I've decided to post it here not-as-a-poll as it'll get a bit more coverage and hopefully encourage some more in-depth comments.


This is something I've noticed a lot recently - apart from festivals with every name under the sun, it seems to be harder and harder for any night to pull a crowd using a big lineup alone, in fact people don't seem to really care for big-name lineups at all anymore (apart from your "premier league" lot - PVD, Tiesto, Sasha, etc), in the UK at least.

So on a night out would you rather see your door tax spent on a handful of solid residents and then some impressive decor etc to try and make it a proper 'experience' or would you rather see a lineup of international big names who have proven their worth time and time again (with maybe less attention to decor etc to enable these DJs to be booked within the budget)?

Or would you rather both famous stars and extravagant decor were kept to a minimum so that you don't have to pay half your week's wages on the ticket (and maybe drinks are kept as cheap as possible)?


What do you look for in a night out?

• I want to see loads of huge name DJs on a lineup! That way you can guarantee the best music and that's all that matters to me
  
• A solid set of residents can be just as good as the superstars and I'd rather see the money put towards making the whole event an impressive experience
  
• Some good residents will do it for me too, but I'd rather things were kept cheap
  
• It depends...

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Stu Cox |

good, open-minded, fun-loving crowd

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox What do you look for in a night out? I want to see loads of huge name DJs on a lineup! That way you can guarantee the best music and that's all that matters to me A solid set of residents can be just as good as the superstars and I'd rather see the money put towards making the whole event an impressive experience

Somewhere between these two. I couldn't care less about decorations or whatever else, but the more people are there, the better, imo. While the music might still be good with a bunch of local people, and that's still enjoyable, the fact is that big names at least tend to draw bigger crowds (there are exceptions, obviously), and that's more to my liking.

As for price, if it's somebody I really want to see, that doesn't really enter into the equation, especially when a tab, transportation, and, when needed, a place to crash usually run way more than the ticket, itself.

so, to answer the question, I'd say line-up, then price, just because I really don't care about any decorations or other entertainment, aside from good music, a good sound system, & a fairly good set-up (i.e. not a place that's way too big for the crowd, or with a dj booth tucked away in a loft or something), and you can't buy a bigger crowd.

another big thing is timing. If it's not on a weekend or over a holiday, the attendance goes way down, but, then again, you get what you pay for with the booking.

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quote:

Originally posted by nefardec good, open-minded, fun-loving crowd

+1


A while ago, I always thought lineup is key. Now, I realize that the promotion group and crowd really makes the night. Good music can be played by anyone.

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox What do you look for in a night out? [*]Some good residents will do it for me too [*]It depends...[/list]

This is it for me - and it doesn't have to be altogether too cheap, but I'd expect it not to cost all that much in general just because it's a local night.

I've really, really lost interest in the "big" names - and though they still provide some really wonderful nights out (Vath, Howells, Fair have all been unreal this year), I genuinely seem to enjoy sets from locals so much more now, it's absurd.

The number of times I've seen openers absolutely blow headliners out of the water in Chicago is utterly staggering.

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last minute disco dot net

whatever the lineup is it will be better with a positive crowd

price

I totally agree that a crowd in the right mindset will make or break a night. I was looking at this more from a promotion point of view - that is, while promoters can do their best to bring a good crowd, when it comes down to it the only way they can do this is by putting on a night with the right DJs, promoting it in the right way, etc...

When you decide to go to a night, you don't know for certain what the crowd will be like and of course the same goes for other production values of the night - you don't know till you get there! So how to you decide whether or not to go to a night in the first place?

Of course with some nights you'll know from their reputation that they're likely to bring a good crowd, but otherwise all you've got to go on a lot of the time is the lineup and whatever they say in their promotion...

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Stu Cox |

a good sound system is one of the main things that can make or break a night. and adaquate use of one at the same time.

i have seen so many nights where the organisers/sound engineers have blundered by allowing the huge main room to be opened from the start. i think the crowd need a warm up in a rocking small second room (with a good pumping rig). once the small room cant take any more peopole, then its time to open the main room!

an empty main room looks and sounds terrible in most cases

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I'd have to go with the crowd as well, I already know how much I'm
paying and who I'm going to see dj since my mind is set these things don't matter; decor I don't really care much for either unless it's a complete dump but I try to go to normal places, so it's really up to the crowd that can either enhance or break the night,
also because sometimes DJs play differently depending on the crowd
so it influences the music as well..

Line-up matter definitely, although it's not about the big names really. As Rob experienced as well, I've seen warm-up DJ's shit all over the headliners more than once.

Price matters as well, but that's in combination with the line-up. If the line-up warrants the cash, it's good. If not, then not. Quite obvious really, and highly subjective as well.

I don't really care about lasers, lightning or a fucking clown act on stage. A decent venue and a good sound system is all you need.

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d&b session 20090519
My take on... (various mixes planned, updated when I can be arsed)

important things for me would be:
djs that play the kind of sets i like (it's easier to know what the big names play and how they play than some no name locals, even though the locals might be even better. what i'd like is some unbiased info on the djs playing and maybe a chance to get some of their mixes somewhere so i know what to expect)
also i really don't see any point in paying mad prices for the tickets and drinks. that's one of the reasons i'd skip big name djs, because i just can't justify spending like 200€ or more on a night out.
decorations aren't that important to me, but i think there should be some and the lights should be appropriate. i don't mean that every party should have crazy expensive laser installations or anything like that, just that it should be dark enough at least (if inside) and some lights can really add to the experience IMO.
one of the best parties i've ever been at was at an old factory of some kind. no crazy decorations or anything, but the lights were brilliant and the fact that it was an old factory made it 100 times better than being at some lame club.
i guess i just don't like everything to be so polished, a certain rawness attracts me.
also timing is very important for me. if the party is at some date i can't go, i won't go. so best would be weekends and some longer holidays (i won't go on xmas eve though, etc.)

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