Musical Entertainment Options
(by Rick Ryan)



Okay, so you're the one who has been tasked with lining up musical entertainment for your event. The pressure's on because we all know that the entertainment will likely make or break the evening. Good entertainment helps the evening flow along nicely and has your guests talking about "What a great time we had!" while a bad choice leaves them wondering why they came in the first place. I'm going to discuss several different options, along with the associated pros and cons of each. Hopefully, this will help you to be able to weigh the differences and determine what works best for your situation.

DJs   (100 to 1,000 guests) 
For some reason, a lot of events use DJs to provide music, most often to provide dancing for their guests. A good DJ will usually carry a great light show, heavy sound system, and will have a large assortment of music to select from. These are great when you have a guest list of mostly younger (or young at heart) crowd that wants to "cut a rug". A DJ can easily provide even the latest music that you're hearing on the radio today.

While some DJs can be quite entertaining, this typically does not lend itself well to a truly interactive entertainment experience where your guests get to be part of the fun. It's also been my personal experience that DJs, more often than not, will simply bring too much equipment. You may have 50 guests and they'll often show up with a huge sound and lighting system. That's fine, provided the volume level is kept to a reasonable level but it often gets out of hand quickly and can cause more problems than entertainment it provides.

PROS: Large song selection, great lighting and sound
CONS: Little (or no) interactive entertainment, too much equipment for the job, too loud, suprisingly expensive

Solo Pianist   (1 to 50 guests) 
A solo pianist is most often used for either a "piano bar" type situation, or perhaps a place where you only want background music that won't draw attention of your guests. If the pianist also sings, this can be used to have a mixture of entertainment as well as sing-alongs. Most professional pianists are well-versed on a variety of material. Keep in mind though that they are somewhat limited on their repertoire. It's a bit difficult to play a convincing version of the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women" on piano.

PROS: Very good for "elevator" or background music, classy presentation
CONS: Not really good for dance music, only suited to certain "quiet" genres of music, performer is not mobile, doesn't work well for large functions

Acoustic Guitar/Vocals  (1 to 50 guests) 
A lot of private parties go this route. An acoustic guitar gives a nice, quiet, pleasant tone and can be used for a large variety of genres and song styles. A good acoustic player will be able to pull off Rock, Pop, Country, even funkier stuff.

PROS: Quiet, very low space and power requirements, very cost-effective
CONS: Not really good for dance music, not suited for large numbers of guests

One-Man-Band   (1 to 300 guests) 
In recent years, technology has begun to take hold more and more in the entertainment field. This has given rise to the solo performer, otherwise known as a "One Man Band". These entertainers can provide the best of all worlds; great music selection, great full-band sound, and low space and budget requirements. Most OMB performers use backing tracks or midi modules as their "backup band", then sing as well as to play at least one instrument, live. Backing music can be provided by CD, MP3 players (like an iPod) or, my personal favorite, via laptop computer.

These systems allow the OMB entertainer to pull up song requests quickly, keeping a smooth flow to the evening. I personally prefer this route (as an entertainer) and usually steer my clients in this direction, provided they don't already have a preconceived idea of what they want. The OMB can get highly interactive with the event's guests, even making them a part of the action by having them to sing or be part of the show in some other way. With my own computer setup, my system displays lyrics on all songs, karaoke style. Doing this allows the entertainer to invite guests to sing and be a part of the show. My own experience is that this always livens up any party or function and is a sure-fire way to make sure the guests have a great time. An OMB setup also usually has quite modest requirements on power and can usually be powered by a single outlet. The sound system can scaled up or down; from a single, small speaker, all the way up to a full-blown, concert level sound sytem.

In many ways, the sound that a good OMB provides is better than the majority of live bands. Backing tracks are professionally-recorded, with all the nice embellishments that you'd find on a major label recording. In other words, it's going to sound fantastic and the backing tracks never miss their part. It's entirely consistent. Additionally, the sound mix an OMB usually gets is more pleasing. You won't have the problem of a substitute drummer that plays too loud or a horn section that's out of tune.

Another nice thing about the OMB setup is it's quite easy to add "extra bodies" to the stage if you're wanting a more full-looking setup. I often will take a drummer, steel guitarist or perhaps a saxophonist with me. The extra personalities on stage really can add to the vibe that's being presented.

PROS: Very cost-effective, low space and power requirements, great song selection, good lighting, highly interactive, guests can be included in the performance, rich, full and consistent sound.
CONS: Fewer bodies on stage

Full Band   (300+ guests)
Full bands are the more traditional route for musical entertainment but obviously can get to be quite expensive and usually have fairly large space and power requirements, limiting their use somewhat. Bands are an excellent choice where money is no object, or you're booking into a large venue (200 or more guests attending). While it's possible to "have a buddy with a band" that might do a fine job, in my view you're taking a HUGE risk. Professional bands usually book through booking agencies (that charge their own mark-up) will have always have a nice promotional packet and sample demos for you to listen to.

When booking a band, make absolutely certain that you spell out who is responsible for providing the sound system, lighting, and for taking care of power requirements (this is often put back in your court).

PROS: Very impressive for large functions, highly interactive
CONS: Expensive, Multiple people involved (personnel problems much more likely), large stage requirements, large power and lighting requirements.