Stage Hogging - Uncool?

[Dkerwood]

Originally Posted by WJGreer

The way you word this suggests that I was some schmo who walked up onto this guy's stage and started fiddling with his amp. At the time, it was in fact MY stage, and I was told to expect backline. This guy had moved the actual backline and dropped it behind the drum kit - literally moved it in order to make room for his stuff. I think anyone walking into the bar in my situation would have had to assume that his rig was the (albeit abnormally nice) backline. If I had not made that assumption, I wouldn't have touched it.

If it had been me - and maybe only to make sure nobody DID mess with my rig - I would have put MY stuff behind the drum kit, left the backline in the front, and then switched them before my set. This guy did the opposite.

Plus, you had to be there to get the gist of the guy's attitude. He exuded "this is my room, you're lucky to be in it, and this is certainly my rig, get the hell away from it."

I suppose if I were on the other side, I wouldn't have let the guy play through my rig, but I would have handled the conversation a little differently. That's just my way.

Will-

Many apologies. I assumed (wrongly) that you were just in some crappy club rock band, and just wanted to play through a fancy rig. I checked your website, and boy, was I wrong. If it was my rig, I'd have let you play - just to let someone with real talent grace my amp (although I've had a lot of pros use mine as the crappy backline amp).

I apologize for sounding insulting. I was really just trying to show the other side of the argument...

PS Which band did you play in at U of T?

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by Dkerwood

Will-

Many apologies. I assumed (wrongly) that you were just in some crappy club rock band, and just wanted to play through a fancy rig. I checked your website, and boy, was I wrong. If it was my rig, I'd have let you play - just to let someone with real talent grace my amp (although I've had a lot of pros use mine as the crappy backline amp).

I apologize for sounding insulting. I was really just trying to show the other side of the argument...

PS Which band did you play in at U of T?

No, no - this is an active dialogue, and everyone's opinion is welcome. I was hoping for some good discussion around this topic, and that's what I got. It's been a neat thread, and thanks for your contribution.

As for my days in Austin - I began at UT as a jazz studies major. At the time I was there, they had three big bands - the Lab Band, the Ensemble, and the Jazz Orchestra. I mainly played in the Ensemble, which was the middle group, but got a few opportunities to play with the JO in my sophomore and junior years. I didn't play much at school in my senior year.

Meanwhile, I played around Austin too, here and there in a few really bad 6th Street cover bands and also in a few jazz groups. The straight ahead track on my website is from one of those jazz groups.

Austin was and is a great place to be for a musician. I've been pleasantly surprised with Denver as well.

Again, thanks for reading and posting.

[geoffkhan]

Sweet playing, Will!

What bass is that in your slap technique video (which is also very cool btw)? You get a really nice slap tone with it.

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by geoffkhan

Sweet playing, Will!

What bass is that in your slap technique video (which is also very cool btw)? You get a really nice slap tone with it.

That's a Yamaha TRB5II with Bartolini pickups and an Aguilar OBP-3. Thanks very much. I'm glad you like it.

[Dan1099]

Originally Posted by Tim Cole

We played a marathon gig from 5pm until 2 am last night, broked into sets, and an hour break between 9-10. The first sehment until 9 was acoustic, 10-2 regular show. I don't know WHO arranged this, but some brazilian douchebag was there, and was going to "play a couple songs" on our 9-10 break. That jackhole started with "I shot the sheriff", and played other horrible stuff that sounded like one nonstop crap song for the ENTIRE HOUR BREAK. Nothing like a rasta man singing with a brazilian accent. I mean, it just sucked.

He totally killed the crowd too, a ton of people left. He never did stop until we came back up and had to tell him show's over, pedro. Then, we had a delay since the jackhole detuned the guitar he borrowed a whole step. I was worried he'd killed the crowd for us, but maybe he actually helped us.....we had one of the best show's we'd had in 3 years.

Still, I'd like to nominate March as douchebag awareness month. As Cheezewiz says, only you can stop a douchebag.

I nominate this for Totally Unrelated and Possibly Alcohol Induced Post Of The Month.

+1 about the douchebags though.

[bigtexashonk]

Not good form, but it's his right if he plays with the headliner. Still no excuse for being a dick tho.

[txbasschik]

<<<This guy had moved the actual backline and dropped it behind the drum kit - literally moved it in order to make room for his stuff.>>>

Then, IMO, he was in the wrong. That was very rude of him.

In that situation, had I been in your shoes, I would have found out whose rig that was, and asked them to please move it so that I could use the one provided in the backline. If they then refused, or if I could not find 'em, I would get the bar manager and have that person ask him to move it. That way, the other player can't be ticked 'cause I touched his stuff.

I've done this before. We were playing in a festival, and the band after us was kinda big in Austin. But no one knew them on the North Shore, so they didn't get the headline spot they felt they deserved. Well, that was neither our fault, nor our problem.

The bassist sat all his stuff right in front of mine. I walked up, introduced myself, and told him, "Say, I'm playing before you are. Could we perhaps set my rig in front of yours, for now? I will be moving it off immediately after I play, and we can set things up so that you can easily and conveniently get to all of your things. As it is, I can't reach any of my stuff, and I'm on in a few minutes."

He sez: "I don't have time to wait for you to load up your stuff! My stuff stays where it is", and then he walked off.

So I got the manager, who had the guy come back and move his stuff. The dude later apologized to me for being so rude, and said he'd gotten lost getting out there, and was in a terrible mood.

Cherie

[tZer]

For the record, no matter how rude a fellow bass player may seem, tipping over his rig is a bigger party foul then 'stage hoggery' and should be avoided at all costs! LOL

Rules of Karma apply everywhere. Remember that when considering your actions.

[metalguy2]

Well.... next time you will know how to handle him when you are performing on the same night!

[Britsie]

Originally Posted by Tim Cole

Doh, I must admit that I hadn't read the thread before I posted. It's still related though, as you DON'T dick with other people's stuff without asking, especially at someone ELSE'S show. I don't blame the guy a bit. Now, I know there are a lot of good knowledgeable people around, especially on TB, but for every one of them, there are 50 morons who don't know how to EQ, or take care of equipment. They can go blow their own stuff up, and keep their mitts off mine. I think the guy handled it rather calmly personally, it was HIS gear at HIS gig.

First, you admit that you haven't read the thread, then you say it is still related and finally you prove that you still haven't read the thread because it was not

Originally Posted by Tim Cole

HIS gear at HIS gig.

That guys gear was one a stage where another band had to do a gig before it was his turn.
I would have gone to the clubmanager and asked to remove this useless equipment from MY stage. Afcourse, if the clubmanager says no, then I take it from there but that is another discussion.

[db4usa]

We opened for Emerson Drive at the Alabama State Fair a couple of years ago. They took about an hour longer to set up their sound which cut into our time. They also used the extra effects on the house sound that was supposed to be ours. We had to scramble on stage and drag our backline across theirs, set it up in the middle of it all and do a 30 minute sound check. House sound used us to tweek ED's sound while live. When finished, we had to drag everything off stage in 15 minutes. It's supposed to be that way I suppose, except we booked them for the job! We did get sort of a revenge in that the catered food was demolished when they finally got finished with their extended sound check. There were a few bones left for those Candians to knaw on...LOL

[Dkerwood]

Originally Posted by db4usa

We opened for Emerson Drive at the Alabama State Fair a couple of years ago. They took about an hour longer to set up their sound which cut into our time. They also used the extra effects on the house sound that was supposed to be ours. We had to scramble on stage and drag our backline across theirs, set it up in the middle of it all and do a 30 minute sound check. House sound used us to tweek ED's sound while live. When finished, we had to drag everything off stage in 15 minutes. It's supposed to be that way I suppose, except we booked them for the job! We did get sort of a revenge in that the catered food was demolished when they finally got finished with their extended sound check. There were a few bones left for those Candians to knaw on...LOL

We booked a medium-big touring act to come play and we were going to open for them. They came in at 5pm (half an hour late) and changed all of our plans, including asking us to rig up one more monitor channel than we had planned on. I was up there trying to rewire power amps to accommodate enough channels...

So they finally get ready to start the ACTUAL sound check (about 90 minutes after they were supposed to), and people start pouring in. I had told the door person that doors would open at 6:30 (show at 7), but to send someone to check with me before opening the doors. Oh well.

Their sound check went a lot faster once they realized that they had audience in front of them, but we still got no soundcheck before we had to get on. Plus, our amps suddenly had to become backline when they decided that our PA was insufficient to support guitar and bass alone. Our revenge was playing a 45 minute set rather than a 30 minute one like we agreed... although the other band really didn't have a problem with that, so it wasn't REALLY revenge, I suppose.

EDIT: This is sad. I keep telling the same stories over and over again in different threads. Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this...

[Triclops]

always ask before you touch....Personally I would have let you use my rig for sure! It would be cool to be in the audience and hear my rig in action from a spectators standpoint!