falling into the drumset is NOT part of the show!

Johnny Mack · #1 12-14-2008, 03:48 PM

just thought id share an interesting experience from the other night.

we played a gig with our favorite band that we are good friends with friday night. i had just received my brand new SX Jazz the day before and was gigging this bass.

well about a half dozen songs into the set we had a completely inebriated ~300 pound man REALLY getting into us. rocking right in front of the singer, etc... anyway he had naturally tripped onto the stage backwards, right in front of me. after standing over him for a second and about 20 seconds of trying to gain his bearings, he was able to get back up, but now on the stage. yikes.

so he is now wobbling and on the stage, apparently getting into the music. inching deeper into the stage, i stopped playing and started backing him off the stage. fine. i get back into the song and what happens? he of course is threatened and comes back as if he is ready to hit me.

i am now pacing around him and watching while continuing the song. well i guess he forgot he was offended and again was rockin it, now between me and the drummer deep in the stage.

he mustve tripped over something, i dont know, but came barreling over the guitarists combo and into the drums.

chris farley style.

our wirey drummer went jumping back and we all immediately stopped playing. i layed down my bass up front and began trying to maneuver this man. well the tube combo is now toppling and making unpleasant noises so i reach under his warm body to power it down.

as i am trying to handle the toppling amp and pulling this guy away, our friend/sound help came over and bear hugged him and pulled him away with ease, as he, too is a larger man that used to bounce clubs.

thank goodness he was there.

as he is gone, i look over the drummers direction making sure everyone and everything is all right, look the other way and one very nice man was standing off the side holding up my brand new bass out of harms way.

thank goodness he was there.

all in all it was an excellent show, we of course had to make light of the situation with the crowd as things were getting set back up. talking afterwards, the drummer thought the episode was AWESOME!!! gotta love them free spirits...

MysticMichael · #2 12-14-2008, 04:12 PM

That doesn't sound like much fun to me. You have far more tolerance for such idiocy than I do.

Any gigging I do from now on, it's understood that NO ONE is allowed on the stage except musicians, their crew(s) and the venue management - particularly in the midst of performance. No exceptions.

I expect the management to do its job - by keeping drunks, crazy people and assorted misfits out of our faces and away from our gear. If they won't do it, we wont play...

MM

Johnny Mack · #3 12-14-2008, 06:19 PM

thats what i couldnt understand, this all happened over about 90 seconds id say. not one person came to help until it was too late. i guess im not surprised given the area we were in.

T-Bird · #4 12-15-2008, 12:15 AM

Hi.

Happened to us too a couple of years back.

There was no riser, the "stage" was on the floor level, drummer included.

The crowd was really digging us in their drunken stupor, dancing and jumping around. All of a sudden one relatively small (less than 100kg

) man suddenly got his compass readings mixed up and bolted towards me. I thought, what the hell, and stepped sideways. The guy then tripped on my floor monitor, waved his hands and legs frantically and landed on top of the drummers kit.

In a sec, the drummer announced that that was it, the show's over. The "security" helped the guy up and escorted him to the side.
Well, we had been playing about 4 hours at that point, so we all agreed to call it a night, despite of the pleas of the audience.

Only one crappy cymbal stand broke IIRC, but the drummer weren't happy afterwards either. Fortunately it was his old set, not the present one.

Regards
Sam

mkrtu9 · #5 12-15-2008, 12:37 AM

that sucks for the both of you. Makes me glad I don't play in those types of venues.

hbarcat · #6 12-29-2008, 10:34 PM

I've seen so many drunken idiots at gigs over the years that they all sort of blend together in my memory. I have no patience for these fools and if they get too close to the band then the club had better take care of them or else I stop playing and herd them away myself. One of the nitpicky details of my band's performance agreement is that we don't tolerate drunks hassling us and the management has to keep an eye on that stuff.

Johnny Mack · #7 12-29-2008, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hbarcat

I've seen so many drunken idiots at gigs over the years that they all sort of blend together in my memory. I have no patience for these fools and if they get too close to the band then the club had better take care of them or else I stop playing and herd them away myself.

true dat. unfortunately this one didnt get the message and came back!

perogato02 · #8 12-30-2008, 12:03 AM

It is rock 'n' roll baby!

These things happen when playing for an audience and as long nothing is broken or damaged, I can see the sunny side of it ;-) A big up for the drummer

Johnny Mack · #9 01-12-2009, 03:45 AM

updated with pic

Joel S. · #10 01-12-2009, 09:45 AM

That pic is awesome.

dmusic148 · #11 01-12-2009, 09:52 AM

Guitars/basses with pointy headstocks come in handy in these situations.

mytmous · #12 01-12-2009, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Mack

he mustve tripped over something, ...

It appears to me that he tripped over your shoes...

I've had this type of thing happen all the time to me back in the day.

Laredo · #13 01-12-2009, 10:10 AM

He does not look not a pound over 250..................

lowendgenerator · #14 01-12-2009, 10:12 AM

Finally! A gig story with photographic evidence! Sweet...

Anyway, any time there's booze involved, you have to be ready for things like this. That's why I keep a cattle prod and a whip behind me amp!

Coelho · #15 01-12-2009, 10:19 AM

He seems to have got caught by a chewing gum under his foot.

Talking about people in the stage, here is a show I played in 1994 - check towards the end...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBlY_ToWXLs

varunkapahi · #16 01-12-2009, 10:21 AM

nice!
i remember i was once standing on top of my combo amp which was on a riser. i saw my pedal and thought i can stomp on it by jumping down on it. so i jumped i landed on the right pedal and that too dot on the beat! but i crashed my headstock into the drumset and the toms just sunk in lol. thankfully nothing really happened to the bass or drums else than a ding or two

Floridabwoy · #17 01-12-2009, 10:22 AM

I like the clinched fist. You look like you were about to ring his bell.

gregoire1 · #18 01-12-2009, 03:18 PM

last time anyone fell into our drumkit during a performance it was me. And I fell RIGHT into it!

Johnny Mack · #19 01-13-2009, 01:01 PM

it happened once in my old band, too. we didnt even get started yet, two middle aged drunk women were talking with me and right outta the blue, a song comes on the juke box they liked, so they started dancing. next thing i know were pulling one of them out of the drum set! i dont get it...

Wicked_Bassist7 · #20 01-13-2009, 04:28 PM

that gave me a good laugh, thanks