We’ve all been there; the roar of the crowd, the electric atmosphere, another round of drinks. Surrounded by friends and loved ones, the stress of the outside world seems to simply fade away. It’s been a magical night – one you simply never want to end.
Until suddenly, it does.
Then you, and everyone else, begin chanting for more – ‘one more song’. It’s a tradition at events, and when this request isn’t met, it can be incredibly disappointing. We’ve been audience members too, so we know just how sobering this moment can be. That’s why ‘one last song’ is often baked into the schedule itself!
For those who don’t know, it’s common practice that when a gig, event or anything with a large focus on music ends, the audience will chant ‘one more song’. As DJ’s, we’re obliged to end the night with one, two or three songs to culminate the evening. We want their experience to be satisfying and memorable.
The tip is often picking a song which will slows the tempo down and gives a sweet ending to the night. We have a list of favorites we often use as our last song, here are just a few:
- One Love – Bob Marley
- Wonderwall – Oasis
- Angels – Robbie Williams
- Dancing in the Moonlight – Top Loader
- Baby I Love Your Way – Big Mountain
- Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye
- Stand By Me – Ben E. King
- My Love is Your love – Whitney Houston
- Adorn – Miguel
- All of Me – John Legend
Most crowds are extremely respectful – the last song has to come eventually!
However, sometimes you will find those who are not ready to let the night end.
This can be an incredibly difficult moment for us as DJ’s. We love providing entertainment and creating a lively and exciting atmosphere for everyone to enjoy. But reality often is that we have cut off times with venues, times which we can’t go beyond less we be blacklisted. There’s an incredible pressure that comes from having the management and staff staring you down, arms crossed, as a partygoer demands the night to continue.
Music connects us, the songs we choose to play can form a bond between DJ and partygoer. This means that people feel incredibly close to us; that we understand them.
That can lead to certain people feeling they can try and talk us into continuing the night. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
DJ RUGRAT
“There was one particular experience I remember where I closed my laptop at one am, as that was the agreed upon time for the event to end. I went to get changed and when I returned, I heard music playing in the distance. I found someone on my laptop, a guest who happened to be a DJ, playing his own music. Naturally, I was pretty upset about it, as were the venue. We ended it as soon as we could but people didn’t quite understand why they couldn’t continue.”
When this can all go wrong, people can become increasingly aggressive. Sadly, we have been threatened on numerous occasions and it’s never how we would like a night to end. Rarely will security assist or be at the ready to deal with aggravated partygoers, so it’s up to us to handle and reason with those who don’t want to go home.
Another tip for dealing with such people is redirecting them somewhere else. Whether it’s an afterparty, hotel lobby or a nearby venue; creating recommendations for how to continue the night can often stop a situation from even developing.
MR VISH
“My recommendation for choosing the right song to end the night, is by playing a decisive anthem that’s going to really cap off the event. I use two main formulas: my first is it’s good to always come back to a track that’s important to the bride and groom, whether it’s what they used for their entrance or their first dance; the second is I turn it on the audience and ask them what they’d like to hear, as they’re fully energized. I will say “make some noise if you want to hear RNB, Hip Hop, Bollywood”. I make it their choice. That’s how I pick my final track.”
We’re not trying to make anyone whose either requested ‘one last song’ or become too passionate about continuing the night feel guilty, or shame anyone (a few too many drinks has meant even we have been that person). Simply next time an event has concluded, understand that as DJ’s, there’s a lot of pressure coming from different directions. We’d love to keep the night going, but it’s just not possible.
All good things must come to an end.
