BAD TONE THAT WORKS....GOOD!!

[lowphatbass]

Always a humbling experience:
It's the strangest thing. You hear them soundchecking the guy's bass and your thinking, "oh my gosh!! If I EVER sounded like that I'd quit!!". It's just the WORST bass sound you've EVER heard in your life!! You and the drummer spill outside and fall down laughing 'cause this guy's a total clown and you don't want him to feel any worse than he already must...

....Later that evening......

........The room fills up with people and energy, you come out from the back and that band is just tearing it up. "what band is this", your thinking. Could it be the same crappy bass player? The same crappy bass? Holy Crap!! It's the same "crappy" bass tone, but it totally works!! I can hear every note he's playing, this guy is totally laying it down and I can feel the respect rising-up. While I am still able to assure myself that I never want my bass to sound like his I can't help but enjoy what he's doing because he's doing it well, and that "crappy" bass tone couldn't be any better in that context. After the show I talk to the "clown" and he's totally cool, we share many of the same infuences and have alot in common.
Having experienced this again and again in some form or another has really helped me to avoid premature judgement of other musicians, I probably pass judgement when I shouldn't but I'm not as bad as I used to be, I hope!!
Any of you ever had this happen?? Got some stories for me??