Best compliment you got after a gig......

[jfh2112]

I have two:

Back in the mid-nineties, I was in a cover band and we were trying to get started. Drummer knew a couple guys from another working band in the area and arranged a sit-in for us as a promo for our band. We sat in on "Long Train Running", by the Doobie Brothers. They had a stellar guitarist, and extended the outro into a long solo, so I got to goof a bit. After the song, I go to hand their bassist back his bass, and he said, "Naw, you can take it with you!"

A few years ago, I was on a church youth trip as the backing band. We played two churches in southern TX. I had recently got my six-string and was using it. After playing at the first church, there was a meal - you know how Southern Baptists get down. Anyway, there was a little old lady there who stopped me on my way out, and said, "you can just come back and play that banjo anytime!"

 

[podiumboy]

Best compliment I ever got in my old band (together from 2000-2009) ; "You guys would be pretty good if you got a different singer!"

 

[Smooth_bass88]

"good job" is the worst thing you can say to a player. The only way we grow is if we accept our weaknesses and listen to criticisms.

 

[1st Bass]

If the ONLY thing a player ever gets is criticism, there won't be many players. True for every walk of life. Try it on whoever cooks your evening meal. All criticism? Not a good reward for hard work. "Good job!" goes a long way toward validation.

 

[Frankjohnson]

I played a blues club one time, that was known for good bands (we actually played there a lot - but this was one particular time mind you).....
an older guy in mismatched pants and jacket came up to me after the set, and said he was an old blues guy who just loved the music and never really made it.
He told me "i'm gonna call you small change - cause you always in the pocket!" I will never forget it - I asked him what he was drinking - and got him a double!

 

[JRA]

"you guys are great....what instrument do you play?"

 

[d-dave]

I'm in a 3-piece blues rock jam band. Came off stage after playing a set Saturday night. There were several people videoing us and live streaming us. One person in particular I had noticed seemed to be videoing just me for a great deal of the show. I was thinking, "Yeah... can't possibly be focusing on me. It just seems that way." After the show, I was standing over by the bar waiting for a pop and dude comes up (it was the drummer for the next band), shakes my hand and says, "Man... thank you for being so talented," and just turned and went to the stage to set up for their set. I had no clue what to say (thankfully, he didn't give me time to fumble with words) because 1.) I'm extremely self-deprecating and my own worst critic and 2.) what do you even say to that? I have no control whatsoever over how much "talent" I have or don't have. Still... one of the best compliments I've ever gotten, no matter how difficult to swallow.

 

[Ductapeman]

I'm in a 3-piece blues rock jam band. Came off stage after playing a set Saturday night. There were several people videoing us and live streaming us. One person in particular I had noticed seemed to be videoing just me for a great deal of the show. I was thinking, "Yeah... can't possibly be focusing on me. It just seems that way." After the show, I was standing over by the bar waiting for a pop and dude comes up (it was the drummer for the next band), shakes my hand and says, "Man... thank you for being so talented," and just turned and went to the stage to set up for their set. I had no clue what to say (thankfully, he didn't give me time to fumble with words) because 1.) I'm extremely self-deprecating and my own worst critic and 2.) what do you even say to that? I have no control whatsoever over how much "talent" I have or don't have. Still... one of the best compliments I've ever gotten, no matter how difficult to swallow.

You learn to smile widely and shake hands and say "Thanks, my friend" with some sincerity-- most of the audience of course has no idea what you actually do, so accept the compliment gracefully--

 

[Sub300Hertz]

Opening for an established band with famous (local) musicians. During our 35-40 min gig I noticed them at the side stage, dancing and cheering our songs with their entourage. Cool stuff.

 

[One_Dude]

One of the best compliments I have received came from the father-in-law of one of my band-mates. This father-in-law was the long time owner of a local music club where he played ragtime piano, and had music nightly by various local musicians. After hearing us play, he said to my band-mate; "hot damn bass player you got there". Not sure I ever met the father-in-law, because he passed away shortly after that. A treasured memory however.

 

[Wicked G]

Not really the best compliment but certainly the funniest. One night after a gig, this drunk guy walks up to me and tells me "You're the most powerful sounding bass player I have ever heard." I then point at my TC Electronic RH450 and RS210 cabs and tell him "That is my secret weapon." He then looks at me very strangely and says "You need to learn how to take a compliment."

 

[Stinsok]

While loading out a guy says to us "y'all sound like a real band."

 

[OogieWaWa]

Last year, I came in new to this band, and we only practiced together four or five times, only once with the singer. All life-long players, although she (singer) is only 25, the guitarists daughter, and I have played jam nights occasionally with the drummer for all of my meager 9 years playing.

The first gig was the gig from hell, but that's another thread; nobody in the band's fault although I did screw up a couple of times. Anyway, a couple more times going over things with the guitarist, and I practiced at home an average of two+ hours a day for a month, and we have our second gig.

A guy from my work shows up, and he's a long-time drummer, 40+ years, and a local legend. After the gig, he told me that the drummer and I were about the tightest pair he'd ever heard. That was pretty cool.

Edit: this drummer taught me about Bootsy's "the one" about five years ago; best critical advice ever.

 

[Biggbass]

" Hey man, I like those boots"

 

[John Swartz]

" Hey man, I like those boots"

Oh, you said BOOTS...

 

[Gaolee]

Making a long story short, for a variety of reasons, I had a gig with a band that had been thrown together about a week before the show. I was switching from electric to upright, the guitarist had just switched from drums, the drummer had just started playing, and the singer had intonation issues. Somehow, we managed to pull off two sets without any major derailments or awful excursions into clearing the room. Afterward, my brother said "That was the most punk rock show I have seen in years. None of you know what you are doing, but it all held together somehow." We weren't playing anything like punk rock, but I'll take the compliment, backhanded or otherwise. Nothing like family to set you straight!

 

[ak56]

Answered a craigslist ad looking for a sub bass player for a Sunday evening church service in Seattle about a month and a half ago. Sent an email, mentioning the fact that I knew who he was through the local choral music scene (the choir I'm in had done some events with his choir) and got a response back that he had another bass player interested, and they were going to meet Thursday morning, but if it didn't work out he would contact me.

Thursday morning I get a call. The other guy was not going to work (quote: "I should have asked him a few questions before meeting with him"). I answered his questions (fairly basic), even anticipating where he was going on some before he finished asking, and him knowing I was a singer he assumed I could actually read music. Since time was short, he decided to take a chance and have me come straight to the rehearsal on Saturday, without meeting me first. Music was sent to me on Friday.

After the rehearsal on Saturday, he commented "I'm glad you turned out to be what you said you were".

 

[327]

I played Electric Bass in the high school band. I was new to this particular school and they hadn't had someone playing the bass before. So at the time I was very active in learning new songs and playing a few hours a day.

During the first football half time, we lined up and played all the songs... pretty ho-hum stuff. Then we closed with "The Time Warp" which I had been working on for a few days prior. I'm just standing there rocking out and as I was walking back to were the band sits with my bass some older guy comes out of the crowd and just tells me "You really kicked ass on that time warp!" He said he plays the bass and was watching me run it up and down the board and he was impressed. It felt great at the time and I still remember it.

 

[BrewsterRooster]

We'd just gotten done playing an Al Green tune at a gig here in Chattanooga. A guy walked up to me and wanted to shake hands. He was all smiles and said the bassline had sounded incredible (which was itself a very nice compliment, because I tend to "customize" that particular bass part). He mentioned he also played bass. I thanked him and offered him to sit in for a few tunes, to which he said, "Dude, no way am I going to try following that on bass. I'll play a little guitar with y'all, though, if it's OK with everybody." So he slung up an acoustic and proceeded to play and sing a few tunes, sounding excellent on all levels. Strong vocalist, solid rhythm playing, clearly experienced. When we got done, he came back and again shook hands, thanking me profusely and saying how he just loved the feel of what we had going on. After the gig, we chatted a little more about music in general. Good conversation, good guy.

Later, as we were packing up, I found out he was (at the time) Travis Tritt's touring bass player and harmony vocalist. Not that somebody has to be "big" for a compliment to have meaning, of course, but it had a unique impact coming from somebody with creds.

 

[Goatee220]

About 10 years ago I was subbing for a well known "live" hip hop group. Between sets a rather large (and inebriated) guy sits down next and says with a very serious look on his face "you are the blackest white man I've ever heard." It made my year!!!

I had a black friend of our lead singer tell me one time after our set "You must have been black in a former life". When I asked why, he said "Because you drop down the funk like a brother!" I absolutely love that.