Worst gig scenario

[johnnydean1]

Quote:Quote:So what are you now ern, a boring,in control,keyboardist? You got it, johnnydean! Are you psychic!? I've been talking to my wife lately about how bored I am sitting alone in my studio surrounded by computers, with no human contact, ALMOST bored enough to get back on that rock & roll bicycle! I've still got my '63 Strat and all my amps and effects, so you never know ---- Ern Joking aside ern,63 Srat f.............g beautiful.get out there and use it man.

[nomiyah]

Those are some good, I mean bad, stories.Ern, I don't get mad much but it happened a few times while I had to perform. Afterwards, everyone told me I sounded better than ever. Hey, I'll coin the term "stage rage".Nomi

[liamkelly]

I've been lurking quietly through these posts, killing myself laughing and swearing that I'll keep my horror stories to myself. But guilt and fair play prevail.We were a Dublin college band in the late eighties with a bag of what we thought we're fairly decent pop-rock four chord turnarounds. On top of that, we had a head full of steam and ambition as wide as the sky. Our guitarist was approached one evening by a smooth talker who wanted to be our manager. He had all the vocabulary that totally seduced us youngsters: Budget, publishing, production, networking, showcasing etc. You get the drift. He was hired. Gerry's (our new "Paul McGuiness") first gig for us was a Wednesday night in one of Dublin's dives. No problem - a gig's a gig and he seemed well connected. Or talked it anyway. The place was packed, three deep at the bar, milling around the dancefloor, a heavy expectant air. Feeling that this was a sign from God, we took to the stage and let launch. After the first track, there was a muffled rumble. Not approval but hard to place. We pressed on. Afther the third or fourth track I heard an indistinct voice from the back: "MFFF... MFFF... MMRRR". We pressed on. We knew how to turn a crowd around. Out came our blockbuster pop-hits-to-be. A couple of tracks later the muffle from the back was getting closer and much more insistent. Soon, at top volume I heard (Jesus it came through my mic) " IT'S F^ckING REGGAE NIGHT!!!". Sure enough - as I squinted - there were lots of dreadlocks out there. Gerry didn't last much long longer. Neither did the band come to think of it.

[nomiyah]

Reggae night Glad you chimed in, that was a good one.

[53mph]

yeah Liam. A funny story, and well told.

[Casey H]

Ha, Liam Maybe you can go back when it is 4 chord rock night!!Thanks for the laff... Casey

[53mph]

Ok, I've got a story about a gig I did when I was a wee teen.I was in an indie band in the homecounty belt of England where people like Neds Atomic Dustbin and Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine reigned big (it was a dark time in UK music ) We regularly did gigs at the local arts centre to a packed crowd of floppy fringed kids with baggy long sleeve t-shirts and friendship bracelets.We'd got a last minute call to support a band called Shovel (??) whose support had let them down a day before, so with no practise we took to the stage.We got through the opening verse of the first song then I hit the distortion pedal for the chorus only to be greeted with silence from the speakers. I played with the knobs a bit but nothing so I got on my hands and knees and started stripping wires with my teeth in the battery compartment . After about 5 minutes of the band playing an instrumental version of the song I had sorted out nthe problem so I got up resumed the verse and hit the distortion pedal...but whilst fiddling I'd put the volume on full and almost blew the speakers (and everyones eardrums) with the noise. I got the volume back down and we finished the song.....It's the only time in my life that a packed crowd has stood in silence after a song had finished. Even our close friends were scared to clap. I was waiting for the tumbleweed to pass through the venue. Undetered we launched into the rest of the set and gradually won over the audience. There were no more technical problems but....You live perfomers will know that often on stage you can't see much because of the lights but I could make out what I thought was a girl going nuts infront of the stage to the music.So I said something along the lines of "I want to thank the girl in the front who's not afraid to go mental"...From the back of the room someone shouted out "Nazi b@#@##d" and some other people started booing. I couldn't figure out why. I thought perhaps it was because I had a shaved head.The rest of the set was a bit tense and at the end of the gig the "mental girl" came up with her care assistant. 'She' was in fact a 'he' who had severe downs, so looked androgynous. His care assistant was really friendly though, said that he was happy his patient had enjoyed the music so much but next time I should perhaps use more politically correct references to someone with a disability.....but the group of anarchist at the back of the room who knew this guy, as he was a local, decided to give me a real mouthful. Luckily homecounty anarchists are usually all mouth and no action and prefer to spend a weekend chained to a tree objecting to a new road, than cause any real physical damage. So we didn't have a fight. Even so, it was a horrible gig and I decided to break-up the band that night. I had to inform the bassist of this the next day as he was tripping his nuts off on acid and couldn't remember anything...especially the bass lines during the set.

[edteja]

We need a new thread -- bands better off buried alive (our own).

[nomiyah]

53, that made me laugh. No wonder you started this thread, you have material on the subject. The sound problem reminded me of a gig in San Jose, not really a worst gig story but funny. I was playing keyboards and the second keyboardist was late so we started without him. He showed up halfway through the first set but couldn't get any sound. Instead of fixing it, he started faking it, pretending to play. I didn't notice at first but then I played a solo and saw him acting like he was playing it. This went on until the break, someone even came up and told him he was playing great and he took credit for my work...

[ernstinen]

Quote:Instead of fixing it, he started faking it, pretending to play.Aha! This brings me back to my early years!In High School, the choir performed Haydn's "Mass In Time Of War." I was up for the tenor and/or bass soloist, and eventually was chosen as the tenor.During the concert, I got lost. The score seemed to be a blur, and I was yawning due to too much oxygen.So I found my place, and started singing. After a few bars, I realized that I came in at the wrong measure --- I had about 16 bars to fill! --- What do ya do!? IMPROVISE!I sang most of the 16 measures in faked Latin, and then stopped. No one knew, except the director and the choir.Backstage after the concert, I was mobbed by the choir who were laughing hysterically, congratulating me on my "mistake!"Maybe a "best gig scenario?"Ern