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On stage fails
- Thread starter basssist
- Start date
try running around a stage in 20 eye docs and slipping on water from a waterbottle thrown on stage and falling and unplugging yourself...
Nothing special - just started playing the wrong song. The worst thing is, though, that the song had an 8-bar guitar intro... and I got it confused with a song we'd written ourselves. FML.
Was playing one of my first gigs. There was another bassist involved who was playing too. Thought it would be interesting to see what 2 bass players can do. Time came to play our original song and I got really excited and started slapping away to no end... song finished and the lights came on... I looked down and my cable was unplugged all througout the song.
Few gigs ago I started playing Edwin Starr's War half-step lower. And continued quite some time. Should've played it through in rehearsal. Or at least check out the chord sheet. Good thing it was our encore and the audience didn't mind.
One of our gigs had a memorable beginning. Our drummer started (and played whole of the song) in way fast tempo. Then the next song (which was Ryan Adams-like arrangement of Wonderwall) in even faster tempo. Bye bye beautiful melody, hello rap. And then the third song, fast tempo and wrong beat. Bye bye original melody, hello improvised melody. And pretty much improvised everything else. The audience didn't notice. Don't know if that's a good thing or not.
One of our gigs had a memorable beginning. Our drummer started (and played whole of the song) in way fast tempo. Then the next song (which was Ryan Adams-like arrangement of Wonderwall) in even faster tempo. Bye bye beautiful melody, hello rap. And then the third song, fast tempo and wrong beat. Bye bye original melody, hello improvised melody. And pretty much improvised everything else. The audience didn't notice. Don't know if that's a good thing or not.
I've luckily avoided On stage fails, but everytime my singer talks between songs, it's an onstage fail, lol! I'm gonna try and userp frontman duties at our next gig.
At the local club my punk band used to play often, I knew the distance from the stage to the floor (about 3 feet) and would occasionally jump into the crowd if it felt right. We went to an out of town gig and the stage was quite a bit higher. I jumped out to a speaker that was in front of the stage and thought "eh, it's not too much higher than normal." Chuck Taylors + carpeted floor + 5+ foot leap = me landing on my backside with my bass on top of me. I jumped up and ran back up the stairs to the stage like it was no big deal even though I was in a tremendous amount of pain. I decided that 38 years old was the cutoff for jumping off stage and haven't done it since.
I got songs by one artist confused. I thought we were starting "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5 which we start with drums and guitar, however we were actually starting "This Love" and I play the main synthy part with some chorus and octave and totally missed it for the first time through. I'll never confuse those songs again!
We were playing a gig at the Delta-Plex (The old arena in GR, it's where they still do the Circus when it comes to town.) The stage isn't a permanent installation, so the power comes from cable that runs under an overhead garage type door that leads to the loading dock.
We followed another band, and were like 3 or 4 songs into our set when my bass rig cuts out. I was using the DI out of my amp, so there is NO BASS AT ALL!!!!!
So, I'm still playing (with nothing coming out) turn my amp off. Turn it back on.......... Nothin. I turned it back off, unplugged the input cable, turned it back on........ Nothin. I plugged back in, still playing so I would be "there" if I ever got back into the mix........
Suddenly, power comes back on, and I finished the set OK.
It must have taken 2 minutes or so, but being onstage at THE ARENA at the time made it seem like HOURS!
It turned out that as the previous band was loading out via the loading dock, someone kicked a wire out of a plug backstage. My sound guy was at the gig (not running sound), and it was him that noticed I had no power, and followed the cable back to where it was unplugged.
It was a really tense moment, but THANK GOD for my sound guy!!!!!!!
We followed another band, and were like 3 or 4 songs into our set when my bass rig cuts out. I was using the DI out of my amp, so there is NO BASS AT ALL!!!!!
So, I'm still playing (with nothing coming out) turn my amp off. Turn it back on.......... Nothin. I turned it back off, unplugged the input cable, turned it back on........ Nothin. I plugged back in, still playing so I would be "there" if I ever got back into the mix........
Suddenly, power comes back on, and I finished the set OK.
It must have taken 2 minutes or so, but being onstage at THE ARENA at the time made it seem like HOURS!
It turned out that as the previous band was loading out via the loading dock, someone kicked a wire out of a plug backstage. My sound guy was at the gig (not running sound), and it was him that noticed I had no power, and followed the cable back to where it was unplugged.
It was a really tense moment, but THANK GOD for my sound guy!!!!!!!
I've had a lot. Broken strings, drummer moved his hi-hat onto my power strip turning off my whole bass rig 2 seconds before starting a song, had a tuner pedal break, screw came out of the body holding the strap pin on, etc.
One time when I came back into the song after the guitar solo, I forgot to turn the volume back up on my bass.
More recently, our band was playing the RHCP version of Higher Ground but had switched over to more of a Stevie rhythm on it. So, I started out the song into with the RHCP rhythm and couldn't for the life of me get back on track to how we were supposed to be playing it. I can usually recover pretty quickly, but that one was a trainwreck and we had to start over.
More recently, our band was playing the RHCP version of Higher Ground but had switched over to more of a Stevie rhythm on it. So, I started out the song into with the RHCP rhythm and couldn't for the life of me get back on track to how we were supposed to be playing it. I can usually recover pretty quickly, but that one was a trainwreck and we had to start over.
Few memories came back.
One time we were playing in some youth center party. So we are going on the stage, through the audience. The audience applauses and I'm feeling a bit rock star-ish. That all ends when I get up on the stage and notice that maybe I should've set up my pedals before the gig starts :scowl: And then few songs into the set I notice it could've been a good idea to change the battery on my tuner.
Few times either I have or the singer has stepped on my tuner and muted me. One time I panicked because the amp was mute from the get-go. Fortunately we had long intro... and it was easy fix. Turn up the volume, dummy. It's also very good idea to check your stage volume if the band before you was loud punk band and you're playing pussy folk-ish stuff.
One time we were playing in some youth center party. So we are going on the stage, through the audience. The audience applauses and I'm feeling a bit rock star-ish. That all ends when I get up on the stage and notice that maybe I should've set up my pedals before the gig starts :scowl: And then few songs into the set I notice it could've been a good idea to change the battery on my tuner.
Few times either I have or the singer has stepped on my tuner and muted me. One time I panicked because the amp was mute from the get-go. Fortunately we had long intro... and it was easy fix. Turn up the volume, dummy. It's also very good idea to check your stage volume if the band before you was loud punk band and you're playing pussy folk-ish stuff.
At a gig this weekend I didn't adjust the mic stand micing my cab appropriately and halfway through the first song it swung around, knocking over my beer and then picking up the monitor to instant shreiking feedback. The beer spilled all over my charts for the songs I was unfamilar with leading to more fails later on.
The cover band I am in was playing a one set daytime gig for part of the WalMart Shareholders recently. I was goofing around on stage during the intro to Edge of 17 by Stevie Nicks. I went up behind our singer and gave her a hug. The cable to her in-ear monitors got snagged on my bridge saddles and got unplugged from her transmitter. She kept her cool and calmly chased down the loose plug and righted herself. I was on a self imposed restraining order for the rest of the set. The next gig a few days later I told her to keep her ears in her pants.
I played with a horn funk band a while last year. Two Maceo tunes were in the book.
One night the leader called one of them and I played the other. The huge fail was that it had to have been 64 bars before I heard the difference.
I was playing a figure around the 7th in the key the song the other guys were playing, so it's hard for me to imagine that it sounded quirky and cool and nobody noticed.
It was really a horrible lapse, and I was very surprised and disappointed in myself. The guys laughed it off, but in an elite band (this was not), it might have cost me the gig.
One night the leader called one of them and I played the other. The huge fail was that it had to have been 64 bars before I heard the difference.
I was playing a figure around the 7th in the key the song the other guys were playing, so it's hard for me to imagine that it sounded quirky and cool and nobody noticed.
It was really a horrible lapse, and I was very surprised and disappointed in myself. The guys laughed it off, but in an elite band (this was not), it might have cost me the gig.
mic stand takes out beer, ruins vital charts for shaky songs and goes right into monitor! awesome!
We went to play "Tequila Sunrise," but we hadn't played or rehearsed it in so long, no one could remember who sang it, or the words. We stared at each other over the G chord intro for a few bars and then moved on to the next song.
Most recently, much to my chagrin, as I was walking across the dance floor to the stage to begin the first set of the night, my band started playing without me. I thought it was unprofessional, not to mention a little embarassing. I asked them why they couldn't wait another 30 seconds. Evidently, the bar manager put the fear of god into them that if they didn't start immediately we were fired or some nonsense. I was pretty hot over that one.
Most recently, much to my chagrin, as I was walking across the dance floor to the stage to begin the first set of the night, my band started playing without me. I thought it was unprofessional, not to mention a little embarassing. I asked them why they couldn't wait another 30 seconds. Evidently, the bar manager put the fear of god into them that if they didn't start immediately we were fired or some nonsense. I was pretty hot over that one.
I let my old guitar player use my Boss tuner before we started playing. Little did he know that the little dot that lit up next to the letter meant you were tuning to the sharp of that note... Needless to say, about 1/3 of the way into the first song he finally quit playing since he couldn't figure out the issue. Pure comedy genius yet one of the most painful sounds I've ever heard. Just glad it wasn't me!
