When your band mates screw up.

[Pstewart]

Haha you think that's bad for a drummer to do? First gig with my new band, drummer comes to soundcheck, all good, "sweet see you guys later"
A week ago.
Haven't seen him since, he's ****ed off up north somewhere.

[Slax]

I usually just laugh my #@! off when it happens during a set. Usually no one really knows anyone messed up except the band mates, it's always a fun time. I mean, is music really worth it if it's not fun?

[mike13]

Drummers seem to feature on this thread,our's counts the song in,then starts faster than the count,then speeds up,we nearly have to add a song to the set to make up the time!!!!

[Aaron]

I almost always give mistakes a little chuckle. Mistakes happen - getting pissed off about them isn't going to prevent any more mistakes from happening.

There has been one exception that comes to mind. I'm in a band with one of my closest keyboard playing friends who is definitely more of a jazzer. He wasn't use to playing music where you have to be flexible around the vocalist. The monitor mix wasn't great and he wasn't hip to the occasional vamp at the end of a chorus in one of the tunes. He barged right back into the verse while the singer/guitarist, drummer, and I waited for the vocal pickup. He was off for a good number of bars - and it was really jarring. The verse started with a string of V of Vs. I laughed it off at the time and forgot about it. It was the first performance with that group and we weren't playing Carnegie Hall. I knew he'd fix the problem. After the show, he got on my case for messing up the changes to that tune. I thought "What the hell are you talking about?" It took me a few minutes to realize what he was talking about. Then I mentioned that he didn't wait for the vamp, and he responded, "There's a vamp?!" Being the ass that I am, I made sure to mention the mistake and how horrible it sounded every time I saw him for about a month - it was in a light-hearted way, though.

[FSFromTX]

How about this: We had a one-night only gig for a benefit and we had a pretty good set list ready for about two hours of tunes. About a week before the gig the drummer and lead guitar/vocalist got into a tiff. Something about the drummer wanting a song played a certain way and the lead firing back with a line to the effect of "what do you know about music - all you have to do is bang on these things?". OK, we get past it and play the gig. The lead guy starts telling us that he doesn't want to play some of the songs on the list, so we improvise the first set. It goes pretty well. However, the drummer leaves after the first set. The lady in charge of the benefit asks us during our overly-long break to play another set. I tell her about the drummer problem and say I'll think of something. Well, the lead guy decides go on solo and starts playing and singing. I'm thinking "this was a band" so I go up and join him. Halfway through a song he announces "over the PA" that he has to go to the bathroom and leaves.

That was the end of the gig - and the band.

[mike.b]

or when the band uses dynamics and he's smacking the crap out of his skins in the quiet passages of the songs;even though our band leader is telling him to come off the drums a tad.we had guest's leave that night because he was too loud.he was an arrogant over opinionated arse.that was his last gig with us. another skin basher i know would do a drum solo at full volume between songs as we were talking.then the guitard would reply at the same volume.how i don't miss this band.

[5andFretless]

In our early days as a band we considered calling ourselves "Random Outcome" because we could never seem to play the same song once.

After 4 years of playing together all over the place we still screw up endings. For some reason the singer or piano player or guitar play will decide to end the song differently, or simply forget the ending point.

At an outdoor (large) church festival...

Over the PA:

Guitard to Singer: "Hum the next song, I forgot what it sounds like."

Singer: "You know, the own where the Girl is B...hing about her communist boy friend."

Guitard: "Oh Yea, now I remember, I hate that f..king song."

Thank god I stand in the back and wear a hat and sunglasses.

[kesslari]

this was a fun one with a good ending:

Playing in a reggae band, the keyboard player was really a conga player who we convinced to play keys because there were tons of percussionists in town but no reggae keyboard players. Worked great, because he played simply and extremely rhythmically - perfect for the band.

But he had to concentrate so much on his instrument that he was like in his own world.

One gig we end a song, and Eric (keyboards) has his head down on the keys, and just keeps playing the keyboard part. For like 3 bars, then he slowly looks up, looks around, and sees the rest of the band has stopped playing, and he gets this REALLY BIG EYED look...
But he was still totally on rhythm.

We all looked at each other and dropped back in. It came across as a great spontaneous dub.
Only those of us who had seen the panic in his eyes knew the truth...

[Beast]

Originally Posted by kesslari

this was a fun one with a good ending:

Playing in a reggae band, the keyboard player was really a conga player who we convinced to play keys because there were tons of percussionists in town but no reggae keyboard players. Worked great, because he played simply and extremely rhythmically - perfect for the band.

But he had to concentrate so much on his instrument that he was like in his own world.

One gig we end a song, and Eric (keyboards) has his head down on the keys, and just keeps playing the keyboard part. For like 3 bars, then he slowly looks up, looks around, and sees the rest of the band has stopped playing, and he gets this REALLY BIG EYED look...
But he was still totally on rhythm.

We all looked at each other and dropped back in. It came across as a great spontaneous dub.
Only those of us who had seen the panic in his eyes knew the truth...

Oh man, that's horrible, I can just see that "deer in the headlights" look. Poor guy

[OrgasmAddict]

I mind my band was opening for a band that are pretty well known round the area. Our drummer ****ed off after soundcheck with his girlfriend and came back to the venue completely pissed. Never heard a guy **** up as much in my life. Tbh he wasnt the best drummer at the best of times never mind a half bottle of vodka and 3 litres of cider later.

Moral of the story kids - Wait until you play before you get blocked.

[dcallred]

This doesn't happen often, but it's funny when it does.

In the blues tunes when the guitarists are trading leads the drummer and I will get messing with the turnaround. We will extent it or syncopate it, just having fun. Now we lock in pretty tight and follow each other really well. Every now and then the drummer will do a fast run on the drums and end on the "4 and" instead of the 4, so we just give a full beat to the next 1. Basically we've added an eighth to the beat. We (drums, bass) sound really tight and on the beat so most people couldn't tell you what happened. But it's pretty funny to watch the whole bar stager at the same time and not know why. Of course this brings a "what was that" look from the guitarists.

[I am Domokun]

Originally Posted by Yngwie 4String

One time my guitarist decided to randomly do an exteneded guitar solo, for like 7 minutes or so. I kicked hime out. That crap makes me nuts.

And your username is....?

[Vorago]

Originally Posted by I am Domokun

And your username is....?