The Metropolitan Players

We just had The Metropolitan Players play at our son and daughter-in-law’s wedding and I’m thrilled to say they were everything we could have wanted (and we wanted a lot!). Erin is a dream to work with in the planning, her quick response and attention to detail is impeccable. Everyone knows how much goes into planning an event like a wedding reception, but in the end there’s probably nothing more important than a great band to make it a truly fun and memorable event. The Met Players were in fact great, excelling at the three most critical elements: Pacing, range and skills. Pacing, because it can’t be all party the whole time, they played the perfect background music during speeches and dinner service, then completely cut loose for the second half of the night. Range, as represented by their varied set list, which naturally had a lot for the bride & groom and their young friends, but also plenty for the attendees ‘of a certain age’ like the parents of the wedding party and all their 50+-something friends, who had tons of songs to recognize and to which they could dance. Thank goodness for Motown. Finally, and most importantly, the band had all the musical skills throughout to pull it off. The singing was diverse and outstanding, covering both male and female vocalists with tremendous variety (from Bruno Mars to Aretha and Whitney, to name only a few); the critical rhythm section was exceptional, the bass player in particular adroitly tackling multiple styles; and the rest of the band all added valuable parts, the keyboard and guitar taking nice breaks and filling out the sound, and the saxophone claiming maybe the highlight moment of the night, honking wildly from atop a stage monitor. They closed to a teeming, exuberant dance floor with “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “Don’t Stop Believin’”, plus an “encore” of “Shout”, as effective of a crowd-pleasing trifecta as we could think of. I only wish I had another wedding coming up to book them again!

Metropolitan Players was an absolute dream!

Book them ASAP! Our wedding was at the Bridgehampton Tennis & Surf Club in September 2018. We had at least 40-50 guests (120 in attendance) tell us our wedding was the best they had ever been to—they were effusive about it. As soon as Met Players invited guests to the dance floor, it was packed—and stayed packed for the night. We could not have asked for a more lively or fun evening.

Before booking, I reached out to their competitors (Hank Lane, etc.), but Met Players stood out. Their payment structure is clear, the band is top notch, and the service is phenomenal.

Erin and her team and wonderful to work with. They are responsive and answer any and all questions you may have. During the months leading up to the wedding, I felt totally taken care of by Erin. She would check in about details and follow-up on anything she needed. Erin and Drew, the founders, have built this company on love—they want your wedding to be amazing and will do pretty much anything they can to make that happen.

We had some unique requests for the ceremony and reception and Met Players nailed them.

I wish I could relive the whole evening.

We absolutely cannot recommend the Met Players enough, and have continued to refer them to friends and family in the tri-state area ever since our big day.

Lisa and I had a tough time finding the right band for our wedding. We were living in Virginia but planning a wedding that would be in Connecticut, so it was basically impossible for us to make any wedding expos in that area, and as a result we had to do our searching online. And we did a lot of it. But when we came across the Met Players, it was a band we couldn’t get out of our minds, and now, looking back, we could not have found a more perfect band for our day.

From them beginning, we were treated with respect and excitement. The Met players management staff (big shout-out to Erin!!!) was helpful, flexible (we had a complex intro that they absolutely nailed), reliable, and easy going. They answered our questions in a timely fashion and helped us along the way, but never overwhelmed us. We had ample opportunity to give input on what we wanted, and they did a great job of filling in the gaps.

The day of the wedding we had nothing to worry about – the band was on time, ready to go, and put on a show that we continue to hear about from our friends and family. The MC for the night approached us when necessary, but rarely and had no trouble running things and coordinating with our venue’s staff and schedule. To say we didn’t even realize they were there is not at all meant to be an insult – they took care of us without us even having to think about it.

As for music, the band nailed the set list, for which we gave them some guidance but trusted their judgement on the rest. And they did not disappoint. It was a perfect blend of old and new, funky and classy, bangers and slow dances, and always fun. It could not have been more perfect. One of my absolute favorite moments from the whole night was when they played our one “weird request” song that the band had to learn from scratch, Booty City by Black Joe Lewis – not only was it an amazing rendition, but the sax player absolutely crushed his solo, taking it out onto the dancefloor to play just for Lisa as the crowd circled around him. It was so fantastic. Our wedding song, “This Must be the Place” by the Talking Heads was also somewhat of an obscure one, but they did an amazing job nevertheless. The whole night was filled with non-stop energy, and the dance floor was never empty thanks to them.

For anyone who read this whole rant, hopefully you got a sense of how truly wonderful the Met Players were for us and how thankful we were to have found them. Seriously cannot give them enough credit for making our reception the night that it was.

We cannot say enough good things about this band!! My husband and I were married a few weeks ago and our friends and family are still raving about how great the band played. A few of our guests even said, " That was the best band I have ever seen at a wedding". Erin was extremely helpful and responsive from start to finish, which I really appreciated. She took all of our requests and the band delivered exactly what we were looking for. Our guests were out of their seats and dancing the whole night. The band truly made our wedding such a fun night and we highly recommend using the Metropolitan Players!

It is with SUCH pleasure that I’m finally sitting down to write a review for the Met Players. I wish I had written it much sooner, but today is our one-year anniversary, and I thought it would be fitting to share my wonderful experience while Scott and I reflect on our special day one year ago!

Let me begin by saying: This band is INCREDIBLE. I had the luck of hearing them prior to our wedding: When Scott and I got engaged, my first thought was “We NEED to book the Met Players.” This band has it all: They’re a young, incredible group of talented, dedicated musicians who can sing and play ANYTHING. They can sound just like your favorite artists AND/OR put a new spin on some of your favorite hits to liven up the party, and really give their performance that live feel that makes wedding bands such a great option. We still have friends and guests telling us “Your wedding band was absolutely amazing!” The Met Players were a hit with every age group at our wedding and that is hard to come by. In addition, I am a professional musician and singer and so was about half of our guest list, and everyone agreed that their talent was off the charts. Not an off note all night.

Let me also just talk about Erin Coles for a minute. Having known Erin for many years now, I can tell you that there is no one better to help you plan and manage the many events that will take place within the course of your wedding day. Erin (and her husband Drew) are two of the most professional, trustworthy people you’ll meet (with a great sense of humor to boot!) Erin was so communicative and responsive and made sure every detail was in place so that the introductions and order of the entire evening would go smoothly. Not one aspect was overlooked.

This band is worth EVERY penny. If music and dancing and overall fun is important to you: Book this group. I’m serious. You won’t regret it. I am so thankful to Erin, Drew, and to the Met Players for making our special day the amazing party that is was. Xoxo, Katie