The Hardest Days

Its 2:40am and I must write this while its fresh and I still feel it. Tonight we played a gig at an unnamed location. We promoted decently for people who don't have money to pay for advertising and invited some good friends.  It was one of those gigs that you set up sometimes having never been to the venue but the booking agent seems nice and they're guaranteeing pay so you do it. I email them to confirm a few days before and get a response from some one else 'yes we are exited to have you' etc.  We arrive at the venue early enough to set up and cover any kinks. The staff is very pleasant and nice and the non sound guy sound guy(it's his system but we set our own sound which is fine) after a second of weird conversation, seems very nice as well. We find out that the girl we booked with is gone but I don't worry too much because I have emails and have no qualms about being a total bitch when a contract isn't honored. Only if needed. No one seems to know if we gets drink discounts but that's ok. We order a few anyway. No one has seen the new contact person so we ask a few people to send him our way when they do.  We have a few close friends show up but not near the # that said they would. That's also fine. We have learned through the years that 10% of the people who say they'll come to a show actually do and it's usually the ones you least expect. (we know sometimes people can't make it. We appreciate when they let is know) The bartender seems nice enough and we get drinks and start on time. We are at a club/venue so we can hear the music in the other too and so we joke about it trying to get the crowd into us (by crowd I mean 7-10 people including 3 friends and staff) The bartender isn't amused. People cycle in a bit here and there and eventually 2 of our friends have to leave.  1 friend and a table of rowdy drunk kids later we are trying to keep our heads above water as they close down the bar in our room thereby eliminating walk throughs and are in the main room doing some contest for best legs?  We eventually gain another friend and as the night winds down we are in a room with 2 friends, no staff, and a drunk guy sleeping on a couch. Our new contact, whom we still haven't met, eventually makes his way into the room at 15-set end and in a strange way shows then drops our fee on the stage by Ty.  We pack up and leave without so much as a see ya or have a good night from any staff. Our 2 friends leave with us and we happily close the door shut behind us.  I write this to you not to complain, not to bad mouth, but to say we all have weird gigs and weird nights. We were extremely fortunate to have 2 people there to have our backs all night. We obviously didn't fit this venue and that happens. I wanted to tell u guys about this night that felt so raw and awful like an open wound or sharks in the sea with a swimmer who has a paper cut because so often I write with advice. This time I have none except that these gigs will occur and they're REALLY hard to get past and push through but you can do it. I only hope you're lucky enough to have a friend or two there to help you through.