Playing DT on a bar Jukebox

[Ben_Jamin]

First off, Let's keep this discussion within the forum rules.

Now then, I found it interesting about people's experiences playing Dream Theater on a bar Jukebox. What I find fascinating is that playing Dream Theater, when it's readily available on a jukebox, generates this type of reaction from people at bars. I have played Dream Theater before at many places and not once has someone, "pulled the plug" or said anything bad.

For me, it's not my fault if a bar has these installed and it just so happens to have Octavarium.

Honestly, I find it even more fascinating that a bar would have these jukeboxes installed knowing darn well there's many, many songs that anyone can have access too. If a bar has a problem with the music, why don't they just uninstall it and start playing music they deem more accessible to their patrons.

And another honesty, why do people have problems with what type of music is being played during their night out. That alone shows me how much people rely on music to have a good time. Imagine going to a bar without music. Would that be akin to going to a casino and the slot machines don't have any flashing lights or sound?

The main gist of this thread is...Why is Dream Theater music shunned at these pay-to-play jukeboxes installed at bars?

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

when i was in college i was big into jam bands like the grateful dead and phish. boy let me tell ya, if you think you'll get scowls for playing pull me under on a juke, wait until you queue up the 25 minute tweezer... i still have the battle-scars from that night

here it is in picture form:

[Ben_Jamin]

That's why I asked....Why do people have a problem with the type of music being played during their night out? Not everyone wants to hear that Mumble Rap, but yet many people tolerate it and don't say a thing about it. Why can't those that play the mumble rap tolerate when someone wants to play a 25 minute Phish song?

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

That's why I asked....Why do people have a problem with the type of music being played during their night out? Not everyone wants to hear that Mumble Rap, but yet many people tolerate it and don't say a thing about it. Why can't those that play the mumble rap tolerate when someone wants to play a 25 minute Phish song?

probably due to the length. we can all handle a 3 minute song of any genre but it is definitely pushing it when you are queuing up a 10+ min track.

at karaoke the unspoken rule is to keep it under 6 mins (from my experience) so i would imagine people feel similarly about jukebox pick lengths

dream theater songs tend to all be over the 5 minute tolerance of most people

[ProgMasterMind92]

because its 25 minutes long my brothers in christ

billy joel's scenes from an italian restaurant is a great song but when someone sang it when i was on a cruise ship recently i still wanted to throttle them until the light left their eyes

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

because its 25 minutes long my brothers in christ

billy joel's scenes from an italian restaurant is a great song but when someone sang it when i was on a cruise ship recently i still wanted to throttle them until the light left their eyes

to be fair i would feel that way about any billy joel song 

[Ben_Jamin]

That's why I asked....Why do people have a problem with the type of music being played during their night out? Not everyone wants to hear that Mumble Rap, but yet many people tolerate it and don't say a thing about it. Why can't those that play the mumble rap tolerate when someone wants to play a 25 minute Phish song?

probably due to the length. we can all handle a 3 minute song of any genre but it is definitely pushing it when you are queuing up a 10+ min track.

at karaoke the unspoken rule is to keep it under 6 mins (from my experience) so i would imagine people feel similarly about jukebox pick lengths

dream theater songs tend to all be over the 5 minute tolerance of most people

So then at a karaoke bar, it's not that people are there to appreciate the music, but to hear someone sing. I can understand, especially when you are awaiting your turn to sing. But, at a bar, it doesn't make sense to me. If I worked at a bar, I would turn on that 25 minute song when it's last call. You'd know it's last call when that song starts playing and once it ends, the bar is closed.

[pg1067]

at karaoke the unspoken rule is to keep it under 6 mins (from my experience) so i would imagine people feel similarly about jukebox pick lengths

It's been a while since I did it regularly, but I can recall a few turns at karaoke with a song that had a long instrumental section and feeling very awkward standing there waiting for the vocals to come back in.

I also once did Aqualung without knowing the lyrics very well and being rather embarrassed to be standing up in front of a room full of people and thinking, "oh, crap, I didn't know THAT was what he says saying!"

As for song lengths, the places I've used the digital jukebox have always had about an 8-9 minute cap on song length, so I've played Metropolis and ACOS only to have them cut out at (what I regarded as) inopportune times.

[ProgMasterMind92]

you should just know your audience / environment... imagine you have an hour to have some fun at a bar but some doofus is caterwauling to a single song about 1984 except this time in space for half of that time and bouncing along like a dweeb for instrumental sections that go on for minutes... an entire procession of sluts could fit in 5+ other songs in that time frame

[HOF]

What I don't understand is bars or restaurants with loud music that make it impossible to hear/talk to someone. Who enjoys that environment?

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

What I don’t understand is bars or restaurants with loud music that make it impossible to hear/talk to someone. Who enjoys that environment?

THIS! i recently went to a place that did this shit downtown when i had family in town and the music was so loud i actually had to put earplugs in at the table. i'm not a decrepit boomer with skin falling off my face or anything but god damn i came here to fuckin' eat not get my ear drums blown out

edit: you may ask "Hovering Sojourn, why not just bring your family to a different place?" and i'd love to say i knew they'd be assaulting us with loud music but it's not exactly like they advertise it on their site lol. "Hey come here and let us blare music so loud into your face that you puke out your tacos"

[Ben_Jamin]

you should just know your audience / environment... imagine you have an hour to have some fun at a bar but some doofus is caterwauling to a single song about 1984 except this time in space for half of that time and bouncing along like a dweeb for instrumental sections that go on for minutes... an entire procession of sluts could fit in 5+ other songs in that time frame

Of course...That's when I play Spice Girls and Barbie Girl. 

[Madman Shepherd]

First of all, I didn't get the chance to pipe in in the other thread and I know this might get me banned but whatever.

I HATE MARTIN VAN BUREN AND MILLARD FILLMORE!

Ok, with that said, I used to go to this restaurant that has good happy hour deals. My friend was a drinker, I just wanted the personal pan pizzas for 3 bucks. We also used to play lots of crazy stuff on the juke box. Ina-Gadda-Da-Vida was in constant rotation. I'd play some Dream Theater. My buddy liked to play WASP's Damnation Angels which had a very profane spoken word outro (he finally got told to stop playing that), and occasionally we'd play some Kidz Bop selections just to hopefully hear someone wondering why in the hell a bunch of kids were singing Party in the USA or Ghostbusters.

I miss those days.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

I HATE MARTIN VAN BUREN AND MILLARD FILLMORE!

john petrucci voice: "I just don't understand"

* queue the count of tuscany instrumental *

Now wait a minute man, *record scratch*

what's wrong with martin van buren??? i get that his presidency was during a pretty turbulent time in our nation's history, with the panic of 1837 and all, but does that really warrant all the hate? you could argue that he mishandled the economic crisis, but come on, the guy inherited a mess from andrew jackson. and his efforts to establish an independent treasury system seem like a pretty forward-thinking move to me. what exactly is the problem here?

then there's millard fillmore, our 13th president, who took office after zachary taylor's death in 1850. i've heard people call him a weak and ineffective leader, but is that really fair? he did manage to open up trade with japan, which was a big deal at the time. i mean think of it this way, the guy was basically america's first weab. are you gonna tell me you hate america's first weab?

[Chino]

I'll play DT at a bar, but I'll usually keep it to a <6 minutes song.

I played Bridges in the Sky once, and during the intro somebody screamed "Where the fuck are we, the Rainforest Cafe?".

[Stadler]

That's why I asked....Why do people have a problem with the type of music being played during their night out? Not everyone wants to hear that Mumble Rap, but yet many people tolerate it and don't say a thing about it. Why can't those that play the mumble rap tolerate when someone wants to play a 25 minute Phish song?

I think, respectfully, this is a faulty assumption.  I don't think there's a problem with any particular music being played, I think it's a problem with music that goes against the vibe of the bar.  My step son and I hang out at a place near here for trivia, and after trivia it's one of those Touch Tunes machines.  It's a dive bar, more or less, so there's a decent range of music played, but there IS a range.   Duran Duran is going to get as many looks as Octavarium.  Waylon Jennings won't raise an eyebrow.   I'll sometimes play Night Ranger or Cheap Trick and it's, at best, tolerated.

What we also forget is that the jukebox isn't JUST there to entertain patrons.  It's to make an environment where people feel comfortable and want to be, want to stay.  Because when they are comfortable and want to stay, they drink and eat and... funny enough, tip their servers and bartenders. 

I don't know; I said this in the other thread too: I don't go to bars to alienate people.  I go to talk, and socialize and hang out.  I would never think to create an environment where other people didn't want to be there.  I can listen to DT (or any other band) all day long in my office, in my car, in my bedroom.  Do I HAVE to hear that in that moment?    I might play something that fits the mood; if the vibe is one of, say, Metallica or something like that, I might put something on.   But Number One rule is, "Read the room".  It's not about me.

[Adami]

As much as it goes against my core beliefs to do so, gonna completely agree with Stads. Totally nailed it.

[Lonk]

I played Bridges in the Sky once, and during the intro somebody screamed "Where the fuck are we, the Rainforest Cafe?".

That's funny

I don't know; I said this in the other thread too: I don't go to bars to alienate people.  I go to talk, and socialize and hang out.  I would never think to create an environment where other people didn't want to be there.  I can listen to DT (or any other band) all day long in my office, in my car, in my bedroom.  Do I HAVE to hear that in that moment?    I might play something that fits the mood; if the vibe is one of, say, Metallica or something like that, I might put something on.   But Number One rule is, "Read the room".  It's not about me.

This. Even at a metal bar DT might not enhance the mood of the room. I mentioned in the other thread that I played DT at bars, but it has always been bars where metal was being played, and I kept it on the short end of songs.

[Madman Shepherd]

I HATE MARTIN VAN BUREN AND MILLARD FILLMORE!

john petrucci voice: "I just don't understand"

* queue the count of tuscany instrumental *

Now wait a minute man, *record scratch*

what's wrong with martin van buren??? i get that his presidency was during a pretty turbulent time in our nation's history, with the panic of 1837 and all, but does that really warrant all the hate? you could argue that he mishandled the economic crisis, but come on, the guy inherited a mess from andrew jackson. and his efforts to establish an independent treasury system seem like a pretty forward-thinking move to me. what exactly is the problem here?

then there's millard fillmore, our 13th president, who took office after zachary taylor's death in 1850. i've heard people call him a weak and ineffective leader, but is that really fair? he did manage to open up trade with japan, which was a big deal at the time. i mean think of it this way, the guy was basically america's first weab. are you gonna tell me you hate america's first weab?

Dude, I just hate his sideburns.

I'll play DT at a bar, but I'll usually keep it to a <6 minutes song.

I played Bridges in the Sky once, and during the intro somebody screamed "Where the fuck are we, the Rainforest Cafe?".

As far as alienation goes, if someone is that alienated by a 10 minute prog metal song here or there but not about tractors being sexy or boots up asses, then I think that's a them problem.

I wasn't going to dance clubs and playing In the Name of God.

Besides, most places have like a 9 minute cutoff now and I never waste money on a jukebox.

It was fun while it lasted and it never ruined anybodys night but if it did, I'm not so sure I'd care too much. That'd be a silly thing to get mad about.

[hefdaddy42]

As much as it goes against my core beliefs to do so, gonna completely agree with Stads. Totally nailed it.

Same.

Also, I love Millard Fillmore.

[pg1067]

Suddenly, I'm reminded of this:  https://youtu.be/r8N7BSsU5oo?si=cYbW6w1gBZPvfefT

[XJDenton]

I once played David Hasselhoff in a bar where the average age was close to 20 and nearly got thrown out.

[Madman Shepherd]

I once played David Hasselhoff in a bar where the average age was close to 20 and nearly got thrown out.

Clearly it wasn't a German bar.

[DanLore]

That's why I asked....Why do people have a problem with the type of music being played during their night out? Not everyone wants to hear that Mumble Rap, but yet many people tolerate it and don't say a thing about it. Why can't those that play the mumble rap tolerate when someone wants to play a 25 minute Phish song?

I think, respectfully, this is a faulty assumption.  I don't think there's a problem with any particular music being played, I think it's a problem with music that goes against the vibe of the bar.  My step son and I hang out at a place near here for trivia, and after trivia it's one of those Touch Tunes machines.  It's a dive bar, more or less, so there's a decent range of music played, but there IS a range.   Duran Duran is going to get as many looks as Octavarium.  Waylon Jennings won't raise an eyebrow.   I'll sometimes play Night Ranger or Cheap Trick and it's, at best, tolerated.

What we also forget is that the jukebox isn't JUST there to entertain patrons.  It's to make an environment where people feel comfortable and want to be, want to stay.  Because when they are comfortable and want to stay, they drink and eat and... funny enough, tip their servers and bartenders. 

I don't know; I said this in the other thread too: I don't go to bars to alienate people.  I go to talk, and socialize and hang out.  I would never think to create an environment where other people didn't want to be there.  I can listen to DT (or any other band) all day long in my office, in my car, in my bedroom.  Do I HAVE to hear that in that moment?    I might play something that fits the mood; if the vibe is one of, say, Metallica or something like that, I might put something on.   But Number One rule is, "Read the room".  It's not about me.

This reminded me of when I had some fun with the jukebox back in an old watering hole I used to frequent back in the '80's-90's, The New Heights Inn.  (Affectionately known as 'New Fights'.)  Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, Boston, etc. were always pounding away on this thing.  It was just background music to me, as the imbibing and conversation were the main draw.  I was dialing through this machine one night and found that they had loaded some new music, including (to my surprise) Yessongs!  This was the album that pulled me into prog when I was 11, so it was time for a little 'jukebox dominance'.  Three songs for a $1, so Close To The Edge, Yours is No Disgrace and Starship Trooper were good for over 40 minutes of excellent prog.  Aside from a few eye rolls, most of the locals got into it.  On those nights I heard Freebird or Walk This Way one too many times, I'd pull a buck out of my pocket and simply say 'time for some jukebox dominance!'

Sadly, it was levelled 20 or so years ago.  I miss that place.

DanLore

[The Great Ape]

Just got back from lunch at my local dive, and played damn near all of Train of Thought.
The bartender did not really care because it was just me and him as well as my cop buddy who I usually split a freezer pizza and pitcher of Bud Light with while I'm there.

Usually we clear out before the happy hour crew so no harm no foul.
There was one time that a group of college students came in while I had Savatage going, and he promptly turned it off.

[bosk1]

Generally, I agree with Stadler.  But all bets are off if I happen to have seven bucks in my pocket, and the jukebox has Tom Jones' What's New Pussycat.

[Stadler]

Generally, I agree with Stadler.  But all bets are off if I happen to have seven bucks in my pocket, and the jukebox has Tom Jones' What's New Pussycat.

I don't think that conflicts with what I said....

[Ben_Jamin]

Generally, I agree with Stadler.  But all bets are off if I happen to have seven bucks in my pocket, and the jukebox has Tom Jones' What's New Pussycat.

Followed by Rick Ashley, Barbie Girl, and The Spice Girls.

That'd be my playlist. 😆

[Lonk]

Saw this last night and it reminded me of this thread 

[hefdaddy42]

Generally, I agree with Stadler.  But all bets are off if I happen to have seven bucks in my pocket, and the jukebox has Tom Jones' What's New Pussycat.

Followed by Rick Ashley, Barbie Girl, and The Spice Girls.

That'd be my playlist. 😆

Fine by me.

[Adami]

Generally, I agree with Stadler.  But all bets are off if I happen to have seven bucks in my pocket, and the jukebox has Tom Jones' What's New Pussycat.

Preach!

[bosk1]

Umm...are you guys not familiar with the best comedy sketch of all time?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw7Gryt-rcc

[Adami]

Umm...are you guys not familiar with the best comedy sketch of all time?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw7Gryt-rcc

I was hoping the change I made to your quote (the name) would have hinted at that.

[Ben_Jamin]

Umm...are you guys not familiar with the best comedy sketch of all time?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw7Gryt-rcc

That is the best comedy sketch of all time

[pg1067]

Mulaney has tons of great stuff that I submit is much better.  His "street smarts" bit is absolutely hilarious.