You’ve just described a night out for me when we hire the soundsystem out.

It’s even more work when you throw a unlicensed party but the enjoyment level is much higher and there is fewer idiots to deal with.

LOL – and just about anybody who hires out rigs for a living. Dj’s are total primadonna’s these days, and most of them don’t seem to realise that what they do is relatively easy for the most part (I’m a DJ too and have been for longer than most of them have been out of nappies, so I’m qualified to comment here). Having them not only be prissy, but try to tell the engineers how to do their job (which most do – they all think DJ’ing makes you a sound engineer by default) becomes totally endless, and is very rude (as if the engineers didn’t have to work hard to learn their job, and any monkey can do it). I can do both jobs, and the engineering is very much the more demanding skill to learn… A live musician I have always been willing to allow a little of this behaviour (not too much tho’) when hiring a rig, as they have also worked hard to learn their art, but DJ’s are monkeys with vinyl and they get told so:weee:.

And as for the ones trying to break the rig – got a steel ruler for that kind of idiocy. They get told UNITY GAIN when they start, and if I see it over 0db for any length of time it’s knuckle rapping time. If they persist, then they get booted off unless they’re paying the hire. In that case, they get turned down and told they will get more volume when they stop acting like a tosser and start at least trying to look professional. As for the camera flash geezer – he could be sorted by sticking a terra strobe in front of him… Then the flash wouldn’t be a problem…:wink::laugh_at::laugh_at::laugh_at::laugh_at:

As for the free parties – yes it’s a lot of work, but as Bio says – generally more fun. The people involved are a lot more sensible for a start, and into doing it for the same reasons you are. You also get to say who plays too – for us it’s only the people who’ve helped out with the rest of the work – no DJ’s who think they can turn up with a record box, play, then sod off without at least doing some of the work…. No shortage of vinyl monkeys after all… How’s the track go – “everybody wants to be a DJ”? (cannae remember the name of the track, but it’s a DnB classic from about 15yr ago)

You’ve gotta be a true believer though – someone who likes making people happy and enjoy themselves, and gets a kick from making them do so.

We don’t send round the donation bucket anymore (the reasons for which I’ve gone into elsewhere on the board), but we always hugely appreciate people staying to help tidy up/pack away. Nothing worse than being left with a rig, a bombed site, and only 3 or 4 people to sort it (doesn’t happen often any more thankfully, but has in the past…) That’s when you find out if you are a true believer – anything less and you’d never want to do it again.

The flip side of that coin – when someone goes well out of their way to help – is always really nice though. Festival 2 years ago we were having a ‘mare cos our van hadn’t turned up to lift the rig – bloke hiring it to us fell asleep apparently:wtf:. Had no idea what to do, until a couple of people (friends of the Ped Skum crew) offered to load it into their converted ambulance and trek it home for us. Helped us pack, load and unload at the other end:weee:raaa, all without even being asked – absolute gems, and nominated for sainthood for sure…:love::love:

TBH, the help is better than lots of donations – the cash can be covered between the crew (helps to own the rig and jenny – only thing we don’t have now and need to hire is the high top van for transport) – the tidying and whatnot take a good while unless there’s a few to help, and crew want to be packing the rig and stuff at that point usually:wink:

Cups of tea are always appreciated post party too… Superheated infusion of tannins and sugar to re-enliven the synapses…:groucho::groucho: