# Punctual musicians **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197 "2013-01-05T22:34:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/1 "2013-01-05T22:34:01Z")
We went to a Leonard Cohen concert in December, and a few days before I got an e-mail from the promotion company saying “Mr. Cohen will take the stage promptly at 8:00.” The tickets themselves bore the same warning.\* It struck me that musicians have a well-deserved reputation for lateness. Usually not as bad as a Bauhaus performance that began several hours after it was scheduled, but I’ve only been to one performance at which the opening/only act began to play at the time stated on the tickets. Why do shows so often start late that it’s been the entirety of my concertgoing experience? \*He took the stage at 8:25, 15 minutes after the announcement that the performance would start in ten minutes (I kept envisioning Scooter: “15 seconds to curtain, Mr. Cohen!”) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/2 "2013-01-05T22:37:02Z")
Rush and Roger Waters are two musicians I can think of who stated on their tickets that they started at the exact time on the ticket and lived up to it. In both cases, there was no opening act and their set was a pretty lengthy one. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/3 "2013-01-05T23:53:07Z")
I’ve been to a lot of classical music concerts, and even they don’t always start on time. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/4 "2013-01-05T23:57:03Z")
[recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=674381) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/5 "2013-01-06T00:03:39Z")
Jumbo shrimp. Military intelligence. Oh, sorry…I thought we were listing oxymorons… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/6 "2013-01-06T00:08:03Z")
I would think most musicians would learn to be punctual. Otherwise, the pizza is free. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/7 "2013-01-06T01:22:12Z")
I’ve seen Buddy Guy and Junior Wells live. The show began at the time stated on the tickets, though Guy and Wells didn’t come on stage for about 20 minutes, as their backup band played. The Earl Scruggs Revue, though started right on time. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/8 "2013-01-06T01:38:59Z")
I’ve seen Bob Dylan many times. At a show in Pittsburgh years ago there was an incredible delay. They announced “technical problems” several times. The Dylan crowd didn’t really care. He eventually took the stage and repeatedly looked at his watch, actually turning to use the stage lights to see it. Very short show, no encore, really weird vibe walking out. Never heard an explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/9 "2013-01-06T01:43:48Z")
Ah, musicians…royalty artists come on stage when they damn well please. They aren’t paid by the hour and they won’t get docked if they aren’t on time. It’s a different story with other musicians, such as a pickup band or studio performers. If you aren’t ready to play on time, you’ve not only lost your job, but you won’t have any more. Of all the sessions I participated in in Hollywood, only once was any musician late, and the reason was he was commuting on the Ventura Freeway when an oil tanker truck overturned and caught fire, closing all 10 lanes in both directions for hours. He was a half-hour late. Our contractor thought that was a good enough excuse. ---
**Author:** ![Mattie\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@Mattie\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mattie_Blue)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/10 "2013-01-06T02:43:04Z")
I guess Henry Rollins is not really considered a musician any more but he still does the spoken word concerts. We saw him in St. Louis this last spring and he walked out on stage at 8:00 sharp and didn’t take a breath for 2 hours and 45 minutes\*. - yes, he was breathing, but he kept up the flow for that long without an “um” or an “uh” or any of those bad speech habits. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/11 "2013-01-06T18:10:23Z")
**Spinal Tap** has long been admired for their punctuality. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/12 "2013-01-06T20:29:36Z")
I don’t know that it is always the fault of the musicians. Venues, particularly bars, want to maximize the time audience members have to drink before the show starts, knowing that drinking drops once the headliner hits the stage. I’ve seen this in venues where I’ve shot video - 8:00 PM actually means 8:45. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/13 "2013-01-07T06:08:44Z")
I went to a **Drive-By Truckers** show and at 8 sharp a lady took the stage and announced the opening act didn’t make it (snowstorm in progress), so **DBT** took the stage _early_ and rocked the joint hard for about 3 hours, non-stop. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/14 "2013-01-07T09:32:42Z")
I _am_ a musician who regularly plays gigs, and I am _very_ punctual. Lateness, in my experience, is usually caused by venue management and/or staff being incompetent in some way. Don’t blame musicians, we’re usually the ones who have to get things moving - we _want_ to play. There might be a few primadonna musicians at the very top of the pop star totem pole, everywhere else you’re either professional or you will not get a gig. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/15 "2013-01-07T14:08:54Z")
I remember way back when a ticket said 8:00pm, that meant the first act came on at 11:00. People would adjust their schedules accordingly. As musicians and venues began to get closer to the actual starting time, there was a crossover period where people would show up at the end of someone’s gig. I remember seeing the Pogues, walking in just before they started and was amazed at the energy in the place…the reason for the energy was because they weren’t just starting, they were coming on for encores! I saw X play with Warren Zevon at a show that listed a 7:30 start time. I was there, X was there, but there couldn’t have been more than 25 other people at the start of a sold out show. The theater was so empty the band was actually having casual conversations with the audience. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/16 "2013-01-10T19:34:48Z")
Sir Elton John, IIRC, is punctual. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/17 "2013-01-10T20:37:24Z")
I saw Alice Cooper on the Psycho Drama tour in 2008 at the Kansas State Fair. Show was scheduled for 7:30. At 7:30 on the dot the house lights went down, stage lights came on, and the opening chords of “It’s Hot Tonight” started. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/18 "2013-01-10T20:42:43Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > I would think most musicians would learn to be punctual. > > Otherwise, the pizza is free. I was amused if no one else was. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/19 "2013-01-10T20:47:56Z")
As mentioned Rush is pretty punctual. But the only concert I have been to that started promptly on time was the 121212 concert. Warning annoucements starting 20 minutes before start. Started on time to the second. Of course that was because it was being broadcast live. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punctual-musicians/646197/20 "2013-01-10T20:48:07Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > **Spinal Tap** has long been admired for their punctuality. I thought that they were often late, forcing The Folksmen to step in and open for them.