Best awkward compliment you've gotten

[buldog5151bass]

Jazz band - bass, drums, piano, trumpet, and sax (note, no vocals or guitar). A drunk patron comes up and says "you guys are great. Do you do any Springsteen?"

When we gently told her it was not in our set list, she said, "you guys are great, but you'd be even better if you played some Springsteen ".

No pleasing some people..

 

[Freight Train]

My blues band has a couple of swing dancing groups that follow us around and have always brought great energy to gigs. Over the past 6 or so gigs there is this one couple, very good dancers, who have more and more taken over the scene, dancing so elaborately that it’s discouraging other people from dancing, and taking up half or more of the dance floor anyway with their elaborate moves. I’ve mentioned this to the BL, who knows these people, pointing out that they are also distracting attention, and therefore tips, away from us. Anyway, after the last gig, and these people doing what looks like a freaking Broadway show on the dance floor, the guy comes up to me and says, “You know, you guys are just the perfect backdrop for us. So inspiring.”. FFFFUUUUuuuu…

 

[Rayjay]

I made all-state jazz band. A guy came all the way out to see me play (a 6-hour drive for him). Not a fan, a critic. He wanted to see who got "his" gig. He basically told me I sounded good but I shouldn't be there because I'm not black.

 

[Killens84]

An audience member at a show I played several years ago was a bass player. He had a custom license plate on his truck that said “4STRING.” After the show, he went and got the tag off of his truck and gave it to me, saying I was more deserving of it that he was. I tried to tell him that’s probably not a good idea, but he insisted. I have it sitting in a box somewhere.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

I had a gig where we played on the patio of a restaurant; inside the restaurant customers could hear us but couldn't see us.

At the end of a set, I was heading inside and ran into a large man with a puzzled expression on his face. He asked if I was really the bass player. When I responded in the affirmative, he shook his head and said, "You just cost me $20; I bet my friend the bass player had to be a brother. I like the way you play."

One of the best compliments I ever received!

A lady of color said that to me about my singing! I was truly humbled!

BBB

 

[mdogs]

A drummer told me once, "Man, I completely misjudged your playing, you are awesome." He had heard me a few years earlier with just a mediocre band where I was playing fairly simple lines. We did some really good stuff together, but he was hard to tolerate long term. He is a Berklee grad, he now owns a business selling windows, he is better at selling windows.

 

[Verticos]

There's one song in our set where I do a whistling part. After we finished the song at some venue outside Baltimore, a guy in the audience yells "it takes a real man to whistle!"

Still don't quite understand that comment...

 

[srbbass]

"How'd their band sound?"
"They couldn't have played better!"

 

[Rib 13]

"I remember you! You used to be really good looking!"

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Played one of my cover tunes in my roots rock trio (mostly covers and about 20 originals) and the very inebriated club owner said "That was great! Play some MORE Stray Cats!". Uh, thanks? Maybe I should send it to Brian Setzer...

BBB

 

[dustinymichaels]

"I've never heard the bass sound like that," but not mentioning if that is a good or bad thing.

 

[mrjim123]

"You remind me of my grandfather. He plays guitar too."

I knew right away she wasn't in my romantic future.

 

[covermego]

A rather intoxicated woman was watching me and finally asked, "Can you escort me onto the stage? I can sing real good....ya know why? I'll tell you why...... Because I'm LED ZEFFFFLIN'S wife, that's why...."

AND.......seriously....... I had one guy tell me he knew Marshall Tucker before he started up his band.

I shoulda gotten their autographs.

 

[Highs&Lows]

"Not bad but do you also play double bass?"

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

"People, these guys are from Belgium!!" Shouted the Belgian club owner in his Belgian blues club in Belgium...

Now, for a bit of context, it actually WAS a huge compliment coming from him, as he felt that overall, the local (as in, country-wide....) blues scene was sub par and he exclusively booked bands from abroad.

 

[Mastermold]

"I've never heard the bass sound like that," but not mentioning if that is a good or bad thing.

I was told once I had played some "interesting" bass lines ... same thing. Good? Bad? Who knows!

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

My drummer this weekend, talking about a new bass I picked up a couple of rehearsals ago: "Man, I love the sound of that bass. When you play it right, it sits so perfectly in the mix!"

Last weekend I got hit up to join a band. This is after I sat in for 2 songs that I didn't know, and felt like I totally screwed the pooch on. I guess not.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

“Wow, sounds like you’ve been practicing”

- guitarist band member 1990s

can't quite think of a response for that one without being a &^%$#!

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

You hang out with Henny Youngman and Freddy Roman?

Unfortunately, no. But I would happily.

 

[KellyC]

When I was a kid who weighed 150 soaking wet playing in a popular punk band that packed every venue we played, the hipster musician folks always turned out for our shows and were full of condescending, backhanded compliments.

One in particular stands out to this day. There was a period of time where a particular muscle bound skinhead (we referred to him as the "hardon with ears") from a nearby military base attended all of our shows, and was fighting and beating people up on the dance floor/mosh pit in the middle of our sets at every show. At his final show, I saw him getting ready to assault my roommate, so I came off stage in the middle of a song wielding my bass like a battle ax. I didn't exactly scare the behemoth, but it drew all of the bouncers to the scene and the guy was ejected.

Immediately afterwards, one of my most frequent backhanded complimenters said to me "you are the coolest bass player in town".

Thanks, buddy.