Drunk guy didn't like my playing.

[bassbones2]

Ok…….here ya go.
All occurred at the “Grog and Tankard” in DC late 80’s-early 90’s

1) super friendly drunk guys dressed in construction gear got the whole place rolling and dancing….real life of the party guys to everyone. Great night

2) super “I love you guys” drunk dude wanted to hug us all….dancing crazy by himself. Talked us up during a break and hopped into a car and proceeded to bounce off of cars driving down the hill from one side to another all while a cop with his lights on was behind him.

3) a friend of the band was getting the stink eye all night from this drunk dude for no reason. Tried to ease things with a free drink and a snack…..half way into the second set I’m grooving and the drummer points to the bar floor with his stick I look out to a pile of people on the floor fighting …I put the bass down and jump in. Start pulling people apart…the first guy I grab turns out to be Kaleb the bar owner……..
“Whoops” the second guy I grab turns out to be Kalebs brother…..”whoops” after awhile we get the guy out the door.

JB

 

[Rib 13]

Ah......Folded Arms Guy........he has been a fixture at every gig since the beginning of time......he's usually stoic but there's been times where alcohol can bring out the verbal beast

 

[Bass Man Dan]

The best one was when our drummer was sound checking his kick and an old drunk guy loudly proclaimed "You'll never get anywhere playing one drum!"

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

The best one was when our drummer was sound checking his kick and an old drunk guy loudly proclaimed "You'll never get anywhere playing one drum!"

The ones with more talent than us almost always wind up in a bar ... on a Friday night ... drunk ... without a date ... but they know our job better than we do, I tells ye!

 

[MtManiac]

Hey everyone, wanted to share a rather bizarre story that happened to me last week at a gig.

We were going through the third and final set at a bar/restaurant, business as usual. IIRC, it was the first night of 4 consecutive shows.

As were rapping up a song, the crowd is cheering, people are enjoying themselves, dancing, etc.
This drunk guy gets up out of his seat at the table next to the stage, and this is where the fun begins.

Drunky: "Hey! Turn down your f****** bass! You suck!"
Me: *Suprised pikachu face* "Oh thank you so much man! I appreciate your support!"
Drunky: "A Monkey with a guitar could f****** play better than you!"
Me: *Nods and laughs* "I really appreciate the support! Have a good night!"

Dude storms out of the backdoor and disappears into the night. BL overheard some of this, and during the next song proceeds to walk off stage, while playing, and look around for the guy. Couldn't find him

BL was like "man I was about to find that MFer and beat his ass" which I guess made me feel better, but you know if push came to shove, I did have the high ground on Mr. Drunky...

BL is the kind of guy who would throw down for his friends/bandmates in a heartbeat. We had a good laugh about it, but we were still confused about why that dude was so irate.

Turns out though, the drunk guy was with another drunk guy who kept bugging the drummer in between sets to let him play a few songs on drums, was rude to the staff, etc. So I am assuming that the dude who lashed out at me was maybe a musician who wanted to get on stage and play bass in his intoxicated state? Who knows...

The whole thing became an inside joke the rest of the week/weekend, and I had a great time playing.

Anyone got any funny/crazy drunk patron stories?

Yeah definitely an angry bass player. Likely mad that he doesn’t have a gig.

These people who always wanna sit in instead of getting their own gigs… what’s up with them? Dude, I’m getting paid to play here, sit down in your seat and don’t forget to tip your server.

 

[Geogio]

Hey everyone, wanted to share a rather bizarre story that happened to me last week at a gig...
As we're rapping up a song, the crowd is cheering, people are enjoying themselves, dancing, etc...

This drunk guy gets up out of his seat at the table next to the stage, and this is where the fun begins...

Turns out though, the drunk guy was with another drunk guy who kept bugging the drummer in between sets to let him play a few songs on drums, was rude to the staff, etc...

Don't overthink this...

Two drunks and they're hassling the band and the bar staff, and the manager didn't do anything?

Why don't you call up the bar manager and ask if perhaps the next time a situation like that occurs if he/she could grow a pair and take care of it themselves (i.e. bounce them).

Everyday somebody gets their ass handed to them (or worse) by a drunk, a blackout drunk, a whiskey drunk, They're totally unpredictable.

I wonder if they hopped in their car and proceeded to almost kill several people on the way home?

 

[Shoreline Gold]

A couple of drunken nights rolling on the floor
Is just the kind of mess I'm looking for
I'm gonna dream till Monday comes in sight
I want to see the bright lights tonight

 

[Chickenwheels]

Last Saturday we played a club. Crowd were hilarious. Weird dancing and clothing, twerking galore. Tanked. One weirdo mooned the stage. One biddy kept trying to drag us down to dance with her…while we’re playing. Good times.

 

[dangevans]

Had a guy come up after a show who loved my playing, but told me I should never play flatwounds and to buy a Hartke amp instead. Really for no reason. I was polite, sort of ignored him knowing that my set up has worked for almost 30 years with no issue.
A little later, he asked our bl what it would cost for us to play a gig at this guys homtown 2 hours away. "2150", the Bl says. So then the guy asks about a discount since it would be or first time there. Bl says "Sure. 2100." And we all laughed at the guy.
Never saw him again.

 

[dangevans]

Funny. A couple of decades ago, there was a "real bass players play with fingers" thing going on. I'm embarrassed to admit I was on that bandwagon. These days that's a lot more rare. I use all kinds of picks for different attacks. I keep half a dozen kinds on my mic stand pick holder.

Yep. Still run into those guys, and they never say anything else once they hear my tone.

 

[RichardW]

We had a drunk lady come up on stage, grab a tambourine, and start, uhm, "helping" with the rhythm. Her rhythm skills were about as good as you would imagine a drunk, non-musician's rhythm skills to be.

 

[Minimalist]

The best one was when our drummer was sound checking his kick and an old drunk guy loudly proclaimed "You'll never get anywhere playing one drum!"

I can see them being really proud when your drummer listened to their advice and played "more" drums during the gig.

 

[lbbc]

Drunks have always, and will always, be a "thing to deal with".

I was playing a dive bar near the Delaware beaches. The stage was directly in front of a hallway to the men's bathroom to the left (and exit from the bar to the right). I had 2 basses with me, an Alembic Persuader and a Rickenbacker (Montezuma Brown)... AND was on the side of the stage nearest this hallway. While we were playing, a drunk guy tried to grab my Alembic, which was on a guitar stand, and leave out the side door. I caught him out of the corner of my eye and as his hand was reaching for my bass, I spun around and kicked him in the chest. The bouncers took him out. We never played there again.

Drunk girls are a whole other thing. They are usually very flirty....I just tell them "the lead singer is my wife" (which she IS) and that usually takes care of the situation.

 

[Fstnblbs]

Sometimes the tipsy comments/replies are pretty funny.. Playing a dive in Harrisburg,Pa.. some years ago, a drunk guy yells out, " Play Sultans of Swing!" Our BL shouted back, "We don't play that normally.."
Drunk guy yells back, "Well, play it abnormally then!" Guffaws all 'round!

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

... Drunk girls are a whole other thing. They are usually very flirty....I just tell them "the lead singer is my wife" (which she IS) and that usually takes care of the situation.

Unfortunately, I was the other end of the spectrum.

Gene Simmons once said: "Anyone who tells you they started a band to add to the musical integrity of mankind is full of ____. It's the women!"

Back then, I was in full agreement.

 

[Robert B]

Drunks are a large reason I lost interest in playing gigs after 25 years. I found myself asking, "Is this what I want from life? To be worshipped and put on a pedestal by a bunch of drunks?" The answer was, "No!"

 

[two fingers]

We had a drunk lady come up on stage, grab a tambourine, and start, uhm, "helping" with the rhythm. Her rhythm skills were about as good as you would imagine a drunk, non-musician's rhythm skills to be.

I used to play in a band that did probably 59 weddings a year. We kept all kinds of aux percussion toys on stage for brides/bridesmaids. We were great sports about letting them get on stage and have some fun. Let's just say that at some weddings, when the wine was flowing like a river, it was a challenge to stay on tempo. Our drummer just had to tune them out completely. I just had to tune into my drummer.

 

[MegaSwing]

That’s just ridiculous. Some people shouldn’t drink in public.

 

[bassliner50]

That was a helpful drunk. Where can I find him? (You handled it perfectly BTW, by de-weaponizing his insults!)

 

[ebo]

I was recently at a club watching a band when a drunk woman came up and started flirting with me. She said the band was boring and needed help. She then went on stage during a song, picked up the guitarists backup guitar off its stand and started air guitaring with it. They looked at me like, “Get your drunk a.. girlfriend outta here!” I was horrified. I dont know the woman! Fell on deaf ears. She came back up to me and said, “ these guys suck” and left.