First gig as a drummer

[Phe]

Last Saturday I played my first gig as a drummer. It was only one song, in a modern dance performance. Audience was pretty much dancers and their relatives. The band was me on drums and my friend playing keyboards.
Before our show time there is half time. We set up our instruments, no need to mike my drums so I quickly try that everything is in right place. Everything seems to be OK so we leave.
So, it's show time. We were pretty nervous, so we stretched and breathed deeply and we go to the stage. This is a performance so we have a choreography to this entrance and all. I get behind my drumkit, look at the keyboardist. There is the nod so we begin. First thing I do is I drag the stick against the edge of the ride-cymbal, making this "swing" sound. As I drag the stick the other end of it hits the rim of the floor-tom which was attached to the ride-stand and the stick goes flying from my hand. I hear it land somewhere behind me. And because this is a performance, the dancer have started their choreography I don't have a chance to get it back. I only thought about for a split second, anyways. So I play the damn gig with only one stick and the palm of my hands. It's an 8 minute song with kind of a drumsolo in the end. I pulled it off. Kinda.
My parts of the song are kinda ugly. My drumsolo isn't pretty, it's artsy and atonal. There is a nervous breakdown in the dance and I provide the soundtrack to that. So the audience pretty much hated me. No pretty keyboard melodies, only percussion breakdowns. Good gig.
And to bring bass into this story: Sunday, we are still where the gig was (a music school) and we are bored so the keyboardist ask one employee if there is a piano anywhere. We get to the piano. Then I request if I, by any chance, could try out the upright I saw earlier. No problem is the answer and pretty soon I'm playing upright for the first time in my life. It was goooooooooooood. I was surprised how long the scale is on those things. Yikes! Gotta get me one.
If you made it this far: Thank you for reading. I hope it wasn't too confusing or anything.

[Dave R]

Way to overcome adversity! Glad it turned out.

Beware of upright bass. Yes, they are way cool. But they are $$$$. There are no $129 Essex uprights!

[El-Bob]

interesting story. i'm not sure why, but it was

[mr sprocket]

I can relate. Recently the Praise band was without drummer. One of the guitars switched to bass (cause we know how guitarist think they are bass masters) and I filled in on drums. We have a nice v-drum kit which made it a little bit easier.

I call my drumming style subtle. Subtle as I don't want my monkey hands bringing the band down.

I played a couple of weeks and it was not too bad but was not the greatest. I was glad when an old drummer should up to service and we recruited him to play again.

[TheDarkReaver]

and the lesson is:

always have spare sticks to hand.

[Phe]

Yeah
Failing to plan is like planning to fail.
I knew I should have spare sticks but you know, 10€ a pair and yadda yadda yadda. Stupid me.

There is a 400€ upright sold in Thomann... that'll probably fall apart as soon as it's delivered. Gotta start saving bucks. And visiting the Double Bass section made me bury the idea of getting an electric upright first.