The stories below are all true accounts of entertainment nightmares that people have experienced. We recount them not to knock other companies, but to help you understand that mistakes made in choosing your entertainment, especially when price shopping, can cause many regrets.

We urge you to choose your entertainment carefully. The decisions you make regarding entertainment will probably make or break your event.

As you read through these, please keep in mind that A Music Plus has performed at over 15,000 events in our 20+ years and we’ve never missed a single one.

Conference Ruined By Bad Weather?  Thursday, February 1, 2007

One of Downtown Denver's newest hotels calls with a problem. They are hosting an annual sales conference for a global communication company and the wrap-up party scheduled at a local landmark has been canceled due to bad weather. They have nearly 200 disappointed guests returning to their hotel and want to know if A Music Plus can help.

A Music Plus immediately dispatched an on call DJ who had music playing for the hotel's guests just forty minutes later. All guests had a great time as the dance party went well into the early morning hours.

A Music Plus is always prepared, even for emergencies.

Wedding Reception But No Band!  Saturday, October 14, 2006

A major event venue in Denver is hosting a wedding reception with a band scheduled to play from 6pm-12am. The manager is on the phone because the band hasn’t shown up. The bride is in tears fearing her wedding reception is ruined. Our backup DJ immediately took a system to the event and had music playing less than 45 minutes later.

The band never did show up, but our DJ kept the bride’s guests on the dance floor the whole night, saving the reception. All of the guests took the time to thank our DJ and the bride gave her a big hug at the end of the night. Another wedding saved.

Ruined Wedding Ceremony!  Saturday, June 24, 2006

It’s 5:00pm and one of Denver's major catering companies is on the phone, asking if we can come and save a wedding. A national DJ chain has one of their "complete" DJs at the reception, but he can't get his sound system operating. The DJ can't get a hold of anyone at their office for help. He is "completely" out of options.

A few minutes later, the event venue is on the phone, asking for help again. The bride is in tears and her father is in a rage.

Unfortunately, A Music Plus was completely sold out, with one sound system and DJ on call. We could not afford the risk of sending our backup out to save this other company's hide, but leaving our DJs without backup, so we had to turn them away.

The owner of this company later told us that they eventually got their equipment working and that they, “…didn’t ruin the whole wedding, just the ceremony…” (We suppose that’s a good thing?!?)

At A Music Plus we maintenance our gear every single week so that it works every single time. Then we keep backups on call and we make ourselves reachable by phone 24/7 so that no DJ is ever stranded without help.

No-Show DJ, In The Bride’s Own Words: Saturday, June 17, 2006

We were called to save another wedding when the bride's DJ no-showed. Here is her post, copied directly from theknot.com: 

Warning: Avoid Premier Music for DJ service!
From: sulvala
Date: 6/27/2006 at 3:07 AM 

For anybody currently in the planning stages of their wedding, I'd like to offer a warning regarding Premier Music. Even before the wedding day fiasco, the DJ we had hired, Steve Ehrhardt, was rude and unhelpful. When we requested a meeting with him three weeks prior to the wedding, as per the contract, to discuss the music to be played at our reception, he told me he was too busy and that he'd like to communicate via email only. When we insisted on meeting with him, he was passive aggressive and repeatedly ignored emails and phone calls attempting to set a time and place. Then when we finally did meet to give him the playlist we wanted, he replied saying that he was a professional and he didn't need us to tell him what to play, and that we should just be dj's ourselves if we wanted to pick all the songs. Followed by several more unanswered emails and phone calls, we would have liked to have fired him on the spot but figured it was impossible to find a replacement at that late notice. 

Then on the wedding day, he simply didn't show up. Ever. We called his cell phone over and over again, which was never answered. Thank goodness the reception site was able to find an emergency dj for us [A Music Plus] at the last minute (actually 90 minutes past the last minute), so that we could at least have our first dance together. After we left on our honeymoon, with still no contact from Mr. Ehrhardt, my mother again attempted to contact him with no response. Just today we returned from the trip to find an email that he sent 4 days after the event saying that he had car trouble (the bumper got torn off or something relatively minor - nothing incapacitating, for sure), and then the guy that tried to help him ran over his laptop (because I put my laptop in the street all the time). He claims "I do think I tried everything". Except maybe a phone call! Despite that, we had a wonderful wedding and enjoyed our time with all our friends and family.

Spring Snow: Sunday, April 10, 2005

It is 8:00am and Denver is receiving a classic Rocky Mountain Spring snowstorm. Several inches are on the ground and DIA is backing up with delayed and canceled flights. One of the area's premier wedding reception venues is hosting their annual Spring Bridal Show, beginning at 11:00am.

We placed a quick call to the venue to confirm that the show was still taking place. Yes, they told us, and several brides had called as well, verifying that they were going to brave the weather and make the trip to the show.

Naturally, we arrived at the show, were set up and ready to go on time. Some vendors made the show; some did not. All of the brides who made the trip greatly appreciated those of us who took the time and effort to be there.

In the end, eight DJs were scheduled to attend this show. Wanna guess how many showed up? Yup, just one--A Music Plus.

Okay, so it was just a bridal show and there are lots of bridal shows. The point is, if only one bride made the effort to get there, it was worth it for us to be there to answer her questions and help out. And if that's our approach to a simple bridal show, imagine how comforting it will feel to know how hard we'll work for your actual wedding.

One has to wonder, though: what happens to those other seven DJ companies when the weather gets a little snowy?

Another DJ No-Show: Saturday, December 11, 2004

It’s 7:15pm and a major Denver hotel in on the phone, desperately looking for a DJ. Their client had a well-known DJ scheduled for their holiday party from 6:30pm-12:00am, but he is nowhere to be found.

The client and hotel have called repeatedly over the last hour, but the missing DJ company is not answering; they have no on call backup system in place.

In the middle of December, on one of the busiest entertainment nights of the year, there is a party planner no doubt sweating the glares of her boss as she spends her evening scrambling to find a DJ.

A Music Plus, despite it being the busiest night of the year, immediately dispatches an on-call DJ who arrives at the hotel and has music playing before 8:00! The guests pack the dance floor all night and the party goes on well past midnight.

The client's comments at night's end? We should have hired A Music Plus in the first place! This is the best party we've ever had!

The Lost DJ: Friday, July 2, 2004

It’s 6:15pm and an A Music Plus DJ arrives at one of the Denver area's premier wedding reception sites. We are to provide our services at a wedding reception there that evening.

Upon entering, our DJ discovers another company setting up gear for the evening. Our DJ quickly confirms that he is in the right location, with the correct information, and then approaches the lonely DJ.

The guy is lost. "Oops, I must be in the wrong place," the guy says, as he begins packing up his gear.

By the time the guy packed up, it was 6:30pm. He was to play music at a wedding ceremony at 7:00pm, but he had no idea where. Last our DJ heard, the guy was on his cell phone, unsuccessfully trying to contact someone from his office to find out where he was supposed to be.

We can't help but feel for the couple who almost certainly had their DJ show up late for their wedding, if at all.

Price Shopping To The Last Second: Saturday, May 15, 2004

It’s 4:30pm and the catering manager from a Downtown Denver hotel is on the line. She has a wedding reception starting at 6:00, and the bride and groom cannot find their DJ. Can A Music Plus save the day?

Apparently the couple hired an individual DJ rather than a DJ service. Everything sounded great (especially the cheap price) until the week of their wedding when they couldn't get in touch with their DJ. After leaving messages all week, they finally drove to the DJ's house on Saturday morning. They were greeted by the DJ's girlfriend who apologized and said that there had been a "death in the family" and that their DJ had to leave town.

Now the couple had six hours to find a DJ for their wedding reception on a very busy May Saturday.

We reassured the catering manager that we had a backup DJ available (as always) and put the wheels into motion to get a DJ to the hotel on time. A few minutes later, the catering manager called back to inform us that, incredibly, the couple had agreed to pay the "no-show" DJ half of our normal fee. They told her they were going to shop around for a better price.

We told the catering director that we were ready to go and to just let us know if they needed us. We never heard from them again.

As it turns out, the couple's photographer had a friend who had a stereo and some CDs... 

How would you feel having to drive to your DJ's house on your wedding day, with no idea whether or not he would show up? Don't put your day at risk by hiring a guy or a friend. Hire a quality service with backup systems in place that can guarantee you will never have to go through this nightmare.

How Do They Stay In Business???: Wednesday, December 10, 2003

A well known DJ "service" in Denver sends out a mass email to all members of the local DJ association. They have overbooked for this coming Saturday, December 13, and are wondering if anyone can cover their events.

The second Saturday of December is always the busiest night of the year in the events industry. Every available space is booked with a holiday party of some sort, and most every entertainer in the city is working.

These guys are 72 hours away from a total disaster and are looking for any warm body to save their hides.

We placed a call to the office and got "Phil", who told us that they were looking to cover the events, but wanted to "...make a little money on this, too...". What nerve! Not only have they deliberately overbooked and are but three days out, they're looking for DJ(s) who will work for the cheapest rate so they can still make money on their greedy overbooking!

And their clients have absolutely no idea.

A Music Plus took the events and provided great service the night of the 13th. We also called the clients the following week to explain to them what had happened. They now realize that it is safer to pay a little more to get A Music Plus than to take a chance with clowns who have no regard for providing quality and service to their clients.

Lucky Save: Saturday, October 4, 2003

It’s 6:00pm and an A Music Plus DJ is performing at a wedding reception at a local area hotel. The father of the bride from the wedding in an adjacent room approaches our DJ and explains that the DJ scheduled for his daughter's wedding reception has not shown up and is not responding to calls and messages. His daughter is in tears as her wedding day is on the brink of ruin.

Can A Music Plus help?

Of course!

Our DJ makes a quick call to our on call DJ, who arrives at the hotel and has music playing for the distraught family barely thirty minutes later!

Another wedding saved.

Talking with the family, our DJ discovered that they had selected their DJ based on the lowest price quote. You do get what you pay for. In this case, saving a few bucks almost ruined the entire evening and a lifetime memory of a wedding reception robbed of its fun.

Another Ruined Wedding?: Saturday, July 19, 2003

It’s 5:30pm and a bride's father is on the phone, desperately looking for a DJ to save his daughter's wedding reception. The bride is sobbing as her worst nightmare is realized: no music and her one and only wedding day is about to come to a crashing end.

A Music Plus scrambled one of our backup DJs and had music playing at the reception in less than forty minutes. Fortunately the family called us early enough that we were there before dinner was finished. The guests stayed and danced well past midnight. In the end, the bride was better off with A Music Plus coming late than she was with the company she hired in the first place.

Another wedding saved.

Would you like to know which company no-showed on this bride? While we cannot name names, we can tell you that they are a national company, with a local franchise here in Denver. We can tell you that several of our little stories listed here are about this same company. We can tell you that there is probably only one national DJ chain with a franchise in Denver and let you do your homework...

*Footnote: Monday, July 22, 2003, 2:00pm. We called the company in question to inquire as to why they didn't show up for the wedding reception. The answer? "We don't know what happened! Something slipped through the cracks!"

Slipped through the cracks??? We were stunned. Here it was, almost 48 hours later, and the company manager still didn't know what happened, had no idea if the bride ever got music at her reception, and could come up with no better than she "slipped through the cracks!" The only reason he knew they missed someone's wedding is because he heard all the voice messages from Saturday night, pleading for help.

No backup plan (one can't even contact them on weekends), no verification of DJs coming or going and no real concern for the biggest day in your life! Yet time and time again we hear, "We hired -------- ----- because they were cheaper."

Well, now you know why.

Not This Time, Unfortunately: Saturday, June 21, 2003

It’s 4:50pm and a local competitor is on the line. They have a wedding in just over an hour, but can't find their DJ. Can A Music Plus help...they'll pay anything!!!

Unfortunately, June 21 is the busiest wedding night of the summer. A Music Plus is completely booked, with only their on call DJ and sound system available. As tempting as it would be to send that last DJ (and increase the bottom line), that would leave A Music Plus without a backup for the night...something we just won't do to our clients!

Not ten minutes later, yet another DJ company is on the phone begging for an A Music Plus DJ to save their hide. Another bride is about to find no DJ at her wedding reception.

Both DJ companies turned to the phone book in desperation. We never did hear the outcome.

Imagine walking down the isle at your wedding ceremony, anticipating the wedding reception soon to follow, while your DJ service is busy calling through the phone book trying to find a warm body to show up at your reception!

Help! Our DJ Just Bailed On Us!: Saturday, July 27, 2002

It’s 4:50pm and the sister of a groom is on her cell phone at the church. The wedding is scheduled to start in ten minutes, the DJ is nowhere in sight and isn't answering the phone. Can A Music Plus help?

The engaged couple made a common mistake. They hired one of Denver's "popular" DJ companies--popular because they are so cheap! They saved maybe a hundred bucks and were now on the brink of wedding day disaster. You get what you pay for.

At this point, the couple was forced to go forward with a music-free ceremony. The wedding and reception was taking place in Conifer, a good 45 minutes from our office. But could we save the reception? Of course we could! A Music Plus immediately dispatched another sound system and DJ to the reception in Conifer and had music playing when the first guest arrived at the reception hall. Even with no notice or preparation, the reception was a huge success.

Another wedding day saved by A Music Plus!

I Have No DJs Left!: Saturday, December 8, 2001

It’s 2:00pm and the owner of a national DJ franchise is on the phone (calling from the Ohio Valley!) and is searching for a DJ to cover a holiday party...four hours from now!

As it turns out, this national franchise had all of its local employees quit, so they just closed the Denver office! Everyone who had an event scheduled with these fly-by-nighters was scrambling to find a DJ.

The party in question is a corporate holiday party. They won't be happy about not having a DJ, but at least it's not a wedding.  A Music Plus contacts a backup DJ, and gets the event covered with no problems. The client never knows what happened until the party is over! Another super busy December evening saved by A Music Plus!

My DJ Won’t Return My Calls!: Wednesday, December 27, 2000

A mother-of-the-bride is one the phone, frantic, because the DJ (a local DJ franchise of a national company--don't say you haven't been warned) is not returning their calls to confirm their wedding reception on December 30. They've been leaving messages for two weeks! She wants to know if A Music Plus can save them on such short notice.

Of course! Within the hour, A Music Plus had the reception scheduled, music confirmed, DJ assigned, and the family completely reassured that they were in good hands and could, finally, relax.

Unfortunately, earlier in the day, the mother-of-the-bride had left a message at the company's national headquarters, threatening legal action if they didn't respond. The local manager finally did, explaining that he hadn't called back because their DJ had been fired!!! Apparently, he was going to just "blow off" their wedding reception and let the national headquarters take the heat. Instead, he was instructed to go to the reception himself. Since the family had already paid in full, and this manager refused to refund their money, they felt forced to use this inferior service. But they informed A Music Plus that they would have the A Music Plus phone number handy on the 30th...just in case!

What a wonderful way to spend Christmas/New Year's Week, no? As if a wedding/holiday week isn't stressful enough, they had no idea if their DJ would even show up!

At A Music Plus, you'll never have this problem. We staff a full-time event coordinator will call you to confirm details and reassure you that all is well. Even during the holidays.

We Can’t Cover An Event!: Saturday, December 16, 2000

It’s 5:00pm and the owner of a local DJ franchise (of a national company) is on the phone and desperate. They have an event in two hours at a prominent downtown Denver hotel and do not have a DJ to cover the party. December 16 is one of the two busiest nights of this year for DJs, but if anyone can help, it's A Music Plus, right?

Again, give the manager credit...at least he knew who to call when the job needed to get done right!

The party in question is a corporate holiday party. Not the end of the world if they don't have a DJ, but a pretty blah party without one. Despite already having twenty-five events taking place that evening, A Music Plus immediately dispatches an on-call backup DJ to the hotel. The DJ arrives early, provides quality entertainment to hundreds of happy guests who never even know they came within two hours of having no DJ!

We Can’t Find Our DJ!  Saturday, February 12, 2000

It’s 6:10pm and the owner of a local DJ company is calling...they can't find their DJ and they have no backup system in place. Their DJ is supposed to start music at 7:00pm at a private party in Lafayette...can A Music Plus help?

The party in question is a teen Valentine's Party. Mom has forty or so teenagers running around waiting for their DJ. A Music Plus immediately dispatches their on-call backup DJ to the residence. They also call the residence to assure them that the situation is under control. The DJ arrives at 6:50pm and has music playing, on time, at 7:00pm.

This happens all the time. This time it was only a small private party, but most of the time it's weddings. A Music Plus has performed at over 15,000 events in twenty-plus years and has never missed a single one. Don't gamble with your event.

We Can’t Find Our DJ!  Saturday, February 5, 2000

It’s 4:45pm and the catering director from a major downtown Denver hotel is on the phone...they are hosting a wedding reception and some other company's DJ has no-showed. (The DJ scheduled was again from the Denver office of a national chain).

The bride is in tears as her wedding reception is minutes away from being ruined. Her father is raging, the guests are confused…pretty much any wedding couple's nightmare. The catering director wants to know if A Music Plus can help.

We immediately dispatched a backup DJ who arrived at the hotel and had music playing before 5:30pm...less than 45 minutes after the initial call! The guests were just finishing dinner and the transition into the evening's festivities and dancing went off without a hitch. The guests partied until late in the evening and everyone had a great time. The bride and groom were left with a great wedding day story to tell their kids.

One other thing. The catering director, approached by the family when their DJ no-showed, had one comment:  "I told you to call A Music Plus in the first place...would you like me to call them now?"

Honestly, this happens too often. Usually it's not so dramatic, but we are always getting last-minute calls or hearing of some fly-by-night DJ company that's disappeared.

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