Meatloaf's Paradise by the Dashboard Moon Light is a "Must Play" tomorrow

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What should I do when I play Paradise by the Dashboard Moon Light?

  • Hit play, and proceed to take a bathroom break while the entire song plays out

    Votes: 1 50.0%
  • Bring the wireless microphones out to the crowd and get people to sing along to it

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Pick a great cue point, only play 2 to 3 minutes of this song and mix into something else!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Eww...Only play like 60 to 90 seconds of this song and mix into another song!

    Votes: 1 50.0%
  • Mix it into "Bat out of Hell" and "I would do anything for love" for a 22 minute meatloaf set!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Ask how many people love Meatloaf in the crowd. If less than 10 raise their hands, don't play it...

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    2

DJ Ricky B

DJ Extraordinaire
Mar 9, 2015
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So I have Paradise by the Dashboard Moon Light as a Must Play at tomorrow's wedding reception. This couple is BIG into 80's music with 90s being second decade of choice. So it will be heavy on 80's music. My question is, what do you think I should do when I play this song? It is 8:30 long!
 
So I have Paradise by the Dashboard Moon Light as a Must Play at tomorrow's wedding reception. This couple is BIG into 80's music with 90s being second decade of choice. So it will be heavy on 80's music. My question is, what do you think I should do when I play this song? It is 8:30 long!

Good chance for a potty break...lol

leave it to the crowd....they will no doubt sing along...and many times the guys get on one side...girls on the other... the song will take care of itself...it was on the charts for like 2 years....

cc
 
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This song truly does work....but id most likely not try to push it on a crowd that didnt ask for it....if they ask for it....they love it....and they want every second of it....

cc
 
Prior to playing it, I make sure I've got the floor packed, then I divide it in two , boys on one side, girls on the other, then let it rip. Usually, so many sing along trying to out do the other group, that no floor mics are necessary. "Will you Love Me Forever" indeed!!
 
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You're more than likely not going to play that for your first song opening up the dance floor. I say get a feel for the crowd and use your years of experience to decide what to do. It's a must play for the couple so you got to play it. Please let us know what happened when you played that song and what you did when you played it.
 
It's a song. The client requested it. Push the button, stand there and smile, then push the button on the next song.

Come on Rick... DJs do more than just push the play button! ...

Standing there smiling for 8 minutes,30 seconds until I push the play button again is a long time...
 
Come on Rick... DJs do more than just push the play button! ...

Standing there smiling for 8 minutes,30 seconds until I push the play button again is a long time...

Okay so, take your headphones off and on a few times, bob your head, stick a finger up in the air and wave it back and forth. There, that about covers the rest of what DJs do, doesn't it? ;)
 
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This song truly does work....but id most likely not try to push it on a crowd that didnt ask for it....if they ask for it....they love it....and they want every second of it....

cc

Around here I get it as a must play 2-3 times a year and it gets requested another half dozen. I'm with Chris play it and sing along
 
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Around here I get it as a must play 2-3 times a year and it gets requested another half dozen. I'm with Chris play it and sing along
The time i really dislike it is when a group of drunks try and perform it at karaoke... and dont quite know the song.... its pretty obvious even meatloaf struggles to sing it.... its certainly not for amateurs ...lol ....especially the baseball calling parts...

cc
 
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Well, That was another 12+ hour day. I may have to start leaving for Virginia weddings 5 hours before start time instead of of 4 hours. Had bad traffic most of the 65 mile drive I had today. ...I actually left 3 hours 40 minutes early, not a full 4, but I got there 30 minutes later than I wanted to. I certainly hustled to set everything up including 2 sound systems. Wedding ceremony and reception went well. A pretty good amount of dancing considering half the crowd were old folks age 70+.

5 p.m. ceremony. - It turns out that the officiant was the same guy I worked with on the 13th. Two weddings in a row. Older officiant in his 60s. Pretty good at ceremonies. Been doing it a lot of years. Shure BLX Lavalier mic worked GREAT.

As for what I did during Meatloaf. I actually did not play it until after 10 p.m. One of the guests requested it, so I assume it was a song her and the bride and a few others liked, or it was a important song from the past. About 6 people were really into it on the dance floor. ...I went ahead, and got a glass of Ice Tea, ate a cookie, and went to the restroom. Came back with over a minute left to go still.

The photographer told me that he does not see any large weddings any more. It's rare for him to see them in the DC area. He actually told me that elopements are up. Classic, Traditional weddings seem to be less popular. He has shot elopements with couples and 10 or so close family and friends. He said last couple years it has gotten more popular. The photographer who is Asian told me outside of a couple of Asian weddings in the past few years that were 200 or more guests, all the other ones are any where from 30 to 90, maybe 100 guests. He hasn't done a 120 to 200 guest wedding in at least 3 years. He said that with what he is experiencing the typical wedding tops out at like 120 guests these days. ...I would have to agree with him for the most part. I am seeing weddings shrinking

Last week was 60 guests. This one was 80 guests.

It's nice to hear the insight of another mobile wedding vendor in the area.

I was loaded out in 43 minutes. I hustled tonight. Back was achy. I'm not getting any younger. ...I wore black Reebok Sneakers today. I am finding that my dress shoes are just destroying my legs by the end of the night. I can't wear them at these long weddings any more. Suit with Black Sneakers with memory foam built in is my new look unless I find an awesome pair of dress shoes that are super comfy.

I can without a doubt say that generally speaking MOST of the venues I work in, I have about 40 minutes to load out before someone there is waiting on me so they can turn the lights off and lock the doors. Staff at these country clubs are pretty efficient in cleaning up, and tearing everything down. ...Last week they were turning the lights off on me as I was carting my stuff to the vehicle. Had to load my vehicle in the pitch black pretty much. Venue manager said he was heading out the front door, locking up, and to have a good night...And that was barely 40 minutes after I played the last song. ...It seems these venues don't give a hoot about the DJ getting an hour for load out any more. When they are done, they are done, and you better be done too, or you will be tearing down in the dark. ...Kinda irritating. ...and I know I'm FAST when it comes to tearing down, and loading out.


It took me like 1 hour 50 minutes to get down to the venue today with 3 big traffic jams, and 2 mild ones. It only took me 1 hour 9 minutes to get home. ...I was also driving 85 mph the entire time driving up 95 tonight.

Will attempt to sleep in, but my son has swimming practice at 10:30, so I am sure I will be up by 9. I get to unload the SUV back into storage on my "Day Off"
 
Hard to find a venue around here that doesn't require a 125-200 person minimum. My wedding had a 175 person minimum. Just depends on area though on that one. Chances are this photographer is getting small weddings, because he's on the cheaper side. Big weddings tend to invest way more, and probably want multiple shooters. You get what you attract. I'm doing a wedding in falls church, va in June... 300 people. Baltimore in december, 275 people.
 
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Hard to find a venue around here that doesn't require a 125-200 person minimum. My wedding had a 175 person minimum. Just depends on area though on that one. Chances are this photographer is getting small weddings, because he's on the cheaper side. Big weddings tend to invest way more, and probably want multiple shooters. You get what you attract. I'm doing a wedding in falls church, va in June... 300 people. Baltimore in december, 275 people.
What you're talking about is a venue that charges a certain amount per person and need a certain amount of people to make enough money to pay it's employees, all their expenses and make a profit to stay in business. So places like that have a minimum amount of people required at the venue for a person to sign a contract with them.

Places that simply charge for the event space are usually on the cheaper side. For example a VFW Hall is usually a cheap hall to rent. There's a place on Main Street in Orange, NJ that cost $1,800 to rent. My partner thinks that's a lot of money. That's pocket change compared to some other places.
 
Hard to find a venue around here that doesn't require a 125-200 person minimum. My wedding had a 175 person minimum. Just depends on area though on that one. Chances are this photographer is getting small weddings, because he's on the cheaper side. Big weddings tend to invest way more, and probably want multiple shooters. You get what you attract. I'm doing a wedding in falls church, va in June... 300 people. Baltimore in december, 275 people.
Here in the upper Midwest big weddings are still norm, all are over 200 most 300 I have have several every year between 400 and 500, we have a lot of big barn venues and for some reason back in the sixties ever bowling alley was built with a banquet room
 
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Well, That was another 12+ hour day. I may have to start leaving for Virginia weddings 5 hours before start time instead of of 4 hours. Had bad traffic most of the 65 mile drive I had today. ...I actually left 3 hours 40 minutes early, not a full 4, but I got there 30 minutes later than I wanted to. I certainly hustled to set everything up including 2 sound systems. Wedding ceremony and reception went well. A pretty good amount of dancing considering half the crowd were old folks age 70+.
There are a lot (most would say too many) Federal employees in the northern Virginia area, basically because the Govt is recession proof - your tax dollar at work. It shows in the traffic. 95, from Fredericksburg north, is a nightmare, unless you can legally get in the HOV 3+ lane. They are essentially forcing people to carpool.
Since my wife and I qualify as only two people, I've stopped driving a car from Florida to NY because of this, and now only fly.
 
What you're talking about is a venue that charges a certain amount per person and need a certain amount of people to make enough money to pay it's employees, all their expenses and make a profit to stay in business. So places like that have a minimum amount of people required at the venue for a person to sign a contract with them.

Places that simply charge for the event space are usually on the cheaper side. For example a VFW Hall is usually a cheap hall to rent. There's a place on Main Street in Orange, NJ that cost $1,800 to rent. My partner thinks that's a lot of money. That's pocket change compared to some other places.
Places like that?... I think what you call places like that is an actual business. I know you’re not used to those but that’s what the majority of venues in nj are.

PS in case you didn’t know, your beloved snuffys is closing.