Gig fight...lots of blood!

[tweeet]

'There's always one' as Monty Python would say.At last nights gig I spot the looney after two songs.This guy is clapping and waving his arms around trying to gee up all the other punters...only he's a bit too aggressive.I play a 75 minute first half and he corners me in my break.After some nervous diplomatic chat on my behalf he disappears outside.
I start the second half as he walks in through the door which is on my right next to my floor area,I haven't much room,where the speaker is right next to a vending machine.He walks up to this guy who is 4ft in front of my mic and goes nose to nose for no reason.Next...he grabs this guy round the throat...and their momentum takes them onto the floor via the vending machine.So I grab the mic which was kicked...my lyric stand..of which all the word sheets hit the floor with my left hand and just manage to stop the speaker from toppling with my right.Then...as three of the innocent guys mates pick them up and try to seperate them...the aggressor is standing there...half his face covered in blood and his head split open....and my stuff on the floor looking like a scene from 'Friday 13th'.He's kicked out by the very attractive landlady.
The pics are just a small sample of 'memoirs of a bloody gig'.It was one of the more interesting gigs I've done this year.

[Westerly Sunn]

How was he gonna have en-nee fun without a good faight?

[Telarkaster]

What a story, what a souvenir! Hope you had rubber gloves to handle the evidence, who knows what this guy had in his system that you don't want to catch...

Just curious, what style of music do you play? I don't think this would happen to a Burt Bacharach cover band...

[krauser2]

love it

[mrmorrison]

Yanni...it's a Yanni cover band, right?

[jlrich]

Originally Posted by Telarkaster

I don't think this would happen to a Burt Bacharach cover band...

I don't know...there are some real, rabid Bacharach fans.

[jimd]

It sounds like the guy got what was coming to him.

[Hackguitarist]

At least it is not your blood I figure...

Booze, ciggy smoke, beating up your gear for drunks, drunks...

What's not to love?



I for got smelling like beer and smoke for X hours after....

[Wardpike]

You have my sympathies...the pub I played at last night (solo acoustic gig) is famous for the talent getting mugged by a wanker or two. I don't take kindly to the bums and tend to win those arguments... but friends of mine have not been so lucky and at times have required cutting their shows short to get medical treatment.

[flatout9]

Priceless, whats there not to like about that. It's why we all play. The story's.

[Hackguitarist]

There is a lot to be said for a 'disposable' El Kabong' $22.00 acoustic sitting on the stand next to you in arms reach.

[Big John]

Have to say that the UK of 30+ years ago was more violent but (if it doesn't sound stupid) more 'gentlemanly', it tended to be fists and feet whereas these days it will include bottles, knives and maybe worse.
There's nothing to get the adrenalin going as being on stage and watching one of those hilarious bar brawls where everyone seems to get involved and it looks like the finalé of 'Blazing Saddles' ..... standing down on their level of course is a bit different.

We know just how tough a Tele can be though and I wonder when we'll see the Keith/Tele/Fan interface video.

[BigMike]

"Could be worse, you could be working in a factory"!

[studio1087]

Dangerous drunken goofballs. The guy needs to spend a weekend locked up at the Police station with 5 angry drunks who are twice his size. They could all sober up and chat about their problems. I hope he wasn't driving. Spooky dude.

[Papa Joe]

Seen that more times then I can remember.Sometimes it was my blood..Knives were a normal part of the dress code,sometimes a gun..I broke a drunks arm with my Jazzmaster..Don't miss any of it..

[Hackguitarist]

Originally Posted by Papa Joe

Seen that more times then I can remember.Sometimes it was my blood..Knives were a normal part of the dress code,sometimes a gun..I broke a drunks arm with my Jazzmaster..Don't miss any of it..

See, the old El Kabong method... ;)

I would have thought this the status-quo in Detroit, but Pontiac too ?

[tweeet]

I think you guys in the States have got to be on your toes a little more with the gun situation.But some good stories to be told there.I imagine the guy's in hospital or at least paid a visit and yep...serves him right.

[Papa Joe]

Actualy most of my gigs were out in the boondocks.Very few in any city.Those farm boys raised hell on sat nights..

[shinigami747]

when i saw the pic before reading your post, i thought you whacked someone with a tele!

i hope you didn't get anything from that blood. before anyone thinks this is a loony concept, kindly look up "universal precautions."

[redstringuitar]

The culprit got a pasting...result!!

I have no time for those idiots intent on turning a social evening into a war zone, hope the bleeding was nothing trivial...

[TG]

Originally Posted by redstringuitar

The culprit got a pasting...result!!

I have no time for those idiots intent on turning a social evening into a war zone, hope the bleeding was nothing trivial...

+1

Hope it hurts.

[robb3566]

It's even more fun when band members fight each other...check out this clip of the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploding: [adult language] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSm5optFVUw

[smsuryan]

now THATS "relic"ing your equipment the old fashioned way...

[tbp0701]

I should save stories like this for the times I think I miss gigging.

I'll bet that, right now, he is holding his aching, bandaged head and saying, "You should see the other guy(s)! That Marshall dude won't mess with me again!"

[brewwagon]

Originally Posted by Hackguitarist

There is a lot to be said for a 'disposable' El Kabong' $22.00 acoustic sitting on the stand next to you in arms reach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41FnN9BCaRU
"cool cocky bad"

bw

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Originally Posted by tweeet

'There's always one' as Monty Python would say.At last nights gig I spot the looney after two songs.This guy is clapping and waving his arms around trying to gee up all the other punters...only he's a bit too aggressive.I play a 75 minute first half and he corners me in my break.After some nervous diplomatic chat on my behalf he disappears outside.
I start the second half as he walks in through the door which is on my right next to my floor area,I haven't much room,where the speaker is right next to a vending machine.He walks up to this guy who is 4ft in front of my mic and goes nose to nose for no reason.Next...he grabs this guy round the throat...and their momentum takes them onto the floor via the vending machine.So I grab the mic which was kicked...my lyric stand..of which all the word sheets hit the floor with my left hand and just manage to stop the speaker from toppling with my right.Then...as three of the innocent guys mates pick them up and try to seperate them...the aggressor is standing there...half his face covered in blood and his head split open....and my stuff on the floor looking like a scene from 'Friday 13th'.He's kicked out by the very attractive landlady.
The pics are just a small sample of 'memoirs of a bloody gig'.It was one of the more interesting gigs I've done this year.

I've been to one of those type of shows . . . a crappy local metal gig !

In what city did this take place ?
Landun ? Bradford ? Birmingham ? Manchester ?

[Westerly Sunn]

Originally Posted by Papa Joe

Actualy most of my gigs were out in the boondocks.Very few in any city.Those farm boys raised hell on sat nights..

Exactly what I was talking about. I joke about it, but I grew up hearing guys talking about "goin' to to the daince, satdee niaght". That meant they were gonna get drunk; mess with sumbody else's woman, and get in a faight; possibly cut up or shot... or do the same to sumbody else... or both! Good times, right?!!!

[tweeet]

Originally Posted by SirJackdeFuzz

I've been to one of those type of shows . . . a crappy local metal gig !

In what city did this take place ?
Landun ? Bradford ? Birmingham ? Manchester ?

Well...believe it or not....this town was called Snodland !

[tweeet]

Originally Posted by robb3566

It's even more fun when band members fight each other...check out this clip of the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploding: [adult language] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSm5optFVUw

Reminds me of a Jerry Springer show.

[T Prior]

Wayne Newton would not have allowed this....

[sneakyjapan]

I thought music was supposed to soothe the savage beast? No? Did I hear that wrong?

[imsilly]

Originally Posted by tweeet

Well...believe it or not....this town was called Snodland !

Those home counties boys are the worst, step one foot outside the M25 and there's nothing better to do then fight and drink. All short, overly gelled hair and badly cut designer shirts. Proper punks, one reason why I hate going out in central London these days. The place is full of prats from watford and kent out for the night and when they get shot down by all the local girls who think they are nobs they go looking for a person to start on. There used to be (might still be) a coach service that went back and forth from Watford to West London shuttling chavs and slappers back and forth from chain pubs to cheesy nightclubs you could feel the house prices drop the moment those things pulled up. They left a wake of vomit, blood, used condoms and unconcious people behind them.

I was in Liverpool this weekend and I was relieved not to see any fights break out. The place was fill of squadies on leave and students on freshers week I thought it would be an explosive mix, but nothing kicked off. I saw one guy literally practicing his shadow boxing as he was getting ready to leave the bar I was in. He looked pretty handy I wouldn't wanted to give that grunt the wrong look that night.

[JPW2105]

Been there so many times...

One time, someone got punched out right in front of me, the guy who did the punching came at him so hard he carried on over his victim (poor bloke just went down like a sack of spuds), went over the monitor speaker, got tangled up in my mic stand, I went back/over (SM58 to the face 'Ouch'), hit my amp (about 18 inches behind me) and as I slid down the front of my cabs, my headstock came down quite hard on the punchers head. I imagine the headache he most definately had the following morning was not just from the hangover :o)

Gig carried on, puncher was quite literally thrown out into the street (it was the early nineties) and then recieved a stark warning not to return and the punchee got up a few minutes later, carried on drinking and had a great night..!!! He had one hell of a fat lip come the end of the night though...

That's what happens of you play the Bad Manners version of the Can-Can followed up by Baggy Trousers to an audiences of heavy drinkers.

[guitarzan13]

Originally Posted by Westerly Sunn

How was he gonna have en-nee fun without a good faight?

And we all know that....wait for it...
"Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting"

[mickeydean]

Originally Posted by jlrich

I don't know...there are some real, rabid Bacharach fans.

and they are armed with walkers, if they can lift them and swing them without falling over.

[imsilly]

Originally Posted by JPW2105

That's what happens of you play the Bad Manners version of the Can-Can followed up by Baggy Trousers to an audiences of heavy drinkers.

I once saw Bad Manners in Blackpool and the place was full of skins and punks. Those morons were smashing skulls and spitting blood at each other. One of the strangest sights ever. The weird thing was they were all enjoying being beaten up. It had bio-hazard written all over it.

[trailboss]

...and that is the reason I gig with a $200 guitar/bass and cheapie Prologue mic's. Not to diss Fenders, but a set-neck mahogany Gibson is alot sturdier :)

[Jahmbie]

There was this one bar in Murfreesboro, TN where I used to play and a fight always broke out, but they were always started by WOMEN! Now THAT is a sight to behold.

Nice job saving the mic and speaker. And that's quite a souvenir you've got there. Is that a "James" cover?

[vjf1968]

Originally Posted by trailboss

...and that is the reason I gig with a $200 guitar/bass and cheapie Prologue mic's. Not to diss Fenders, but a set-neck mahogany Gibson is alot sturdier :)

I don't know about that. Well, at least if you break the neck on your tele you can easily replace it yourself.

[Lucretia]

You want to keep hold of that just in case the filth comes looking for evidence. I take it, he was one of the burberry brigade?

Luke.