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Ailments before a gig

Pudge Fish

Pudge Fish

Aug 6, 2013
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#1
Been wanting to see a thread like this for a bit, then after reading @drummer5359 post about ear pain, I'd like to aee it fleshed out. An ear infection would be an issue to anyone in a band, I simply hadn't encountered that yet.

Our hands get damaged, our backs hurt, and there's no shortage of excuses from bandmates, but I want to hear about tales of triumph (or valiant effort anyway).

Looking for people who pushed thru and how you adapted to a particular ailment or unforseen health issue on gig night.
 
#2
Years ago, I played a road gig with a nasty stomach virus, then had to ride in the van overnight to catch a morning flight to LA. We were going out there for a label showcase, and I couldn't exactly cancel that trip. Few things are worse than gigging (or flying) while trying to hold back the urge to vomit. I survived off Gatorade and saltines for a few days, but I managed to recoup enough to do the showcase.
 
#3
This was about 20 years ago and thankfully, I haven't had another incident like it since.
It was a sat night gig , I was on lead and rhythm guitar and was one of the two vocalists in the band. That morning, I woke up with the flu.Not just any flu but the toilet hanging blasting both ends at once flu. During the coarse of the day I managed to get just about everything I had eaten in the last two days emptied into the porcelain convenience. I loaded up the van and headed to the drug store , stocked up and headed off to the gig. By the time the night was over I had Imodium, Thera flu, Alka-Seltzer Plus ( the kind that actually worked before they changed the formula to some crap that is basicaly a tasteless useless fizzie) Pepto-Bismal and aspirin in me. Between sets , I staggered over to the closest table and laid my head down on it. Somehow , I managed to get through the night without falling down. We loaded out , I drove home , unloaded the van (it wasn't the kind of neighborhood where you left anything in the van) and went to bed. I didn't get back up for three days.
 
#4
I had the ear infection as well, a nasty one at that.
Made a thread about it and got great help from the tbers.
I prevailed.
But the worst gig was many a years ago when I had fallen down some stairs and ended up in the emergency room.
2 weeks later play a gig with a back brace, enough Vicodin and muscle relaxers to kill a horse.
Was not fun at all.
But being it was a big paying show and we were an originals band there was no getting a sub.
 
#5
I've played through ear infections, high fevers, flu, cold, lyme, I played the day after I put an industrial T50 staple through my nail and finger, two days after I had a finger tip run-in with an industrial meat slicer. My finger tips s regularly and routinely have broken open on both fretting and plucking fingers before gigs too.
 
#6
BurningSkies said:
I've played through ear infections, high fevers, flu, cold, lyme, I played the day after I put an industrial T50 staple through my nail and finger, two days after I had a finger tip run-in with an industrial meat slicer. My finger tips s regularly and routinely have broken open on both fretting and plucking fingers before gigs too.
Click to expand...
Do you tape them, tough it out, or another method? I've always wondered what other (fingerstyle) bassists do. My fretting hand seems to stay out of trouble better...
 
#7
I think Invalid Link Removed could be considered going above and beyond the usual "show must go on" mantra. While i'm not a big fan of the Foo Fighters you gotta give Dave Grohl kudos for his devotion to the fans and the gig.
 
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#8
played three shows with a cracked bone in my fretting hand thumb, adapted my play ( few less runs , and positioning of my thumb on the neck) and soldiered on. I do not let things like colds or broken bones stop me from playing
 
#9
Pudge Fish said:
Do you tape them, tough it out, or another method? I've always wondered what other (fingerstyle) bassists do. My fretting hand seems to stay out of trouble better...
Click to expand...

Over the years I've done a bunch of things. I don't have much luck with tape. I can't play if I can't feel the strings. Unfortunately, it often feels like I'm playing an electric cheese-grater. For example, this is how my fingers on my right hand look this morning:
19473765968_09846b0bc6.jpg


Sometimes my skin just splits like that, and I get open lateral cuts across the tips. Sometimes meaning there's whole months or longer like that. I have gigs on Wednesday (3 hours of playing time) and Saturday (2 hours of playing time). In this case I'll try to heal these up by mid week, but failing that I carry "New Skin" and super glue. Both only partially work and only for about half a set at best. If things go really south, I'll use advil and bourbon to dull the pain, although sometimes the gig itself helps act as anesthesia.
 
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#11
Gaolee said:
Superglue is my go-to for dealing with ripped up fingers.
Click to expand...
I've found that works with tidy lacerations (for a while), but open wounds are a bugger (so are deep splinters!!). I hate tape initially, but once I get a feel for it, I can enjoy the sound if it's not too painful! I'm always on the lookout for great "life-hacks" from seasoned vets.
 
#13
I suppose there's a certain amount of blood that gets on the strings inevitably. Rockabilly slap triplets are especially hard on the fingers, since you can't just turn up the amp to compensate for a much lighter touch. I'm lucky so far, though. Superglue has been enough to get me through on the rare occasions my fingers get damaged. Plus, my day job is at a desk, not dealing with sharp tools and machinery these days.
 
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#16
I've used "nu-skin" or liquid band aid for calluses that have fallen off, others have used super glue...one of the worst gig's for me was with an ear infection, I through up before and after gig, couldn't hold down food, but I made it....

I also had a pinched nerve in my left hand so I had no feeling for 3-4 months, I also got bad advice from 2 doctors, the 3rd(nerve specialist) got me on the right track, it felt tingly/numb like your foot is asleep all the time, before that, the worst hand injury was when my 5 lbs dog got attacked by my neighbors 60 or so lbs American bulldog, I had to pry its jaws open to save my dog(and I'd do it again without hesitation), my poor little buddy was in ICU for 3 nights, I was left with a $1700 vet bill and my right hand was all shredded up with deep puncture wounds that bled for days(but, id do it again if I had to), so I couldn't play for a month without risking infection....
 
#17
One of the best shows I played as a drummer was during a 2-day bout of some kind of virus. I had a fever and throwing up/pooping a LOT. We played last (of course) and there's was a couple of guys from a well-respected label that were supposed to be there so I wasn't about to cancel. Finally got on stage and set up the drums, threw up one last time and started the set. Toward the end of the second song the fever broke, i broke out in a drenching sweat and instantly felt 10x better. Rocked the poopie out of the drums and the band played a killer set. Label dudes weren't there, oh well.
 
#18
I've run off two stages to go vomit (both times...food poisoning) and then returned to finish the gig. Both times were in the first set...years apart, different bands. One was at a Christian coffeehouse. The bathroom was on the other end of the place, and I didn't make it to the bathroom in time. I showered two people, who were most gracious. I was too sick to care.

I have arthritis, and it has wrecked my neck and shoulders (so I use a Slinger hip strap), my knees and one hip (so I sit on a tall stool I made for the first two or three sets and stand the last set or two.) and my hands hurt like hell, but take whatever I can to knock down the pain and inflammation on nights I play and press on. We do 4 hour gigs with two short (under 10 minute) breaks.

Playing with pain is just like living with pain. It's a hassle, but what can you do? I had to give up daily anti inflammatories 6 months ago due to kidney problems.
 
#19
The old motto used to be if you're sick you're either on stage or in the hospital. I had a temperature of 104 on a gig one night. I went to the doctor a few days later and was told that people die from what I had. He said he would have definitely put me in the hospital if I had seen him on the day of my gig.

Another time I was in a car accident the day of a gig and broke a small bone in my wrist. I still played that night but was only able to use my first and second fingers on my fretting hand. I managed.

When I was nineteen I threw up on stage, but that wasn't caused by a virus. I could have avoided it with a little maturity and common sense. The guitar player threw up after me for the same reason. I feel shame when I think about that night. We still packed the place, though. We were probably not the only people there who threw up that night.
 
#20
This is a long time ago, but my band finally got booked into The club. You know, the one that if you gig there, it means you have arrived on the local A list. This would be a gig you would not miss.
Night of the gig I had the flu and was running about 103 temp. I could barely stand up.
I was able to stand for the first set. Spent every break on the floor back stage and my bandmates would bring me water and orange juice. The rest of the night, I had to sit in a chair. Luckily, I didn't hurl on stage.
 

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