Most bands are lazy and want to be told what to do and when to do it. Tell them. If they don't like it, either they lose their slot or play to 3 people and (maybe) never come back. The onus falls on the promoter a little if their show wasn't well advertised or fliered, but mostly I lay the blame on lackadaisical local music folks who won't/don't go out unless it's one of their friend's bands, free beer, etc...
But I do go on...
I, like Rick, have no problem whip-cracking bands to get them on/off stage. I am at most of these shindigs so anyone who's not up for it who can't find Rick, consider me a second...
::Why can't shows start on time? Why can't they start at 8 PM? Why do there have to be like 5 bands playing each show, on a weeknight? Is it not cool to get home before 1 AM? Why do the same local bands have to open at every frigging show? Why don't they say whent hey are really starting so I can skip the horrible local band?
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:Five bands on a bill is rarely ever a good idea. Usually very trying on everyone's patience...
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:There was a time when every show that happened in Davis started at the advertised time. This was as recent as 2002-2003 when many shows were happening at Espresso Metro. It was a long-running joke that all the Davis kids would get there at 8:00 and sit around for an hour and a half waiting for everyone else to arrive.
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:But now, even most Davis shows happen late, and that pisses me off, too. Especially when I've got a show in my living room, and I want it to start on time so that it will end before the cops enforce the 10:00 p.m. noise curfew.
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:But again, it's tough to ask a band to play for the three or four people that are intent on making it to everything on time.
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:Last weekend's show in Elk Grove started 25 minutes late at 9:25, but it was also over by 11:05. The key was having three bands. Plus, the local band recognized their own shortcomings and called it a night at 16 minutes into the performance. We had quick breakdown and set-up times.
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:Stricter stage management is probably needed...especially when shows get behind schedule at the outset. But so often, the guy booking a Sacto/Davis show is also the guy collecting the money and sometimes he's also the guy in one of the bands, so it's sorta hard sometimes to also be the stage manager and crack the whip on bands walking back and forth between liquor stores and putting on chicken suits in the bathroom.
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:If you're too busy to do everything at your show, you can delegate whip-cracking to me. I don't mind telling a band to get their shit together on a schedule. We all wanna be niceguys, but you don't hafta be a total ass to get stuff like this handled.
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:I do a lot of travelling and seeing shows in other cities, and I can tell you that it's not much better in other cities except at the most professional of venues which operate like clockwork.
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