Promoter/DJ Horror Stories

Well, since there are enough of both groups on the board, I figured we could write a novel.

I recommend that you leave legal/performer names out, as we don't want to piss off anyone. BUT EVERYONE HAS ONE OF THESE.

I think in light of recent events, we all need to take a step back, take a deep breath, and bring some humor back to the boards.

If you are a DJ, or a promoter, and something happened to you first hand....share it here. Remember no real names.....I will delete the thread if real names are used....

[cubed]

We had a dj a while back threaten to walk and not play because the club wasn't dark enough for him.

[Lazy-Rich]

^^ ha ha

I was asked by a fellow promoter to help out and pick up a few DJ's from the airport. I never know what to expect but I usually don't expect much.

I had to pick up the cockiest, jerkiest promoter from the airport, alongside his sidekick and manager. Not only did they not bother to pick up a piece of luggage from the trolley, or help load it into the car. They demanded I take them all over the place for the day.

I was pretty chill with it. But it was starting to grind on my nerves. Just as we were finally heading back to his requested "presidential" suite a bird shit on his shoulder, I didn't bother to tell him.

I felt vindicated.

ugh - after the party, he tried to get me and my girlfriends to go up for a nightcap. GROSS. We respectfully delcined.

[Lazy-Rich]

I once saw a drum n bass DJ do his whole gig with the bass kill switch on.

[hardstylin]

Originally Posted by Avana

I was asked by a fellow promoter to help out and pick up a few DJ's from the airport. I never know what to expect but I usually don't expect much.

I had to pick up the cockiest, jerkiest promoter from the airport, alongside his sidekick and manager. Not only did they not bother to pick up a piece of luggage from the trolley, or help load it into the car. They demanded I take them all over the place for the day.

I was pretty chill with it. But it was starting to grind on my nerves. Just as we were finally heading back to his requested "presidential" suite a bird shit on his shoulder, I didn't bother to tell him.

I felt vindicated.

ugh - after the party, he tried to get me and my girlfriends to go up for a nightcap. GROSS. We respectfully delcined.

whats a nightcap?? :)

and can i have one?

[Séguin]

I can think of something funny.

Some renegade party in Quebec. It was very disorganised. the cars were parked not far from the decks, it was really weird. Anyway, I was plastered and was told this happened later on. Someone set off their car alarm when I was playing. I stoped my record, yelled "cops!" shoved the record in my bag and ran to my friend's car. I also tripped and fell in a hole, and people laughed.

[Lazy-Rich]

I think it's similar to space docking...

[Séguin]

Originally Posted by Lazy-Rich

I once saw a drum n bass DJ do his whole gig with the bass kill switch on.

Someone on this board did that very same thing!

[Lazy-Rich]

(names!)

Originally Posted by Séguin

boink

hey, no names.

Originally Posted by hardstylin

whats a nightcap?? :)

and can i have one?

A night cap was this DJ's idea of being Don Juan....

But for you, anything! :p

[Séguin]

already changed

Originally Posted by Séguin

already changed

Thanks! We don't need more drama, just more laughs.

ps - yours is actually funny.

[Séguin]

Originally Posted by Avana

Thanks! We don't need more drama, just more laughs.

ps - yours is actually funny.

I'm pretty sure the person wouldn't have cared. When they realised it, they laughed.

[dj_soo]

This happened to me and wood at a massive once - our set time was 7am or something and we were booked for a 2x4. After practicing a shitload from 2am - 5am we drive to the venue, park, and then hike to the entrance. After getting to the entrance, we're told that DJs were supposed to enter at a seperate entrance. We walk there and apparently, the promoters didn't bother to leave a DJ list or anything so security refused to let us in. We wait for someone to find a promoter or organizer while our timeslot creeps closer and closer and get nothing but runaround. by then, our booked timeslot has already started so we head back to the first entrance trying to find someone who can get us in where there's at least 2 other DJs in the exact same predicament as we are.

Wait around some more and after a while, we've only got like 15 minutes left to our timeslot so we bail and go home. The day after, we're told that they didn't even have a 2x4 setup for us like they promised so even if we had gotten in all that time spent practicing was for naught.

In the end we still made them pay us for wasting our time :).

[cubed]

Originally Posted by dj_soo

In the end we still made them pay us for wasting our time :).

well done!

This is one of my favorites....some of you are going to recognize this. If you do, no names. To the people involved, it has been over 5 years, we can look back at this and laugh.

Many years ago, a hometown hero got a little too messy at a party.

When it was time for them to go up and play, they were too gone to play. As a result, the opening track was nothing but a train wreck. Being too wrecked to play, the person not realising what they were doing, started to play records from start to end.

No mixing.

Just start to end, static playing when the song was over, their signal to change the record.

Hehe. After the third track, and the DJ almost asleep on top of the decks, they were asked to step down for the evening. They didn't get asked back by those promoters for a very long time.

[Jonny Dubbs]

As a promoter:

Had my (ex) partner, push down everyone’s (including our headliners) time slots 3 hours (at the last minute) so his brother and his buddies could get a good slot, the result was his brother clearing the floor with terrible music and god awful mixing making it so our headliners had to play to an empty crowd. It also caused a huge miscommunication which turned into a pretty awful situation and some harsh feelings. That’s about all I can say about that.

As a DJ:

I was given the opportunity to open for a fairly big name and was fairly nervous about it. For whatever reason the sound crew didn’t bring any needles and only did sound check for the CDJ’s, a friend who played one of the earlier slots notified me there were no needles and I informed the crew, I had a pair myself but they were a couple of blocks away as they were being used for the after party, I offered to go and get them but was told “don’t worry about it, we will get some”. An hour later I’m informed that a nice brand new set of cartridges were waiting for me on the stage. I got up, put on the carts and proceed to queue up my record…nothing… it was pretty dark so I couldn’t really see at first, but the fucking carts had no stylus …. After a good 25 minutes or so they finally get some needles and I go up to play what is left of my slot only to experience some nasty ass bass feedback, a shorting out monitor and a deck that keeps cutting out… fun…Another time my set got cut short because the old school smoke machines that were being used set off the fire alarm, this happened 3 times during the night

Originally Posted by Jonny Dubbs

Another time my set got cut short because the old school smoke machines that were being used set off the fire alarm, this happened 3 times during the night

That used to happen at the hall all the time. The first few times it tricked us and we would clear out the hall.

After that, the fire department disabled them.

[miSsy_chriSsy]

I hired DJ -"INSERT BIG NAME HERE" to come play in Prince George about 4 years ago...

I picked him up from the airport, and I shit-you-not, the third sentence out of his mouth was "I need an 8-ball of Speed. Pronto."

Grrrrreat.

Gross.

He didn't come back after that :\

[omega_image]

i once met a promoter who literally thought she ruled the world.


ps. terrence, im sorry i was sleeping when you called that night.

Originally Posted by omega_image

i once met a promoter who literally thought she ruled the world.


ps. terrence, im sorry i was sleeping when you called that night.

She does, didn't you know?

[REV]

Originally Posted by cubed

We had a dj a while back threaten to walk and not play because the club wasn't dark enough for him.

hahah, i know who that little brit is

[Greg C.]

Hey all

I have a couple doozies! It feels good to vent, but to be honest, these 2 instances aside, I've been very fortunate.

1. I'm booked to play this outdoor party on the Island and I agree to walk on the ferry to save money and have one of the promoters pick me up at the other side. The ferry ride goes off without a hitch and we get to the other side and there's nobody there to pick us up. I call the promoter several times with no answer. After 90mins of waiting at the ferry terminal I decide to call a cab to take us to the party, thinking that it's $30-40 max. After about 15 minutes of driving I notice that the fare's not only passing $50, but that the fare is moving up in increments of 25 cents. After an hour and a half we finally find the place and I pay the cabbie (should be shot) $180 for the fare. I arrive there just in time and play my set. I run into the promoter and he literally starts running away from me. I catch up with him and he admits that he was so high, he sent his guy to the wrong ferry terminal at the other end. I say "no problem, just give me $480 to cover my cab fare and booking fee and we're cool" and he says he doesn't have either. After staring at him blankly I tell him that he can either pay me for my cab fare in the next 5 minutes or he can call the ambulance he'll need ahead of time. 20 minutes later, I left the party with my cab fare vowing never again to play out of town without a deposit.

2. I play Arts County Fair. The the promoter offers me $200, I say "$250's better". He says "ok, no problem". Because he didn't put me on the parking list, I have to park 20 mins away from Thunderbird Stadium and i'm 20mins late for my set (my fault, I should have been there early) I get there and Jeremie's covering for me, so no sweat. I finish my set and go to the promoter and he says "Jeremie had to play later so I'm giving him an extra $50 from your money" I say "no problem, just give me the $200 and i'll be on my way" he then says "you told me when I was in a room full of people that you were ok with $200, so $150's all you're getting, and you'd better take it before I have security remove you". Not only did he lie to my face about the price we'd agreed on, he told me to take it or else get shoved out with nothing. I left ACF and wouldn't work without a contract for 6 months after.