How would you react?

[jjbamaman]

One of the last gigs I played at one of our local wineries, the young man in charge of "helping" the band and direct them where to setup and all that jazz did something I would never dream of doing. Perhaps I'm overreacting or even over-thinking the whole situation but I would think it would be common sense. At the end of our gig, we would typically play music through our PA (we always supplied all of our own gear unless there was house sound) while we were breaking down. Well, about 3 minutes into tearing down our gear, I hear a pop and the music stopped. This young man straight pulled the extension cords out of the sockets. This was an outdoor gig with a small stage right next to the main building. No warning, no nothing, just pulled the plugs. A fair amount of our gear was still plugged in and on, of course the PA being one of them as we had just started to tear down. We had played dozens of gigs at this winery and never had anyone do anything like that, we always had the same routine there. There was no time frame for us to be cleared out or anything, we were the only band that day. I just find this completely unacceptable and nerve racking. My band mates at the time didn't really seem to be bothered by it but I was livid.

1st: Have you checked out all the equipment for damage?
2nd: What did you say or do to the helper immediately following his boneheaded decision?
3rd: Have you spoken to management about his problem?

 

[mjmeche]

All you guys wanting to get in the guy's face or kick his a$$ are ridiculous. It was a mistake. Lighten the ---- up before you throw out a hip.

Not kick his arse, but if he doesn’t know how to connect and disconnect musical gear then he needs to stay out!

 

[GroovinOnFunk]

There could be additional variables that could have been affected, such as a recording process, hard drives, etc. It's not just about amps and PA's. Him not knowing what we had plugged in or going on is the issue.

Why are you stressing about "what could have been?"
You'll find many instances, throughout many gigs, where you need to just shut up and walk away for the benefit of everyone involved. No harm, no foul.
IMO your bandmates handled this situation perfectly. You should thank them for talking some sense into you and not letting you embarrass yourself and the band by going at this kid all hot-headed and trying to "teach him a lesson" for much ado about nothing.

 

[gln1955]

So many irrational responses here to an ultimately harmless mistake goes to show why some bands aren't asked back or venues decide that dealing with bands isn't worth it and "pull the plug" on live music.

 

[VS]

Why are you stressing about "what could have been?"
You'll find many instances, throughout many gigs, where you need to just shut up and walk away for the benefit of everyone involved. No harm, no foul.
IMO your bandmates handled this situation perfectly. You should thank them for talking some sense into you and not letting you embarrass yourself and the band by going at this kid all hot-headed and trying to "teach him a lesson" for much ado about nothing.

I think half of you have made a bigger deal out of this thread than I ever did about the situation. I never said anything about "teaching him a lesson" or acted "hot headed". I simply stated I was livid, to myself, in my own head. I wasn't ranting and raving or cursing or any of that. The only reason my band mates said anything was because I said maybe I should talk to the supervisor about what this guy did and they said not to. That was the extent of the discussion. You pretty much blew my entire statement into something it wasn't out of your own interpretation of what happened.

 

[sean_on_bass]

That's how I felt, that he really just didn't have a clue. I do feel that if you employ someone to do a specific job, they should at least be knowledgeable about the absolute basics of their purpose there.

it's probably not really his job to help with sound or gear, but more so coordinate.

 

[jerry]

Bar staff have more influence over who works their clubs than people realize, busboys become bartenders and bartenders become managers who book the gigs, and remember always tip.

 

[Jazzdogg]

I have little ability to control the world around me. But, I do get to choose how I react to what happens in the world around me.

Choose calm and self-control, not for others, but for yourself; do not succumb to the impulses of your amygdala.

 

[sean_on_bass]

The way to avoid unplanned stressors is to prevent them from happening. My brother owns his own PA and whenever he takes it out, his first move when we are done is to shut down everything and uncouple from house power. Only then do we begin breaking down and loading out. I have no idea why he does it that way, but after reading about OP's recent experience it may well be he's had something like that happen in the past. As his band was my first real band experience, I adopted the same basic method. When done my first move is to power down and unplug from house power, then wipe down and case my bass, unplug everything, stow my gear in its usual case and/or bag, stack it all together, and start helping break down the rest of the band.

I like his style. Right after the last note i start turning off power switches.

 

[sean_on_bass]

When I saw him at the net rehearsal, I handed him the bill; he laughed and said "Call it patina". I told the conductor what happened, and never saw him again.

I dont think many of my bandmates could even afford to cover a repair to my double bass. i just chalk these things up to normal wear and tear. easier to cover it myself than chase down a broke musician pay the bill.

 

[pie_man_25]

Dude was probably clueless. Might have been a teachable moment.

This is my first assumption. Plenty of folks just don't know about this stuff.

I'd also be the sort to insist that only I and maybe one specific delegated person can set up and tear down the PA.

if I were bringing my own PA to any gig (if I had one to bring, as well) , I'd probably have it insured. My gigging rig is less than a grand in total, can't build a PA for that - I'd consider it worth consideration.

 

[Phaidrus]

 

[brianrost]

I would have been p-o’d if something had actually been damaged. Otherwise who cares, it’s happened to me before.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I'd probably just pull him aside and explain to him how mixers and gear are essentially computers today and you want to shut them down cleanly instead of just pulling power. No need to yell at him or anything. You don't want your gear screwed up and you don't want to be on the bad side of the venue. So, the diplomatic approach in this case.

 

[lunarpollen]

sounds like he was probably clueless and had no idea what the consequences of his actions were

 

[Wambemando]

sounds like he was probably clueless and had no idea what the consequences of his actions were

I picture some punk kid that didn't like the music and has never learned the consequences of his actions.
Sounds like he didn't this time, either.

 

[SAlcott]

I dont think many of my bandmates could even afford to cover a repair to my double bass. i just chalk these things up to normal wear and tear. easier to cover it myself than chase down a broke musician pay the bill.

He wasn't a "broke musician". He, like me, was member of a community orchestra, playing music just to play music. He drove a high end Lexus. I take the subway.

 

[DanBass]

He was sending a subtle message.

 

[Eric Ryan]

How would you react?

By yelling...probably...

 

[5StringBlues]

Finish the #^$%ing story! What happened? What about the glands?