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[2saddleslab]

Happens all the time. Typical scenario goes like this while on stage:

Bl: "We're doing a new song tonight."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

BL: "Don't worry, it's only 3 chords."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

BL: "The chords are ..........."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

Then while performing the new song:

BL [looks over at me and yells]: "Oh yeah, there's a bridge!"

Me: Concerned look on my face.

 

[roccobass]

Happens all the time. Typical scenario goes like this while on stage:

Bl: "We're doing a new song tonight."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

BL: "Don't worry, it's only 3 chords."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

BL: "The chords are ..........."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

Then while performing the new song:

BL [looks over at me and yells]: "Oh yeah, there's a bridge!"

Me: Concerned look on my face.

Me: (even more concerned….still don’t know how the song ends……)

 

[Hot Rats]

Happens all the time. Typical scenario goes like this while on stage:

Bl: "We're doing a new song tonight."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

BL: "Don't worry, it's only 3 chords."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

BL: "The chords are ..........."

Me: Concerned look on my face.

Then while performing the new song:

BL [looks over at me and yells]: "Oh yeah, there's a bridge!"

Me: Concerned look on my face.

Ya know, as I go through my days, I sometimes start to think "am I the only one?" but then I read a post like this and I just smile a little and think "yea, we're all in this together". It's just reassuring is all, knowing that as bass players, we mostly go through the same stuff.

 

[buldog5151bass]

There is a reason bassists can mute notes...

 

[pepj]

Said this before.
I got a set list of pretty well known numbers so i checked out as many as i could in the limited time I had. The guy has 200 songs...no joke, and I had about 30 off the top of his head.

When asked by his g/f was I prepared, I replied I was 'ready'...she laughed and said you wont do any of them.
At half time, we returned to the same conversation and she said 'how many did you do from list'..
I said, 2...
It wasn't the roasting it sounds and really enjoyed it with the bonus being i just about doubled the number of songs I could carry into the next gig.

 

[DanDBassist]

I love my band. Our singer is a very cool and talented guy. But sometimes I just gotta LOL.

He sends a text to us about 30 minutes ago that he has "2 or 3" country fans coming tonight so we should play 2 songs that I've honestly never heard before.

I have to qualify what I am going to say here: This was in the late '70s through the mid '80s.
We would look at the juke box when arriving to set up at a new venue to see if we sorta knew some of the songs and many times "learn" some 30 minutes before the gig. Those were different times to say the least.

 

[Bass Viking]

Heads up a little earlier if they are nicer?

No!

Respect for others by the singer is needed.

+1. Being nice doesn’t get you anywhere with certain people.

 

[glocke1]

Said this before.
I got a set list of pretty well known numbers so i checked out as many as i could in the limited time I had. The guy has 200 songs...no joke, and I had about 30 off the top of his head.

When asked by his g/f was I prepared, I replied I was 'ready'...she laughed and said you wont do any of them.
At half time, we returned to the same conversation and she said 'how many did you do from list'..
I said, 2...
It wasn't the roasting it sounds and really enjoyed it with the bonus being i just about doubled the number of songs I could carry into the next gig.

Did you play the correct bass line to the songs or did you just play the changes?

Theres a difference.

Not being snarky, but I play in a pickup band run into this all the time. BL will throw out a tune before the gig, I'll spend a lot of time learning the recorded bass line as closely as I can. Gig time comes around, and we start into the song and I realize no one else put that effort in and they are basically just playing the changes to the tune and it sounds nothing like the tune in question.

 

[pepj]

No, I dont bother with parts if they throw them at me.

I would say that my lines are going to be decent, if I do say so myself, whether I've had prep time or not.

I just make sure they sit well which you need to get on bar 1. And that brings you right to the drummer, if they dont get it, then everything else is a waste of people's time anyway.

If I book them, I know the score but if a regular band's drummer, its amazing what bands put up with.

The gig above in question had good players on it so was never going to be a train wreck but you do need to be able to hang on.