Playing Sick

[busmandan]

I've been playing gigs for audiences since 1974, so I've played sick before. That said, nothing tops Friday's gig.

I started having stomach cramps at work Friday morning, so I took off the rest of the day. Picked up some over-the-counter meds and took them. As the gig drew closer, I still felt bad, but stable (i.e. not getting worse).

The "getting worse" part didn't come until I actually got to the gig. By the time I got there (50 mile drive), I had a raging fever and my stomach felt like it was going to explode. I was so weak the other guys had to lift my gear onstage. I had a fan blowing full blast at me onstage and was still sweating rivers. After the first set (and every set thereafter), I put my bass down and ran to the bathroom, where another type of exploding took place. I was too dizzy to stand after the first set, so I played the rest of the night from a stool. I had to drop out on vocals completely because it felt like I would blow chunks every time I opened my mouth.

Finally, by the end of the night my fever had broken. I was able to make it through Saturday night without incident.

 

[RNV]

Back when I was drumming in a death metal band, I had my pinky and ring fingers broken 20 minutes before our 90 set. I was walking to the bathroom to void all fluids before the set when a fight broke out next to be and my hand got struck in so fashion. That was the most painful 90 minutes of my life.

 

[iamjoncoates]

I used to tell my students that the three most important things I keep in my gig bag are:

1) Immodium AD
2) Excedrin Migraine
3) Duct Tape

All gig problems can be solved with those three things.

 

[4001]

I remember playing a gig when I was sick. One of the best gigs I've played.

 

[abstrax]

A couple months ago I threw up before a gig, during our set break, and after. Frickin miserable. Played pretty well though.

 

[dave64o]

I used to tell my students that the three most important things I keep in my gig bag are:

1) Immodium AD
2) Excedrin Migraine
3) Duct Tape

All gig problems can be solved with those three things.

IOW, if the Immodium doesn't work on its own then you can use the duct tape can help increase its effectiveness. The Excedrin will then help ease the pain when your head feels like its going to explode from the strain of not being able to break through the duct tape to relieve the pressure.

Sounds like a complete solution!

 

[bassfran]

A number of years ago I was in the house band at the downstairs club in one of the more popular venues here. We played each Thursday night for 2 years and would occasionally get the opportunity to open for a national act on the big stage upstairs.

The 1st time we got the nod coincided with me suffering a nasty flu bug. I'd been stricken early on Friday, and we were to play that Saturday night. There was NO WAY I could sub-out of the show, since our music was acid jazzy/dance groove-type stuff that required a lot of ESP and shift-on-the-fly transitions.

The morning of the gig I felt like death warmed over. Couldn't keep anything down, even warm water and spent most of the day in the bathroom. I took several doses of Theraflu and was so weak I could hardly stand. My girlfriend wanted me to go to the hospital, but I refused, as the show MUST go on, no?

Well, I didn't die- but I barely moved at all and played the gig with a kind of diaper-esque undergarment to prevent any unsightly additions to my stage pants.