Have you played on a moving stage?

[LBS-bass]

Depends on how drunk I was. But, seriously, I don't think so.

 

[JimmyM]

I played the Westbury and the two places in Massachusetts where the stage rotates, and I didn't particularly enjoy them but we had no problem with the crowd. I also used to play a gambling day cruise ship that could be very unpleasant if the weather was bad.

 

[McTred]

Truck bed in a Halloween parade. Extreme stops and starts plus cold weather... That's a one time experience thank you very much.

 

[GretschWretch]

Truck bed in a Christmas parade. No extreme stops or starts, but even colder weather.

 

[sawzalot]

I've played on stages that moved that were just shaking under the load, and on stages that moved because part of it collapsed. Watched my guitar player go flying off the end. Landed on his feet though.

 

[sardocs]

Then there's this ....

 

[Jeff Haislip]

I also played on the Music City Queen in Nashville during the mid 1980s. I have to admit when we were leaving the docking area I looked to my left out one of the windows and started to get a little sick. Luckily it got dark pretty quickly and it turned out to be a great gig.

 

[selowitch]

Yeah, I thought so but it turned out that I had merely been drunk that night.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Another active topic about “biggest crowd”, reminded me of playing on moving stages.

I’ve played the slow rotating turntables that turn 360* one direction , then reverse. Those always seemed a bit strange as I could never focus on the audience and it’s hard to get any energy back.

I have played on boat dinner cruises and was far less comfortable on those. The worst was on a modest sized party boat, maybe 100-150 passengers. Were were set up facing backwards and the cruise was up and down a steep banked canal. I always had the reverse motion against the canal bank in my vision. I never seemed to have my normal balance and while not quite sick, I wasn’t right at all. It was a little better when I had some vocals because it required all my attention.

I’ve never played on a trailer or truck bed that was moving, but I’d imagine it’s quite a trip!

Does anyone have experience or stories to share?
Trucks, bus roofs, boats, trailers, parade floats, airplanes?

I played a couple parades while playing trumpet. Wasn’t really into it.

As far as bass the closest thing I’ve had to deal with is some really wobbly stages. Particularly remember the worst. We were basically side entertainment for a NBADL game. Set up on the floor of a giant arena. The production company used a couple sections of the pro level modular stage stuff. I’ve worked for two production companies when I was younger, basically being a mule carrying stuff and setting up. That type of stage gets more sturdy as you add more sections, but because it was so tall and they only used A couple sections it was really wobbly. That combined with the crazy slap back of that arena made it a challenging gig. It was fun to play that big of a room with so many people. But I remember the guys saying to try not to move because of how bad the stage moved and fighting that slap back the entire gig(turning up amps and cranking the monitors in an effort to hear ourselves over the PAs echo bouncing around the arena) Can definitely see how in ears are beneficial in a venue like that.

 

[jamro217]

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! The nightmares! A July Fourth parade float. Jerking back and forth without warning. No sides. 100 degrees. Sweating into my eyes. Blind, burnt, off balance, amp kept quitting due to the heat, no monitors... Worst day of my life.

 

[jdh3000]

Maybe not exactly the type of moving your talking about but trailer beds... One in particular we play every 4th of July, moves a lot... Not real stable...

Actually a regular place we play scares me... It's in the bar upstairs over the restaurant... the place always packs out, I'm sure above capacity... Sometimes when the dance floor fills up you can feel the building sway some, so yes, that stage moves.

If anyone is familiar with a line dance that's done to Copperhead Road, for some reason that one really gets it moving... I'm glad that by that time of the night the restaurant has cleared out... I just know it's going to collapse one of these days... Hope I'm not there when it happens...

 

[Diamond_Dave]

It certainly was:
Got any band pics with the "Po-Po?"

I was wondering if my comedy routine in the back of a police car would count.

 

[garp]

Every stage I've ever played on has been moving at a minimum of 750 m.p.h. It's truly a wonder that I'm still on the planet. Thank you, gravity.

 

[DeepSouth]

Sort of. Played a wedding on the upper deck of a 2 story party barge.
The lake was really choppy and the wind was up. Felt sick the entire gig.
Felt better after getting paid $1000 for my effort tho!

 

[BassinCT]

Boat gig in the intracoastal waterway near Morehead city, NC. It was the worst gig I have ever had to do. The low voltage, stiff breeze from the ocean, the constant rocking + the smell of engine exhaust. I won’t do those anymore

 

[Paulabass]

I played the old Forum stage in Toronto. We had a small crowd and things were going ok for about 2 songs, then at the CNE stage about 300 yards away The WHO started, and drowned us right out. We quit early cause it was a total cacaphony.

 

[logdrum]

Yes. A float. With a quite inverter generator.

 

[Thegrandwazoo]

I've played upright in an old time string band on a rolling haywagon, does that count? Haha!

 

[boylebass]

I used to play tuba in a Dixie band and all we did was parades from the back of a restored REO fire truck. We played the opening day parade in downtown Cincy for many years.

I've played lots of riverboat gigs out of Cincinnati as well. Jazz cruises, weddings, corporate stuff, Tall Stacks, etc...

 

[Playbyear]

I've played upright in an old time string band on a rolling haywagon, does that count? Haha!

Yes, any kind of moving stage counts!
Where you playing upright?
At least you'd have something to lean on!