Band Member Pointing Out Mistakes to the Audienc

[gjbassist]

Last night we had our first gig with the new drummer. The guy is a great drummer but not totally familiar yet with our material. Also, I believe he has some hearing problems that are affecting his timing, but that's a topic for another thread. We made some mistakes, but they were minor ones. The kind of stuff that the typical audience member wouldn't notice. We received many compliments throughout the night and the owner of the bar asked us to come back. No surprise as we brought in at least 30 new customers who ate and drank at his establishment. However, one of the band members made comments to the crowd and the owner pointing out our mistakes. He even posted something of Facebook this morning about how "we are not were we want to be musically" while referring to last night's show. IMO this is not cool! He is giving us negative PR by magnifying our little mistakes. I'm sure many bands make mistakes during live shows. Like I said, most audience members don't even notice them unless someone points them out! Who else has had this issue and what is the best way to deal with it?

[frankenjazz]

you let that person know that if they feel mistakes are made to bring it up after the gig with JUST the band members, telling the audience and/or club management is unacceptable. Be straight forward and clear.

[intheory]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

Last night we had our first gig with the new drummer. The guy is a great drummer but not totally familiar yet with our material. Also, I believe he has some hearing problems that are affecting his timing, but that's a topic for another thread. We made some mistakes, but they were minor ones. The kind of stuff that the typical audience member wouldn't notice. We received many compliments throughout the night and the owner of the bar asked us to come back. No surprise as we brought in at least 30 new customers who ate and drank at his establishment. However, one of the band members made comments to the crowd and the owner pointing out our mistakes. He even posted something of Facebook this morning about how "we are not were we want to be musically" while referring to last night's show. IMO this is not cool! He is giving us negative PR by magnifying our little mistakes. I'm sure many bands make mistakes during live shows. Like I said, most audience members don't even notice them unless someone points them out! Who else has had this issue and what is the best way to deal with it?

Absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional. I would not have tolerated that for a second.

[DrSpunkwater]

Definitely not cool. Mistakes should be kept among your bandmates. And if they're little ones, they should probably just be forgotten.

[hrodbert696]

Nope, not cool at all. I've had a guitarist apologize to the audience for a "cheeseburger" (not sure where that expression comes from) in one song (we had missed a cue). Just smile and keep playing.

[two fingers]

What an idiot.

[1958Bassman]

If anyone makes comments about mistakes, they should only be referring to their own. I have heard someone apologize for "Clamfest" when they goofed, but not dumping on the others.

[the yeti]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

...what is the best way to deal with it?

never had that issue that i recall.

the best way to deal with this, if you're in a position where the following has weight/meaning, is to say "'x' behaviour is not acceptable because 'y'. if that happens again you will be replaced". then follow through. of course be polite throughout.

[backup]

he either has 0 self confidence or is thinking he's the most flawless player. neither will go a long way and you should probably think about replacing him as people who do that usually are psychologically damaged or very bad persons. or both

[mellowinman]

We might make fun of each other onstage for mistakes. We might make it a joke. "Sorry everybody, Joe has a different set list than the rest of us," that type of thing. "No more shots for Sammy!"

Not something we would do often, and only in a show where we're killing it.

The facebook post would get you severely beaten, though.

Pointing out mistakes to the club owner?

I can't even address that.

[eddododo]

What a turd.

The gospel church I play at has a music minister that makes nasty faces to try to put mess-ups on the band, even though no one would ever know.

High standards are one thing, but if youre apologetic about your music... I dunno

[the yeti]

or, if you have an alternate player, replace him/her immediately and let them know why. that's a little harsh but sometimes harsh is called for. you have to decide. no action on the part of the band indicates acceptance.

[gjbassist]

Probably should clarify a couple of things. First, the band member who made the comments was not singling out any one person in the band. He was commenting on the band as a whole. Also he is really not replaceable. He and the guitar player are the two original members of the band. He is a fantastic harmonica player and he is also the one who booked this gig. He does have high standards and wants to put on a good show. I do too, but we are not perfect and we are going to make mistakes! I just don't think it's smart business for him to point them out to people outside the band. I just need to find a tactful way to tell him this.

[Kmonk]

Happened to a band I was in several years ago. We were a 4 piece, guitar/vocals, keys, drums and bass. During one song, the drummer, keyboard player and I stopped when were supposed to. The guitar player kept playing for about 5 seconds, then stopped, grabbed the mic, turned toward us and said "I guess you guys need to rehearse more". A few weeks later we were playing with a new drummer who didn't have time to learn everything as well as he should have. He wasn't perfect but wasn't bad either. The drummer played things a little differently than our previous drummer and the guitar player got lost in the middle of a song. So instead of playing through it, the guitar player just stopped playing. Then he apologized to the audience and said "that's what I get for bringing in a new drummer". He never understood how unprofessional he was. There is no reason to point out mistakes. The audience rarely notices unless the song is a complete train wreck.

[BassNeo]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

Probably should clarify a couple of things. First, the band member who made the comments was not singling out any one person in the band. He was commenting on the band as a whole. Also he is really not replaceable. He and the guitar player are the two original members of the band. He is a fantastic harmonica player and he is also the one who booked this gig. He does have high standards and wants to put on a good show. I do too, but we are not perfect and we are going to make mistakes! I just don't think it's smart business for him to point them out to people outside the band. I just need to find a tactful way to tell him this.

Tactful would be at the beginning of next practice saying his open comments to the owner and patrons are unacceptable. You are a band together and should be a cohesive unit, minor flaws and all.

[two fingers]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

Probably should clarify a couple of things. First, the band member who made the comments was not singling out any one person in the band. He was commenting on the band as a whole. Also he is really not replaceable. He and the guitar player are the two original members of the band. He is a fantastic harmonica player and he is also the one who booked this gig. He does have high standards and wants to put on a good show. I do too, but we are not perfect and we are going to make mistakes! I just don't think it's smart business for him to point them out to people outside the band. I just need to find a tactful way to tell him this.

This changes nothing. He's still an idiot. That would be no different than me selling cars. And while my customers are standing there, I point out things I don't like about the car. I get out a magnifying glass and show them a tiny scratch they would never have otherwise noticed. The owner of the car lot should kick me in the head. Those customers could have driven away perfectly content with their new car. They would have never known about the tiny scratch if I hadn't told them. It's so small it would never even be noticed by the next buyer. It doesn't affect the value at all. But here I go yapping about it, putting fear and doubt where there was none before. Idiocy. There is NO justification for your buddy's actions. It serves no purpose. It doesn't make you look better or nicer to anyone involved. They don't respect you more. The only thing that changed is that they now know about mistakes they didn't know about before.

New rule for your band. That guy has to shut up.

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

Probably should clarify a couple of things. First, the band member who made the comments was not singling out any one person in the band. He was commenting on the band as a whole. Also he is really not replaceable. He and the guitar player are the two original members of the band. He is a fantastic harmonica player and he is also the one who booked this gig. He does have high standards and wants to put on a good show. I do too, but we are not perfect and we are going to make mistakes! I just don't think it's smart business for him to point them out to people outside the band. I just need to find a tactful way to tell him this.

Wrap a bath towel around a bar of soap and beat him with it until he understands.

[jonas_24112]

We had one of those "off" nights last night. Not a trainwreck, just mistakes here and there. It happens. Lead singer several times said things to the crowd in the mic that let them know we messed up. It was not cool and I let him know it. Am going to make a point of discussing it at next rehearsal since he does it often. Tired of it and the awful chatter and wasted time between songs. NEVER point out mistakes to the audience, PERIOD!!! It is unprofessional.

[39-Bassist]

My personal felling would be to meet with the whole band before you practice and let all of them know how you feel. Just state your reasons and ASK the whole band what there opinion is on the situation. Maybe you have support or maybe not, but either way you have a right as a member to state your feelings.
My only question is if this member gets upset would he replace you?
I ask because if he is that insecure then maybe you need to look around.
Good luck and just stand up for how you feel about the situation.

[bluewine]

I did not read the entire thread. Was age of the band members mentioned?

Blue