Best awkward compliment you've gotten

[Dincrest]

Story time...

2011, I was playing in a punk band, and this was our EP release show. I'm in the crowd enjoying the first couple of bands. Random dude I was in the pit with says, "That was fun. Want a beer?"
I politely declined because I was straight-edge.
He asked if I'd come out for a smoke... again, politely declined because straight-edge.
He asks, "So what the hell are you doing at a punk show?"
I quietly replied, "I'm in one of the bands playing tonight. We're up after this next one. Stick around, check us out."
He shrugs, "okay..." (Bear in mind, I didn't have "punk" attire. I was basically a skinny, nerdy dude in glasses wearing jeans and an olive green ren faire T-shirt that said, "Dragons fear me, wenches want me")

We played a blistering set. (One of the other band's bassists, who's normally a wild man in the pit, was staring at my fingers the whole time because he'd never seen someone play fast, hardcore punk fingerstyle the way I did). And I tend to have a charismatic stage presence.

After the show when we're packing up, the random dude from before who dismissed me for declining alcohol and tobacco comes up to me, claps me on both shoulders and is all like, "BRO!!! Why didn't you tell me you could play bass like that?!?!?!?!"
I looked to each of his hands on my shoulders, looked back to him, and smiled, "This is exactly why. Like any punk here, I've been misjudged and underestimated my whole life."
He's all like, "Bro, that's f*****g awesome! Gonna follow your socials, you'll see me at another show for sure!"

 

[SFOB]

I play in a trio, and we recently had a guy who was listening very intently and on our break he came up to us to say the guitarist sounded like Alan Holdsworth meets Pat Metheny. He carried on to say the drummer was like Billy Cobham meets Bill Bruford. At that point he stopped and the guitarist says "well hey, what about the bassist?" and the man looks at me and says "You? Well, you're no Jack Bruce."

I was never a big Cream fan, so I'm taking this as a compliment. Either way, it sure was awkward.

Before you tell me I'm the one who got burned here, it's worth mentioning what he did next. This man of impeccable taste then proceeded to pull out a harmonica and ask if he could sit in...

 

[Pauly 4001]

I was in a corporate employee band for a large law firm and one of my bandmates, a partner in that law firm, said to me," You're the only normal member of this band" meaning non partner members. He said it several times and it didn't ever seem less awkward with repetition.
He did have a point though if you observed the non partner members. I didn't pass his comments along to the rest of the band.

 

[pglaser01]

“I didn’t know your voice could go that high”

“Thanks?”

 

[LiptonJigglers]

Does "You're a FKN Lunatic" count?
All I was doing was sitting at a table, at a party, waiting to go on stage.. admittedly I had leopard spotted hair, a leather jacket covered in badges and spikes, drainpipe jeans and 12 hole ox blood DM's on.

 

[gln1955]

This was in 2021, our first gig after Covid shutdowns. We were playing on the patio and I spot this grungy looking character at the edge sharing a joint with his equally grungy companion. Sure enough, in the middle of a song, he comes up, says he loves the band, I'm playing great and offers a toke. "Ummm, no thanks and please back off a step or two".

 

[1st Bass]

I played for a small group of elderly folk, leading and accompanying the hymns they were singing. Afterward, one of the women said, “You’re not too bad on that guitar!” Before I could open my mouth to say thanks, she continued, “You’re not too good, either…”
I burst out laughing, because she was exactly right!

 

[LowWay]

I’m not sure I understand your music, but I can tell when a band knows what it’s doing.

 

[39-Bassist]

You play better than I thought. From a fan in the crowd after a show. Hmmm
I'll take it.

 

[Jeff K]

The one that jumps out at me was this one: On a break one night, a woman comes up to me and says, "My husband says you're a really good guitar player!" Wasn't sure if they were confusing me with one of the guitarists, but I graciously told her that that was very kind of them to say so.

I think the one that I probably appreciated the most was when a guy in a crowded bar stopped me on a break and said, "Man, you're laying down some clean bottom up there!" I told him that I really appreciated that. We didn't have a conversation other than that, but I figure he had to be a fellow musician...

 

[sunbeast]

"you sound so professional" (or some variation) on a gig where I'm making little to no $$

 

[megarat]

“Your playing style is very ... innovative.”

 

[T Bassman]

'I really like what your going for..."

 

[HowieD72]

When I recorded a Jimi Hendrix song with the band and my daughter heard the recording and says "wow, that bass player sounds good, who is it?"

And to put the icing on the cake, when I said it was me, she replied...You!!???

Love my daughter

 

[MynameisMe]

pull out a harmonica

For the record I greatly dislike "only harmonica" guy.

 

[Jogobass]

"when you play on the jazz session we can actually hear where we are in the tune"

 

[MynameisMe]

Taking a break from our church worship team, in which I played most Sundays. We had a guest group come in to do music. They were great! I was waiting after service to talk to the bass player. A lady I've known for years asks me why I'm standing there waiting to talk to the guy. She says "do you play music too?"
I'm thinking why yes I do,every week, right in front of you!

 

[InhumanResource]

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!"

Our lead singer told me her mom said I’m hot, so there’s that.

 

[LowendG]

"For a bass player you're a little skinny guy".

 

[Wesley R]

End of night as I step off the stage a busty lady walks up to me and tells me how much she loves how my bass playing makes her boobs shake. I was just getting ready to develop delusions of grandure, when the guitarist steps up and apologized for his sister.