Band or DJ for your wedding? Here are the facts Part 1…

Written by:

Dave Bokhour 

Production Manager

Elite Show Band

I’m just going to come out and say it:  Bands are better! Bet you didn’t see that coming…

To be fair, a great DJ can smoke a mediocre band. But the best DJ can’t touch a great band. (I should point out that I’m talking about people you might get to play at your wedding or event. If you want DJ Tiesto to play electronic dance music, it’s going to cost you a cool $250,000, and he’s not going to play anything your parents will want to dance to).

How can I justify such a bold statement? What about all those articles that say bands are more expensive, bands have a smaller  repertoire, bands are loud, musicians can’t MC and they’re crazy? To them I say yes, maybe, not necessarily, nonsense and so are DJs. Here’s what I mean:

Bands are more expensive.
YES: Obviously, hiring 4, 8, 10 or 20 highly trained and seasoned musicians is more expensive than hiring one DJ. I concede that point. DJs are less expensive. If you don’t have the budget for a live band than take my advice. When shopping for a DJ, hire the personality. Anyone can stand there and play records. You need someone who can MC. The MC will set the tone for the night. (See more on MCs in Part 2).

Bands have a smaller repertoire.
MAYBE: The reality is, there may only be time for a band or DJ to play about 50 songs. A band will choose from a list of hopefully a couple hundred songs. A DJ might have access to 1000 songs or more, but so what. He’s not going to play more than about 50. Bands do have a smaller repertoire, BUT a great variety band will know the most successful/popular songs in each genre.
Also, some people seem to think that during band breaks, nothing will be happening. This is not usually the case. My band for instance plays a continuous mix of popular songs, just like a DJ would. We also use this time to play special songs you must have that are not on the bands song list. In the past I’ve fulfilled requests for traditional Irish music, Polkas and University fight songs making sure the band breaks are not wasted time. It’s really the best of both worlds for the family.

Bands are loud.
NOT NECESSARILY: Some are, some aren’t. Some DJs are loud and some aren’t. My band chooses not to be so loud we offend your grand parents, but still loud enough that the dance floor feels the groove. We do that by using an acoustic shield around the drums, limiting our stage volume and keeping close tabs on the overall PA volume throughout the night. It’s not that hard. More often than not I hear DJ’s playing much louder than we would choose to, and I’ve had many venue managers compliment us on our volume control. So, as far as volume goes, it’s really not a choice between band or DJ. You should feel free to discuss any concerns before hand with whom ever you hire.

continued on Part 2…