Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Me personally, I play "gigs". I've always found it kinda pretentious and a little off putting when people refer to their gigs as "shows". To each his own I suppose.

It cracks me up when I hear I some musician talking about the "show" they recently played. Oh, wow...and where was your "show"? "At Joe's Pizzaria!" Yeah, OK.

For the most part it seems to me like musicians under 30 or 35 play "shows" while those older play "gigs".

I am looking for another band to play with on the side. The main band isn't playing enough for me. I just recently put a CL ad up expressing what I was looking for. The last sentence read "40 and over no whippersnappers LOL!" I keep reading posts on craigslist that say in their last sentence ages 20 to 30 no dinosaurs. Just thought I'd take the opportunity to give them a taste of their own medicine! I hadn't had any r.e. as of yet!

I personally never cared for the term "gig"- it somehow implies that it's work. And while it IS work, it's a work of love and fun, not a 9-5 drag. I see the word used in the context of work- "I got a carpentry gig coming up"..

No, we put on a SHOW, we invested a lot into stage lighting, performance, and the before-show alcohol drinking that fuels the drunken antics that defines our band. That's not a "gig".

Interesting post. There is a difference between the two, at least from my perspective. "Gig" is slang for "job". "Show" is short for "showcase". Cover bands have gigs because they usually get paid, however meager. Original acts often play one set "shows" and don't usually get paid much (at least from their performance, they may make it up with CD and t-shirt sales). So I think the terms reflect the economics of the event.

Psych Kramer - we posted at the same time!

J-HALEY wrote:I am looking for another band to play with on the side. The main band isn't playing enough for me. I just recently put a CL ad up expressing what I was looking for. The last sentence read "40 and over no whippersnappers LOL!" I keep reading posts on craigslist that say in their last sentence ages 20 to 30 no dinosaurs. Just thought I'd take the opportunity to give them a taste of their own medicine! I hadn't had any r.e. as of yet!

JEFF
START YOUR OWN BAND !
You could do it
You SHOULD do it !
Dude !

I'm 52 . . . gig . . . show . . . ?

Who cares what you call it as long as your out there doing it.

Deadguitars wrote:

J-HALEY wrote:I am looking for another band to play with on the side. The main band isn't playing enough for me. I just recently put a CL ad up expressing what I was looking for. The last sentence read "40 and over no whippersnappers LOL!" I keep reading posts on craigslist that say in their last sentence ages 20 to 30 no dinosaurs. Just thought I'd take the opportunity to give them a taste of their own medicine! I hadn't had any r.e. as of yet!

JEFF
START YOUR OWN BAND !
You could do it
You SHOULD do it !
Dude !

Actually I just contacted a singer this morning. I am thinking of resurecting "Cruise Control" that way I can book a few gigs closer to home a couple of times a month. Then play with Mission Imposter another couple of times! I mentioned that to my wife last night and I saw her face light up!

Never thought of it, to me the terms are interchangeable I guess!

Although my main gig is a cover band, I do consider it a show, cause we have lights, lasers, smoke machines and most of the time we arent just standing there like we are bored, like most of my buddy bands do!

I perform

I always thought of playing live as entertaining - giving the audience something to look at and listen to. If it's only something to listen to, I wouldn't call that performing or a show - maybe a gig if you get paid to supply air waves, but not a show or a performance. Oh, it's all so irrelevant. It is what it is no matter what you call it.

jw123 wrote:Never thought of it, to me the terms are interchangeable I guess!

Although my main gig is a cover band, I do consider it a show, cause we have lights, lasers, smoke machines and most of the time we arent just standing there like we are bored, like most of my buddy bands do!

LASERS! I WANT A LAZER!

Peg Lautny wrote:Me personally, I play "gigs". I've always found it kinda pretentious and a little off putting when people refer to their gigs as "shows". To each his own I suppose.

It cracks me up when I hear I some musician talking about the "show" they recently played. Oh, wow...and where was your "show"? "At Joe's Pizzaria!" Yeah, OK.

For the most part it seems to me like musicians under 30 or 35 play "shows" while those older play "gigs".

A gig is the event, where you play.
A show is what you put on when you get there.
We played a gig at the Erotic poetry Festival once.
We unexpectedly got paid when we thought we were doing it for free.
We had a group of S&M people from Noir leather perform with us.
The show was awesome!

In usage I'm familiar with:

A 'gig' can be a generic term for any kind of paid performance, or in it's other usage, it generally means a club job.

Just to make it confusing we also say, "I just got a gig with a new outfit."

Showcase and Show can be but don't have to be, the same thing. If they are not then a Show, to me, is a concert, perhaps a TV performance.

Talbot

Look at us OLD SQUARE FARTS trying to figure out what a show is?

gig, show, performance, recital, sesh.... no diff. Equal approach to all.