Funny, we were just wondering about your opinion...

[bassman1185]

Ok, to set the stage: Friday night, my band played a free outdoor show for all the incoming freshmen (and whoever else wanted to show up) at Iowa State University. We played our set, then an acoustic singer/songwriter duo came out and played. We left all our gear set up behind them so that they could get their set going as quickly as possible.

Anyway, after they were done with their set, we were tearing all our gear down, plus all the PA, when this guy comes strolling up, sits down at our drummer's set and starts messing with it. Here is a synopsis of what happened (D = Douchebag, B = Brenton, my drummer)

D: (Taps around on the set) Why is your hat stand all f***ed up?
B: What?
D: (Adjusting high hat stand) Why is it so high?
B: That's just how I like it set.
D: It's not right. Why don't your toms have any bounce? (Note: this is outdoors, and the temperature has dropped from the mid 70's when we set up to the low 60's now)
B: (Shrugs, keeps tearing down)
D: (Gets up) I'm gonna be honest. I don't like your set.

[jgroh]

Ha, that conversation wouldnt have even happened had I been "B" because "D" would be picking himself up from the 3rd row once he had the nerve to touch my gear.

[DaveDeVille]

Originally Posted by bassman1185

(D = Douchebag

D: (Taps around on the set) Why is your hat stand all f***ed up?
B: What?
D: (Adjusting high hat stand) Why is it so high?
B: That's just how I like it set.
D: It's not right. Why don't your toms have any bounce?
(Note: this is outdoors, and the temperature has dropped from the mid 70's when we set up to the low 60's now)
B: (Shrugs, keeps tearing down)
D: (Gets up) I'm gonna be honest. I don't like your set.

classic douche ...

[Eublet]

"Thanks for the tip. By the way, where is your band playing this week?"

[SmittyG]

Had one similar to that. I was in a blues band and had a Trace Elliot amp at the time. So this guy comes up on stage just as we were taking a break and says:

Him: Your bass sound is very nasally; it would be a lot more solid if you pulled some mids out. (He proceeds to move the EQ sliders around to the classic scooped-mid smiley face.) Try that out. (So I play a few licks.) See what I'm saying?

Me: I see it just fine, but I don't hear any difference at all. But then that could be because I have the EQ section of my amp turned off.

He looked back at the amp, saw that I did indeed have the graphic EQ bypassed, turned beet red and walked off without saying another word.

[bgressman82]

Originally Posted by SmittyG

Had one similar to that. I was in a blues band and had a Trace Elliot amp at the time. So this guy comes up on stage just as we were taking a break and says:

Him: Your bass sound is very nasally; it would be a lot more solid if you pulled some mids out. (He proceeds to move the EQ sliders around to the classic scooped-mid smiley face.) Try that out. (So I play a few licks.) See what I'm saying?

Me: I see it just fine, but I don't hear any difference at all. But then that could be because I have the EQ section of my amp turned off.

He looked back at the amp, saw that I did indeed have the graphic EQ bypassed, turned beet red and walked off without saying another word.

ha! what a tool! smiley faces on eq sections suck anways...

[DeluxeRed]

Originally Posted by jgroh

Ha, that conversation wouldnt have even happened had I been "B" because "D" would be picking himself up from the 3rd row once he had the nerve to touch my gear.

+1

And where were the rest of you guys? Just standing around while someone was messing with your drummer's gear? How come ALL of you weren't ALL OVER this guy? You gotta have each other's backs. Just like it would be nice to have him backing you up if someone was messing with your bass.

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by DeluxeRed

+1

And where were the rest of you guys? Just standing around while someone was messing with your drummer's gear? How come ALL of you weren't ALL OVER this guy? You gotta have each other's backs. Just like it would be nice to have him backing you up if someone was messing with your bass.

Our drummer was right there, and we were all scrambling to get stuff torn down. He didn't seem to have a problem with the guy messing with his set, so I didn't think it was my place to jump in and tell the guy to get lost.

[DeluxeRed]

Maybe not your place to butt in, but certainly your place to be available if the drummer needs you. I would have been setting down whatever and picking up something clubby and been standing next to my drummer just to let him know he had backup.

Maybe he just had to put up with the clown because no one else was coming to help. No tellin' how psycho the guy really was, so telling him to scram on your own is a risk. He might have been more forceful if someone had his back.

Sorry, dude. You guys were the douchbags. You never know what kind of drunk or whatever might start messing with someone's band stuff. We play in an entertainment district that has lots of homeless guys hanging around out back while we're unloading and (especially) loading out. You have to watch each other's back. You have to have a NO TOLERANCE policy of people messing with stuff--and if someone wants to let someone touch their stuff, that's fine, but the PRESUMPTION needs to be that there is a stranger messing with band stuff, and it needs to be stopped first and questions asked later. You'll be glad you did when someone comes by the stage during breakdown and says "Bassman said I should carry his bass out for him..."

[bassman1185]

Just to remind everyone, just because a storyteller does not spell out every detail does not mean that the detail did not happen.

I was two feet away from the drum set the whole time, tearing down my stuff. I made eye contact with our drummer as the guy was first getting behind the set to see if there was any "encroachment of territory" going on, and he shrugged it off.

Red, I can see how your environment works. It doesn't work that way with us. We welcome any help we can get when we're unloading or loading up, and it's always friends or other bands that help. If any of us were to see a stranger holding someone else's guitar, we would all be on the guy like a hobo on a ham sandwich.

[the art guy]

Hmm.......I live in your area. I hope that wasn't my drummer.

[dmusic148]

Wow, that guy's lucky. If it were a particular drummer that I work with, he would have needed an ambulance. And a surgeon, to remove the Hi-Hat stand from his @$$.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by the art guy

Hmm.......I live in your area. I hope that wasn't my drummer.

Now that would be something now wouldn't it.

I can almost hear the conversation between You two.

Drummer: You know there was this band and the drummer had his hi-hat way too high, but it was a POS set anyway. I did set him straight.

You: Let me guess, the toms didn't have any bounce either?

Drummer: Wow how do You know, they actually didn't?

You: Well..., let's just say that the word gets around.

Please, please tell us if it indeed was Your drummer. That would be kind of hilarious. To us anyway, perhaps not for You .

Regards
Sam

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by the art guy

Hmm.......I live in your area. I hope that wasn't my drummer.

Is your drummer about 20, brown hair, kinda skinny and in posession of an over-inflated sense of self-importance?

[Staccato]

I've complimented musicians on breaks, never criticized them or their gear, everybody's a expert...

[DaveDeVille]

Originally Posted by DeluxeRed

+1

And where were the rest of you guys?

Originally Posted by DeluxeRed

Maybe not your place to butt in, but certainly your place to be available if the drummer needs you.
...Sorry, dude. You guys were the douchbags.

wow , preach much ??
seems like you got it all figured out there DeluxeRed...

Originally Posted by bassman1185

Just to remind everyone, just because a storyteller does not spell out every detail does not mean that the detail did not happen.

I made eye contact with our drummer as the guy was first getting behind the set to see if there was any "encroachment of territory"
going on, and he shrugged it off.

Red, I can see how your environment works. It doesn't work that way with us.
We welcome any help we can get when we're unloading or loading up, and it's always friends or other bands that help.
If any of us were to see a stranger holding someone else's guitar, we would all be on the guy like a hobo on a hamsandwich.

cool .

[bassbully]

I dont allow anybody to touch my gear or our bands gear period. We did a gig last weekend in a city park that is known to be the home for allot of homeless,drug addicts etc.We were on a large stage setting up when i noticed a guy at the front watching allot as we set up.

As our drummer walked to the stairs leading up the steps he met the guy coming up who said " I play some organ (B3) and play in the church and with people on the streets. "Do you mind if i play with you guys today? "I can get my stuff and just play."..i wont take up much room Our drummer said "thanks"... but no thanks. The guy then said "ok" but can i come up and look around at all the gear i wont take nothin or get in the way. Again the answer was No.

[thumpbass1]

In my band we tell strangers to stay off the stage in polite but firm fashion if they start intruding where they shouldn't be. For the most part, folks in clubs and other gigs respect our space and we don't have much trouble; but again I'm in a blues/classic rock style of band so our audiences ( usually older ) don't tend to be as wild what you younger guys and gals are putting up with in your current metal and rock gigging scenes as they stand in your genre of choice.

Now where I've seen real weirdness of late is from doing larger outdoor, or all ages, sort of events, and having some clueless parents bring their kids up to the stage and turning them loose on us, because their kids want to come up and look at the cool guitars. Looking and asking us questions is is one thing; but we have had toddlers simply let loose on stage by a grinning mom or dad whose kid then makes a mad dash towards the Les Pauls, Teles and Gretsches, and my basses on more than one occasion as if we were running a petting zoo!

I've corralled a kid before as he was ready to grab at my 78 P-Bass from it's stand, and I said " That's not a toy!" as I handed him back to his mom who gave me a sarcastic " He likes guitars! He just wanted to see them!" as she went off in huff with her brat in tow. Similar incidents have happened more than once! It's just one more hazard to look out for I guess. At least the kids don't insult my rig.

[kraigo]

Usually if a little kid wants to check out my drums I'll let them - I let them hit them in a supervised setting. They don't get that many chances to do it and they can't do too serious damage to them.

With my basses and guitars I supervise a little more closely.

I can't imagine a parent sending junior to go play with someone's gear unsupervised and without getting clearance. That's plain clueless.

KO

[thumpbass1]

Originally Posted by kraigo

Usually if a little kid wants to check out my drums I'll let them - I let them hit them in a supervised setting. They don't get that many chances to do it and they can't do too serious damage to them.

With my basses and guitars I supervise a little more closely.

I can't imagine a parent sending junior to go play with someones gear unsupervised and without getting clearance. That's plain clueless.

KO

I agree with you kraigo it is clueless. Thankfully the majority of parents aren't clueless, yet we have had some kids turned loose on us more than once, by a clueless parent as if we were some attraction for the kid. I love kids and showing them and teaching them things in a safe and supervised setting, and I'm more than happy to show them my gear and how it works,etc. It's the potential for a kid getting hurt on a stage that scares me more than getting a guitar or bass knocked over, even though getting an instrument dinged up ain't much fun. Fortunately it's still a rare occurrence in my life experiences so far.