Saturday's wedding...

Folks,

Many of you are aware that we will be taking a sabbatical from the DJ biz. That sabbatical begins as we speak. Today's wedding was the last show on the books. :)

It was a nice show, all in all. Had around 40 guests, all ages with just a couple of younger pups. The client had one of those 20 x 40 rented tents in the back yard with covered tables. It was very nice. I was set up in the rear of the tent next to a 10 x 10 portable dancefloor. All kindsa food, beer, champagne and bottled water (I did partake of a bottle of cool water).

Load was your typical PITA backyard party load. I parked the truck in the driveway and bullworked it all through the grass on the handtruck. There was a slight slope to the lawn but not enough to cause the cases and all to tip off the handtruck. But it was a long hike and I sweated like 3 pigs.

The guests didn't block my truck in this time, nosir. I got smart and moved the truck out to the road after getting unloaded. :D

The photographer was one of Shirl's coworkers, Ossie. I think I noticed him before he noticed me. He had his galfriend with him. He and the groom's family go 'way back and he was providing the photography as a wedding gift. Ossie is a character... we were joking and laughing around a lot during the show. His galfriend is a sweetie. She and I shared a few jokes at Ossie's expense while he was working. ;)

The couple were married outside the tent opening. The minister didn't want a mic so I played Canon in D Major at very low volume during the service as per the B&G's request.

The folks brought the chairs inside and proceeded with dinner and drinkin'. It was a friendly, laid back crowd. I went with a lot of 50s and early 60s standards during dinner. The folks really enjoyed it. The only time the dance floor was deserted was during the cake cutting later. The B&G decided not to do the garter and bouquet nor the dollar or honeymoon dance.

The nice part of all this... I didn't have to play so-called "cheese" tunes to get folks dancing. Just played some older standards and requests. The folks loved it and danced 'til the end. Got several compliments on the music selections and the system tone.

Show went an hour overtime with a sweet little tip. Load out took 45 minutes. That was due to the time involved in bullworking the rig from the tent to the truck.

Not a bad way to end a long summer run of outdoor shows. I had an enjoyable time... got into "DJ Mode" on a few occasions. Now it's time to shut it down and relax. :)

thanks my friend for sharing the last of another chapter.
Raises a pint of Ale in honor of the success of the past and to the future when the DJ returns.

Good to hear Sir Fred The Wolf.. I hope the outcome of this event will bring you back to the DJ scene sooner than later. But for now enjoy a nice winter off.

I wish I had been there to help you sweat. Well you know, help bullwork the load.

Sound like the affair had that southern style and grace, not that yankee crassness.

Aye, Enjoy your extended vacation. We all need one now and then. To have you never return to the DJ hood would be a loss for us all. So with that said please enjoy your time off. And make sure you keep us enformed of how life is outside working constantly aye :sqbiggrin: .

Thanks, guys. :)

I could've used the help, too. Shirl does a lot of little things like putting the covers on the speaker cabs, stowing cables and stands and so forth. When you have to do it all yourself from start to finish you quickly learn to appreciate it.

I was fighting voltage drop, too. The client had supplied a long extension cord that may not have been the best. With the system at low volume the voltage was hovering below 110. When goosed up for dancing, the LEDs on the Furman sank below 90. This was the first time I've ever seen that happen... but we normally use our own extension cords which are of heavy gauge. I was bi-amped... the 3rd amp was not needed and was shut off. They had decorative festoon lighting in the tent... and them lights were flickering to the bass.

If this isn't a good arguement for Class H toroid amps with big electrolytic DC power supplies, there has never been one. :D

The guests were locals for the most part. Delaware is small state and folks from Maryland and Virginia may be considered locals. That's what we had... I try to make a point of noticing licence plates on the guests' cars to get an idea of the type of crowd we have.

One group of 60ish said "We're going to sit as close to your speakers as we can" and that's what they did. They took the table that was directly under one of the mid-top cab stands. With the way this system works (the tops are directional) they could converse easily even while the sound level was up. I couldn't hear what they were saying but they seemed to have no problem chatting at that table.

I saw just one guest using a cell phone. He was courteous enough to leave the tent while chatting. Didn't hear a cell ring all night. :)

This was one wedding party where I am glad I took the sub cabs along. Had a few requests for Michael Jackson ~ Billie Jean, Thriller etc ~ and the bass thump really helped. They really got down to that. Two couples were into Latin dance music. The closest I could come to that were a couple of old Selena CDs that haven't been spun in years. Selena released some popular dance floor thumpers back in the day. I put 'em on and they really enjoyed that. They were singing along with the music as well.

Finished the show with Jackson Browne's Loadout/Stay. I'm removing my tie and dress shirt, cleaning up the odds and ends... and a few of the guests were on the floor dancing to that, even. :)

Got the truck unloaded this afternoon. Before doing that I did a bit of rearranging in the utility room so that the system could be stowed out of the way. It's been put to bed for the duration.