How to overcome a DJ gig that did not go well?

You’ve left the DJ booth, and you have a pit in your stomach. Your gig did not go as planned: the sound got cut off and it threw you off for the rest of your set, the crowd wasn’t reacting to the tracks like you expected, or you had a few slip-ups that led you to losing that confidence you worked so hard to build before your gig… there are a lot of different tricky situations that can happen during a club or bar night. It happens to all of us, what matters I that you bounce back strongly, and don’t let is shake your confidence for the next gig!

First, take a deep breath, and don’t panic! It’s okay if things didn’t go as you expected, mistakes happen and they are human nature. Here are a few tips on how to overcome a DJ gig that did not go well, so you can move forward and keep your chin up for the next one.

Reflect on what went wrong

Take some time to think about what may have contributed to the gig not going well. Did you have technical difficulties? Was the crowd not responding to your music? Identifying the problem can help you come up with solutions and proactively adjust for them before your next set.

Communicate with the venue or event organizer

If there were any issues with the venue or the DJ hardware, it’s important to let the organizer know so they can take steps to prevent it from happening again to you or the rest of their DJs.

Learn from your mistakes

Use the experience as an opportunity to learn and improve your skills as a DJ. Try out new music or mixing techniques, or practice your crowd reading skills so that you can more easily predict, avert or redirect the errors during future gigs.

Move on

Sometimes things don’t go as planned, but it’s important to not dwell on the past and move on to the next gig. Learn from your mistakes and keep working towards improving as a DJ. Reach out to people who attended the gig, take their feedback, and try to improve from there.

Lastly, stay positive and don’t give up: Remember that even the most experienced DJs have bad gigs from time to time, and that it doesn’t define you as a DJ. Stay positive and keep pushing forward.