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Best Compliment/None Compliment you've received

#62
I play in a 90s cover band. Mostly alternative rock stuff, some hip hop and early 2000s alt rock. Our drummer plays in another band with an amazing far better bass player than me. Said bass player has come see our cover band play a few times and was raving about my tone, said it was perfect for what we are doing. Considering I suck compared to him, it was a compliment.
 
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#65
I’ve played on-and-off for many years with an older, much-nationally-awarded poly-instrumentalist, a man who is not inclined to give praise to anyone.

One night, after a gig, he comes up to me and says, “Mike, I really liked some of what you did tonight.”

I almost fainted and circled the date on the calendar in red.
 
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#67
Dabndug said:
I had just finished my first paid gig on upright, playing jazz standards, and was pleased that I'd managed to pretty much play error-free and maintain decent intonation and feel. A woman walked up and said "I guess you'll do until they can find a bass player"
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I overheard the bands guitarist make the same comment about me on a gig playing Sinatra tunes two months ago on a last second sub gig ......Damn !
 
#68
some of my favs that I can remember:

one of my rock bands playing at an outdoor festival thing, drunk guy comes up after our set to compliment us, goes up to the guitarist: "DUDE!! That was effin sick!! it was like you were playing..... SEVEN GUITARS!!!!!" then looks towards me, "you KNOW he's gettin some ;) ;)"

at a recording session with the same band, engineer through the talk back mic says "thanks for not having sh*ty bass tone"

in college I was an education major and my main instrument was trumpet, but only ever played classical, never was good at jazz or "commercial/legit" stuff. I picked up bass while in college and it quickly became my primary instrument. I auditioned previously for the show choir band on trumpet but didn't get it (they wanted a screamer, which I was not lol). I auditioned on bass and got in years later. The band director gave me one of the best back handed compliments ever, something to the effect of, "you couldn't really hack in on the trumpet but sure are a great bass player" lol ummmm thanks?

More of a heckler, but playing an outdoor gig in Wyoming, this one guy keeps yelling at me "MORE BASS!!!" or "TURN UP DA BASS!!!!" and other stuff. My amp was maxed, there was a PA, and literally nothing I could do to turn it up, not that I would since levels were set fine by the engineer... until one of the subs caught fire. No clue what they did, wired something wrong or phantom power or something, no clue, but it started smoking so I heckled back at him, "see what happens when I turn up? The speaker catches fire!" This was also the same gig an older lady flashed me and the keyboard player...

one of my favs, drunk lady at a dive bar walks past us to go smoke as we finished a set, she tells us we're great, etc. She then looks at me and says, "and you're a killer bass player. And you're sexy AF. For reals" and walks off. I wasn't really sure how to respond to that as a. I'm married, and b. I've NEVER ever gotten a compliment or have anyone flirt with me at a gig haha. I was flattered even if it was just the alcohol talking.
 
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#69
In 2000/2001 I used to do solo bass performances on electric bass at our local Barnes & Noble. Mind you, I had no looper beyond my little Boss DD-6 delay with a 'loop' feature - and was not anywhere near the level I needed to be at to do a proper performance like that, but I digress. A fellow came up to me afterwards and said he loved my playing and asked how much they paid me. I told him, and he said 'Well, I have a friend in New Orleans who plays bass who's not even as good as you and he won't take his bass out of the case for less than $200. Make sure you know your worth.' I learned a lot from that little interaction.

In 2002/2003 when I was playing for a classmate's recital/jury, we were doing a burning version of 'Caravan', and I was playing upright bass.... I had maybe been playing it for a year or 2 solid at that point and was still getting the basics together. We got 'out' in a good way at some points and even though it went off the rails a bit, it felt great. A random person who stopped by the recital hall to listen came up to me and said 'Man, I heard you up there playing bass, kickin' a** and taking names!' I got a good chuckle out of it.
 
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#71
silly anecdote: i played in a duo with a cowboy chord guitarist/vocalist playing pop covers, which left lots of room to fill, and so i did. one fellow talked to me on break and eventually opined with a bit of snarky tone, 'you play too many notes for a bassist. i'm a roots player, the bass should play the roots.' i replied, 'i just go up on stage and do my thing. if people dig it, great, if people don't like it, that's okay too.' he looked at me oddly for a moment, then smiled and said, 'that's cool.'
 
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#73
Ubersanger said:
I frequently get comments about people enjoying watching me play, with no comment about what it is that I am playing. Apparently, I look entertaining
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Our 3 pc gets lots of feedback like this. We have fun, enjoy each other's company and laugh/smile a lot. That kind of "happiness" in the band translates well to the audience.
 
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#74
noncompliment from a grizzled alto player every time before we used to do public tv spots (jazz) in Nyc... "Hey man, you have a face made for radio"

One of my first gigs, decades ago, my teacher brought a heavy weight drummer to the gig to sit in and critique, said to me "you pretty good man, but sometimes you were draggasauras rex"
 
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#75
oh! I forgot a good backhanded compliment. There is a drummer I knew from some jam sessions. These jams were the kind where everyone was a little silly, over playing, having fun, etc. (me included). Years later I get called to sub for a band and he's the drummer. Since it wasn't a silly jam I wasn't overplaying, playing what the song needed, etc.

He tells me after one of the practices "so, you learned how to play less"

ouch. but was a great reminder that less is more most of the time, and that yeah, I've grown up some and don't try to shred lol.
 
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#76
"Your hands move so fast over that big violin thing" - Old lady at a highschool band concert; our university combo did a few tunes between the HS bands as we had been coaching some of the HS combos/bands and the director wanted to let the parents see who was coaching their kids.

Ubersanger said:
I frequently get comments about people enjoying watching me play, with no comment about what it is that I am playing. Apparently, I look entertaining
Click to expand...
See, this is how you make em think past the sale!
 
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#77
I play in a classic rock cover band

“wow that sounded (almost like / almost as good as) the record”

About 10 years ago I played in an originals band. Some of the audience remembers that

“Why don’t you play some of the songs you wrote. They’re great songs and nobody will know when you f—— them up.”
 
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#78
Not at a gig, per se, and not even band related or bass related.

I sing at random times, and my wife loves hearing me sing and gets really excited when I do and will just sit and watch me do it. About 10 years ago or so, after being together for about 4 years at the time, I was scrolling through Netflix on a Christmas morning. I saw they had White Christmas, a movie I hadn't seen in AGES so I loaded it up let it start playing. My wife was back in our bedroom doing something, and when old Bing starts off those opening lines of the titular song, my wife comes running into the room with a big smile on her face and looks right at me. Turns and looks at the TV. Back at me. Her smile fades and she says, "I thought that was you singing!!" I said, "You've got to be joking!?" She shook her head and said, "No...I really thought it was you!"

Ever since then, I am expected to sing along with him when we watch the movie, which is now an annual tradition. :laugh:

I usually tell people that my wife thinks I sing like Bing Crosby. I don't think I do, but she sure does! :cool:
 
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