Thanks for all the help on this one guys and gals.
The kids played their show last night, even though it snowed (a rare snowfall for Raleigh) all day long.
Luckily, it stopped just around the time we needed to load up the truck and head out.
The bass amp worked OK as the PA amp and I ran 3 vocal mics through the two mains and monitors fed back to the lead singer and the drummer.
I was told that it sounded pretty good, with the occasional squeal.
We did a run-through of their setlist upstairs early in the afternoon and they created a setlist annotating who was singing lead & backup for each song - that helped tremendously. It ried to focus on boosting the mids and higher freqs for the vocals and it seemed to bring some clarity to the overall sound. The room has high/open/bare ceilings and it was boomy all night.
The turnout was light and the band's appearance was unadvertised.
On a side note, I found out after the show that the kids did not get paid. It was their first gig at the venue under the premise that they would be the regular (every other Sat night) house band. I had briefly spoken to the club owner when he offered the gig to the kids - I had gone over to check the place out, try the food and introduce myself to him directly (since one of my kids is way under age (14) for a club, I usually like to meet the owner). He seemed nice enough and I, as always, slnk into in the shadows - basically, I become a roadie/tech. It seemed like my eldest son, Chris, mentioned to people to "tip their waiters/waitresses" about 8 times that night and thanked the venue for having them on.
Getting stiffed is no way to start a relationship and a sure fire way to piss me off (which is really hard to do). I went over there this morning after hockey (without showering, I might add) to see what was up. He had just opened, and I got a chance to sit down with him one-on-one. According to him, last night's gig was an audition for the band to see how the fit would be. I told him that I found it surprising that the kids would have been given an offer to be the house band without ever being heard by them and I told him that I would have auditioned a band as well - but, I would have made that point clear...and I told him that if I had a band there that had been practicing for 3 straight weeks on their set and had hauled in that weather and was getting zippo dollars for the gig, the least he could have done was throw a cheeseburger or a glass of water at them for the effort.
I know my kids, especially my oldest boy - he has an uncanny way to hear what he wants to hear when other people speak. I find it totally probable that last night's gig was a trial. Knowing that going in wouldn't have changed the preparation, but would have grounded any financial expectations the kids (all 4 of them, not just my 2) had about this gig.
Another good lesson or two for the guys - clearly articulate what your giving to the venue and what you're expecting in return. Verbal agreements should be clearly stated and understood by everyone.
On another side note - a portion of the room was rented out for a party by a pack of a-holes that were playing "cornhole" (the non-prison version), which is basically a beanbag toss game. They decided that they would setup right to the side of the bass player and they were obnoxious. I told the owner that he should have had them move to another side of the room. These a-holes also blocked the direct exit path to the parking lot when we were loading out. They had been drinking and cornholing way too much and I really, really wanted to throw 3 of them through a window. I told the owner that in the future (if there is one with this venue), that that won't happen, and I expect him to be more proactive in managing the people. all in all, we had a nice chat, and I'm really glad that I stopped by to clear up why they didn't get paid. He agreed that he should have fed them and offered to have the band over anytime for a meal.
Like I needed all this - this parenting thing is overrated!
