I knew of a guy dropped out of a gig midway. Just refused to proceed, put down his bass and went and had a smoke. An added filip? It was a day cruise on a boat!, He really couldn;t leave!.He's also knownto sit on his amp and look bored during a set.I know very little else about this guy, but I've replaced him on some of his gigs and I hear he gets very little work these days. Moral of the story? Respect the gig. Don't like it?If you accepted the job? It's your job to do it right in spite of what you may or may not like about it.
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Quitting Mid Gig
- Thread starter basslyon
- Start date
If anybody has a copy of an old Joe Cocker album "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" check the liner notes and see if if there is a Sandy Konikoff on there as a drummer. Famous cat from my hometown. Great drummer, but just plain nuts. I'm in a pick-up gig with him 20 odd years ago and in the middle of "Moondance" I feel a jab in my kidney. Then another one. I look behind me and Sandy starts yellin at me to "just keep walkin" rather than play the (correct I might add) hook in the chorus. The piano player talked me out of deckin him and walkin out. I'm a little more laid back now
JKT
I did it once, in a two-bit band, with players I never expected to see again. It was over something stupid, and I worked with them individually again in other groups and they always told everyone about 'the incident'. I regretted it then and to this day.
What about abusive players? I have been on gigs recently where one player was standout and would 'wup up' on the weaker players, deriding their skills and acousting them on and offstage. Not pretty to be around..
What about abusive players? I have been on gigs recently where one player was standout and would 'wup up' on the weaker players, deriding their skills and acousting them on and offstage. Not pretty to be around..
I lived through a near death experience of this sort once. I used to have 2 guitards that just did not like each other at all. They were both very talented, but they were like oil and water.
Guitar player A was playing, and he was slightly out of tune. We got done with the song, and he mutes his guitar and starts to tune it up. Meanwhile guitar player B says "Why don't you tune the ****ing guitar?" That lit the fuse.......
Halfway through the fourth set, something happened. I don't know what, but it wasn't good. Guitar player A is on my left, and guitar player B is on my right, we're rockin out, when suddenly guitar player A stops playing, and yells across yours truly "Hey (insert guitar player A's name here) **** you!" Now in his defense, he did finish the set (His last ever with that band) and he actually played lead like a man possessed. Unfortunately, we were using his PA. We had to do a bit of finagling to play the gigs we had booked until we found another PA owning guitar player, but it did work out.
Guitar player A was playing, and he was slightly out of tune. We got done with the song, and he mutes his guitar and starts to tune it up. Meanwhile guitar player B says "Why don't you tune the ****ing guitar?" That lit the fuse.......
Halfway through the fourth set, something happened. I don't know what, but it wasn't good. Guitar player A is on my left, and guitar player B is on my right, we're rockin out, when suddenly guitar player A stops playing, and yells across yours truly "Hey (insert guitar player A's name here) **** you!" Now in his defense, he did finish the set (His last ever with that band) and he actually played lead like a man possessed. Unfortunately, we were using his PA. We had to do a bit of finagling to play the gigs we had booked until we found another PA owning guitar player, but it did work out.
- Aug 16, 2003
- 1,130
- 24
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist;Essential sound products,Dunlop, Ergo Instruments
Never did it but saw it happen and it was because of me sort of.I got a call for a session from a engineer friend who was recording a singer/songwriter,she had a band but after trying to do a couple of songs things were not going well and she and her backers decided to call some studio guys to do bass and drums.The drummer and I came in and re-did the tracks they had already played and cut another new track but then she had to go because she had a gig right up the street.We hung around the studio and the engineer suggested we go have a beer and caught her set.So we did,what we didn't know was that her main financial backer and the bass player didn't get along and the backer told the band moments before they played that not only had they re-cut the tracks but that they would not be playing on the rest of the CD.they had a major blow up right before going on stage so things were tense.Myself the engineer and the drummer walk in to the club and sit at the bar,the bass player notices the engineer put's 2 and 2 together and grabs the mike out of her hand and starts cussing out her,the backer and the engineer throws down the mike and walks off the stage! He started packing up his stuff and left real quickly fallowed by the drummer.At this point I didn't know what was going on with the back story,I was just doing a session and thought the existing tracks were demo tracks.Several months later I ran into the bass player at Bass club Chicago,he walked up to me and asked if I played on the singers CD I said yes then realized who he was and apologized.He waved it off telling me I didn't know (true) and that he was going to quit because it wasn't a band thing anymore but I still felt a little weird.
I was on a gig where the soundman had it out for to our very talented, and professional female singer and wound up dropping the 'C' bomb to her over the monitor talkback during the show. She/we called it quits mid tune - the club paid us extra, and literally threw the soundguy out of the building. We continued to play there and never caught flak for ending it, but that was a very unusual set of circumstances.
There was another instance where a fairly popular blues drummer never showed up, and when we called his home, he answered and explained that he couldn't find parking so he went home - no call, nothing. Needless to say, the word spread very quickly and I've never seen him on a gig since .. he was a pretty good drummer too IIRC.
There was another instance where a fairly popular blues drummer never showed up, and when we called his home, he answered and explained that he couldn't find parking so he went home - no call, nothing. Needless to say, the word spread very quickly and I've never seen him on a gig since .. he was a pretty good drummer too IIRC.
I've never done it nor would ever do it, but it was done to us at our last gig.
Singer left during the 2nd break with 1 more set to go. Long story short, he knew he completely effed up the words to about 1/2 the songs in the 2nd set and all of a sudden complained of 'throat problems'. Said he had to go to the hospital immediately. Mind you, he never said it to any of us in the band he told one of our friends in the crowd to relay the message.
Singer left during the 2nd break with 1 more set to go. Long story short, he knew he completely effed up the words to about 1/2 the songs in the 2nd set and all of a sudden complained of 'throat problems'. Said he had to go to the hospital immediately. Mind you, he never said it to any of us in the band he told one of our friends in the crowd to relay the message.
I got my spot in The Knowbodys because the guy they were going to use walked off in the middle of a set.
Yeah, he's a better player than I am. But the singer/writer in that band is fond of playing songs that just, you know, occur to him. We did that a lot...I found it exhilerating, and learned SO much doing it!
But this guy...he didn't like it. He had a ring-tailed, blue-eyed hissy fit because the singer called out a couple of songs they had not rehearsed. Got so angry, he left all his gear at the show.
So...since I was there in support of my husband, I got called up. And got the spot. Because I don't throw hissies onstage and can roll with the punches.
It pays to keep a cool head and behave professionally, it really does.
Cherie
Yeah, he's a better player than I am. But the singer/writer in that band is fond of playing songs that just, you know, occur to him. We did that a lot...I found it exhilerating, and learned SO much doing it!
But this guy...he didn't like it. He had a ring-tailed, blue-eyed hissy fit because the singer called out a couple of songs they had not rehearsed. Got so angry, he left all his gear at the show.
So...since I was there in support of my husband, I got called up. And got the spot. Because I don't throw hissies onstage and can roll with the punches.
It pays to keep a cool head and behave professionally, it really does.
Cherie
All I can say is, if some bozo were to pull a stunt like that on me, I would never work with him again. Not under any circumstances. Ever...
I've never done it and never will, but I've seen it happen once back in '92 or '93 at a bar gig with two bands, I was in the second band. The other band played first and it was clear from the start that something was really wrong with the band, there was a lot of menacing looks and some really nasty verbal exchanges between songs. After their third or fourth song the sax player and the bassist packed their gear and left. (Not much to pack besides instruments - the bassist was using my stack.)
Never ever ever walk off mid gig, unless its for a hot bird waving her melons at you across the room
I would say that it is very unprofessional and just plain uncool to walk off in the middle of a gig. In most cases, your band members are counting on your part of the equation. I'm of that mindset that you should keep your head above all of that stuff if you're supposed to be playing a show with your band, and if you want to quit, do it afterwards and in the most civil way possible.
However, in the right situation, I could totally see the humo(u)r in doing such a thing.
Saw something like that happen last year at a show at the EARL here in Atlanta, but it was the entire band self-destructing -- not just one or two jerkasses.
We were headlining, and the opening band was from Houston and had been on the road for a while, apparently. Things seemed cool during load-in and soundcheck. But the instant these guys got on stage, it was WWIII.
They were a 4-piece w/ 2 gtrs, bass, drums. They made it through 2-3 songs, and then Guitarist/singer #1 starts getting visibly pissed. He says something inaudible to the drummer, and this gets the drummer going. They make it through 8 bars of the next song and it breaks down. At this point, the drummer throws a stick at Guitarist/Singer #1. He throws it back at the drummer. They proceed to get into a cursing, yelling, verbal fight.
Bass player and Guitar #2 are just staring, slackjawed. Guitarist/singer #1 has a girlfriend in the audience -- she's yelling at them like their football coach: "Just play the songs! Play the G-D songs!" The audience is looking around at each other like "DAAAAAMNNN! I didn't realize my $6 cover got me admission to UFC fight night!". It was quasi-uncomfortable to watch, but at the same time it was compelling and pretty damn funny...
So they try the last tune again, and almost make it past where they died before. But things fall apart again, and G/S#1 throws down his axe (which must've happened frequently judging by the amount of duct tape on it...) and storms offstage.
Thus endeth the Atlanta date for those cats.
It was pretty lame. I mean, I had no idea they were even f-ing up songs. But apparently it was so bad to them, they had to go nuclear about it. I felt bad for them, but not too bad. We went on early, played 20 mins extra, and had a great long set. A splendid time was had by all (except the other band, I guess).
We were headlining, and the opening band was from Houston and had been on the road for a while, apparently. Things seemed cool during load-in and soundcheck. But the instant these guys got on stage, it was WWIII.
They were a 4-piece w/ 2 gtrs, bass, drums. They made it through 2-3 songs, and then Guitarist/singer #1 starts getting visibly pissed. He says something inaudible to the drummer, and this gets the drummer going. They make it through 8 bars of the next song and it breaks down. At this point, the drummer throws a stick at Guitarist/Singer #1. He throws it back at the drummer. They proceed to get into a cursing, yelling, verbal fight.
Bass player and Guitar #2 are just staring, slackjawed. Guitarist/singer #1 has a girlfriend in the audience -- she's yelling at them like their football coach: "Just play the songs! Play the G-D songs!" The audience is looking around at each other like "DAAAAAMNNN! I didn't realize my $6 cover got me admission to UFC fight night!". It was quasi-uncomfortable to watch, but at the same time it was compelling and pretty damn funny...
So they try the last tune again, and almost make it past where they died before. But things fall apart again, and G/S#1 throws down his axe (which must've happened frequently judging by the amount of duct tape on it...) and storms offstage.
Thus endeth the Atlanta date for those cats.
It was pretty lame. I mean, I had no idea they were even f-ing up songs. But apparently it was so bad to them, they had to go nuclear about it. I felt bad for them, but not too bad. We went on early, played 20 mins extra, and had a great long set. A splendid time was had by all (except the other band, I guess).
I've never walked off at a live gig but I walked out of a recording gig once. I was recording with this girl that wanted me to play both bass and acoustic guitar on 5 of her songs. I was cool with that. I went to the studio, hooked up my gear and realized that the songs she wanted to record were songs I've never heard, with no sheet music or charts, and no click track or metronome or anything. I had to listen to her sing and play off beat and learn the songs as I was recording them. To make matters worse I had to point my bass at a weird angle since there were florescent lights overhead. Need less to say I just walked out halfway through the last track and told her to have the engineer mix in some bass synth and it would sound better. Probably a dumb move but the engineer has called me about other projects he had lined up. I must have done something right on the other four tracks.
I used to work with a singer that was a real hustler. He would sell commercial time during a show. By that I mean he would get some business owner to give him something like a pair of pants or a belt buckle maybe some fresh fish.
When the store owner would walk into the bar the singer would go off on this long deal about how great X was and what a great place to do business and recommend that everyone support the local shop keepers B.S.
I was new to the band and after about the fourth time it happened I asked the drummer what the deal was and he told me.
During the break I called them all together and told them that the next time that happened, I didn't care where I was, I was going to drag up on the spot.
It never happened again but I absolutely would have packed it in.
When the store owner would walk into the bar the singer would go off on this long deal about how great X was and what a great place to do business and recommend that everyone support the local shop keepers B.S.
I was new to the band and after about the fourth time it happened I asked the drummer what the deal was and he told me.
During the break I called them all together and told them that the next time that happened, I didn't care where I was, I was going to drag up on the spot.
It never happened again but I absolutely would have packed it in.
There's a guitard on the scene, 40 years old or so who has frequent kiddy temper tantrums. He's walked off stage many times, going as far as to throw his guitard down. Funny thing is he always ends up walking back into the band he quit.
Years ago, my band was opening for a friend's band that had just gotten a new bass player- they asked if we could play a longer set- as they didn't have a full set worked out with the new guy.
The singer/guitar player from my band wrote out a 9 song set- when I asked him, he said we'd add songs as appropriate. We played 6 and he walked off.
I was FURIOUS.
It was the last straw for a bunch of prima donna antics and submarining his own rock and roll career desires. So I quit, when the drummer heard I quit, then he quit. It wasn't "on stage," but it was a meltdown.
The singer/guitar player from my band wrote out a 9 song set- when I asked him, he said we'd add songs as appropriate. We played 6 and he walked off.
I was FURIOUS.
It was the last straw for a bunch of prima donna antics and submarining his own rock and roll career desires. So I quit, when the drummer heard I quit, then he quit. It wasn't "on stage," but it was a meltdown.
The most frustrating thing in these situations is trying to keep the party going and a smile on your face, while inside you are steaming mad!
Last week, I had a good paying easy gig with a new band. We'd never played together before. There was a two hour rehearsal scheduled immediately prior to the 30-minute set. Piece of cake, right? Well, the guitard not only completely blew off the rehearsal, he actually had the nerve to show up 5 minutes late for the performance, and proceeded to play wrong chords throughout our whole set!!
Blowing up at him onstage wouldn't have done any good, so I just tried to make him feel comfortable and get through it, but there is NO WAY I'll ever work with that guy again, period.
Last week, I had a good paying easy gig with a new band. We'd never played together before. There was a two hour rehearsal scheduled immediately prior to the 30-minute set. Piece of cake, right? Well, the guitard not only completely blew off the rehearsal, he actually had the nerve to show up 5 minutes late for the performance, and proceeded to play wrong chords throughout our whole set!!
Blowing up at him onstage wouldn't have done any good, so I just tried to make him feel comfortable and get through it, but there is NO WAY I'll ever work with that guy again, period.
One of the local bar bands just split up over this (not me!!!!). I've heard both sides of the story and basically they were doing a gig as a favour for someones birthday - not a regular public gig (of which they had plenty). At the break the bass player asks if his girlfriend (who is an EXECELLENT singer) could do a few songs in the second set (as it's not really a proper gig, and everyone there is friends of the band). The singer throws a temper tantrum, and both party's toys leave their repsective prams... When the dust settles the bass player has walked out on the second set.
I can see both sides, but it's a shame he didn't finish the gig - he's a really easy going guy most of the time.
I can see both sides, but it's a shame he didn't finish the gig - he's a really easy going guy most of the time.
Opinion, but I couldn't disagree more. Even a bar band is a business relationship. Conducting it in a professional manor (at least for me) has ALWAYS been the correct thing to do while performing. I've never had it done to me, and I've been at it a long while, but over the years some local musicians have walked out mid gig, and believe me they are treated like the plague. Seriously, how could you ever trust working with someone who has done that in the past. I never would even think of it. There are many right here on talkbass that take their music and playing as serious as anything in their lives. Just because they don't earn a living at it, doesn't mean they don't approach performing with a great degree of professsionalism.
