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YahYahY t1_ixekhry wrote

What city do you live in? It pretty common that a bar venue will structure it with doors at 7/7:30, an opener support 8pm- 9pm, headliner 9pm-10pm, and then closer support 10pm - 11pm. That way the headliner isn’t asking their fans to wait until 10pm, and through two sets, for their show to start. The closer in these gigs is there to keep the show going for fans and patrons that want to stay out until 11pm.

Seen plenty of gigs (especially at actually concert venues/halls and theaters as opposed to bars) where the headliner for sure plays last, but the bar venue structure is commonly what I stated above, and for good reason, because the whole point of the bar having music at their venue is to sell more drinks. And they sell more drinks when the band with the biggest draw gets the prime time slot, but they still have entertainment afterwards so people don’t just leave the bar after they see who they came for.

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tamajor t1_ixf3npp wrote

I've played hundreds of shows around Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, LA, and surrounding areas. When the "headliner" doesn't go last, it's a dick move. I've usually been a mid-act. I like playing mid. Lots of crowd cross-over. But if I'm booked to headline, I'm going to close. Sure, closing a small local show usually yields a weak crowd, but to be the biggest draw and torpedo another act by making them close after you... every scene I've been in knows that's a dick move.

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