A Live Band or a DJ?
Guest Blogger: Derek Schwartzentruber – Schwartzentruber Music Services
Meet our guest blogger – Derek is the owner of Schwartzentruber Music Services, an award-winning DJ company that has been entertaining and bringing life to parties and events in Southwestern Ontario since 2000. With 35 years of experience, Derek has built a strong, talented and knowledgeable team of professional DJs to serve you for any occasion.
You want your guests to have a great time at your wedding reception and dance the night away, but should you hire a live band or a DJ? This is an important question that deserves serious contemplation as there are benefits and potential drawbacks on either side.
Live Bands
As music lovers, DJs are often big fans and supporters of live music, but when trying to entertain a wide variety of age groups and demographics, you need to consider whether a live band is the right choice for your party.
There are definitely some cool things a band can provide because they are live. The right band can provide great interaction and very high energy with a crowd. Because the music isn’t prerecorded, live bands can also do fun things like change the lyrics around or personalize the names in a song to those of the wedding couple or their audience. Some bands also have the ability to seamlessly play groups of hit songs together in non-stop medleys.
Some bands are great at playing many genres of music, however song knowledge will vary from band to band. How do they handle requests? Do they know the latest songs that were released this past week? If the lead singer is sick, do they have a backup singer to fill in? Bands can also take up a considerable amount of space, this is important to consider especially with smaller venues.
DJs
DJs are generally quite versatile with an expansive variety of music genre library, and seldom take up floor space. Should your DJ become sick on your wedding day, they can easily tap into their network of trusted and professional DJs either within their company or associations, to ensure a seamless and quick transition.
Most DJs know how to get their audience moving, and they can be very interactive with the crowd. You may even want to consider having your DJ double as your MC! Guests can ask a DJ to play special requests at the drop of a hat, as they generally have over 10,000 popular songs at their reach (and sometimes upwards of 50,000 plus songs), so if the music isn’t filling up the dance floor, your DJ can change the genre instantly.
Consider Both Together
If your budget permits, consider both – live music as well as a customized playlist for your guests. Many DJs have experience playing alongside live bands at weddings and other social events. For this to be successful, the DJ must pay close attention to the live band during their sets. Should a guest request a special song that the band is not familiar with, this becomes the first song the DJ starts its next set with.
A Final Thought
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how versatile you would like your entertainment to be for your big day, while keeping your budget in mind. The live energy of an 8 to 10 piece band can be hard to compete with, but the customization, music selection, and mixing ability of a DJ may be the perfect option to get your guests on their feet. Ask yourself which music option will be sure to appeal to your guests in the best way possible. This will ensure your guests are left with fond memories of your celebration long after it has passed.
Happy planning!
