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12-21-2010, 01:44 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2003 Location: Kraków, Polska | | | Gigs with huge potential downside
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On Thursday I played at my employer's official office Christmas party with a band that had two gigs under its belt and is fronted by two 18-year-olds. It's an acoustic lineup with no drums, just a cajon. A recipe for possible disaster, sure. No real risk of being fired on the spot, but a negative impression certainly would affect next year's raises. Certainly the most I've ever had at stake at a gig by far!
It went really well, though - the crowd loved us including the big bosses (one jokingly suggested renegotiating my contract if we do an encore), and aside from two false starts we didn't do anything too terribly wrong. We started at 8 PM so the crowd had a few hours to drink before we got there, and I think that helped a lot. Although we did play two ballady songs near the beginning, we mostly stuck to the modern, faster and more commercial stuff (aka "the stuff I like"). Here's a couple of songs from it on video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGaTk3xTvHk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2XxXtv7c-4
Yeah, I rammed my bass into a microphone on the first one, haha. I'm surprised that wasn't A LOT LOUDER.
I'm sure TB's veterans have done gigs with a lot more riding on them, though. So what were your gigs that had the most at stake? Any "if I play this gig badly the band will ditch me in the middle of Transylvania" stories?
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12-21-2010, 06:50 AM
|  | Yeah, I've got the moves like Jagger. | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: G.R. MI | | We had a gig at the classiest highest profile club there is to play around here. We arraigned for some people from a new casino that's close to come and check us out. 
That happened to be the night that two drunk chicks decided that the best way to get the lead singer to take them home was to beat up his girlfriend. 
A melee ensued on the dance floor, all of the clubs security was downstairs at the hip-hop club (They have multiple venues) and the singer had to jump into the middle of it to get these insane drunk chicks off of his girl friend. Bottles got thrown, one of the drunk chicks ended up needing stitches.......
We aren't playing any casinos in the near future. 
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12-21-2010, 07:52 AM
|  | Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! | | Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Austin TX | | | ^
Ouch.
We once played a bar gig at which there shouldn't have been any downsides. All our own gear, so we should have had complete control. But the lead player's guitar was constantly feeding back, and he was convinced it was the PA. He wouldn't turn his guitar down, even after several requests from the owner.
Bonehead insured no repeat gigs there. Way to go, guy.
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12-21-2010, 08:49 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Nashville, GA | | Didn't know there was huge downside potential at the time but....
Got a recurring gig with the city out here for a few of those 'end of the year' holiday events - busquing for the city, in essense - and after the first year of playing those events I started getting a *lot* of calls out of the blue for parties, weddings, ect... turns out the lady that hired me for the first (and recurring) city thing was one HELL of a good referral! Had I blown that first set of gigs I have a feeling things would have been a lot leaner that following year.
... and on an unrelated note ... Quote: |
Originally Posted by Phalex We had a gig at the classiest highest profile club there is to play around here. We arraigned for some people from a new casino that's close to come and check us out | Man are you SURE that was the classiest joint around?? I mean, if you had to ARRAIGN folks to show up... 
Great story, BTW!
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12-21-2010, 08:53 AM
|  | Corevalay.com | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: New Jersey | | | The first (and only) time a previous band I was in played at CBGB's in NYC a huge fight broke out while we were playing. It really had nothing to do with us at all, just happened to be while we were playing. It also started up again outside once they kicked all the people involved out. Seems the club felt it was the people and crowd we had brought...
...we were banned for life!
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12-21-2010, 09:28 AM
|  | All thumbs, plays a red bass
Mojo FunkBasses | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Somewhere in Arizona | | | We've played two company parties so far- the annual picnic and a retirement party. I thought we'd get more business just from word of mouth, but so far the only feedback I've heard is "huh huh, you get really into it up there" and "play some Skynyrd next time." My boss really likes the band, though, and that's what matters.
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Originally Posted by JohnMCA72 You're not there to educate anybody as to what's "good" music, you're there to sell liquor! | |
12-21-2010, 09:43 AM
| | | | Ahh CBGB's I miss playing that place....
Too bad it's no more. |
12-21-2010, 09:58 AM
|  | Groovin' Eskrimador
Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones | | Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Santa Cruz Mtns, California | | Quote:
Originally Posted by essentre The first (and only) time a previous band I was in played at CBGB's in NYC a huge fight broke out while we were playing. It really had nothing to do with us at all, just happened to be while we were playing. It also started up again outside once they kicked all the people involved out. Seems the club felt it was the people and crowd we had brought...
...we were banned for life! | Given CBGB's origins, this is pretty funny and ironic...
My story - used to play in a 9 piece African band. Some gigs we'd have a fire-eater do his show with us. We played at an old basement club (Al's Bar) in downtown L.A. Very low ceiling, and I'm thinking about Sousukou belching out a big fireball and setting off the ceiling sprinkler system. I actually undid my cord (would usually loop it through my strap on one end and the amp handle on the other) so that if I jumped off stage I'd unplug.
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12-21-2010, 10:08 AM
| | | | Banned from CBGB's? Now that's some serious cred. |
12-21-2010, 10:12 AM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mid-Atlantic USA. | | Quote:
Originally Posted by essentre The first (and only) time a previous band I was in played at CBGB's in NYC a huge fight broke out while we were playing. It really had nothing to do with us at all, just happened to be while we were playing. It also started up again outside once they kicked all the people involved out. Seems the club felt it was the people and crowd we had brought...
...we were banned for life! | I would consider being banned from CBGB's for life a badge of honor. Wear it well. |
12-21-2010, 10:25 AM
| | All thumbs, plays a red bass
Mojo FunkBasses | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Somewhere in Arizona | | | Isn't CBGB's shut down? I thought I saw a documentary on it.
__________________ 5-String Club #423 / Mile High Watts Club #69, dude / I.D.I.O.T. #57 / Kustom Club #38 Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnMCA72 You're not there to educate anybody as to what's "good" music, you're there to sell liquor! | |
12-21-2010, 11:02 AM
|  | Registered User
Owner/Retailer: Jive Sound | | Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alexandria,VA | | | When starting out with an agency, every gig has potential downside. It seems that they want you successful out of the gate, and if not, they'll scratch you or put you down on the list pretty quickly. |
12-21-2010, 11:16 AM
| | Registered User
Endorsing: Ampeg | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Apopka, FL | | | your next gig is always the most important gig ever. even if it's not, it is.
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12-22-2010, 01:58 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Holtsville, NY | | | Oh Jimmy... |
12-22-2010, 04:14 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Woking, Surrey, UK. | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Phalex We had a gig at the classiest highest profile club there is to play around here.
A melee ensued on the dance floor...
Bottles got thrown, one of the drunk chicks ended up needing stitches....... | If that's the classiest club in your part of the world, I wonder what the down-market ones are like .... 
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