8 Tips for Hiring a Live Dance Band for Your Event
Hiring the right live dance band can make or break your event. If the band is flat and boring, it’s unlikely that your dance floor will stay full for long. However, if you pick the right live dance band, your guests will be dancing to the music all night long for a forgettable event.
Finding the right dance band takes more than just good taste in music; it also takes a gift for knowing what your guests like and will dance to. You may be a huge Thad Jones/Mel Lewis fan, but if the guests at your event can’t move to jazz then the dance part of the event may be a flop.
Tips for Hiring a Live Dance Band for Your Event
When you’re selecting a live dance band for your event, there are some rules of thumb that can help guarantee your event will be a success:
1. Start Looking Early
Many of the best live dance bands book out well in advance, especially for popular times of the year such as such as the spring wedding season, summer city event celebrations, and winter holidays. Starting your search for a live dance band early means you have a better chance of booking your first choice.
2. Listen to Demos
Before narrowing down your list of live dance bands, listen to as many demos as you can. This means YouTube videos, demo reels, audio clips, and any other recordings you can find. A live band will usually put their best clips into a demo reel, but by looking for as many full-length versions of songs available—and in a wide variety of genres and venues—you can get a better idea of how the band will actuallysound on stage.
3. Look for the Right Energy
What tone are you wanting to set for the event? Your live dance band has a HUGE impact on the feel of your event. Not only are they providing the music, but they’re also providing the entertainment and the energy. How they act and interact on stage will greatly impact how people remember your event. Watch videos of the band on stage and read (lots of) reviews. This should give you a good idea about the type of energy you can expect from the band.
4. Know Your Prices
The price of a local live dance band can range from $1,000 to $10,000—and you’ll get what you pay for. A lower-priced band will almost always result in a lower-quality sound, performance, and event. Get quotes from at least 3 of the bands at the top of your list to get a feel for the pricing in the talent range you’re looking at.
5. Talk to the Band Manager
Although some dance bands may use agencies to represent them, oftentimes you can still talk directly to the band manager. This is helpful because it can give you a better feel for how the band is run, their personalities, how they’ll interact with your event staff and with your audience, and what they need to run a great show.
6. Choose a Band that Plays Genre-Spanning Hits
Unless your event has a decisive theme like country square dancing or 1930’s swing, your best bet is a dance band that can perform genre-spanning hits. This means they’ll touch on everything from classic rock to pop and country to hip-hop.
Why is this so important? Because it’s likely the guests at your event will have a wide range of musical tastes. Mixing up the genres means the band will play something for everyone—and playing hits means even if it doesn’t top someone’s personal favorites, most people will probably know the song well enough to sing and dance along.
7. Confirm Important Details
Most live bands are willing to work with you if you have special needs for your event, including wardrobe style preferences, including (or excluding) particular songs, emceeing an event, breaking for fireworks, and more. As your event draws closer, make sure to confirm these details with the band.
8. Have a Great Sound System
Once you’ve invested in a great live dance band, make sure your audience can hear the music well enough to dance along! There’s no point in investing in a quality dance band if folks 10 rows back or further feel like they’re listening from too far away. Sound systems are not the place to skip out on budget… If you’re not sure what type of sound system will be best, ask the band manager. He or she should have some great recommendations for you. The band will also likely have an option to bring their own sound system and sound manager to set up and manage sound so you don’t have to worry about it!
We’d Love to Play at Your Event
The Salamanders Band is one of the top live dance bands in the United States. We travel around the globe performing at events from small weddings to large 40,000+ audience conventions. Watch our highlight reel and listen to some of our demos here or reach out to speak with our band manager today!