Strange gig.....

[trag-o-caster]

Well, I've been a busy boy lately, playing 5 to 6 nights a week in my own band, and also with others, or solo acoustic, which is why I've not been around here very much lately.

Last Friday I took a gig as a fill in for an absent lead guitarist in a country band who were playing a bar about an hour and a half away from here. The pay was minimal, but a couple of the guys were old friends from years ago, so I was doing it mostly just to help them out.

There was some commotion in the bar throughout the night, but I try not to look out at the crowd while playing (it just invites trouble). It mostly involved this particular heavy set, extremely drunk chick. Eventually she was standing in front of the stage area screaming full tilt "YOU GUYS SUCK". During a break some band members were discussing the possibility of a fight between them and some other guys in the bar. I'm the new guy, and I don't have a CLUE as to what's going on, but all of a sudden it looks like I'm going to end up in barroom brawl before the nights over just because I'm in the band!

It turns out that this drunk chick is the sound guys wife. She was so drunk that they cut her off, and then they caught her sneaking drinks from other peoples drinks and was thrown out. So, when the sound guy gets told that his wife is being tossed, he goes into a MAJOR tantrum, trying to yank out all of the mic cords from his board, instead pulling a 24 channel mixer onto the floor. Sparks flew all over the place. We were still in the middle of a song, and this guy commences to trashing his own PA while we're singing in it! All because his old lady got too drunk, got cut off, and got caught stealing drinks afterward! It was about midnight, and the gig was OVER.

Fortunately for me, I was paid for the entire night early in the evening. I packed up my Pro Reverb, and my Teles and got the hell OUTTA there FAST!

I never did find out what happened after that. Apparently there were some guys from some other band there that was wanting to beat us up in the parking lot. The lead singer (the guy who hired me) just had open heart surgery two weeks before, and here he is ready to brawl in the parking lot!!!

I thought I was through with those kind of gigs! Apparently not.

[Tim Armstrong]

Jeeze, Tim, the only good thing about those gigs is surviving and having great stories to tell afterwards!

So I reckon that gig was a success!

Tim

[maestrovert]

some people's children, eh ? sheesh....

glad you got away clean Tim....

[pengipete]

You're getting 6 gigs a week - wow!

[hal]

Great story. It should be in a song. Actually it probably is already.

My cover band is down to about two public gigs/month. Fortunately we play some decent places here in Memphis. But no place that serves alcohol is immune to this kind of stuff. I almost got in a fight with a guy that was hitting on the drummers wife about a year ago. Of course, I'm real tough when everyone in the place, including a couple of bouncers that are within earshot, are friends of mine.

[StratDal]

Wow. That is one for the ages! You never know what happens once live music starts playing!

I wonder what happened to the guy's PA. LOL!!!

[Tele Fan]

Remember your Telecaster can be used as a self defense device, but it's better to just not be there for the trouble.

[Rombel]

Yup.

A guy my size learns right quick to avoid altercations that may lead to physical violence. And that if violence is unavoidable, hit first, hard, and repeatedly before making a quick exit (my jaw is even softer than my wussy hands).
If all else fails, use the Tele, and repeat step 2.

Drunk chicks always spell trouble. And the trouble is double when they're with the band.
Or want to be...
Or USED to be.

[stephent2]

we had a strange gig last night too but nothing as dramatic. glad you got out before it got any sillier.

I had to tell a local musician who asked to sit in that I didn't really care if he had his guitar with him,... well I guess I didn't have to tell him that but i did. "Oh why would you do me that way, brother man?" he asked,... then his partner tells me they are opening up for us (the next night, tonight) at a BBQ joint I play and pushing our start time later. And we have a special night with a guest, we sent out emails with our start time,... bars, geez.

[trag-o-caster]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

So I reckon that gig was a success!

Tim

I got paid in full, went home early, got out unscathed.... so it was a success on that level I reckon!

I'll have to call around and see if there were any more fireworks after I left.

I've played some pretty varied gigs here lately. The other day I got called to play for a band that was doing a black tie affair for Adopt A Pet. We were providing light background music while people were eating their meals. It was a real "rattle your jewelry" kind of crowd! Lots of beautiful women dressed up FINE.

So it's not ALL dives all of the time!

[Sollophonic]

Originally Posted by Tele Fan

Remember your Telecaster can be used as a self defense device, but it's better to just not be there for the trouble.

That theory is actually put very much into practice by an old mate of mine who has played in club/wedding bands for years. He has two sets of gig equipment, which he is careful for which gig he uses it at.
He often does the high class weddings, and the top gigs, to which he takes his Gibson 335, and his Ibanez semi as a back up. He plays them both into a really nice boutiquey amp, and often ends the evening shooting the breeze with muso guest/punters.
However he often has to do the rougher clubs, and the potentially rough weddings, to which he takes two Teles, (a Mex and a Squier Standard) and an old Roland Cube. As he says "Just in case I have to fight my way out!"

[mistermullens]

Stephen, how am I not on your email list? Whose the special guest? I've been craving some good blues and Fat Matt's so I might show up tonight. Shoot me some info on the gig!

[stephent2]

Originally Posted by mistermullens

Stephen, how am I not on your email list? Whose the special guest? I've been craving some good blues and Fat Matt's so I might show up tonight. Shoot me some info on the gig!

sorry MM, error corrected. forgive the stolen thread, please,...

Hi Friends,

Just a short note on a special Fat Matt's Night with three buds, Ross Pead, Bill Sheffield and Stephen Talkovich at Fat Matts this Monday night for an evening of superb songs, singing, acoustic guitar picking, slide playing and musical fellowship. I might even bring the six string banjo. Music starts around 7:00 pm.

We’re darn excited, should be a bunch of fun and we invite you down to share, as always, no cover at Fat Matts, just award winning ribs, beer and a tip jar we call Philip.

We’ll be playing Bill and Ross’s original songs, including “Trouble (before it Starts)” which Ross and Bill wrote together, it’ll be fun, you have our word on it. Come on out!

Check out Bill at his web site,

http://www.billsheffield.com

And Ross Pead here,

http://www.myspace.com/rosspead

[twangcaster1]

You're always safe when you've got a tele. I imagine a tele could be a pretty good dome-denter when needed.

[emiller45]

Originally Posted by twangcaster1

You're always safe when you've got a tele. I imagine a tele could be a pretty good dome-denter when needed.

I have it on good authority (me) that statement is true.

[TeleDrifter]

Glad you got out safe. Does anyone ever think to call the cops?????

[twangcaster1]

Originally Posted by emiller45

I have it on good authority (me) that statement is true.

Really? You've gotta tell, what happened and who's dome did you dent?

[Post Toastie]

When using a Tele as a weapon,make sure to tell the troublemaker that you need to remove the guitar first so as not to ruin it and (o well i guess I lied)

[trag-o-caster]

I talked to their bassist late last night who informed me that a big brawl did indeed break out after I left out of there....

Thank God I left when I did!

[hal]

Where is that utube of Keith Richards hitting a fan with his black Tele?

[tjalla]

Originally Posted by maestrovert

some people's children, eh ? sheesh....

Funny thing is, I witnessed a scuff-up at the venue I played in Sunday just gone - also sitting in on the band's residency...

Two burly guys started shoving each other around and a wildly scream lady (using that term very loosely) who ended up on the floor... One of the guys got sucker punched, his dad wanted a piece of the action and get this... later I find out from the patrons that the whole thing was started when an 10 year-old girl (who was also screaming her head off by the end of things) was being encouraged by her parents to taunt the girlfriend of one of the burly guys, calling her a sl*t and b*tch..

Sheesh!

Must have been something to do with the moon...

[TeleDrifter]

Saw Neil Young & The Bluenotes at Weedsport NY Speedway in 89. The crowd was rude the whole night. To much alcohol for sure. People were just rude. About 2/3 of the way thru the show standing about 50 feet from the stage, the whole crowd just moves apart and four guys are duking it out right in front of the stage...Funny watching Neil and the boys just looking down at that...................Cheers

[rextasy]

Originally Posted by TeleDrifter

Saw Neil Young & The Bluenotes at Weedsport NY Speedway in 89. The crowd was rude the whole night. To much alcohol for sure. People were just rude. About 2/3 of the way thru the show standing about 50 feet from the stage, the whole crowd just moves apart and four guys are duking it out right in front of the stage...Funny watching Neil and the boys just looking down at that...................Cheers

Neil must bring something out in 'em. I saw him around 2000. Fantastic show, amazing setlist, played to an ampitheatre of yuppies sipping their $10 margaritas and talking loudly on their cellphones the whole time. Neil was moved to remark on it at least once. And don't get me started on the Pretenders opening in broad daylight to basically no audience at all.

[Rombel]

Hmm. My worst memory is playing a small bar way out in the sticks in the late '70s, the night before duck season opened. A lot of people were already dresses in camo, planning on going straight from boozing to shooting, and every car and truck in the lot had guns in plain view. A lot of folks went out between sets to talk guns and compare gauges...

Anyhow, at the beginning of the third set, a fight broke out because one guy had brought his shotgun inside and the barman objected (duh!). It almost immediately escalated into WWIII, and punches, glasses, bottles and furniture were flying. We looked at each other on stage, and made off with guitars and mics, got in the car and drove off to the hotel we were staying at. The next morning, we went back to the bar, and they were shoveling debris out the side door. They had a beer truck waiting to replenish the stock, and a truck full of liquor too, as every bottle in the joint had been broken.
We walked in, and saw more cahos. There wasn't a single chair left, the shelves behind the bar were gone, along with the mirrors and glass racks. The pool table was brown from caked blood, after a guy had been thrown through a window and landed on it, nearly bleeding to death.

Fearing the worst, we looked at the stage, but not a single piece of gear had been damaged, and everything was exactly the way we had left it the previous night. The only thing diferent was a hole in the wall just above the drum kit, where Joe Shotgun had tested his weapon before being knocked out.

We played that night to a subdued crowd of people sporting black eyes, puffed-up lips and enough band-aids to cover a mummy.
We declined to come back at another time.

[jeffallwood]

Originally Posted by Tele Fan

Remember your Telecaster can be used as a self defense device, but it's better to just not be there for the trouble.

I seem to remember an interview with Pete Townshend where he mentioned he once used a Strat to "chop" a Vox Super Beatle amp in half...I'm sure a Tele would make an excellent "attitude adjuster!"