that is fucking hilarious.

I saw Powderfinger open for Coldplay, oh, this was probably in 2001. They got an amazing reaction from the crowd, and that's how I first heard about them. They came back a few months later and played the same club. I would guess there were maybe 20 people there. Very sad.

On another note, I paid $25 to see the Frames open for Damien Rice, and left before Damo came on.

I always feel bad for bands when there's a low turn-out, but I don't notice it much since gigs in LA are usually packed. It's usually for the opening bands where no one is there... it kinda sucks.

If I were in a band and no one showed up to my gigs, I would try not to let it bother me and play as if I was playing to a huge stadium... I think bands should give it their best no matter how many people are there or not.

Nobody showed up at my Bar Mitzvah. (A "popular" girl had her Bat Mitzvah that same day.)

It's been like that for just about every big event for me. I've come to expect it.
-PopEeyore

Oh man, the stories I could tell. I think some of our best shows have been played to 5 people.

Here's the thing: booking agents, particularly in larger markets, are free agents in their scenes. If they catch what they think is an awesome band at one of their lower profile venues, they can (and will) put that band on a better bill, at a better venue the next time around. It's in their interest to "break" a band and increase their own penchant for being a tastemaker.

KPH

that is so sad. i think we should throw you a do-over. start boning up on yr talmud

i played to the bartender once.

I remember back in 97 or 98 at the Y100 Fez-tival in Philly* when everyone left after Beck played. Reel Big Fish was the headliner and only probably 100 or so people stayed. The security actually tried to prevent us lawn dwellers from coming down front so that we could get some good skankin' in right near the band. I can't imagine how they must have felt to have an entire amphitheatre get up and leave.

*Camden, NJ.

OK, I'm gonna call semi-bullshit here:

1st: There were more than 6 people; maybe 15.

2nd: That show, while a shitty experience (don't forget, my car hydroplaned on the way up there and those locals had to pull us out) taught us a lot about playing live, on the fly, and making the best of a bad situation. I always saw that gig as the first step to us being able to play tough bars under worse conditions later on.

3rd: Dude, we played like sweet sixteen parties on peoples back porches in Peachtree City GA in high school!!! With their parents there. And me playing Zappa records through our "pa" (i use that term loosely) during setbreaks. At least there was beer at this gig.

4th: Hows about dwelling on the gigs where we opened for bands at the GA Theatre or 40 Watt and most of the crowd left after we played leaving the headliner to toil in the darkness, so cold, so cold.

5th: My opinion has always been: If you don't have anybody at your gig---its your fault. If its local---you didnt promote it enough, or you have no friends, or you suck. If its on tour you should probably question who is booking and doing advance work for you or whether you should be on tour at all.

If a tree falls.....

Playing to an empty house sucks.

This happens all the time in every band I've ever been in.
I've only recently started taking it personally. I'm getting old.

Dude... that show sucked. I didn't say it sucked worse than anything else. And I dispute the 15 count... that fuckin house was barren. That was 6 hours of driving just to practice.

Remember that time I pissed off Dreams So Real at the ampitheater? Or at least was accused of pissing them off...

2 shows:

I saw a friend's band open for American Football and Jimmy Eat World (2 bands I don't like) several years ago in Champaign. There were probably 15 people there as the show started. By the time Jimmy Eat World hit the stage, there were maybe 7 people still there. I think they played 3 or 4 songs.

About a year later, I saw Archer Prewitt, Dianogah, and Sam Prekop play in Champaign. There was virtually no advertising for the show - I only saw one or two sentences in the local paper. The crowd was well under 10, but Prewitt still played like it was a packed house.

Oh, and a friend's band once played a show with just the sound guy in attendance. He left for a while to go smoke.

Hey, I was there too!!!!!! It was '97, and IIRC we weren't on the lawn but in the back part of the pavilion.

Come Down played for a group of maybe 8 people here and did it really well.

Back in early '02 I went to see OK Go in Detroit (this was some months before their hit song) and there were about 50 people there.
8 were left after the opening band played.
Those other 42 jackasses missed a really good show.