Too much energy drink last night

[lunarpollen]

I misjudged (felt like I was really drowsy, and mistimed/misdosed my intake of Rockstar-style energy drinks) and had too much caffeine in my system last night when we went onstage. It totally messed with my brain, completely distorted my sense of pitch at high volume, so I had to really pay attention to my fretboard and pray I was hitting the right notes; and it screwed with the signals between my brain and muscles (most notably in my right hand/strumming technique) so that I had a hard time hitting strings at the pace and rhythm I wanted... it was as if my right hand and arm were just not obeying my brain. Bleh, it made what should have been a fun and easy gig into a jittery imprecise ordeal.

I guess it also wasn't helpful being onstage with a special hernia belt (one of the elastic bands of which really digs into an uncomfortable place) on under my clothing (I've developed an inguinal hernia that I finally get to see a doctor today for, but it will be merely to get referred to a specialist/surgeon... Grrr I want this thing repaired ASAP; it makes standing up for more than brief periods kinda painful and unsettling)....

But anyway, people said we sounded really great so I guess I must have pulled through OK.... I know I messed up a few times but I think I covered my mistakes pretty well... I just wish there had been a bigger turnout. The other two bands (the Catholic Comb and the Hundred Days) were both brilliant and the whole event deserved a bigger crowd....

[jsingles]

wow, that sounds like a horrible experience!

my condolences

[bassman1185]

A couple of summers ago, I chugged all of a Monster and another smaller can of energy drink about 15 minutes before my band got on stage. Normally that kind of stuff doesn't do much to me, but I was CRAZY wired that time. I went nuts once we got on stage.

I've noticed that drinking stuff like that on an empty stomach often makes me jittery and shaky more than it makes me alert, so I've toned my intake of energy drinks down a lot. Now I'm leaning more towards the Vitamin Water with guarana and B vitamins in it. That seems to the trick better, plus it's a whole lot better for you.

[Spinal Tapper]

Oh man...try chugging a Rockstar and "balancing it out" by smoking a few hits of weed. That'll REALLY play with your senses! Not a good idea as I found out the hard way a few summers back...

[krovx]

Energy drinks = FTL for me. I do the vitamin thing and sleep thing instead

[Bassbasixx]

Originally Posted by Spinal Tapper

Oh man...try chugging a Rockstar and "balancing it out" by smoking a few hits of weed. That'll REALLY play with your senses! Not a good idea as I found out the hard way a few summers back...

That is funny I am on a health kick right now I start the day with a truck load of coffee and cigarettes and then follow up at noon with Monster or Kronik energy drinks and more smokes

[svtb15]

Yeah those energy drinks are full of crap.. many have aspartame (NutraSweet) which has been shown in many scientific studies to be a nuerotoxin.. anyone who debates that is not fully informed and not well read... google nutra sweet independent studies.

Rest ,Water and good diet . there is no replacement for that,,

except fro a good Latte' that is the nectar of the gods..lol

[Bassbasixx]

LOW CARB of course

[denhou1974]

I get that way when I drink anything that contains Ginseng. Any other energy drinks I'm fine with.

[Bass Boy]

Originally Posted by Spinal Tapper

Oh man...try chugging a Rockstar and "balancing it out" by smoking a few hits of weed. That'll REALLY play with your senses!

Ever heard the tune Coffee and Reefer by Ron Sunshine?

[mjolnir]

I have a story for you I think I told in another thread once:

I was doing a show where both my bands were playing the same night back to back, an hour each, and I hadn't slept for two days. I had also forgotten to eat that entire day because I was scrambling to get all my stuff together to take to the gig. Luckily (or unluckily as it turns out) the guitard from one band is dating one of those girls who drives the Red Bull car, so she brought one of those Red Bull backpacks full of the things, and I took two right off the bat 'cause the load in had drained just about all the energy I had.

Over the next couple hours people were seeing I was in a bad way, so they'd keep going to the girl and getting another Red Bull for me to chug down. By the time my first band went on, I had chugged maybe 7 Red Bulls.

I blitzed through that set wired as hell, but ended up drinking another one on stage anyway 'cause I was losing concentration.

I had my 9th and final one right before my second band went on, and I guess I had finally tired my heart out with all the crap I was ingesting or my body was starting to reject too much artificial stimulation, because in the middle of the second song I just fell over, passed out cold. It didn't hurt, I wasn't dizzy beforehand, all I remember is getting into the riff and then right after the Em where I was supposed to change to G I was looking up at my singer and he was saying, "Jesus Christ, man! You okay?..."

I finished out the set, but I did it on a stool with a glass of water behind me constantly being refilled.

I've also downed one of those Wired 505 drinks, literally made me feel like the walking dead. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to just lay down and pass the **** out, but some alien force was pushing me to move on as if I had no control over my actions. That was one of the most agonizing days of my life.

[Lync]

I'll have an energy drink for a gig where I have to drive. The slight buzz makes it easier to deal with everyone else who is drinking.

[lunarpollen]

Originally Posted by Spinal Tapper

Oh man...try chugging a Rockstar and "balancing it out" by smoking a few hits of weed. That'll REALLY play with your senses! Not a good idea as I found out the hard way a few summers back...

hell no, I won't touch weed, the smell makes me want to vomit and I can't stand the way 99% of people are when they are stoned... and it's against my nature to breathe concentrated fumes from a burning substance... and i'm allergic to pot smoke (gives me hay fever-like symptoms)... It's definitely not for me! I was fed brownies made from the stuff once before... while everyone was nibbling theirs and getting all high and giggly, i scarfed mine down and felt absolutely nothing whatsoever... they all figured i must be immune or something... oh well.. haha

Originally Posted by svtb15

Yeah those energy drinks are full of crap.. many have aspartame (NutraSweet) which has been shown in many scientific studies to be a nuerotoxin.. anyone who debates that is not fully informed and not well read... google nutra sweet independent studies.

Rest ,Water and good diet . there is no replacement for that,,

except fro a good Latte' that is the nectar of the gods..lol

I hate artificial sweeteners... I won't touch anything with aspartame in it.... The thing I always have to look out for is sucralose... i hate that stuff...

I usually have one energy drink right before practice and i'm usually perfect by the time it kicks in. I have mild narcolepsy so I find it to be beneficial. But last night I guess I tried a different brand from the local gas station convenience shop that may have had some other herbal stuff in it (it tasted awful, like some kind of insecticide), plus I mistakenly thought it had worn off by the time we were about to go on, so I had a Rockstar from the bar... big mistake... bleh

[davidjbass]

I got one word and one letter for you. Vitamin B.

[sublime0bass]

you guys just need to step it up a notch and keep a small baggie of cocaine in your gig bags

[laboitenoire]

I don't drink any caffeinated stuff on a regular basis, not even Coke. Also, I'm allergic to artificial sweeteners : they give me one hell of a headache. However, sugar-free gum doesn't have enough aspartame to really bother me. I just sleep and eat well to keep my energy.

[unbasslichkeit]

I am a card carrying Diet Mountain Dew junkie. I will never touch an energy drink at a gig again.

I was once at a gig where the Red Bull was in the cooler along with the sodas, so I tried one. Don't know what it did or why, but I could not sing a note the rest of the night. It was like I'd been gargling alum and water. Ehhh.....

[bassman1185]

Originally Posted by davidjbass

I got one word and one letter for you. Vitamin B.

I found an energy drink mix at Costco the other day that was advertised as vitamin energy. They came in tubes that you were supposed to add to about 16 ounces of water. I looked through the nutritional info, and saw that it had 833% of your daily vitamin C. Then I saw the B12 info. It had 2500mg of B12 in each tube.

That's 43,000% of the recommended daily amount of B12.

[lomo]

Those drinks are bogus. A regular old cup of Jo (just one) should be enough of a jolt. More than that will not "help", and is definitely not a plus in the health column. If you "need" more than that, just before the gig it's too late to fix the problem of not having had enough rest. BTW I don't play a Dr. on TV, but I am one :-)

[p-nut95]

Originally Posted by sublime0bass

you guys just need to step it up a notch and keep a small baggie of cocaine in your gig bags

lol, yeah guys c'mon ur two steps behind