Openers - Looking for??? (or) Wanting to Play????

[byndrsn]

Okay, my questions are mainly out of curiousity. I often see bands looking for openers or bands advertising that they will open for others. I have several questions regarding this and like I said it is mainly out of curiousity:

Do these bands like to share the stage with others and that is why they do this?

Do the two bands generally split the money in some fashion?

How much does the style of music dictate who is a good opener?

And, what I am most curious about is - Do these bands have enough material to play an entire night or do they absolutely NEED another band in order to play out?

Just curious,
Urbs

[tornandfrayed]

We opened for bands because we did not have enough material to do a full show. The band was started on the premise that it would be all original and we would play selectively.

The style was also important because we did not want to clash but it is also nice to have a little diversity.

Hope this helps!

[Imgrimm01]

The Grimm uses opening bands for s few reasons, we play 75-80 % original music in our sets and in this area it's tuff to get a crowd to sit through that much music they've not heard on the radio so an opener helps break that up a little. Yes we do split the $ generally it depends on how long the opening set is. And yes I do enjoy sharing the stage it's always a joy for me to see other bands perform .

[Chevelle7982]

From my own personal experiences, we have had openers because it is fun to interact with other bands. Again as stated before, diversity is a good thing. When bringing in an opening band, they may bring people with them(friends of the band, fans and followers, etc.) This is good because it helps fill the bar/club and those people may enjoy your music and may want to see that exact tandom show again. It can be hard to pay your openers at all times all depending on how what pay rate you are making. (Sorry Frayed, we actually made enough at the Log to pay you guys but we didn't get paid until after our show and you guys were gone)
Even if you are an established band in your native area, it is still fun to open for others. That way you expand your horizins, meet new people, play for new people, and promote your name and material.

[tornandfrayed]

As an opener , I was never in it for the money. My concept of the band was to be an all original band and just keep going. Eventually people will know your songs ( Blue Oyster Cult ). We never pushed the issue and some of my favorite people I have met through gigging ( Otto, Kent, Jason, Eric ) so the gig was always payment enough.

[byndrsn]

Cool!! Yes, this is definately helping my curiousity!!

I never even thought about the fact that another band will bring in their own followers!!

I did think about the friendships that can be started like a few times we played at biker parties or the end of summer jam - when there are several different bands all playing the same venue.

[tornandfrayed]

The best way to really get to know a band is to play with them. Most of the guys out there gigging a lot are really great people. The experience of sharing a show with someone is really fun.

[Punkinhead]

We enjoy sharing the stage with other bands. Besides being fun, it's a great way to meet some cool ass people in other bands....

[songsmith]

Those playing out now have this as a distinct advantage over us old-timers... of course, bands did multi-act shows 15 or 20 years ago, but the scene was much more competitive in a testosterone-fueled pissing-contest kind of way. Back then, you could count on not getting full PA or lights, and you had to watch your gear like a hawk, even with very established bands, and your girlfriend... I won't even go there (Jack Pyers of Dirty Looks STILL has an ass-whooping coming!)
We generally did get a few bucks for gas, as openers, but it wasn't guaranteed. I think everybody knew it was to get your foot in the door at bigger clubs, and nothing more. We did tend to set the bar pretty high, as openers... especially if we got shafted, we'd put on our ass-kickin' hat and push the crowd so hard the headliner would have to work that much harder to keep up (we weren't virtuoso musicians, but we put on a good show).
Looking back, being overly competitive hurt us... even though everybody was like that. When a guy called from York to hook up with us and open some shows, then we could open them down there, I smugly said no way, we could play anywhere we wanted anyway, and I never heard from him again. The guy's band was Live, and they played Woodstock '94 just 2 years later.
I'm glad the local scene is so cooperative. The BCC is a huge asset, especially, but even outside that organization, there's a lot of good happening, and you guys should be proud.---->JMS

[DMFJ03]

Usually, at first - people will open because they want to get their feet wet and usually don't have enough material to play a complete three hours. I know my band, Ever Since Yesterday, did this a few times. Then, when we almost had enough for three hours, we would try to find an opener to pick up the slack. After we had enough to do our own shows, we still like to have openers come back because (if they are brand new bands) we'd like to try and help them out. If it is an established band, it is usually because we just like to meet new people and enjoy seeing another band play. In short, the buddy system. You scartch my back, I'll scratch yours. Someplaces will not let you even play unless you have opened for someone.

Style usually doesn't matter who determines a good opener. It is just nice to hear the same kind of stuff flowing through the air. It would sort of be like Silver Sunday (awesome, awesome group - check them out) playing a show with Deviance (my boys). Opposite ends of the specturm, people wouldn't know what to do.

The money sitch, is usually done out like this. If the main band does very, very well then they usually give something to the opening band. If the band doesn't do very well, the opener gets nothing. Sometimes it is a shitty road to travel on, but that is just the way it goes. If the band is making a set fee of over X amount of dollars, then the opening band (I feel) should always get something.

Most of the time, people who do openers do it for one of two reasons (usually). 1.) They are looking for exposure. 2.) They just want to play and don't care.

Hope that helps.

[tornandfrayed]

Just want to play is a good one! I agree! And we did open up for ESY at least once! It is a shame that we did not stay together long enough to do our own shows..

Something else will come up and I do like to open and have openers just to get to see and hear all the other bands...

[str8h8]

I just want to play. If I get free beer, a few bucks for gas and a great time out with some music minded friends then I am a happy mofo!

I just don't get why it's so difficult to get something going where everyone is on the same page and has the same agenda. Maybe someday? Longevity is difficult when ppl don't do their homework and stay on the situation.

It's nice when bands appreciate their openers, though! I commend bands like Coinmonster, The Grimm and Traumatic who always pay the opening band. If money is your motivating factor for playing and you're not willing to share, get a damn better day job!!

Have a nice gay, er, I mean day!

[lonewolf]

I never knew that there was much interest for openers at the local level until recently.

I just got a different idea that I've been kicking around for bands that might only play out a few times a month. I have a kick ass digital PA and a decent lighting system that is just sitting around right now. I was thinking of teaming up with a band where I'd do lights and sound for them and open up with a set from my solo rock act.

Any ideas?

[DMFJ03]

ESY is looking for lights and sound.

PM me and run some more of your ideas past me if you are interested.

[byndrsn]

Thanks everyone for giving me a better perspective and some insight into this topic!!!!

And, some of the comments on this page and especially regarding some of the comments on this thread have me thinking about another topic that I want to voice in the near future. I need to think about how to word it though because I think I could piss some folks off without really meaning to. Not that I am one to worry about offending people, but only if it is.... well, appropriate. Okay, just wait - I'll be back with this eventually.....

(thanks again)

[jreider]

We've always liked to have openers to break up the flavor a bit. We could play for 3 hours, but honestly I wouldn't even want to hear us for 3 hours straight Opening bands can be a drag as well, especially when the club thinks they should put 5 of them on the stage before the headliner. This happens in most big cities we've played, mainly Ohio and NYC. Clubs want people in the bar spending money from note number one all the way up to 'thank you goodnight'. Most clubs don't care if your band is the next coming of Christ, as long as people are buying booze. But there are exceptions to every rule. Some clubs cater directly to music and music fans. We typically like to have no more than 2 opening bands and 3 total on the bill. Any more, and someone always ends up getting screwed out of time (usually us because I'm too nice to tell a band that their time is up) . When we play in our home area, we usually have one opener, and then us. When we do Aldo's , it's usually the same way, maybe two openers, tops. This way the opener doesn't have to rush, and they get to play a decent sized set at a more 'prime' time, rather than throwing their shit on stage at 9 and playing to the bartender and the doorman. We always pay our opening bands. It's amazing sometimes, we give an opening band $100 and they look at me like I gave them $1000. They usually tell me "Whenever we opened for Such and Such, they just give us beer and tell us 'good show'" It's all work to me, if you work, then you should be paid for it. I usually pay the bands based upon how far they have to go to get home. If a band lives around the corner, chances are I wouldn't go out of my way to give them an extra $20 for gas. But bands that travelled from Columbus OH to play for 45 minutes, I try to hook them up. You'll find that you get the same deal when you go to their town.