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Have you ever just blanked out on stage?

#101
eekamike said:
My band is trying to get some recordings of ourselves and work on our stage performance so we can have samples to send to bars. So we've been taking several charity church gigs, mostly populated by sweet old ladies at our church. I was cool with this because I knew we were working towards something bigger, and we definitely need the on stage practice. But right before we got on stage this last time, our drummer was like "I feel like we're just going to play to old ladies forever, who are going to patronizingly clap no matter what we do on stage."

I brushed it off, we played our first song, I saw old ladies in the audience clapping, and then I totally tilted based on his words, and I blanked out completely. I couldn't remember the chord progression for the next song at all, I couldn't use my ears to pick it back up, I couldn't remember anything. It was terrible. I played a few off key notes, then just stopped playing for the rest of the song while I got my mental poopie together. Have you ever blanked out on stage?
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Hey it could of not happened at a better venue , I guess the drummer actually was rite this time they'll clap anyway !
 
#106
Yup. I blame it on complacency. It's happened a handful of times on tunes I've played hundred's of times so I never practice them. It could be the key of the entire song, a chord progression, riff or just one particular chord I blank out on. I remember once, as a whole band we missed out an entire verse of Sweet Child O Mine - funny thing is, we all knew it went wrong but couldn't work out what it was!

If it ever happens I just do what I can to blag my way through the song, make a mental note of it and practice it when I get home.

PS, iPad's with setlist, lyrics, notes and key of each tune are very, very useful. I even have chord charts in line with lyrics for a few tunes - just in case.
 
#107
eekamike said:
My band is trying to get some recordings of ourselves and work on our stage performance so we can have samples to send to bars. So we've been taking several charity church gigs, mostly populated by sweet old ladies at our church. I was cool with this because I knew we were working towards something bigger, and we definitely need the on stage practice. But right before we got on stage this last time, our drummer was like "I feel like we're just going to play to old ladies forever, who are going to patronizingly clap no matter what we do on stage."

I brushed it off, we played our first song, I saw old ladies in the audience clapping, and then I totally tilted based on his words, and I blanked out completely. I couldn't remember the chord progression for the next song at all, I couldn't use my ears to pick it back up, I couldn't remember anything. It was terrible. I played a few off key notes, then just stopped playing for the rest of the song while I got my mental poopie together. Have you ever blanked out on stage?
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Welcome to my world... I cant remember jack from one song to another and I use a songbook. short term memory problems. Once you've mastered the art of faking, you are invincible. ;)
 
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#111
ga_edwards said:
Yup. I blame it on complacency. It's happened a handful of times on tunes I've played hundred's of times so I never practice them. It could be the key of the entire song, a chord progression, riff or just one particular chord I blank out on. I remember once, as a whole band we missed out an entire verse of Sweet Child O Mine - funny thing is, we all knew it went wrong but couldn't work out what it was!

If it ever happens I just do what I can to blag my way through the song, make a mental note of it and practice it when I get home.

PS, iPad's with setlist, lyrics, notes and key of each tune are very, very useful. I even have chord charts in line with lyrics for a few tunes - just in case.
Click to expand...

Yep. I'm lucky in that I can memorize a song quickly, chords words and all. Those we play a lot -- we have close to 100 in the last 3 years -- I can play in my sleep.

Sometimes I fall asleep playing them and then panic and chaos ensue.
 
#115
Yup, I did.
The last time it was on a trademark intro of a song where bass and guitar play unison. I was in the wrong key, so we stopped and did it again, which threw me off completely. All my muscle memory was gone and I could not remember a single note.
The Drummer was making fun of me, the audience was laughing and the guitar player made a show of coming over to my side of the stage and show me what to play, note for note, without turning down his amp.

I can take that stuff and easily shrug it off once the moment has passed, however.

I apologized to the audience and asked them if they were willing to give me one more try - they were even cheering me when I got it right this time (and made a show of it).

This stuff happens. If you have a good band and been through a couple of those moments (where ideally someone jumps in to cover for you) and they turned out not so bad after all, these moments become less scary - and happen less.
 
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#116
I played with "modern rock" cover band for about 6 months back in the late '90s. It was supposed to be just a few gigs until they could find permanent replacements for the guitar and bass players who quit. Singer is a friend, and asked me and another friend to help them out. I didn't really know most of the music, as it just isn't my cup of tea. I learned the songs quickly, but couldn't ever remember how they started or what key. I started writing the key next to each song on the setlist, but that didn't help me with the start. Fortunately, most of them started with a guitar riff intro. I eventually quit that band when it became obvious they were no longer looking for replacements.

I did some sub work for an ailing friend several years ago. Spent one summer with a very popular local classic rock cover band. They played a lot of cool stuff, including a boatload of Kansas songs. One gig at a large, packed venue, they inserted one of the Kansas songs I don't really know. When they asked if I could do it, I said, "Sure, I've heard it enough to fumble my way through it." I was wrong. When it got to the solo section, I had no idea what key(s) it was bouncing around in. So, after too many horrible seconds trying to figure it out, I just stopped playing. The drummer looked at me like "WTH, Dude?!" I threw my arms up and said, "I simply don't know this song." I picked it up again for the last verse and chorus. That was disappointing. "The Force" let me down big time that night.
 
#119
el murdoque said:
Yup, I did...
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This is everything. When the sh*t hits the fan, make it part of the entertainment.

I played in a super active, wildly energetic band once and the lead guitarist did an axe swing right into the mouth of the front mans face. Blood everywhere, not a beat missed, we kept on going. After the set, everyone thought it was a gag and part of the show.

Come to think of it, I think I sheered off a tuning peg that way one time too......
 

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