most amusing concert occurance?

Joe Taylor · #1 03-11-2002, 07:33 PM

I am not sure if this is should go here but why not.

What is the most amusing thing to happen during a concert that you have actualy have seen or been part of?

I get a smile every time I remember this.

I was in college at Northern Arizona University in the winter of 68/69 we were doing the mandatory Christmass concert playing White Christmass when unannounced fake snow started falling out of the over head loft. Someone had good aim and dumped about a office garbage can of fake snow down the tuba, in one big clump. The poor tuba player was dumping paper out of his horn all spring.

Then there was the milk shake that went down a Sousaphone, I don't think this was too funny because of the smell after a week or two.

steve chase · #2 03-12-2002, 01:10 AM

I guess that about covers it then ?

Marcus Johnson · #3 03-12-2002, 11:25 AM

Back in the Seventies, at a Headhunters concert, I tolerated a very irritating skinny guy dancing badly in the aisle nest to me, for the entire show. When Herbie Hancock kicked off the synth bass line to "Chameleon", it was apparently too much for the guy to handle, as he sprinted up the aisle, bounded onto the stage, and gave Herbie a very aggro, high velocity love hug from behind, knocking him to the ground and scattering Arp synths in every direction. To his credit, Herbie landed a couple of nice shots to the guy with a pair of 6" platforms before he took off with a couple of large road guys in pursuit. The ensuing chase was pure Keystone Cops, with all three guys appearing and then vanishing through various doors throughout the auditorium; meanwhile, Herbie had reset and was now providing funky background music. Not sure what happened to the guy; if he's smart, he's still running.

Andrew_S. · #4 03-12-2002, 12:39 PM

That's funny! I work for NAU at the Cline Library. Small world...

band members falling asleep during song

I cannot believe that happened

anonymous0726 · #5 03-12-2002, 01:36 PM

I've done it. Sitting in a chair, playing Slab on a fox-trot dance gig. Free beer. Bad band. 5 hours of hell.

sgtbaker · #6 03-14-2002, 02:20 PM

well, i was playing in the band for jon faddis's band at a college and i had a part in one of the songs i was a little unsure of. so while he's talking on the mic between songs i turned my volume all the way down and was kinda playing the little lick when all of a sudden really loud in front of a packed house he exclaims, "are you practicing on the job?!?!?". i then proceeded to turn all kinds of red and he continued introducing the next song.

myrick · #7 07-06-2002, 03:05 AM

Years ago, afternoon, outdoor, garden-party sort of gig. Four foot high stage. Your bass player absently banging out 4/4 at maybe 120bpm, boring changes, boring tune, boring gig.

Eyes closed, mind drifting (no artificial stimulus, I swear). Angle formed by bass/bassist to stage floor began to widen, at first not noticed by your bass player. Eyes opened, too late. Bass and bassist, as a unit, gracefully tipping over, right off the side of the stage, ass over teakettle, onto the grass below. Band didn't skip a beat, bassist finshed number lying down, guests, under a hot sun and well into the chardonay, scarcely noticed.

All in a day's work, I suppose.

bassbaterie · #8 01-20-2004, 08:00 PM

1) Not amusing, exactly, but unforgettable: I was jobbing as a drummer for a blues bandleader friend (a young lady bass guitarist). During the last set a VERY drunk patron approached the stage and actually lifted up the front of my friend's skirt as she was singing and playing. As I was behind the drum set I did not actually see the incendiary act, but all of a sudden her bass hit the floor right in front of my bass drum as she dove off the front of the stage, pinning the drunk to the floor as she pummelled the **** out of him. He was bleeding as he got thrown out of the bar.

2) The "rent-a-elephant" pooping on stage during "Carnival of the Animals"

Petebass · #9 01-20-2004, 08:28 PM

I did a gig once at a venue that has a corner stage that doesn't quite make it to the wall. I look at the gap and thought it would be a wonderful place to put my amp, facing across the stage so the Nice EV PA could take care of the FOH.

The guys in the band look at the position of the amp, pointed and started laughing hysterically while exclaiming "that'll fix it" over and over. I had absolutely no idea what they were laughing about.

When they calmed down they explained. Their regular bass player had a tendancy to wander off mentally during a show. The last time they played there, the singer decided to give him a little poke in the ribs to wake him up mid song. It worked a little too well. He got such a start that he lost his balance and put one foot in the gap. He somehow landed in there bum first with legs up in the air. He used his arms to break the fall so with nothing to mute the strings, the bass made that BBOOONNGGGGGGGG noise basses make when they collide with something hard. And of course it was 5 times louder than the rest of the band!

The poor guy ripped his jeans, broke a string, and took a nice chunk out of the bass. He couldn't get up and the band were laughing too hard to help him. He couldn't even get his hands to the strings to mute the BBOONNNNGGGG noise.

I wish I was there.

bassbaterie · #10 09-02-2004, 11:08 PM

A couple more rough gig experiences:

A) Inebriated female in mini-skirt inadvertently (though repeatedly) exposes sanitary appliance while dancing in front of the stage

B) Guitarist bandmate loses most of the skin on his right hand in a electrical mishap while tying in the lighting tap and has to play several shows with pick duct-taped to his bandages

C) Drummer bandmate leaves his mastiff tied to the FOH riser during an outdoor set; audience proceeds to serve the dog several pitchers of beer while the band is on stage; intoxicated 130-pound dog has to be carried to the car

lukaas · #11 09-03-2004, 01:19 AM

Picture this....

Its a 40 degree day (110 for the centigradically challenged) in Sydney, Down in the orchestra pit at the Opera House, its at least 45.... 5 minutes into the second act, there is a General Pause, lights down to black, sound down to nothing, precisely at that moment, the percussionist behind me vomits up his Big Mac, fries cola sundae, all over the back of my black roll neck skivvie, there is 55 looong minutes till curtain close......

Like I said, everyone else laughed quite a lot..... L.

Kat_Mia · #12 09-03-2004, 11:48 AM

Luke, that's yukky!

Nope much has happened to me, thank God although in my first ever Xmas concert when I started secondary school (I was 13) I was just about to play in year 8 orchestra when the big school orchestra came off stage and the space between the stage and audience became very crowded.

Someone thought it was a good idea to climb over the only double bass we had at school at the time (funnily enough the other two were in for repair). He tripped and fell and broke the neck right off. There was a horrid cracking sound and then a deadly silence and all the strings went ping ping ping ping.

I couldn't play so went home, LOL!

Matt Ides · #13 09-09-2004, 09:21 AM

not sure why or the music, but the bass section of the orchestra had few notes too play.

two outta the five fell a sleep at some point.

hotdbass · #14 09-19-2004, 12:13 PM

So, Friday night the Rick Ross Trio is playing the bar at Pala Mesa Country club and the drummer says "I just saw Will Ferrell in the mens room".We say really, are you sure it was him?Yup, it was him he replied. So shortly after we start off our thirdt set, in walks Will with this large group of his buddy golfers who quickly order up a round of "Jose C" and beer.As they raise their glasses to slam the shots down, I yell out stop! wait! They look at me and the band looks at each other and break into the West Montgomery version of "Tequila" needless to say, things started to get a little crazy after that as they started to "bump and grind" to the latin beat. Soon everyone noticed it was Will in the group and quickly there was a line of autograph seekers and cell phone photgrapers pestering him. Poor Will, he can't even play a round of golf without causing a comotion.

Humblerumble · #15 09-19-2004, 10:03 PM

I was at an Aerosmith concert when they first reunited. Joe Perry was on the drum riser doing that rock thing of looking at his drummer with his back to the audience. Well right as he turns and leaps off the drum riser Steven Tyler starts running to the other side of the stage and cuts him off at the knees in mid air. Perry and guitar hit the stage in a mega decibel crash. Drums and bass play for about five minutes until Perry and Tyler come back out and the band plays on and never mentioned it.

Petebass · #16 09-19-2004, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Humblerumble

I was at an Aerosmith concert when they first reunited. Joe Perry was on the drum riser doing that rock thing of looking at his drummer with his back to the audience. Well right as he turns and leaps off the drum riser Steven Tyler starts running to the other side of the stage and cuts him off at the knees in mid air. Perry and guitar hit the stage in a mega decibel crash. Drums and bass play for about five minutes until Perry and Tyler come back out and the band plays on and never mentioned it.

I've heard some great stories about that tour, I don't know how true they are. Apparently at the end of it, they decided to change the set list around a little bit and started with the song they had been finishing with. Steve Tyler was so doped up, he finished the (1st) song, yelled out "Thankyou, you've been a great audience", not realising he was still facing the the drum riser. He turned around to make an exit an walked straight off the front of the stage........

Humblerumble · #17 09-21-2004, 08:41 AM

I wouldn't be surprised if that was true Petebass. I remember thinking that this was going to be a short lived reunion

FredH · #18 02-04-2005, 04:42 PM

Was playing at a party celebrating the end of an international seafood vendor convention. The party was in a mansion overlooking the ocean. We were set up outside on a large terrace with a couple of open host bars and seafood stalls ringing the dance area.

Anyway since it was January the whole party of about 300 folks went indoors after the second song. The girl singer started to cry (it was her first gig) and she just left. The real capper came when they closed the French doors to the house since it was getting cold.

We all looked at the leader, he said that we were still on the clock so we played to the empty night while raiding the bar and seafood after each song.

bassteban · #19 02-04-2005, 07:17 PM

Jello Biafra, the Dead Kennedies singer, leaps into the mosh pit during the 1st song. Climbing back onto the stage, he's buck naked save for a few scraps at the wrists & ankles. Does the rest of the show as if nothing ever happened.

bassbaterie · #20 02-05-2005, 01:41 AM

During the hardcore punk era I had a couple of sound systems installed in punk clubs and saw a lot of antics (probably not any worse than an average night in Motley Crue's dressing room). I'd like to say I was an allowable outsider since somebody had to remain sober enough to turn knobs. The lead singer from "the Mentors" was so trashed he peed in the center of the dance floor and not only forgot to zip up, but also to tuck in and walked (sort of) around that way until he fell down and passed out. Another group featured beastiality videos on 2 screens as a surprise part of the performance (not revealed during sound check!), which I took as sufficient excuse to leave and look for the manager (it was a firing offense to shut a show down without approval). When we returned one of the band was throwing up on stage...the show got shut down. There were a couple of years where clubs were trying to outdo each other with gross-out stunts like "handcuffed to the bar night" which ran weekly at one club for months, and "Thunderdome" where there was a locked cage covering the dance floor and e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g took place, except so far as I know no one died. Now, there is only "fear factor" a sanitized, primped-for-prime-time shade of the 80's. Needless to say whatever promotion the clubs could come up with, the bands took it to an extreme.