Horror Gig Story: The Repo Men!

lefty007 · #1 07-20-2007, 08:40 AM

So we got booked to play this awesome Playboy party at a premier Miami club. Big sound and stage, the works. We had just finished setup and soundcheck, when the place gets raided by something like 20 cops. We are ordered to leave the building immediately. At this point we don't know what's going on. Fire? Drug raid?

Instinctively, I grab my bass (a brand-new Sadowsky that I was just about to play for the first time!). "You can't take that with you," one of the cops tells me. "Why? Are we coming back?" I nervously ask. . . No answer.

So we exit through the back door as instructed and they seal the place. We go around the block to the front door, and as we make a turn on the corner, we see 20 cop cars with all their light going off, and two 18-wheeler moving trucks!

The repo men are here!

It seems the owner of the club owes some serious money, and they had an order to repo everything inside the club!

The next 20 minutes was all speculation. We were already thinking ahead, "what if they take all our equipment?," "are they going to understand we were just hired to play there and that is OUR equipment?"!

I was ready to call a lawyer friend of mine; another bandmatte was ready to call some sargent at Miami Police.

We finally get to talk to the manager and she ensures us everything will be fine in 5 minutes. Phew. . . yes, the cops left. We were back inside the building, Sadowsky back in my hand.

I still felt like crying a little. Well, I had a beer instead. I'm about to sell all my basses and get a $99 SX. Next time this happens and can tell the cops to shove it. . . Not to mention I already got all my equipment stolen once. And our guitar player just got his amp stolen at a festival.

I don't buy basses to keep them inside the closet, but man, after crap like this you really feel like it is a constant risk to be gigging with anything of value. . .

Have a good day, y'all!

.

Tony G · #2 07-20-2007, 08:42 AM

Yikes! Glad it all worked out though...

TrooperFarva · #3 07-20-2007, 11:30 AM

Was anything taken from the club at all, or did the cops and everyone else just leave?

**Freddels** · #4 07-20-2007, 11:36 AM

I'm going to venture out and say that the club owner wrote a check for what was owed. One of my friends sued a Cadillac dealership and won, but the dealer wouldn't pay. So he showed up at the dealership with the Sheriffs and they started seizing cars. Well, the dealer wrote a check for what was owed.

lefty007 · #5 07-20-2007, 11:55 AM

Yep, the cops ended up leaving without taking anything, but they were ready (although it could have been intimidation more than anything, with the massive amount of cops and the two 18-weeler trucks). The owner wasn't even there, but obviously the club produced whatever it was required so they wouldn't take anything.

We got paid with a check. I'm now praying it doesn't bounce. D'oh!

**Freddels** · #6 07-20-2007, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lefty007

Yep, the cops ended up leaving without taking anything, but they were ready (although it could have been intimidation more than anything, with the massive amount of cops and the two 18-weeler trucks). The owner wasn't even there, but obviously the club produced whatever it was required so they wouldn't take anything.

We got paid with a check. I'm now praying it doesn't bounce. D'oh!

They don't show up just to intimidate. They're there to collect! The owner was probably called and made arrangements to pay.

But glad it worked out for you.

Rattman · #7 07-20-2007, 01:31 PM

I really don't understand why anyone in their mind would want to be a cop. This story just underscores what are tax dollars are doing to work against us. I certainly would have taken my bass with me no matter what a cop told me.

The only friends that cops have are just other cops.. No reason to wonder 'why' either.

**smperry** · #8 07-20-2007, 01:52 PM

Speechless. Glad you still have your gear.

Marshall

bassjus · #9 07-20-2007, 01:57 PM

I would have gone crazy! Glad it all turned out right.

lefty007 · #10 07-20-2007, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rattman

I really don't understand why anyone in their mind would want to be a cop. This story just underscores what are tax dollars are doing to work against us. I certainly would have taken my bass with me no matter what a cop told me.

The only friends that cops have are just other cops.. No reason to wonder 'why' either.

Absolutely! Why wouldn't they just send a couple of cops first, right before opening time and tell the management: you either produce the money owed or we are shuting you down and sending for the moving trucks.

They mobilized 20 cops with their respective cars, closed the street, and rented two full-size 18-weeler moving vans, FOR NOTHING!

That is why I'm thinking a big part of it was intimidation.

These high-profile clubs in Miami are all owned by mafia. Cops hate these places because they attract a lot of drug dealing and crime in the surrouding areas, so they are always eager to shut them down.

Petebass · #11 07-24-2007, 08:42 PM

Cops involved in debt collection? You'd NEVER see that here. They just tell you it's a civil matter and they can only act on criminal matters.