WWYD next door.

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DJ Young

DJ
Mar 21, 2008
2,146
10
50
Wasaga Beach
www.wasagabeatzdj.com
I was doing a reception at a place that has 23 rooms for banquets and conferences and had 4 weddings going on yesterday. I was in a room that had entrance doors two feet away from the next room. The hall manager approaches me and tells me that the DJ next door isn't scheduled to start until 9:00 and they want music for the introductions and for a big parade the service staff do to present the main course (actually pretty cool to watch) The thing is the other DJ's gear is all set up and ready to go. So the hall manager asks me if I will go next door and use the other guy's gear to make magic happen for them. I said no. I don't want to be accountable for anything that may go wrong. I really wanted to go help these people out but I couldn't do it.
If I had an extra powered speaker with me I may have done it with all my gear but I still don't wanna take a chance with some guy I don't know claiming I ruined his wedding when one little thing goes wrong.

young...
 
You could of called the DJ if someone had his number and asked his permission.

You could of asked the Venue if they had a overhead PA system and a place to plug in your Microphone and you would of gladly done it that way.

I think you took the best way out in this situation.
 
Definitely wouldn't have touched the other guys gear, without permission, but the main question is if they wanted intro music why didn't they have their DJ there, guess they we trying to save money, and cut the DJ hours. Also your reception was in progress right, it would not be right for you to leave your clients to cover for their bad decisions.
 
DJ Young said:
I was doing a reception at a place that has 23 rooms for banquets and conferences and had 4 weddings going on yesterday.
Click to expand...

First of all, that boggles my mind! What is it, the Adult Chuck E. Cheese?

I would probably help out, because that's the kind of guy I am.
However, I don't like having to be put on the spot like that. I'll stick to my one room venues and focus on my own clients.
 
I would not have touched the other guys system either. You made the right move. If the intro is a big part of the banquet staffs routine, then they should have worked this out with the DJ that was set up in the room in advance.
 
Boy I would like to be on that Vendor Recommended list for that facility. 23 Banquet rooms and me just moving from one event to another to do the formalities and letting another DJ do the party dancing time.
 
They actually have over 50 rooms for conferences and meetings but 20 of them are big enough to hold 100 people or more. They are a full service resort with a spa, outdoor ceremony location, indoor chapel, 2 NHL sized ice rinks, 45 holes of golf and I would imagine about 500 hotel rooms. The place is huge. The wedding next door had a band for their cocktail music which I would imagine is why there was no DJ present. Unfortunately the band couldn't play any 2 Unlimited or Justin Timberlake. I probably could have plugged my iPod into the house speakers in hindsight but at the time I was busy taking care of the clients who were paying me. The only time I don't mind leaving my gear is for bathroom breaks and we all know those are necessary. I will also sometimes step out if I have a good location to call my kids and say goodnight while the speeches are happening. Last night they were using the house mic for speeches and the exit door was 5 feet to my left. I always clear it with the client first though and rarely does any one have a problem with it.

young...
 
Thanks, Young.

Yeah, I agree with the rest. Look but don't touch is my way of thinkin'. :)

In all honesty, there are many brands and makes of sound equipment, all different. There are countless methods of configuration. There's no way I'd try to figure out a strange system on a moment's notice, especially if I don't have permission from the owner. I just wouldn't be comfy with that.

And I wouldn't be overly impressed if somebody I didn't know took it upon himself to experiment with our rig. :eek:

The impression I get from Young's post, this entrance parade is of the venue's doing. It's no reflection on the client nor the booked DJ company. If they needed entrance music for it, that should have been worked out between the venue sales manager and the client ahead of time.
 
I agree with the majority here, never touch another's gear without consent of the DJ. Personally, I would have a MAJOR issue if I rounded the corner and someone was fiddling with my gear.

Heck, I was an assistant to Steve Sharp this last weekend, and I wouldn't touch his gear without him telling me exactly what to do.

G-Lou
 
I'm an easygoing guy, but if I found anyone - ESPECIALLY another DJ - fiddling with my gear, I would hold an impromptu seminar on gig-etiquette right there on the spot.

Sitting in the front row of this brief, but informative lecture would be the misguided individual who first made the ill-considered suggestion.

So, to conclude: No. Not happening.

Now, I am just aching to know how it came to pass that nobody (not even the DJ) noticed that he was not scheduled to start until after the announcements? It sounds exactly like the kind of thing that happens when people hire jukeboxes-with-fingers (Mr. I-don't-start-until-9pm)
 
This could lie on the bride and groom or venue though because the bride and groom should have known to have the dj there on time for their introductions and tray uncovering. I think it looks tacky for the dj to come in mid-event and I try to help customers understand that.
 
Maybe it's me... perhaps I'm going crazy. From what Young posted, the DJ in question wasn't slated to start 'til 9:00. They had a band booked in the meantime.

Folks, I have loaded in early on more occasions than I can recall. Used to do this every NYE for years. Load in, set up, do sound checks, shut down, close and lock the cases and head out to town for dinner before the show.

Sometimes you've got to get there early and get your rig loaded in long before your scheduled start time. In Young's case, this was one of those occasions.

Or is it me? :confused:
 
Man Rule #3...

Never touch another man's fries.

But this pretty much applies to anything another man owns.
 
Fred is right. I missed this in the second post, but there was indeed a band. Your sanity is intact.

And to be clear, there is nothing wrong with loading, setting, and then coming back for start-time. In fact, it's the ONLY way. Setting up in front of guests is tacky.

But I still maintain somebody dropped the ball in not making sure there was music for something as integral to a wedding reception as the introductions. Had that couple hired a DJ that asked more than "When do I start, where do I plug in and when do I quit?" they would have had a much smoother evening, and we would not be talking about this.

Show biz!
 
I find myself stunned, somewhat regularly at how often this seems to happen. I would stay with my clients, with my sympathy to the party that wasn't planned well.

groovielou said:
I agree with the majority here, never touch another's gear without consent of the DJ. Personally, I would have a MAJOR issue if I rounded the corner and someone was fiddling with my gear.

Heck, I was an assistant to Steve Sharp this last weekend, and I wouldn't touch his gear without him telling me exactly what to do.

G-Lou
Click to expand...

I agree with the first paragraph wholeheartedly.

Thanks for coming to assist, Louis, and you could have stayed and played some more, if you wanted, and we could have compared notes at Dennys afterwards (if we can FIND one near there). The party was fantastic. Got lots of great pictures from it, and a noticeable request for my card from the bride's brother, who is engaged :sqbiggrin:

Having other DJs touch the Hercules RMX is part of my "other" job, so it would have been just fine if you wanted to play with it. Review it, review me, whatever a couple of D.J.s do, man.

I'm probably a lot more "kickback" than some might think. How did my stress level on the job compare to our friend Ken's?
 
I agree that you did the right thing. I would NOT agree to do it even with the other DJs permission. No one touches my rig, and I touch no one else's- period.

Even when asked to do it as a compliment ( Visiting another guy's bar show, and being asked to sit in as a guest host for a few) I politely decline.
 
Steve,

If there is one thing I have learned from working with other Dj's is, if I agree to do it there are rules to follow:
1) Keep my mouth shut, only speak when spoken to, and reserve opinions until/if asked.
2) Do exactly what is asked, don't improvise.
3) Understand its not my show, success or failure is solely dependent on the person I am working for. So, refer to rule 1.
4) Open ears and mind (learn).

These are things I generally want from someone that works with me, so I provide the same.

btw. No problem Steve, I had a great time. I was a bit anxious to get home. The wife was pulling the major guilt trip. They seemed like a great family. I really got a kick out of the Grooms brother.

G-Lou
 
(sorry for the continued hijack)

In most situations with a "roadie", I'd agree with your guidelines, and even if not, it's can't hurt you to play it safe. I view you as far more than simply that.

While I don't think you got to see the "meat" of the event, any observations you'd like to share are welcome.

And yes, the groom's brother (the best man) is nuts! But I love the guy - and he's the major reason his brother and sister-in-law called me originally.

(weak attempt to return to topic)

We were the only event at this resort last Saturday (so there's no one we could have "saved"), and the staff were very appreciative to have "someone who knows what they're doing" handling the wedding. Apparently, the night before, the bride and groom had a friend handle the D.J. and emcee duties, and the results were very bad. Because I'm not local, and they'd never worked with me before, they were concerned they'd have an entire weekend of bad D.J.s.
 
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