Let's hear some gig stories!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Donnie B.
  • Start date Start date
Nothing too crazy, but I just came home from my first gig in over a year. It's my 80's cover band. This was our first gig and I had no idea how this drummer would work out. Bass player has been in a few bands with me and he's solid. Anyway, drummer got too drunk to play after a bit. In walked the drummer from our Rush tribute, hadn't seen him since our last gig in Feb, 2020. We quickly asked him if he was up for a few Rush tunes. Bass player didn't have the keyboard cards for more than a few songs, but we busted out Freewill and Tom Sawyer and the crowd loved it.
 
ClintN667 said:
The last show I played was like 2 years ago and I wasnt really into the band I joined music. Anyway I got to play a club I always wanted to play(punk rock club that was basically my area's CBGB). The first band was an awesome industrial group with 2 women and a guy all on synths. Think early era Skinny Puppy. They were so good it almost made me want to sell my guitar rig and buy keyboards.

Then the headliner played.... It was a post op tranny singing over a backing track. All I could gather from the lyrics is he/she wanted his dick back(or at least every song had some lyrics to that affect). After that I threw in the towel. Played one more show then quit. I'm too old to play music I dont like and too busy to search for people and make time for band practice. I do miss jamming with people.
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I know the feeling.

My next to last band...the bass player books this gig with alot of young local bands from his area. We had somewhat a name in the area, to the point that we played all the great places in the scene etc... So we didn't need to do this gig but it was more a favor for the bass layer. Anyway, the bass player didn't do our normal booking but he puts the gig together, we told him - do not book us with any Death Metal or Goth bands. Yeah, you know where this story is going. We get there, good layout, nice and professional until the bands start playing. Pure death, pure goth. Not one person there had pants that fit, you know the ones where you could hide an entire family under them. All their fans are throwing crap at the bands, spitting on them...it was disgusting. And all the bands are basically sharing each others gear. Our backline hadn't been setup yet. So mid way through a bands singer literally turns his head sideway, blows chunks "Exorcist" style and keeps singing. A few minutes later, same thing. Didn't even miss a note, as if chunk blowing was part of the act. Few minutes later, again same thing. There's puke everywhere. I walked to the side of the stage and rolled my gear out, packed it in the van. Called the lead singer who hadn't showed up yet and told him to turn around. Obviously the bass player losses it on me and with good reason, never blamed him for that. I blamed him for not doing what we all asked him not to do. Was a dick move on my part bailing but I had just had enough of everything at that point. Watching a puke show and kids getting off on it, my time had expired lol. Sad thing is musically that was the best band I ever played in, I put everything into that band. We finished out all our "booked" gigs with my best friend filling in on bass and frankly, never sounded better but "it and me" had run it's course. I was done, going to pack it in.

Fortunately for me, I joined a project with some great guys after much cajoling by them. Did close to 160 shows over a 20 month period and had the time of my life. Funny because the original music we did was not near my favorite but I ended my live career playing with the best bunch of guys I could have ever asked to play and hang with. And had I not quit my longtime band, they wouldn't have asked. Made my 25+ years of playing live, dealing with band ego's, losing a marriage, bars, soundmen and all the crap every band deals with, worth it.
 
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this thread has been well-worth the read! I've thoroughly enjoyed it guys!
 
For a while we had added two more to the band. Keyboard/singer and his girlfriend/singer. Was so cool being
able to play shit with keys and complex vocal harmonies - our drummer sang pretty well too. Eventually, their
relationship crap got in the way and we fired them.

Her sister ran a large day-care place and offered us a pretty decent paycheck to play for the kids acoustically.

Unplugged before it became a 'thing'.

We went all in and it was one of the best shows ever. Bass player owned an old upright that he was adept at,
drummer played bongos, me and the keys guy played acoustics (one was 12 string), and three part harmonies.
Couple dozen or so kids were spell-bound the entire time.

Would have made a great Sesame Street Segment.

:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
 
Man I think some of the worst for me:

Played the first Maryland Deathfest ever like forever ago. Was a fair amount of people and we had a good slot. Mid song my strap broke and being the only guitarist I had to drop to the floor and finish the song. It was horrible.

The absolute worst though we played some bar in Springfield, MA with All that remains and some other bands. Well at one point I had to shit, there was no stopping it. The stall was literally facing the bathroom door and there was no door on the stall. I would say at least 15 people came in and out and the first thing they saw was me shitting. Good times.

Also my singer threw up on everyone during a set, that was fucking hilarious.
 
maddnotez said:
Man I think some of the worst for me:

Played the first Maryland Deathfest ever like forever ago. Was a fair amount of people and we had a good slot. Mid song my strap broke and being the only guitarist I had to drop to the floor and finish the song. It was horrible.

The absolute worst though we played some bar in Springfield, MA with All that remains and some other bands. Well at one point I had to shit, there was no stopping it. The stall was literally facing the bathroom door and there was no door on the stall. I would say at least 15 people came in and out and the first thing they saw was me shitting. Good times.

Also my singer threw up on everyone during a set, that was fucking hilarious.
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You ever play Creepy Crawl, the old one back in the day? If so, remember that bathroom...yikes.
 
japetus said:
You ever play Creepy Crawl, the old one back in the day? If so, remember that bathroom...yikes.
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Played there once before it shut down. Thats right about the time I moved to the area. Didnt grow up here. I like Bob a lot though, i think he either co owned The creepy crawl or was a bouncer there. He opened Fubar after they shut down and now has The Red Flag. He's a good dude.
 
maddnotez said:
Played there once before it shut down. Thats right about the time I moved to the area. Didnt grow up here. I like Bob a lot though, i think he either co owned The creepy crawl or was a bouncer there. He opened Fubar after they shut down and now has The Red Flag. He's a good dude.
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Agreed, Bob is a cool ass dude. I played Fubar a couple times, both Fubars. Haven't been to the Red Flag yet, shit haven't gigged or been to a show since the rona but nobody else has either I guess.
 
japetus said:
Agreed, Bob is a cool ass dude. I played Fubar a couple times, both Fubars. Haven't been to the Red Flag yet, shit haven't gigged or been to a show since the rona but nobody else has either I guess.
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I went there once, tbh I like Fubar better. The Red Flag is fine but the layout isnt as good and there are too many support beams on the floor in my opinion but I guess he didnt have many options. Hopefully he can keep it going with all of the caps the city has these days.
 
I wish everyone here could have experienced the ski resorts circuit during 83-84. 3 sets a night,4 nights a week. So much super hot pussy and great coke...and I was only 18 years old(6'3 and 185 lbs)in a band with 25 year old circuit veterans. Simple classic rock and early hair metal...and all I had to do was play bass. The tunes were so simple. Scorpions,Priest,Crue mixed in with Romantix,Huey Lewis,etc.

There were ALWAYS several groups of single women who would be vacationing together from Cali/New York/wherever with the sole purpose of cutting loose and hooking up with dudes while on vacation. This is before you had any serious diseases going around...

So lucky I lived thru it. Literally. When I came back home to Texas I was so burned out on playing covers of songs in genres I disliked(read as hated),I swore I would only play original thrash from that point on. 2nd day home I went over to Dimes moms house and we talked for hours about the ski circuit(they were regional heroes back then). When i told him i wanted to play fast thrash stuff,he introduced me to Walter(rhythm guitarist)of Rotting Corpse and I have never played anything except classic and modern style thrash since. But I often look back at the ski resort experience with fond memories,most of which would resemble a Penthouse Forum letter mixed with High Times articles.

Man...the 80's ruled.
 
maddnotez said:
Man I think some of the worst for me:

Played the first Maryland Deathfest ever like forever ago. Was a fair amount of people and we had a good slot. Mid song my strap broke and being the only guitarist I had to drop to the floor and finish the song. It was horrible.

The absolute worst though we played some bar in Springfield, MA with All that remains and some other bands. Well at one point I had to shit, there was no stopping it. The stall was literally facing the bathroom door and there was no door on the stall. I would say at least 15 people came in and out and the first thing they saw was me shitting. Good times.

Also my singer threw up on everyone during a set, that was fucking hilarious.
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I played a gig at a bar in Sioux Falls, SD back in 2005 and it was something like that. In this case the urinal (there was only one) faced the door, and it was one of those doors that didn't close on its own. So, drunk dudes would walk out and leave the door open while one guy was at the pisser and another on the shitter and everyone could see.

Towards the end of the night I see everyone look away from the stage and toward the men's bathroom. Some dude walked up to the urinal and dropped his pants and proceeded to take an eternal piss and the bathroom door was open the whole time. LMFAO
 
rottingcorpse said:
I wish everyone here could have experienced the ski resorts circuit during 83-84. 3 sets a night,4 nights a week. So much super hot pussy and great coke...and I was only 18 years old(6'3 and 185 lbs)in a band with 25 year old circuit veterans. Simple classic rock and early hair metal...and all I had to do was play bass. The tunes were so simple. Scorpions,Priest,Crue mixed in with Romantix,Huey Lewis,etc.

There were ALWAYS several groups of single women who would be vacationing together from Cali/New York/wherever with the sole purpose of cutting loose and hooking up with dudes while on vacation. This is before you had any serious diseases going around...

So lucky I lived thru it. Literally. When I came back home to Texas I was so burned out on playing covers of songs in genres I disliked(read as hated),I swore I would only play original thrash from that point on. 2nd day home I went over to Dimes moms house and we talked for hours about the ski circuit(they were regional heroes back then). When i told him i wanted to play fast thrash stuff,he introduced me to Walter(rhythm guitarist)of Rotting Corpse and I have never played anything except classic and modern style thrash since. But I often look back at the ski resort experience with fond memories,most of which would resemble a Penthouse Forum letter mixed with High Times articles.

Man...the 80's ruled.
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Dude that sounds epic. I missed the hayday of the guitar god bs unfortunately but those times sound wild.
 
MrDowntown said:
I’m convinced especially as I’m getting age on me, the 80’s was the last great decade. All sorts of shit began to erode after about 91-92
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It could be because it's in our rear view, or it could be nostalgia but I find it hard to disagree.
 
Findthetone1 said:
It could be because it's in our rear view, or it could be nostalgia but I find it hard to disagree.
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I go with the first half of the 70s. Play whatever you want and folks dug it.
Then you had payola, punk, and disco all hitting at the same time during the 2nd half.

"Listen, you guys play great but no-one is dancing. I gotta let you go."
 
Very cool stories, great reads. Love it.
I joined the Navy right out of high school so never really pursued playing in many bands. Was stationed in Japan. I bought a Marshall Valvstate (8100 maybe?) in Japan and kept it on the ship along with my trusty old Ibanez RG540. We had a band, played to a riveted crowd of a few people while out at sea. That was actually a cool experience. We called it a steel beach picnic where we basically stop in calm waters, grill and relax.

Once we were in Singapore on this rooftop bar and a live band was playing. There was the hottest girl I was trying to pick up all night with absolutely no luck. One of the guys talked the band into letting him and I play, so we did Johnnie B Good. After that, the girl was all over me. Good times...

This pic was around 1993 or 1994. No women on the ship, so no groupie stories and anyway what happens at sea stays at sea

17E3F659-AC29-43B0-9DBC-69C57834CC32.jpeg
 
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