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You're in the band???

T

T-Bird

Apr 29, 2007
8,850
268
Finland (Northern Europe)
#1
Hi, all.

A few weeks back we played in a small bar in a nearby "village". We started setting up by 2100 and it took us about an hour to have everything gig-ready. The gig was supposed to start 2330, so there was a bit downtime to be spent.

The rest of the band went to the apartment above the bar that belongs to a mutual friend. On a previous gig we played there, I met a nice woman I've been seeing and went to pick her up.

When we arrived I wanted to check everything was all right and this is the conversation I had with the door man as we went in:

Me: Hi, she's with the band (pointed my date).
Him: So? And You are?
Me: :confused:
Him: You two have to pay.
Me: You're kidding, right? I play bass in the band.
Him: REALLY?
Me: REALLY, You seriously didn't notice us hauling a ****load of equipment back and forth through the door, setting them up and playing a soundscheck tune just half an hour ago?
Him: Nope. (he was at the door the WHOLE time, HOLDING the door open for us at times)
Me: :confused:
Him: Well, I guess I have to take Your word for it.
Me: Yep, I guess so.

If I looked like the average customer there I would've understood it, but being a +100Kg biker with full beard and long hair, I do stand out like a wolf in a sheep convention in almost any crowd. Whether I like it or not ;).

Anyone else have similar stories?

Regards
Sam
 
#2
We once attended a show at a small festival. We had roadies setting up our gear for the occasion. Drummer got up late this day so he called to let us know that he'd go there by himself.
Soundcheck time, no drummer. He didn't have a cellphone back then so no way to contact him. We let other bands soundcheck before us. End of soundchecks, still no one.
Turned out that he forgot his backstage pass and was stuck in the audience's side. We finally found him (at the bar duh) and could play without sound check.
FOr some reason they didn't hire us the year after.
 
#3
This happens far too often....once a band of mine was told by a club owner "your gonna have to buy a drink if you wanna stay in here lads", just as we were done setting up, which he had watched us do.
Worst thing about the whole situation was this was a gig for the club owner to decide if he wanted to "manage" us or not!!!. Got outta that one pretty fast...
 
#4
funny :D

i don't have any personal experience like that to add.. but i did hear keith emerson tell a similar story on the rock-line while driving to work tonight:

apparently at one gig he did in the seventies, he was doing his crazy jumping on the organ shenanigans, and he lept clean over the thing and fell into the orchestra pit. well nobody saw where he ended up, and to get back on stage he had to fight through the crowd... long story short the security wouldn't let him back on stage cuz they didn't recognize him!

so the moral is.. ... uh security is dumb in at least england and finland... :hiding:
 
#5
I've had this quite a few times. Mostly because I've played coffee shop/laid back gigs with my dad a lot. Since he's in his early 50's, most of the people there to see him are of the same age. I stick out like a sore thumb and often get asked what I'm doing there.

I also once subbed in on bass for a punk band (the drummer was a good friend and begged me cause it was a big gig for them). My music tastes lie closer to my mom and dad's than most of my friends (The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, etc.). I looked totally out of place in my semi-nice collared shirt until I just said "f- this" and took my shirt off. They dug me after that. Good times.
 
#6
There's a story I heard about Black Sabbath. It was during their revolving door vocalist period, and they'd just recorded Seventh Star with Glen Hughes. Hughes quit right at the beginning of the tour, but by then all the posters had been printed, and sent out.

One night the new singer went out for some air after sound check, and forgot his pass. He turned up at the backstage door, claiming to be the lead singer of black sabbath... Of course he looked nothing like the guy on the poster that happened to be on the wall, and the door security didn't believe a word of it!
 
#7
I call it the Bassist's Cloak of Invisibility.

On more than one occasion, in order to get my comped drinks, I have had to bring another band member to the bar to convince the manager that yes, I'm in the band, and yes, they owe me three free drinks or whatever.

I've come off stage, been immediately introduced to friends of bandmates, only to have them say something like this..."Oh, you're in the band, too? What do you play? I didn't see you up there."

:rollno:

Cherie
 
#8
A little different but I think you can see the link; I often get a few free drinks when I watched my guitarists old band since they assumed I was with the band because of the way I dress. I go to pay and they say 'you've got another 3 drinks free left', i'm hardly going to turn them down ;)

Most people just don't take notice of who is and isn't in the band, only the ones that really appreciate live music.
 
#10
txbasschik said:
I call it the Bassist's Cloak of Invisibility.

On more than one occasion, in order to get my comped drinks, I have had to bring another band member to the bar to convince the manager that yes, I'm in the band, and yes, they owe me three free drinks or whatever.

I've come off stage, been immediately introduced to friends of bandmates, only to have them say something like this..."Oh, you're in the band, too? What do you play? I didn't see you up there."

:rollno:

Cherie
Click to expand...

:scowl: There's no hope for me if a female bass player doesn't get recognized...well, maybe. Being older now (not old, older :D ), I tend to be playfully loud and obnoxious with the bar staff so that they do remember me. Otherwise, the cloak never seems to leave my body.
 
#12
Not recognizing band members?

Guilty as charged.

A long time ago, before I began playing an instrument, I talked to "Rat city riot"'s drummer and I seriously asked him what his role in the band is and whether he's a roadie or not :ninja:

That was so f****ng embarrassing. Well I couldn't really see him behind the kit, if that's enough for a justification :hmm:
 
#14
i hate door guys. if we're playing some fancy club with security or "bouncers" i usually make a note to the owner/promoter what our tour laminates look like, sometimes they give bands wristbands, sometimes the our pass is enough. after the initial greeting/load in, i just walk in and out like i own the place, without making eye contact with the bouncers. if anyone ever tries to stop me i just turn around and say "no thanks, im all set" and proceed to the stage or backstage area.

its arrogant, but the way i see it is if my band wasn't playing, they wouldn't be working that night. we see less money on the backend because they have to be there, so they're working for us. they'll learn how to do their jobs correctly instead of trying to flex their muscles and authority at the door.
 
#15
When I first started playing pro, I was 15. The rest of the band mambers were in their 30's. At bar gigs I either had to sit inside, or walk back in with another band member every single time. If not, they just rolled their eyes at me every time I said "I'm the bass player dude."
 
#16
Obe said:
:scowl: There's no hope for me if a female bass player doesn't get recognized...well, maybe. Being older now (not old, older :D ), I tend to be playfully loud and obnoxious with the bar staff so that they do remember me. Otherwise, the cloak never seems to leave my body.
Click to expand...

I'm, um, "mature", too. And loud...LOL! But I was playing in a band with a big, stacked, loud blonde, who was vocals/guitar. I was not allowed to sing. (She was prolly scared I might be better than she was.) The one song they let me sing, "Mercedes Benz", got so much positive attention that it got cut, and then I was silent. She's the chick I got mistaken for at karaoke the other night.

Even when she isn't around, she overshadows me. Danged big-boobied blondes.

Cherie :bassist:
 
#18
txbasschik said:
I'm, um, "mature", too. And loud...LOL! But I was playing in a band with a big, stacked, loud blonde, who was vocals/guitar. I was not allowed to sing. (She was prolly scared I might be better than she was.) The one song they let me sing, "Mercedes Benz", got so much positive attention that it got cut, and then I was silent. She's the chick I got mistaken for at karaoke the other night.

Even when she isn't around, she overshadows me. Danged big-boobied blondes.

Cherie :bassist:
Click to expand...

OK, that makes more sense. Now, should I break out my woman's clothing from the metal days, stuff a little bit and put on some makeup? Just kidding, the woman's clothing won't fit anymore, and even if it did I may break some decency laws....hahahaha!!
 
#19
I used to happen to me at one place in particular. Even this T shirt didn't solve the problem!

521321.jpg
 
#20
I've had it happen once with a drunken gate bouncer at a club, after I had to go outside and get a set of tools from our van during a band break. The club had no pass protocol for the band members in place, and after arguing for a half hour with the clown to go get his boss, or one of the band members to confirm who I was, the owner stepped outside to see what the commotion was along with our lead guitarist and they set the dude straight. I'm not joking however about the bouncer being stumble bum drunk on the job though, and I guess the owner sent him home and put someone else out at the door that night. It really doesn't take much to come up with some pass system for a club
for the bands playing their places. Heck even a hand stamp system would work, given that a lot of places use it for the cover charge paying patrons.
 

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