WORST GIG EVER!!

Jezz8me · #1 05-10-2007, 05:59 AM

I went to a gig today, well it was a school battle of the bands and it was TERRIBLE. the bands were fine like they were all good musicians BUT the bass amp wasn't working for the band who have one of the schools best bassists and one band didn't have a drummer OR bassist just two guitars. It was the most empty thing i have ever heard

SOA_bassist · #2 05-14-2007, 02:03 AM

whatcha' expect from a school BotB?

anyway, why doesn't every musician bring an amp if needed?

silent89 · #3 05-14-2007, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SOA_bassist

whatcha' expect from a school BotB?

anyway, why doesn't every musician bring an amp if needed?

a lot of school level bassists don't have anything bigger then a 15watt practice amp. Heck, I'm lucky as it is having my 100watt Beringer (which is the same model has half my schools, although my school also has a couple of hartke's which are roughly the same size).

As a general matter, most school Battle of the Bands suck, I've gone in a couple, although the bands were a bit better then you described.

On that sort of note, I recently went to a rock work shop which was basically all the top bands from all the schools in a good portion of my state went and competed in a monster battle of the bands. Was really really good, the students doing the mixing were top notch, the equipment the school hosting it put out was amazing (first time I ever got to plug into a stack).

Only down side, lots a rich kiddies who didn't earn their basses. At least... I find it hard to imagine they did when watching them play was painful. I've never seen stingrays, p-bass's, gibsons etc. abused in that way. It annoyed me when one commented on my bass as crap (Cort Artisan B4, so it's not exactly ****). I had to work long hours to save up for that bass so needless to say, I was happy to outplay him. The best bassist there was rocking out on an SX to provide some comparison, and was insane.

As I was saying before though, my school isn't small (for around here anyway) with about 1200 students, we're also a private school so theres a fair few people who pick up instruments, but somehow we've at the time I've been there, had only 4-5 bands including one I started. At a battle of the bands, theres usually 2 or 3.

As long as you have fun playing, thats all that matters, not like your being paid.

Eli_Upright12 · #4 05-14-2007, 08:18 AM

My schools never been cool enough to have a battle of the bands, but I think we would have a stellar one, mostly because our school is 2000 kids and a decent amount of talented ones, sadly I can say that myself and my two friends are the only talented bassists, and then I got the thought maybe we would do an all bass band, call it a gimmick, but I think it would be good, because Im from the school of straight blues basses lines a la Jack Bruce, and one of my friends idolizes Jaco so he plays more like a horn player and the third plays like Flea with little fragmented chords and melodic lines. It would be sweet, now to get the damn school to host a battle of the bands or at least a talent show.

Benjamin Strange · #5 05-14-2007, 08:21 AM

If you've never had a gutterpunk clown troupe destroy the club while you're playing, then you don't know what worst gig ever means.

ALiP BoB · #6 05-14-2007, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jezz8me

I went to a gig today, well it was a school battle of the bands and it was TERRIBLE. the bands were fine like they were all good musicians BUT the bass amp wasn't working for the band who have one of the schools best bassists and one band didn't have a drummer OR bassist just two guitars. It was the most empty thing i have ever heard

School Battle of the Bands. Bleah...

Lazylion · #7 05-14-2007, 01:39 PM

I've done lots of terrible gigs, but the first one that came to mind when I saw this thread...
Was back in the 80s at a dump in So. California called "The Two J's", I think it was on Slauson off the 110 Freeway near Pico Rivera. You could see it from the highway. (By the way, anybody remember that old Johnny Carson gag, "you take the Slauson cutoff, get out of the car and cut off your slauson"? I digress...) We had 2 weeks booked there, Tues-Sat. Got through the first week, crowds were lame, but we were happy we didn't have to break down & load out. Arrived the following Tuesday for the second week, the place was locked up tight. Chain & padlock on the front door handles. Our amps, drums & PA inside. Some kind of official paper on the door: club was bankrupt & shut down. Let me tell you that is one chilly feeling in your gut, especially when music is your livelihood. I had no extra equipment to use as a replacement rig, had to borrow. It took us 2 weeks to get the place open and retrieve our stuff. To my knowledge, the club never reopened.
The only good part was, our band name, "The Roscoe Band", stayed up on the club's marquee, visible from the highway, for a solid year! Great advertising!

jazzbo58 · #8 05-14-2007, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

If you've never had a gutterpunk clown troupe destroy the club while you're playing, then you don't know what worst gig ever means.

I remember when the gutterpunks were running rampant in the Quarter. That gig sounds intriguing. I've had a few nightmares on the Westbank.

Cheers,
Jim

Benjamin Strange · #9 05-14-2007, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzbo58

I remember when the gutterpunks were running rampant in the Quarter. That gig sounds intriguing. I've had a few nightmares on the Westbank.

Cheers,
Jim

This was at a worse venue... the Hi-Ho Lounge...

IconBasser · #10 05-14-2007, 05:52 PM

wth is a gutterpunk?

BassAntix · #11 05-14-2007, 05:56 PM

oh man not to be disrespectful to your thread but, i had a school botb and there was a PA good sound and everything and according to everything the rules stated we should have won we had best crowd response they begged for an encore everyone was getting into us and we didnt even place and there was like 8 bands it totally sucked we were so mad

Benjamin Strange · #12 05-14-2007, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IconBasser

wth is a gutterpunk?

'Gutter punk' is a term applied to homeless or transient individuals who are associated (by others, most commonly those with homes and/or jobs) with the Punk ideology.

Gutter punks are generally seen (usually incorrectly) as having chosen not to search for employment by their own volition. As such, gutter punk is a term that is generally only applied to able-bodied individuals with no signs of physical handicap. Anecdotally, some gutter punks are rumored to come from economically affluent backgrounds and adopt stereotyped trappings of poverty, affectations of speech and dress while still receiving support from their families. 'Gutter punk' has also been used as in the field of Social science to describe a Demographic group of those who typically display these characteristics.

In truth, gutter punks usually look for employment, even if said employment lasts for only a day, or less, and are forced to search out other methods of income, such as pan-handling, when they cannot gain employment of any sort.

Those associated with the gutter punk way of life usually don't ascribe to the ideals of crust punk. Gutter punks tend to exemplify a more perceived notion of punk ideals and tend not to involve themselves with peace, autonomy, veganism, or many other ideals promoted in the crust punk or peace punk scene. There is a sense of unity between the two groups although their opinions may differ.

flakeh · #13 05-14-2007, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jezz8me

I went to a gig today, well it was a school battle of the bands and it was TERRIBLE. the bands were fine like they were all good musicians BUT the bass amp wasn't working for the band who have one of the schools best bassists and one band didn't have a drummer OR bassist just two guitars. It was the most empty thing i have ever heard

We had a talent show that was much like that. 15 minutes were due on, i get notified by a bassist who just came off saying the amp died. oh great, I'm due in 15 minutes and the only amp died, yay. the music teacher who was running it, being the lov'ly young lady she is (also a gigging bassist/guitarists/keyboardist) saw the dead amp, and offered to drive me to my house which is down the road to pick up my rig. great, so we get back, set it up just as we go on. so im playing a big ole 450w Behringer halfstack, I can be clearly heard over the mix of drummer, 2 guitars, and vocals. bout half way threw, my amp dies too. great eh? 750$ halfstack, dead. wahwahweewah. (no PA support BTW)

In the end, it turned out that the amps didn't die, someone had walked over the ext. cord running to the amps and it pulled it from the socket. But try telling that to 1500 laughing and booing highschoolers. we lost

-flakeh

Dave Muscato · #14 05-14-2007, 07:27 PM

Were you playing at this? Or you just attended?

It always puzzles me when people refer to a show as a gig if they're not the ones playing. It's a gig (job) for the musicians - it's a show for you!

Anyway, I'd *hardly* say that some gear not working is the worst gig ever. Who's that TBer who went to Iraq for a tour and their entire 14-piece band ended up being taken hostage for two days by Al Queda terrorists? *That's* gotta be the worst gig ever!

- Dave

silent89 · #15 05-14-2007, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

Were you playing at this? Or you just attended?

It always puzzles me when people refer to a show as a gig if they're not the ones playing. It's a gig (job) for the musicians - it's a show for you!

Anyway, I'd *hardly* say that some gear not working is the worst gig ever. Who's that TBer who went to Iraq for a tour and their entire 14-piece band ended up being taken hostage for two days by Al Queda terrorists? *That's* gotta be the worst gig ever!

- Dave

WAS THE BASS OK?!?!?!

(more seriously: damn that would be the worst gig ever. I mean, I've heard of bands being boo'd off, but never seen one play so bad they were taken hostage)

Dash Rantic · #16 05-15-2007, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silent89

WAS THE BASS OK?!?!?!

(more seriously: damn that would be the worst gig ever. I mean, I've heard of bands being boo'd off, but never seen one play so bad they were taken hostage)

Whoa, who'd that happen to?

I hope everyone made it out OK!

-Dash

Shroom · #17 05-15-2007, 09:08 AM

I guess I got lucky with my school? We had our third annual BotB in April. My band had prepared an awesome set, including a newer song of ours and a surprise cover of A Whole New World (from Aladin) to play as part of an inside joke, although we were sure it'd be a hit anyway. We were fully equipped, with our bassplayer using my 300w Behringer combo and using a friendly rival band's 900w PA forthe crowd, and combining it with our smaller speakers to use for moniters.

Then our guitar player screwed up with his parents and couldn't play the show, and we had to get a guy that none of us really like to fill in at the last minute and get him refreshed on the guitar parts from some of our older songs (he helped us get started writing our first couple songs).

We still got third place though, and DEFINITELY the biggest crowd reaction. If we had had our real guitar player there I know we would've had first...

KeithPas · #18 05-15-2007, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

If you've never had a gutterpunk clown troupe destroy the club while you're playing, then you don't know what worst gig ever means.

I thought the park gig I did in which a large sewage treatment bunker was used as a stage was the worst but you have me beat. I could actually see (and smell) bubbling and frothing raw sewage in between the 2/4 wood planks.

**Marcus Willett** · #19 05-15-2007, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

If you've never had a gutterpunk clown troupe destroy the club while you're playing, then you don't know what worst gig ever means.

Yeah, well....

Gig from Hell

Lazylion · #20 05-15-2007, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

Anyway, I'd *hardly* say that some gear not working is the worst gig ever. Who's that TBer who went to Iraq for a tour and their entire 14-piece band ended up being taken hostage for two days by Al Queda terrorists? *That's* gotta be the worst gig ever!

Yup, Marcus has this category wrapped up forever!

Maybe y'all could try for "Worst gig in the US", or "Worst high school gig" or something...