Poll: How many shows have you played?

[DrThumpenstein]

First gig was on electric guitar and bass, 1978, high school band playing covers and a couple of originals. I sang a couple. 4 Pc band, we got $50. I switched to bass permanently after that.

Sporadic shows after, ranging from a few dozen in attendance to a big show at the end of med school with a crowd of ~1500. Took a long layoff for family and career. Getting back into playing in bands again now, have a couple of projects going that should be gig-worthy in the next few months. Not planning to sing though!

 

[Siggy]

My first gig was at a small Moose club in 1963. Guitarist father was a member. We only had three songs, and I didn't know one very well. We did two sets, LOL. We played our songs, someone passed the hat and we sat down and had a coke. They asked us to play again (thus the 2nd set). We did, they passed the hat again and we came home with cash in pocket. I was hooked.

 

[TexasHeat]

my first gig on bass was in 1981 at a punk/new wave bar in New London CT called "Baba O'Reilly's."

LOL, I remember that place. Well, vaguely that is.

 

[bikeplate]

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 3500 to 4000. First gig was a high school party We setup in the kids kitchen. Half the school showed up. Spring of 1982

 

[fretter]

My first gig was solo acoustic guitar at a coffee shop open mic.

 

[Kmonk]

I've played over 3,000 shows in the 40+ years I've been playing. The largest crowds were around 25,000.

My first gig was at high school about a 2 years after I graduated. My second was at an amusement park.

 

[Charlzm]

And/or where was your first gig?

Between 100 and 200 shows.

First gig - high school talent show. We covered Rush's "Tom Sawyer" in 1983.

 

[ExaltBass]

My first gig was either a church dance back in 1964, or a teen fashion show around that same time. Well over 2000 gigs so far, and still playing regularly.

 

[bassliner50]

1st paid? 1967 high school dance I think. Holy cow 52 years ago or something?

 

[Pirate Captain]

My first gig was , ironically, at a school for the deaf in 1983
My first paying gig was as my high school's Sadie Hawkins dance.
I've probably played over 3000 shows since

"Sadie Hawkins" dance...man, do they still do those?

 

[Rickengeezer]

First gig, probably summer 1972. It was a block party that hired a "band", but it was apparent that the bass player had absolutely no clue what he was doing. A friend of mine knew the guitarist in the band, and together they talked me into going home and getting my bass that I'd been messing around with for maybe 6-9 months, but had never played live. We played a bunch of 12-bar blues songs at different speeds, the crowd loved us and tipped heavily, and I sat in a few more times with those guys before making my way through many bands since. I've been playing anywhere between 5 to 50 gigs per year since (depending upon work and family situations), not sure what that totals out to.

 

[Dynacord]

First gigs were local parties and the couple bars in Big Sur (home town) that had live music. First big city gig was at the Mabuhay Gardens in SF (SF's answer to CBGB's) in 1983. Lots of various bands but three that were working a lot all through the 90s into the mid 00s and averaged about 150 shows + per year during those years. I'm sure I've got over 2,000 paid gigs though not dramatically more than that.

 

[dan1952]

First gig playing harmonica at a PTA meeting, I was 11, played"Yellow Bird" on my Koch Chromatic harp.
First paying gig was at a pizza joint with my girlfriend, doing Peter Paul & Mary songs (we'd done a bunch of freebies) when I was 15. Started playing bars at 16, mostly bass in trios, played more nights than I can count. Every kind of gig, strip clubs, bar mitzvahs, blues bars, musicals, beauty pageants, hotels, churches, TV shows, big concerts, you name it...gotta be over 5,000. Still doing it, still having a ball!

 

[BassCliff]

Hi Joe,

And/or where was your first gig?

Responses to my last thread on what covers have you played most got me thinking. Some people put down some incredibly obscure songs, and then it occurred to me - maybe they're much younger and have only played a small handful of gigs in their life?

Anyhow, I did a little rough math. My first gig was in a battle of the bands in 1976. Guitar was my instrument. First "real" club gig was CBGB in 1978. And I kinda quit music from 84 to the early 90s. That's when I picked up bass and fell head over heels in love.

All that being said, my best guess is I've played throughout my life just a little short of 2000 shows.

What's your best guess as to how many shows you've done?

My first paying gig was a high school dance in 1970. I was almost 13. It was a small high school in a very small town in Louisiana. I can't begin to count how many gigs I've had. I know I played almost 2400 shows just in the 90s working with a band that did 20 dates a month on a club circuit. I've slowed down a bit since then but still manage to play around 100 dates a year for the last 10 years. I would think I've done over 5000 gigs since I started. Please don't make me do all the math. What have I got to show for it? You're lookin' at it. Maybe one of these days I'll be rich and famous like you.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[funkinbottom]

First gig was at 6th grade talent show. Solo Hawaiian lap steel guitar. I knew one song. First gig as bassist was a few years later, when I was in highschool. We landed a dance at the local Jr. high (they call it middle school these days) probably 1970, '71???

 

[Lee Moses]

My first public performance was at a birthday party following my freshman year in high school, summer of '86. My first paying gig was at a club summer of '87.

I would guess I have played around 250 gigs, maybe a little more. It's been 20 years since my last paid gig.

 

[HolmeBass]

My first show was a piano recital when I was 8, in 1972. My first rock show was playing at the 4H Fairfax County Fair at Frying Pan Park, Herndon VA in 1981.

I got in my first serious band in 1987 and played maybe 20 to 30 gigs a year through 1993, then I was in a few bands from 1995 through 1999 that played a bit, also maybe 20 or so gigs a year.

Then in 2001 I got into an even more serious band, plus a number of side projects, and have averaged between 45 to 51 gigs a year ever since. So just over 1000 gigs.

 

[pcake]

does singing at a school show count? if so, my first gig was when i was 6 back in 1963. i sang (and i think did minor dancing) for a few hundred people, mostly parents and neighbors of the school.

i sang and played guitar for years, but no idea how many gigs - under 200, though. it was a blurry time

started playing bass in 1993 or 1994; first bass gig was unpaid and we played one of the stops for the l.a. marathon. it was a blast!

 

[stringthrough]

First gig at 18; a "society" gig lots of standards and a few pop rock tunes for the "kids".

Here is the earliest picture of me at a gig. I'm 19 (c. 1974) here, playing at some bar in the Catskill Mountains (NY). Yes, that's a late 60's Gibson EB-2. It was a one trick pony but wish I still had it, mostly for nostalgic reasons.

 

[Bob_Ross]

My first paying gig was in February of 1974, I was 13 years old, my band only knew five tunes so we played our entire repertoire twice. Since then it's gotta be over 2,000 shows...and that's not even counting all the elementary school concert- and marching-band performances.