Who's Responsible For Your Good Time?
I've been putting off writing on this subject because among professional disc jockeys, the sales pitch many give, would have you believe that it's the DJ who is solely responsible for the fun that your guests have. I'm going to get flack for this, but I'm going to say it anyway - "It's not entirely true." There, I've said it - now let me explain.
Anyone working in the entertainment field is going to want you to believe that if you hire them, your party or event will be the most fabulous, successful gala in all of history. Who could blame them? We are simply trying to earn your business and as professionals we are confident that we can create a festive and exciting atmosphere for your guests and deliver on that promise. There is nothing dishonest about that pitch. What bothers me is that it can be very misleading and depending on your crowd, perceived as an outright lie.
As an example; It happened to us just this past weekend. A mom was throwing a surprise party for her 30 year old son. It was at a small hall with about 44 people in attendance, your typical fare buffet and some appropriate birthday decorations and balloons thrown in. It was pretty much as she described it would be when we met with her months earlier. She had given us a play list, informing us that she wanted a wide variety of music played because of the wide range of ages that would be in attendance. Guest would range from 16 to 65 years of age, no surprises there. The list included Dean Martin , Tony Bennett, Nora Jones, etc. as well as your typical 'fun'party material. No Rap or profanity.
We had been playing exactly what the client had requested up to and through dinner and it didn't take long before we got our first complaint. Of course it was from a young man who's approach could only be described as 'super smooth' and he was wondering if we could maybe play something a little more -'fun'. I explained to him that I was playing off of the clients request list but I would be happy to play any request that he would like to hear, provided that I had it with me, but that I could not deafen the crowd while they were trying to talk over dinner. He wanted to hear 'Game'. "FUN!", I thought. I could not play lyrical content like that in a crowd with kids and grandmothers, and I told him so. He would have to wait to hear his 'fun' song until after they left.
Next, a young girl comes up and asks for a similar request. "FUN", I thought again, and explained that I was using a list from the birthday boys mom, but would get it on for her later. Of course, we did pick up the pace with what I thought was 'fun' music, after all, this stuff works at all of my weddings - nope, not here, not tonight. "Love Shack", "Mustang Sally", "Respect", "I Will Survive", 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's. Nope, again - not tonight. I could count the dancers on two hands. The slow stuff worked, as it always does - I just couldn't "hook 'em" with anything fast.
Only five hours of this, I thought! So, what can a DJ do? Trivia? Games? No! The client didn't want a lot of that. We simply had to sit by and watch people leaving. We felt horrible. The entire night, we were trying to figure out what we did wrong - and then it happened.
ALCOHOL happened. It had to be! We did nothing different, when suddenly, one guy gets crazy, then two, then three, four, five couples now out - all the guests are on the floor. It took one or two crazy drunk, having the time of their lives, party animals to get everybody else in the room up and dancing and that's where they stayed for the rest of the night! I wish I had video.
Nothing I did or said all night could do it and believe me, the only other option was stand-up comedy and at that point, I'm no longer a DJ, I'm a comedian and that's not what I do nor was hired to do. I should mention that the client was happy and did not hold me responsible for the slow start. We threw everything at them and she knew it. She was disgusted with her guests, not us.We did nothing wrong and the music was great.
So, how does this relate to your wedding? Simple. You are responsible for you own good time. That's it. You. And your guests, of course.
If you believe that the entertainer you hire has the sole power to control your guests, you may be disappointed. We can only motivate. Through music, a little laughter, some banter with the audience and 'ice breaking' techniques that are time proven - but above and beyond that, we are disc jockeys. Yes, we certainly hold the power to make or break your day, but how far do you want your DJ to go to get your guests dancing? I have seen DJ's destroy a party in an effort to populate the dance floor. The "Wedding Singer" or "Lounge Act" comes to mind. And the sad part is, some of these guys think this is a "technique". It's not, especially not at a formal or sophisticated wedding or similar event.
Everyone has their own idea of what's 'fun' and what 'fun' music is. A lot of it depends on what year you were born in! By the way, this is the reason for all of those overplayed, cliche' songs that many don't like to hear again and again - you know, 'the Electric Slide', 'Old Time Rock 'n Roll', "I Will Survive", "It's Raining Men", etc., etc. We use them to get the dance floor packed because, you guessed it, they pack a dance floor. They are DJ tools and if you think you're sick of hearin' 'em... Keep that in mind the next time you tell a DJ that those songs, and others like them, are off limits.
I not only wanted to bring this to your attention, I can prove it's true. In an effort to prove it to myself, not too long ago, we wrote down all of the music played at one of our most outrageously successful events. We then took that play list and used it, in it's exact order, at several other weddings. The result? All of the events were completely different from each other with various reaction from the crowd. There is simply no way to 'guarantee' a packed dance floor. It's a misleading promise and it's not fair to the bride or groom. I can tell you this; the crowd does tend to be where the bride and groom are, so if you're smart, you'll spend as much time as you can on the dance floor. Our most successful events are the ones where both the bride and groom DANCE!
As a disc jockey, there is no greater measure of success than a packed dance floor, BUT, I can't make you have a good time. You're responsible for that.
Anyone working in the entertainment field is going to want you to believe that if you hire them, your party or event will be the most fabulous, successful gala in all of history. Who could blame them? We are simply trying to earn your business and as professionals we are confident that we can create a festive and exciting atmosphere for your guests and deliver on that promise. There is nothing dishonest about that pitch. What bothers me is that it can be very misleading and depending on your crowd, perceived as an outright lie.
As an example; It happened to us just this past weekend. A mom was throwing a surprise party for her 30 year old son. It was at a small hall with about 44 people in attendance, your typical fare buffet and some appropriate birthday decorations and balloons thrown in. It was pretty much as she described it would be when we met with her months earlier. She had given us a play list, informing us that she wanted a wide variety of music played because of the wide range of ages that would be in attendance. Guest would range from 16 to 65 years of age, no surprises there. The list included Dean Martin , Tony Bennett, Nora Jones, etc. as well as your typical 'fun'party material. No Rap or profanity.
We had been playing exactly what the client had requested up to and through dinner and it didn't take long before we got our first complaint. Of course it was from a young man who's approach could only be described as 'super smooth' and he was wondering if we could maybe play something a little more -'fun'. I explained to him that I was playing off of the clients request list but I would be happy to play any request that he would like to hear, provided that I had it with me, but that I could not deafen the crowd while they were trying to talk over dinner. He wanted to hear 'Game'. "FUN!", I thought. I could not play lyrical content like that in a crowd with kids and grandmothers, and I told him so. He would have to wait to hear his 'fun' song until after they left.
Next, a young girl comes up and asks for a similar request. "FUN", I thought again, and explained that I was using a list from the birthday boys mom, but would get it on for her later. Of course, we did pick up the pace with what I thought was 'fun' music, after all, this stuff works at all of my weddings - nope, not here, not tonight. "Love Shack", "Mustang Sally", "Respect", "I Will Survive", 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's. Nope, again - not tonight. I could count the dancers on two hands. The slow stuff worked, as it always does - I just couldn't "hook 'em" with anything fast.
Only five hours of this, I thought! So, what can a DJ do? Trivia? Games? No! The client didn't want a lot of that. We simply had to sit by and watch people leaving. We felt horrible. The entire night, we were trying to figure out what we did wrong - and then it happened.
ALCOHOL happened. It had to be! We did nothing different, when suddenly, one guy gets crazy, then two, then three, four, five couples now out - all the guests are on the floor. It took one or two crazy drunk, having the time of their lives, party animals to get everybody else in the room up and dancing and that's where they stayed for the rest of the night! I wish I had video.
Nothing I did or said all night could do it and believe me, the only other option was stand-up comedy and at that point, I'm no longer a DJ, I'm a comedian and that's not what I do nor was hired to do. I should mention that the client was happy and did not hold me responsible for the slow start. We threw everything at them and she knew it. She was disgusted with her guests, not us.We did nothing wrong and the music was great.
So, how does this relate to your wedding? Simple. You are responsible for you own good time. That's it. You. And your guests, of course.
If you believe that the entertainer you hire has the sole power to control your guests, you may be disappointed. We can only motivate. Through music, a little laughter, some banter with the audience and 'ice breaking' techniques that are time proven - but above and beyond that, we are disc jockeys. Yes, we certainly hold the power to make or break your day, but how far do you want your DJ to go to get your guests dancing? I have seen DJ's destroy a party in an effort to populate the dance floor. The "Wedding Singer" or "Lounge Act" comes to mind. And the sad part is, some of these guys think this is a "technique". It's not, especially not at a formal or sophisticated wedding or similar event.
Everyone has their own idea of what's 'fun' and what 'fun' music is. A lot of it depends on what year you were born in! By the way, this is the reason for all of those overplayed, cliche' songs that many don't like to hear again and again - you know, 'the Electric Slide', 'Old Time Rock 'n Roll', "I Will Survive", "It's Raining Men", etc., etc. We use them to get the dance floor packed because, you guessed it, they pack a dance floor. They are DJ tools and if you think you're sick of hearin' 'em... Keep that in mind the next time you tell a DJ that those songs, and others like them, are off limits.
I not only wanted to bring this to your attention, I can prove it's true. In an effort to prove it to myself, not too long ago, we wrote down all of the music played at one of our most outrageously successful events. We then took that play list and used it, in it's exact order, at several other weddings. The result? All of the events were completely different from each other with various reaction from the crowd. There is simply no way to 'guarantee' a packed dance floor. It's a misleading promise and it's not fair to the bride or groom. I can tell you this; the crowd does tend to be where the bride and groom are, so if you're smart, you'll spend as much time as you can on the dance floor. Our most successful events are the ones where both the bride and groom DANCE!
As a disc jockey, there is no greater measure of success than a packed dance floor, BUT, I can't make you have a good time. You're responsible for that.
posted by Ron A. Lamoreux, Jr. | 7:35 PM
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