The biggest Gig epic fail(s) of all time

peter6725 · #1 03-21-2009, 04:32 AM

At A gig last night (on my birthday as it happens)
I had the worst experiance of my life...all equipment related.

First off, when we were about to go on my E string broke, fine I had a spare but I had to rush to throw it on.

Next still before we are about to go on my bottom strap lock broke..lucily I brought a screwdriver so all was fine.

Next my pedal bord would not work and I didint have time to find the problem because we didint get a soundcheck. Thats ok I just went direct.

OK so half way through our second song my TOP strap lock breaks and I have to play with no strap, this was fine and entertaining for the crowd..with me hoping around on one foot!

Grand, 2 songs later...The E string just collapsed half way through a song!.....I had to finish the song playing an octave higher!! then I tuned my A-E D-A and G-D

Oh and a few mini disasters...My tuner tuned half a step sharp.
Didint realise this 'till half way through our first song.

Cut myself while putting on the new E-string just before our set.

Twisted my ankle while hoping around!

BUT! the crowd seemed to enjoy and I didint stop playing once!
And they got really into our original stuff!

FAIL.

dealbreaker · #2 03-21-2009, 04:37 AM

But, you've proven that you can play through anything. Too many other people would give up. Rock on.

Mine: Let's just say a mix of remote rural fields, rickety outdoor stages and tornadoes do not make for a pleasant gig experience.

ysand · #3 03-21-2009, 05:09 AM

that's the definition of bad luck :/
But i really think that a new bass would help with most problems

dcr · #4 03-21-2009, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ysand

But i really think that a new bass would help with most problems

Exactly why I always carry a spare.....but that's another thread.

dcr

peter6725 · #5 03-21-2009, 05:16 AM

Yep new bass for sure, hopefully upgrading my Squire Jazz to a epiphone embassy soon

lousybassplayer · #6 03-21-2009, 09:02 AM

Thats an ugrade

Seriously though that should be a suppliment. But big time punk rock points for playing all jacked up like that. Worst I ever had was playing a gig with a smashed up nose. IT was a short set since there were about ten bands playing in around 2 hours. MY drummer punched me in a mini mosh pit whirling around like a moron. I threw some snow on it and played the whole thing pouring blood. WIcked cool, but then my eyes swelled up to much to keep on. Don't think it broke per se but it wiggled around more than it did before hand.

My equipment however worked fine.

xgator4u · #7 03-21-2009, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ysand

that's the definition of bad luck :/
But i really think that a new bass would help with most problems

A new bass WILL fix any problem!

zeppelinfreak · #8 03-21-2009, 05:12 PM

Thats just bad luck. At least you tried to be prepared for anything, between the extra strings and tools.

My worst experience.

I was doing a gig on tuba for my youth orchestra, and we were doing Danzon 2 and lincoln portrait. The night before I had been out late playing at a club called Fitzgeralds (big band gig) so I was tired as **** to start with. Then a few minutes before we went on stage, I started feeling really cold and started sweating and feeling dizzy. But I went out anyways. Then hafway through the Danzon, I started to feel some bad diarrhea coming. The minute I got home, my ass exploded over the toilet and I took my temperature; which read 103.2.

Long story short, I played a gig with a high fever and a bad urge to **** my pants

corrosivemind19 · #9 03-21-2009, 05:24 PM

broke both D and G strings

peter6725 · #10 03-21-2009, 05:28 PM

Well guys I found out why my pedal board wouldnt, my cat chewed through one of the jacks!! Didin't notice because of the low light at the venue!

Din Of Win · #11 03-21-2009, 08:53 PM

I have been pretty fortunate so far in regards to equipment. Nothing more than some broken strings... ALWAYS the E string. But i usually carry a back up.

I have been injured though. Someone knowcked my mic stand and it acted like a cheese grater on my face. Blood = punk though. I also broke my hand flailing into a low hanging celing beam.

I think my biggest definition of fail though was our terribly booked tour a few years back. The first week looked like this...

From Maryland:
Day 1: Pitsburgh PA (not bad)
Day 2: Grand Rapids Michigan (not toooo bad)
Day 3: Detroit Michigan (not bad at all...)
Day 4: TAMPA FLORIDA... with a pit stop back in MD to get a paycheck... ugh...
Day 5: Orlando Florida
Day 6: ALLLL the way back up to St. Louis Missouri

Yeah... no fun at ALL.

Fail tour is fail

thirtypoint87 · #12 03-23-2009, 12:02 AM

Ok, Wow... this thread has brought back some repressed memories! I once played about a dozen gigs with a singer/songwriter who was talented, but a little bit nuts. She also couldn't keep a regular band together and would book gigs before all the musicians were in place. I got the gig because she had booked a show, needed a bass player, and knew somebody who knew me. Those dozen or so shows I played with her were with about eight different drummers, and I'm sure she had no idea how hard that made the gig for me. Get the picture?

Anyway, worst gig: about 2 months AFTER I HAD QUIT HER BAND (due to what I think they call "creative differences"; in this case her feeling offended and threatened when I gave a another new drummer specific instructions after she told him to play the song "more alternative rock" and he rolled his eyes and looked to me for guidance. Really.) she called me on a Tuesday to ask if I could play a gig on Thursday.

Being a nice guy with a short memory who likes to play, I stupidly said yes. She gave me the setlist -which included 2 new songs- and I showed up on Thursday. She showed me the new songs at the venue and I said, "you betcha, no problem!"

So. An electric guitar player was added for the night's festivities (usually we'd just played as a trio, with her strumming an acoustic) and he was DRUNK OFF HIS A$$!. The drummer for the night, with whom I'd played before, was..... off, somehow, and missing cues.

And I was trying to remember songs that I'd been happy to forget 3 days earlier. It was a disaster. I tried to refuse the money she put into my hand in the parking lot at the end of the night. She wouldn't take no for an answer and I have never felt worse about pocketing a few dollars.

The lesson here? When you quit, stay quit!

lousybassplayer · #13 03-23-2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeppelinfreak

I was doing a gig on tuba for my youth orchestra, and we were doing Danzon 2 and lincoln portrait. The night before I had been out late playing at a club called Fitzgeralds (big band gig) so I was tired as **** to start with. Then a few minutes before we went on stage, I started feeling really cold and started sweating and feeling dizzy. But I went out anyways. Then hafway through the Danzon, I started to feel some bad diarrhea coming. The minute I got home, my ass exploded over the toilet and I took my temperature; which
read 103.2.

Long story short, I played a gig with a high fever and a bad urge to **** my pants

Dude, you were playing a tuba? That was all you needed to say for worst gig ever. Lcukily if you had crapped yourself the sound would have blended in with the instrument.

LedBelli Bass · #14 03-25-2009, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peter6725

Yep new bass for sure, hopefully upgrading my Squire Jazz to a epiphone embassy soon

Upgrading . . . crimany

Jimmy Bones · #15 03-25-2009, 11:06 PM

Epiphones are well made instruments. Only thing I don't care for is their bridge and neck dive on certain models.

Not sure about Squier though. Still haven't picked mine up since I bought it. Actually forgot I had it till I tripped into my guitar stand grouping this morning.

xxDavidxx · #16 04-26-2009, 04:43 AM

this didn't happen to me, but to the guitard of my band:
2 minutes before the gig, someone tripped over his cable. he checked it, said it was okay and we went palying.

halfway through the 4th song his amp's volume suddenly explodes (read: it was very loud all of a sudden) and it sounded crappy. ten seconds later there was no sound anymore at all.

lead guitard and me had to fill up a really rhythm-driven song. that sucked!

RedCoatMonster · #17 04-26-2009, 05:16 AM

How the hell do you guys break E strings?! For realsies....

GregDunn · #18 04-26-2009, 12:19 PM

Heck, my daughter used to break E strings on a regular basis. She has a very aggressive playing style, and used to pull the E nearly off the neck on loud passages. stretch, release, stretch, release... eventually it pops.

makanudo · #19 04-26-2009, 02:55 PM

Not fail since the crowd enoyed it man
more like EPIC WIN

capnsandwich · #20 04-26-2009, 03:06 PM

There was a gig where we were at a certain part of the song where the keyboard was playing by itself and we were waiting for it to hit a certain note before we all came in. Well the sound man had a hard time with the keyboards for some reason so they cut out altogether. We waited but never heard the keys come back on so the drummer came in but played a different pattern than what was supposed to be played. It was a mess and that was our last song too. I guess we went out sounding like garbage but the other 6 songs before that sounded great.