His agent has booked him a new gig at a club he has never been to before. Your agent tells you that it may be a bit “rustic”, but the money is worth it. You and the band, having a tight schedule, will only be there in time to get ready and play. There is no time for a qualified sound check. But you’ve done this before and you’re not worried. You arrive and are greeted with a gravel parking lot covered with beer bottles and empty half pints from the night before. Whatever it is, you’ve seen this before too. You open the front door and immediately look for the band’s stage and … what? Chicken wire!
You may not have been in this situation. But usually there are signs that will tell you what type of club you are going to play in. Admittedly, there are a couple of places that still have chicken wire. This is not a bad thing. It is to protect the band equipment and the band if necessary. But mostly these kinds of things have been exaggerated. Especially after the movie The Blues Brothers.
Parking is one of the keys. If it looks like the one described above, you may want to observe yourself. This generally indicates a place that has a lot of energy drinkers. Energy drinkers bring pints and half pints to the club in their boots, among other things. I guess they are afraid the club will run out of alcohol. They retreat to the parking lot and cheer up, come back and order a beer and look for someone to dance or fight with. Just stay out of the way. It really is not difficult to do.
Set up late and the club is already full of very intoxicated people is another warning. These types of troughs are very loyal to their customers. They spend most of their weekly paycheck at these places. Any kind of comment made to you at this time should not be ignored. That will only bring a torrent of the same throughout the night. At the first observation he used to proclaim aloud: “Bartender, these are my kind of people. I want to buy the house one round.” Expensive? I call it cheap insurance.
He always watched the pool tables. You wouldn’t believe how many fights this little game can provoke. I never played pool in a bar where I played. The pool causes hard feelings, especially when it comes to money. I’ve seen the ambulance called due to an altercation over which neighborhood was next. Again, you just want to stay out of the way.
Your best friend at a club that you suspect might be tough is the bartender. I always tip the waiter at the front. I usually tell him that I appreciate how hard he has to work and I want to show my appreciation in case I forget when the night is over. The good bartender can tell you who the troublemakers are. Usually they won’t tell you directly. You have to watch your posture and your comments to the waitress.
I do not want to cause you, the young musician, any alarm to undo. I played every kind of hole you can imagine for over 30 years and never got into a single altercation. Do you want to know how? I just minded my own business and stayed out of the way. The best way is to recognize potential problems before they explode and just not get in the way. Good luck!