band one of the drink specials in between songs, this can create a bit of theatre as they’ll inevitably speak about how good the drinks are through the mics.
This is also the time to try and catch those lastminute.com patrons, so a final push on social media (and to regular patrons from the venue) is a good idea in the few days leading up to the show. You might land a few more attendees on the night, which helps to keep the venue rammed. If the performing artists are playing covers, perhaps ask what songs they play and start to filter them into the background music of the venue a day or two before the gig. If they are original artists, make sure to play some of their music in the venue in the days leading up to the gig
Make sure there are posters up in the venue (windows, walls, toilets), as well as table talkers with weblinks and QR codes. Leaving a few flyers and business cards at a venue BEFORE a gig is also really useful as it helps interested patrons to find out more about the band and pique their interest.
MAKE SURE the staff serving customers tell the customers the upcoming music specials, this is so important and often overlooked. Often at the start of a meal, a waiter will tell customers the food specials - at the END of a meal, the waiters should also tell customers the next week’s worth of entertainment, and hand the customers a flyer along with their bill/receipt for their meal
Once again, a few days before a gig, make sure you use EVERY avenue available to try and maximize the number of staff
