Worst gig scenario

[53mph]

Not fair ernstein...that's not a worst gig scenario. The fake Latin reminds me of my Dad though, who always sings famous Italian songs in fake Italian when he plays gigs in bars because he doesn't know the real words...he even tried singing a song to my Italian inlaws, much to my chagrin.Nomi, I know what you mean about musicians faking it and taking the credit. I hate it when famous singers decide they're going to start playing guitar live and fummble through a crap solo that's kept at a low volume whilst the pro plays the real solo...it's so pointless. If they're a great singer why do they need to play guitar too ??

[nomiyah]

Quote: I sang most of the 16 measures in faked Latin, and then stopped. No one knew, except the director and the choir.LOL

[53mph]

Ok, I'm going to revive this thread because I've got a new gig experience to add to it.I played an accoustic gig last week in a venue in my adopted hometown here in Italy.I had the mic all night so I cut the set into 2 parts. The venue manager kept delaying the time to go on stage because he wanted a full house, so I didn't go on until 10pm. That was alright though as I had the stage till 12pm. I'd done the first part of my set and went off stage to retune the guitar for the second half; by the time I got on stage again it was 11.30. That's ok, I still had half an hour.I'd just finished the third song when my wife came up to the stage to tell me to stop. I was a bit confused. I tend to sing with my eyes closed so I hadn't noticed the military police come in and go to the bar. They were there in response to a complaint about noise from the venue (from my accoustic set...?) and they also decided whilst they were there to look around for other things they could fine the venue for such as not enough fire extinguishers, trash bins etc...Well, I've been stopped by police before, but military police is a first for me.The main policeman was from Naples and kept telling me to play on ("If I tell you you can play on, you can play on.....do you understand Italian? How about Napolitano?") but the nervous venue manager wouldn't let me. Strange end to a gig.

[arkjack]

Sounds like an interesting evening..... one you won't forget. Sounds real cool that the MPs were digging on your music while they went about the business of busting the owner..... (Maybe they were just cheap SOBs that didn't want to pay for a ticket to see you play.....).... Got me to thinking..... if I ever get stopped for a DUI, I can keep a blues harp handy in the glove compartment..... Then even though I can't walk a straight line or say the alphabet backwards, I can wail out some blues licks to prove my sobriety..... (I actually wrote the backwards alphabet song as a precaution...).... Good Luck CaioArkJack

[bc]

Been gigging again. Played a sold out concert in Marshall Michigan at the Franke Center for the Arts. Backed up my former bass player's CD release party and concert. 4 of the songs we cowrote. Way too much fun. The whole concert is on DVD. I will have to learn not to expose my belly when I turn One of the worst gigs I played, is now a cherished memory. During my 15 minutes of fame, my band North Wind played the Dew Drop Inn in Goshen IN. Shoulda known something was up, when I saw the stage was on the upstairs balcony, and enclosed with two layers of chicken fence. Took a while to learn that a beer bottle bouncing off the fence was an act of endearment.

[53mph]

Quote:Shoulda known something was up, when I saw the stage was on the upstairs balcony, and enclosed with two layers of chicken fence. Took a while to learn that a beer bottle bouncing off the fence was an act of endearment. Chicken wire Did you have to play "Stand By Your Man" on loop for the night?Seriously though, what happens if you get glass in your eye? Do you stop playing and ask the drummer to get it out for you, or just keep on going until you're weeping blood? The bar should have been serving bottled beer on elastic. At least that way the thrower can get a taste of his own medicine.

[kouly]

Wow you folks have stories that would make a great movie. Since I am still a rookie I can only tell you about my rookie gig in my rookie band. It was about 81, I had just come to Las Vegas and hooked up with some garage band but since I had only been playing guitar 2 years I was in no position to be choosy. We played the usual rock of the day and one day this guy who was the lead singer for a local club band starts showing up. Being the only one of the group with any connections he says that he has gotten us booked at a hotel in Lake Havasu about 90 minutes away for a two week gig. Being my first band I was seeing stars and so I quit my job and decided to go on the road. What the singer did not tell us is that when he told the manager about the band, he used the name of his former band (a more experienced group of guys) so the manager thought he was getting them. Well the first nite we were told that we were fired but could finish out the gig if we wanted. (We were okay just not great). So I quit my job for a two week gig but learned a valuable lesson. There are no shortcuts. It has taken me about 25 years to get ready but I am still not quiting my day job just yet.

[edteja]

I wonder if Evy is lurking on this forum, hoping for clog listings--would those be under world music?

[edteja]

We have a club owner like that here, Shak--no chicken wire in the bar but he hires gorillas for bouncers. But once you get through Sam's gross and rude exterior you find a heart of lead and a rude and gross interior. So it pays to be patient. A couple Saturdays ago we were playing at a bar across the street and around 10 pm we lost our crowd for a while because they all went out to watch the fight at Sam's place. (It started inside, but I suspect the contestants were requested to take their fun outside.) The loser is still in the hospital from close encounters with the pavement and the winner still hiding somewhere. The street was all blocked with yellow police tape (you'd think they could find a better color) and I had to lug my gear to the truck, cause the police were blocking the front of the bar. Such a genteel profession we are in.

[crs7string]

I don't think this falls in the category of worst or best gig but definitely not a gig situation easily duplicated. I was on the road in the seventies doing the hotel lounge circuit. To fill a blank week we sometimes had to take whatever our booking agents could put together, We had one of these weeks in a club in Illinois near Chicago. The club seemed fairly normal when we arrived. We soon found out that there was a strip club next door and we would be sharing the dressing room with the ladies. Mid week we found out that there would also be a performance on our stage on the weekend by none other than Miss Nude Canada 1973 and I was to introduce her. Her finale was a torch dance!!The last night as we were in the dressing room changing our drummer learned how to twirl a pastie. I have a mental image of him and a very skinny stripper standing in front of the mirror as she explained that it was "all in the bounce"The final touch was the Sunday we were leaving. Miss Nude Canada decided to "streak" down the streets of the town and somehow pulled it off without getting arrested.By the way, the tips we received were great. I guess if you drink enough it's hard to tell the difference between the band and the strippers!My occasional gig today is certainly more dignified.Chuck