A wish list for pub gigs – The sequel-Entertainment News , Firstpost

Last week, I attended a gig at a restaurant after more than two – maybe three or even four – years, and almost immediately, I remembered why I stopped attending shows at establishments that aren’t primarily concert venues. The presence of a permanent stage area is no guarantee that the spot is set up to host gigs, or at the least equipped with a sound system that’s loud enough to drown out audiences chattering during the performances without disrupting diners on the other side of the eatery who want to converse.

The experience also reminded me of this wish list I put together for pub gigs in October 2018, a time when the world was a significantly different pre-pandemic place. A wish list, by nature, is idealistic but I’m disappointed to report that none of my five hopes have turned into realities. Most shows don’t start within half an hour of the listed time, venues don’t stop bar service when the act is playing, barely any artists sell merch, I have yet to see a special menu, and in Mumbai where I live, there are no loyalty cards on offer.

But because I remain an eternal optimist, a necessary default setting to make it through these often dim times, I’ve thought of five more changes I’d love to see. With fingers and toes crossed, here goes:

Gig guides

I’ve spent most of my journalistic career preparing weekly music listings during stints at three city-centric magazines and websites. They helped sort out readers and my gigging life and doubled up as a great indicator of the changing live music landscape. Now that I’m a freelancer, I continue to make concert listings for myself, albeit erratically. If I was more consistent and had a spare couple of hours every couple of days, I’d publish them publicly, on Instagram perhaps. Instead, I occasionally share them with friends. The lack of a one-stop source for all the shows in town means that we have to rely on collecting information from various sources, such as ticketing platforms and the individual social media pages of venues we frequent and acts we love. It pains me a little every time I hear somebody say they missed a gig because they didn’t know about it. Independent musician Pankaj Tak has been working to redress this situation through his Some Good Gigs WhatsApp groups and Instagram account. As with any pro bono exercise, it would be a lot more comprehensive if Tak had access to more resources.

Ticket sales counters

These days, tickets for most shows are sold in multiple phases. You might find yourself missing early bird discounts, a consequence perhaps of the absence of the aforementioned gig guides. Or you might just procrastinate over buying tickets in advance. A counter showing how many tickets are left in a particular tier – similar to the way e-commerce sites display how many units they have in stock of different sizes of a particular product – might just provide the enticement for music fans to finally make that purchase.

More live bands on weekends

I’ve ranted about this many times before – most weekend slots are dominated by electronic music DJs. Those of us who prefer seeing bands can only catch them during weekdays, typically Wednesdays or Thursdays, the middle of the work week when you’re often too swamped or too tired to step out. Given that almost every demographic seems to be revenge eating/drinking/gigging this year, there is a big gap in the market with regard to those for whom “live” will always mean seeing an instrument, as opposed to a computer, on stage. This audience might skew older but has a larger disposable income. Yes, a band will always be more expensive to book, but most fans appear to be okay to pay a slight premium for artists they’ve missed seeing for the past two years. Venues need to have a better balance of concert offerings, and those that are stuck to the old thinking that the weekend draws the “party” set won’t know what they’re missing unless they experiment a little. The right artists will bring in the crowds, any day of the week.

QR codes

Ever check out an artist you’ve never heard before and get instantly charmed and want to listen to their entire catalogue the minute you get home? It’s one of the best aspects of the live music experience, and while many artists do make sure to end their sets by telling attendees where to follow them online and the platforms on which their music is available, a QR code included in the e-ticket or even put somewhere at the venue would make it so much easier for people to find their music without having to search for it or in certain cases, remember an unusual spelling.

Buddy passes

This has already happened thanks to the pioneering thinking of Hindi post-rock group aswekeepsearching so my wish is that more bands and venues adopt this system. The concept is quite simple: if you buy two tickets instead of one, you get the second at a lower price. The majority of people don’t attend concerts alone and I, for one, am frequently tagging along friends and family members to shows by artists they’ve never seen. Just like aswekeepsearching did, these ‘buddy passes’ can be a limited batch and with that aforementioned ticket sales counter telling you just how many are up for grabs, I’m quite confident they can help drive sales. It seems like a no-brainer.

I feel that this time around, my suggestions are somewhat easier to execute, so here’s wishing that if and when I write my next list, the score isn’t zero out of ten!

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