Did I screw up, or am I a hero?

[Dave Siff]

***UPDATE FOR ANYBODY JUST GETTING HERE AND NOT READING THE WHOLE THREAD: I APOLOGIZED, HE ACCEPTED. CARRY ON...***

So every year at my neighborhood pool, there’s an adults-only party. My band played it a couple of times. The beer, wine and liquor always flow freely at this shindig and things can go a little sideways…

This year they hired a cover band, who handed out song lists at the beginning of the night so people could come up and sing one. I can carry a tune and there were a couple of Rush songs on the list and there’s no bigger Rush fan than me, but I don’t sing with my band and I had no intention of jumping on-stage at this party. Until…

A neighborhood guy who I don’t even know got up there and sang some song which I don’t remember, and it wasn’t so good, but whatever. Everyone’s having a good time. Then he stayed up there, consulted briefly with the band, and they launched into “Tom Sawyer”. So I move close to the front of the stage ‘cause this is gonna be cool.

But right from the first line of vocals, he’s screwing it up. Badly. Off key, not in time with the band. I’m looking at him, we make eye contact, I’m mouthing the words in time, trying to get him back on track, and it’s not happening. And I’m thinking to myself, go ahead and desecrate the Cranberries or Sublime or ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’, but not Rush. Not on my watch.

So after “the river…”, I took the #%$^&* mic out of his hand and finished the song, in tune and on time. And the crowd went wild. This guy and his wife, however, did not.

Several minutes later, he saw me and said “not cool”, pretty forcefully. I apologized. He wasn’t having it. Then, a few minutes later, his wife comes charging at me, calling me every name in the book, saying I embarrassed her husband because I’m “a professional”, etc. And then they both stormed outta there, flipping me off.

Thinking about it later, if someone had done that to me, I probably would have been pretty pissed. Then again, I wouldn’t have been butchering one of the greatest songs in rock history. So, I’m dug in – sorry not sorry, as a massive Rush fan with some liquid courage, I did what I had to do.

Am I am heel or a hero?

 

[Skammie]

Hero all the way

 

[bholder]

Hero to all but 2. Net: Hero.

 

[two fingers]

So every year at my neighborhood pool, there’s an adults-only party. My band played it a couple of times. The beer, wine and liquor always flow freely at this shindig and things can go a little sideways…

This year they hired a cover band, who handed out song lists at the beginning of the night so people could come up and sing one. I can carry a tune and there were a couple of Rush songs on the list and there’s no bigger Rush fan than me, but I don’t sing with my band and I had no intention of jumping on-stage at this party. Until…

A neighborhood guy who I don’t even know got up there and sang some song which I don’t remember, and it wasn’t so good, but whatever. Everyone’s having a good time. Then he stayed up there, consulted briefly with the band, and they launched into “Tom Sawyer”. So I move close to the front of the stage ‘cause this is gonna be cool.

But right from the first line of vocals, he’s screwing it up. Badly. Off key, not in time with the band. I’m looking at him, we make eye contact, I’m mouthing the words in time, trying to get him back on track, and it’s not happening. And I’m thinking to myself, go ahead and desecrate the Cranberries or Sublime or ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’, but not Rush. Not on my watch.

So after “the river…”, I took the #%$^&* mic out of his hand and finished the song, in tune and on time. And the crowd went wild. This guy and his wife, however, did not.

Several minutes later, he saw me and said “not cool”, pretty forcefully. I apologized. He wasn’t having it. Then, a few minutes later, his wife comes charging at me, calling me every name in the book, saying I embarrassed her husband because I’m “a professional”, etc. And then they both stormed outta there, flipping me off.

Thinking about it later, if someone had done that to me, I probably would have been pretty pissed. Then again, I wouldn’t have been butchering one of the greatest songs in rock history. So, I’m dug in – sorry not sorry, as a massive Rush fan with some liquid courage, I did what I had to do.

Am I am heel or a hero?

Meh. It was drunk people at a party. Whatayagonna do?

Do you know them? I'm assuming they live in your hood. Maybe send flowers or something.

 

[JRA]

i voted "heel" because you probably weren't as drunk as the other guy and you took advantage of his 'reduced capacity' and then you 'rushed' to force your own agenda. i'd spot you some extra credit points, however, for being mistaken as a "professional." so: it's a wash.

 

[Dave Siff]

Do you know them? I'm assuming they live in your hood. Maybe send flowers or something.

I know the guy by sight but I don't recall ever actually meeting him before. I guess I still haven't.
I was thinking about a peace offering of my extra, unsigned copy of Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass.

 

[Oddly]

Honestly, I'm thinking 'Not Cool'.
It was a neighborhood party, which you spoiled for this guy just because you love a song.

Now I'm saying this as someone who wouldn't know a Rush song if it hit me in the face, so maybe I'm missing something here.
If it contains the meaning of the universe, the secret of how to cook bacon perfectly, a couple of lines guaranteed to get the woman of your dreams to ditch her husband and run away to Morocco with you, or the location of all the lost socks in the northern hemisphere, then maybe you've got some justification.
Otherwise, no.

Your idea of a peace offering...that is cool.
Seems like you realised you crossed a boundary, and want to make amends.
Go for it.

 

[Volker Kirstein]

So after “the river…”, I took the #%$^&* mic out of his hand and finished the song, in tune and on time. And the crowd went wild.
...
Am I am heel or a hero?

Heel. And that's putting it politely. I'd use stronger words.

While I'm pretty sure we've all felt this urge (I do almost every week when a certain player at the jams does his sing thing), actually doing so is very unprofessional, and a real dick move. I don't care that it was "karaoke" at a "neighborhood pool party", or that the crowd "loved it"... it was a total poophole thing to do, IMO. You wholeheartedly peed on someone else's parade, and publicly "humiliated them" to make yourself feel better.

 

[db59]

Thinking about it later, if someone had done that to me, I probably would have been pretty pissed.

...and here's your answer

 

[Rune Bivrin]

Not cool. The proper way would have been to go after him and upstage him.

 

[Dave Siff]

I appreciate all of your candid opinions on this.

 

[giacomobass]

So after “the river…”, I took the #%$^&* mic out of his hand and finished the song, in tune and on time. And the crowd went wild.

Did you also drop the mic at the end?

 

[Skammie]

I guess I'm biased since Tom Sawyer was the first Rush song I heard as a kid on the radio. You're still my hero.

 

[Winslow]

I was thinking about a peace offering of my extra, unsigned copy of Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass.

Whoa, let's not get too carried away here. It's not like you ran over his dog, wrecked his car, seduced his wife, burned down his house, or... y'know, something serious.

With regard to your respect for the Holy Triumvirate: Your impulse was pure, but sometimes, the circuits get shorted by external interference. It's just the feverish flux of human interface and interchange.

Maybe a sincere apology (possibly including a card, with some really Rush-nerdy lyrics worked into it!) would help smooth things over. Even better if a cold beer is involved. (Everybody needs a mood lifter!)

In any case, good luck!

 

[bholder]

I understand the "chump move" responses, but the fact that dude's wife was angrier than dude speaks volumes to me - dude knew he stank it up, was likely relieved to be relieved of finishing, but had to save face in front of wifey.

 

[onda'bass]

I just let him crash and burn, not my gig and I don’t jump in unannounced.

 

[theduke1]

Not cool very self serving, but class is something you can not beg, steal, or borrow.
You either have it or you don’t
In this case you weren’t even close
IMVHO
DUKE

 

[giacomobass]

Did anyone else find this story entertaining? Looks entirely like a movie scene to me.

That said, if a pissed North American adult confronted me saying "Not cool", I think I would poop my pants, being the sheepish non belligerent European that I am.

 

[gelinas666]

Just let him do his thing.. Take the next "Rush" song on the list and kill it with your talent when it's your time if you like..

 

[bholder]

Just let him do his thing.. Take the next "Rush" song on the list and kill it with your talent when it's your time if you like..

The proper passive-aggressive thing to do would have been to let him finish, then request it again and blow him away. That'd be just cruel.