Setting your bass on fire

[nashvillebill]

I would vote for zombie Rick James.

That would be super freaky.

 

[Geekydad]

In America, after Great White, even magicians stopped using flash paper as much. It's too dangerous.

 

[RadioRob]

 

[Dug2]

forget this whole thing

 

[wmhill]

there is a 3 piece band that plays at Jerry Lee Lewis's place on Beale ST (Memphis TN) that uses zippo fluid on the cymbals, and has a metal tray on the piano for the same effect. They didn't set the bass on fire, I assumed because Ibanez's don't burn well. Looked pretty cool and the crowd seemed to dig it. I would assume that there must be laws that the have to abide by, and apparently do as there is law enfourcement everywhere.

 

[Sav'nBass]

...is stupid.

 

[bassstrangler]

So

Yes, I really do live in Bangkok. I'm not sure what I would gain by making that up. Glad you've seen Hangover II. Like most movies, it gives an accurate depiction of an entire country, it's people, and it's culture.

I've been reading up on the Great White incident since that seems to be brought up by most people opposed to fire at a live show. I've decided that I'm not to let the actions of a nimrod road manager for a washed-up hair metal determine what I do at a show. This is a guy who wasn't intelligent enough to know not to detonate 3 cylinders that shoot 15-foot sparks directly into two layers of urethane and polyurethane foam.

Other factors in this incident and others like it are the emergency exits being blocked or even outright locked. Quote from the Wikipedia article: More than one survivor later stated that a bouncer stopped people trying to escape via the stage exit, stating that that door was "for the band only." Also, the Great White show was over the club's official licensed capacity. This is also a factor at other nightclub disasters.

Not to make light of this tragic incident but if I use an NRA-styled argument: Fires don't kill people, idiotic road managers who detonate explosives and club owners who lock emergency exits and allow too many people into the venue kill people.

What is the difference between me setting my bass on fire at a club and the bartender making four Flaming Dr. Peppers? Or the waitress who is carrying them on a tray above her head through the crowd? Or the chef at a Japanese steakhouse making fire shoot four feet into the air while cooking? Or ordering food that is served flambeed at your table?

The lesson learned here is OP is going to do what he wants to do. Regardless of what any of us think, he has made up his mind.

So, hopefully all goes well and we won't hear another word about it, because nothing ignited except the OPs career and his headstock.

Good luck, and I really honestly hope you figure out the safest way to pull off this stunt.

 

[StereoPlayer]

So


The lesson learned here is OP is going to do what he wants to do. Regardless of what any of us think, he has made up his mind.

So, hopefully all goes well and we won't hear another word about it, because nothing ignited except the OPs career and his headstock.

Good luck, and I really honestly hope you figure out the safest way to pull off this stunt.

Also ignited a round of "set your bass on fire" responses throughout TB.



Nobody would like this.

 

[bassstrangler]

View attachment 715582 View attachment 715583 there is a 3 piece band that plays at Jerry Lee Lewis's place on Beale ST (Memphis TN) that uses zippo fluid on the cymbals, and has a metal tray on the piano for the same effect. They didn't set the bass on fire, I assumed because Ibanez's don't burn well. Looked pretty cool and the crowd seemed to dig it. I would assume that there must be laws that the have to abide by, and apparently do as there is law enfourcement everywhere.

If that's cool then I'm obviously missing something. The Killer only need to set his piano on fire with his hands playing the keys.

 

[wmhill]

 

[Joe Nerve]

I toured with that guy, and he doesn't ever do that crap on stage.

Only in his backyard.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

t

The scary thing about this photo is the Paper Go Cup that is sweating on the carpet amp.

 

[champbassist]

What is the difference between me setting my bass on fire at a club and the bartender making four Flaming Dr. Peppers? Or the waitress who is carrying them on a tray above her head through the crowd? Or the chef at a Japanese steakhouse making fire shoot four feet into the air while cooking? Or ordering food that is served flambeed at your table?

Maybe that you are highly unlikely to find bartenders/chefs going to bartender/chef forums asking about making Flaming Dr. Peppers/creating controlled flaming steak fires? My point is that these are relatively common maneuvers with plenty of precedent and common knowledge which you could follow if you were planning to do these. Besides, I don't think it's prudent to equate flaming drinks on the bar with setting a musical instrument on fire on a wide open public stage, with potentially flammable material all around.

 

[fhm555]

I've played gigs, where by the end of the night, I wanted to set myself on fire.

 

[fhm555]

After the whole Great White incident, anyone who uses fire in a nightclub should get a pretty hefty jail term.

^this^

 

[AaronVonRock]

In America, after Great White, even magicians stopped using flash paper as much. It's too dangerous.

Since you have experience with flash paper, would you consider it more dangerous than using an alcohol like rum to make flames much like a chef or bartender does?

 

[AaronVonRock]

View attachment 715582 View attachment 715583 there is a 3 piece band that plays at Jerry Lee Lewis's place on Beale ST (Memphis TN) that uses zippo fluid on the cymbals, and has a metal tray on the piano for the same effect. They didn't set the bass on fire, I assumed because Ibanez's don't burn well. Looked pretty cool and the crowd seemed to dig it. I would assume that there must be laws that the have to abide by, and apparently do as there is law enfourcement everywhere.

I dig the flaming cymbals. From those photos, nothing looks out of control and people aren't in a panic. If precautions are taken, something small like this seems fairly easy to pull off.

 

[Off-Beat]

You could also throw your bass into the kick drum. Never been done before either. The biggest problem with fire, aside from "Great White"-like incidents, is that it always looks contrived like this:

View attachment 715582 View attachment 715583 there is a 3 piece band that plays at Jerry Lee Lewis's place on Beale ST (Memphis TN) that uses zippo fluid on the cymbals, and has a metal tray on the piano for the same effect. They didn't set the bass on fire, I assumed because Ibanez's don't burn well. Looked pretty cool and the crowd seemed to dig it. I would assume that there must be laws that the have to abide by, and apparently do as there is law enfourcement everywhere.

I mean what's rock n roll about slowly walking up to a prepared piano & drumkit and lighting it up. What made Hendrix unique is the novelty it was back then, plus he destroyed his guitar.

If you wanna use fire it has to look spontanous and that'd need alot of preparing(yeah that's pretty ironic).

 

[AaronVonRock]

If you wanna use fire it has to look spontanous and that'd need alot of preparing(yeah that's pretty ironic).

You make very good points. Actually, preparing something to look spontaneous isn't really ironic. That's what actors do. They rehearse and practice a scene and know it so well that it comes across as really "happening" in the moment as opposed to looking like they are just saying lines they memorized. At least the good actors make it look that way.

Same thing can be said for good bands. A lot of those "spontaneous" moments on stage or monster jams have actually been rehearsed and run through many times.

 

[Off-Beat]

You make very good points. Actually, preparing something to look spontaneous isn't really ironic. That's what actors do. They rehearse and practice a scene and know it so well that it comes across as really "happening" in the moment as opposed to looking like they are just saying lines they memorized. At least the good actors make it look that way.

Same thing can be said for good bands. A lot of those "spontaneous" moments on stage or monster jams have actually been rehearsed and run through many times.

I know. James Brown was a master of this. His shows looked like 1 hour loose jams, but they were arranged to the tiniest bit.