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Quitting Mid Gig

#41
I've seen a whole band walk off stage because of horrible sound. We were playing a small gig with two bands that had both driven up from Eugene, it was supposed to be a CD Release or something for the headliner.... anyway, once the first band starts to soundcheck, I know there's gonna be problems. Things keep moving along, the first band plays their set, not too many issues, but as the night wears on, the FOH sound get worse, and worse, and worse. We play, and our mics feed back, and it sucks but we stick it out. Then the headliners hit the stage, guitarist/singer, drummer, keys. I have NEVER heard worse FOH sound in my life. The keys are either inaudible or feeding back horribly, the guitarist can't hear anything in the monitor, and his mic if feeding back constantly.

They go through about two and a half songs when the singer slaps the mic away from him and screams and the sound guy "If I wanted to sit around and listen to myself buzz in the monitor, I could do that at home while I j*** off!"
 
#42
Jerry Ziarko said:
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.
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+1000

I believe one of the most important aspect about anyone is their integrity. We all make mistakes and wrong decisions from time to time, but we should always strive to do the right thing. Quitting in the middle of a gig is just childish and selfish.
 
#43
I've never been directly involved with that sort of thing, but just a month ago the band opening for my band was playing some grunge-by-numbers tunes and their drummer, for whatever reason, just kicked his hi hat over and walked out the door. He never came back. I have no idea why he was pissed because there wasn't anything going onstage that would precede that sort of thing.

I almost offered to finish their set with them on drums because I sort of felt bad, but I didn't know anyone in the band personally and I imagine that sort of offer would have weirded them out.
 
#44
Professionalism is important. So is dignity and respect. I have been very tempted on a number of occasions to quit my band on and off the stage. Mainly due to my lead singer/guitard and drummer.

I'm not the most perfect bassist in the world. I mess up sometimes. I know when I've messed up and I continue to play through because 99.9% of the time the crowd never knows a thing.

My singer on a number of occasions, mid song or between songs, will yell at me to get my s*** together or stop f****** up. its hurts. it puts a frown on my face. especially when he constantly messes up chords and forgets his lyrics and doesnt ever apologize. I want to walk off set, but I dont. I want to quit, but cant due to it being part of my livelyhood. Who else can I join thats making a grand or more for shows.

Point is do what is right in your heart, but remember things do follow you like a criminal record. Maybe other musicians would understand and maybe they'll think your a flake. I just suck it up and know in my heart that If I keep my cool and give 110% that I'll be something someday. with or without this band. But beleive me I get a better offer, I'm gone. Adios mother f******!
 
#46
I'm not sure whether this was the case of someone walking off or not
I was at some metalcore gig at The Orange Box in Yeovil and the opening band , that I had no idea were playing there, were pretty terrible. The guitarist, bassist and drummer were good but the singer just couldn't do it, his screams sounded like he was crying into the mic. Due to the nature of the gig he thought he'd get into the audience and do some two-stepping and what-not. Not surprisingly no-one joined in, the crowd were dead because of how bad they were.
Anyway for the second half of the set he just walked off to the side and the band played what they had to, might have been some jamming in there. He looked pissed at the side for the whole night.
I say I'm not sure because I think they did some instrumental stuff aswell but still, he seemed like an ***hole :p
 
#47
Never quit in the middle of a gig, but once was in a band where the piano player and I had politely and privately given notice to the band leader that we would be leaving at the end of the month. After the first set of our regular Saturday house gig in the middle of the month, the band leader comes up to us and says: "Guys, I won't be needing your services after tonight."

We were flabbergasted because it seemed like it would have been a lot smarter to do that after the last set. Many guys would have walked off at that moment, but we took the high road and finished out the last three sets of the four set gig.

Our leaving had nothing to do with behavior, attitude, performance, etc. We parted amicably, but I alway have thought that was about the weirdest way to fire somebody.

interp
 
#48
Not mid-gig, but had a guitar player walk out about 10 or 15 minutes before a gig. He was brooding off by himself and reluctant to bring in his gear. I offered to help him carry in his stuff, but he just left and never came back, and wouldn't answer his cell phone. We were kinda standing around wondering what we were going to do with no guitarist, when the management told us to clear out.

Embarrassing.
 
#49
I was on the road doing club dates with a band, and the drummer thought he was running the band, when he was in fact the drummer, and his gf was doing sound and lights. They decided to use a strobe during a bass solo, and I asked them not to, but they did anyway. I was getting used to playing fretless, and i didn't feel i could do a decent job without any light to see by. I dropped out and let the drums carry it. When I gave my notice, he spent the rest of the gig (several nights, in fact) deliberately hitting the cymbal stands so they would fall onto me.

On another date, the leader fired the drummer, who was a friend of mine, but before telling him advertised the position. The drummer knew and spend the whole gig playing as badly as possible just to f*&^ him up. When the leader did the same thing to me, and I knew about it, i simply let him know on the qt that I knew I was fired...and watched him sweat the whole night about whether I'd do the same thing the drummer had done.

Band members should remember that it is a gig, it's a job, and it's not about their egos, but about their reputations. If you think you're such a great player that having a tantrum onstage won't affect your reputation, then try it. You'll find out soon enough.
 
#50
Several years ago, a band I was in was hired to do a private party. When we showed up to load in, the guy who paid us was quite drunk and angry. We ignored him, and went about setting up and doing sound check.

Just before we went on, this guy comes up and starts demanding we play this song and that he is going to sing, and his brother will be playing bass because "he paid us and we would do whatever he wanted done". Well that's not going to happen. So we negotiated a compromise of letting him sing a song later, thinking that he would surely pass out before long.

No sooner than we started, he "bum-rushed" the mic and starting yelling profanities, thrashing about and threatening to kick my @ss! Because quote, "my brother can play bass better than you". I unplugged, took my axe threw in it the case and walked out. The rest of the band followed shortly.

Several party goers came out and begged us to stay and play, to which we declined. We gave the guy his money back, and loaded out right then and there.

I still see him around town, he's still a drunk. Frankly I'm amazed he's still alive.
 
#51
coop said:
Several party goers came out and begged us to stay and play, to which we declined. We gave the guy his money back, and loaded out right then and there.

I still see him around town, he's still a drunk. Frankly I'm amazed he's still alive.
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Now that's professionalism. Walk out when your safety is threatened and give back the cash to keep your reputation tarnish free.

I can't think of a quicker way to be known as a band that takes the high road, but doesn't take any crap.
 
#52
I wouldn't walk out in the middle of a gig ever, but I too have
been tempted when having to put up with prima donnas and
other spoiled big ego types. The good news is that karma
or natural moral law seems to catch up with the truly bad and
horrible people in this biz eventually.

I've been fired by one talented musician song writer who
eventually became known for his extreme tantrums and
other childish behaviour such as stomping off stage in the
middle of a tune when something small upset his universe.
It was his band and hey if he wanted to act like a spoiled
two year old that is his right I guess. If there was a reunion
of all of the musicians he fired for the most inane reasons it
would take an entire Holiday Inn to put everybody up.

He never did became famous on a big scale, but he did build
up a bad rep to where no will play with him again or book him
for a gig because he's flaked out on those. Sadly he still has
a web site to show off all of his gear financed by a wealthy
wife and the majority of photo shots are of him doing his
rock star poses but he has no band and can't keep one together
for than a month. It's sad it see but he created his
own problems and fails to see it.

As for me I still gig because I've learned to keep a pro attitude
and try to be decent to other people. The jerks of the world
just never seem to get it. :rolleyes:
 
#53
I've never quit mid-gig. I did quit after a gig though, when we had a gig the next night and others lined up.

Here's why ...
The other guys in the band had all known each other for 10+ years. All they ever did was argue about petty crap. There were even arguments about $10! During a gig, in front of a packed house, the drummer stopped in the middle of a song and yelled at the keyboard player for messing up (I didn't hear any mistakes). In between sets he pulled me aside and bitched me out for complaining about the tempo at the last gig. I quit that night. Too many problems and not worth it for me to stay. It never hurt my reputation. I've been in plenty of popular local bands since albeit much better than that group.

... I never bothered to collect my money for that gig either. I just packed up and left then called them the next day.
 
#54
I dont give a rats @ss who says what if i am treated wrong, unfair or yelled at over a gig i'm out right there and then...crowd or no crowd. Look i play for fun first and a little dough. Im not a pro never will be just a weekend warrior. I will let no one put me down or my playing on a stage..im not wired that way. Anyone who has the balls to do it better back it up as they back up!

Im an easy going guy and a team player but some of the posts i read here i would of clubbed some of these dolts wih my P bass. I get along great just dont try to make an example out of me. I dont care if i ever burnt a bridge and have in alot of ways...it always worked for me. Sorry for the rage but i have no time for other players with egos or who act like they can call the shots and put people down.
 
#55
tjbsilv said:
Had it done to me 25 years ago, although it was actually after the gig but mid-tour (we had to play the following night). Our bass player walked out on us (I was a guitard at the time :)) after a gig. Actually, I shoulda thanked him, after all that's how I became a bassplayer myself! The rest of the band elected me to play bass the following night - I figured, How hard can it be?:rollno: I faked my way through the first gig, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me!:hyper:

TJ
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I hope you'll start a new post on this topic. I'd be very interested in reading about your experiences switching from guitar to bass, especially any preconceptions you may have had about being a bassist, what you thought constituted a good bass line, etc. back when you were a guitarist, and if/how your mind may have been changed after occupying the bass chair for awhile.
 
#56
MysticMichael said:
OK, indulge your fantasies if you like. :rolleyes: But actually following through on it?

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... :eyebrow:

MM
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There's another attitude to be considerate of... things change, people grow, big mistakes become a little funnier over time... you can only take people so seriously, after all. You may surprise yourself!
 
#57
RED5 said:
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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Dig.
 
#58
I have never walked off a gig mid-set, mid-gig, any of that.

Story #1: My friend was dying of brain cancer, and I put on a benefit to help him pay some bills. My band (the band I was "in") got involved, got a bunch of their friends in bands to play, got a lot of promotion done. It was a great event- but I knew I'd be 'paying' for it! They held me as 'beholden' to them for all their effort (I put out plenty of my own- I was doing this with or without them), and three weeks later I was up-braided one night at the start of a gig because some of my friend's other cronies didn't invite us to play at the benefit they put on. "After all that work we did...", I was told by the singer, batting her eyes at me impatiently, hands on hips.

End of story is that the night I quit, at the end of a gig a week or so later, I went and didn't broach it (yet). I tried to have a good time (we did!), bought us all a round, etc.

After the gig was over an we were packing up, I approached the singer (diplomatically, for the last time at this point) to talk it out. I knew it was the end... it blew, and I reeeeeeallllly almost cracked her husband the toad guitar player for getting in my face at that point. I felt bad about that as I looked into his eyes- embarrassed even, because I know it would've hurt him... and me no badass particularly. My anger was replaced with something, I'm not sure what it was- but there was this pity... I relaxed my fist and walked away. I was ashamed of myself- but I thought it bizarre that all they could think about was themselves and "their gig" that was denied them.

Story #2: That silly Ashlee Simpson walking off the stage in the middle of a Saturday Night Live "performance", blaming her band because someone off in the wings hit 'Play' on the CD player for the song she wasn't prepared to lip-sync to! I will never forget that she did that, and even though the general public is forgetful- and willing enough to forget- I will not. The same goes for anyone who won't exercise self-control and judicious restraint at a gig. You are on display, and you never really know who is watching, or is going to hear about you, for better or for worse.

Just finish the gig, and have a good attitude for your own sake! You'll be able to hold your head up afterwards.
 
#59
bassbully said:
I dont give a rats @ss who says what if i am treated wrong, unfair or yelled at over a gig i'm out right there and then...crowd or no crowd. Look i play for fun first and a little dough. Im not a pro never will be just a weekend warrior. I will let no one put me down or my playing on a stage..im not wired that way. Anyone who has the balls to do it better back it up as they back up!

Im an easy going guy and a team player but some of the posts i read here i would of clubbed some of these dolts wih my P bass. I get along great just dont try to make an example out of me. I dont care if i ever burnt a bridge and have in alot of ways...it always worked for me. Sorry for the rage but i have no time for other players with egos or who act like they can call the shots and put people down.
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Yeah, sounds like it.
 
#60
I suppose the reason most people walk off stage midgig is that they have a problem with one, or at the most two people in the band. (seriously, if you hated everyone else in the band you would hopefully be long gone)
now, what I would do rather than just walk off and make myself look bad, would be to play something wrong, but make it sound and look like the "antagonist" ****ed up.
this can be very hard to do by yourself, but if you get the whole band in on it it would be effing hilarious! :D if anything, he instead will walk of the stage and look incredibly bad. of course the best thing to do would be to jump off the band/kick out the ******* before something like this happens, but I was more thinking of the humorous aspect of the whole thing
 

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