Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Setting your bass on fire
- Thread starter AaronVonRock
- Start date
I started this thread asking HOW to do it. I'm not asking SHOULD I do it. The permission and approval of an internet forum full of complete strangers is not high on my priority list. Finding out some facts and drawing on people's first hand experience was the purpose of this discussion and is more valuable to me than being called an idiot.
If you really want to light whatever on fire, that's up to you. I'm more concerned about the audience. Crowd-mentality is always stupid. They might follow your lead (light more fires), they might panic, they might throw Bacardi 151 at you at the worst possible time. Heck, your own band members might not even be paying attention and bump into your flame.
There was a huge fireball that happened at a Taiwanese Water Park's music concert, of all places, because there was flammable powder in the air for some reason. Nearly 500 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park - CNN.com
You just don't know what's easily flammable in your immediate area.
There are plenty of risks for little to no reward. And if there was a reward, then your fire-gimmick becomes an expectation for subsequent concerts leading to continued risks. How does the band out-do just one guy lighting their headstock on fire? What if we all did? It's a bad escalation. And it could escalate even worse especially if other bands want to compete with it. Apparently, there's a band that figured lighting their guitarist on fire was a good idea, I guess to top the fiery cymbals or hair.
For every video with "expert" pyrotechnics, there's certainly a video showing failures. Consider the simple move of swinging the guitar/bass around your body with the strap... it's very rock and roll dramatic, but of course there's plenty of videos showing the guitar hitting someone in the face or flying off in a random direction. The "intent" is always there, the execution was not. Murphy's Law strikes at any time.
-
Obviously, I, the forum member, can give all the warnings and risks involved, I just hope you don't have such tunnel vision of "dramatic effect" involving dangerous antics that it negatively affects you, your band, and others. As for me, I won't be swinging my bass around, using any fire-based gimmick, nor put a beer glass on my amp. Safety first.
There was a huge fireball that happened at a Taiwanese Water Park's music concert, of all places, because there was flammable powder in the air for some reason. Nearly 500 injured in explosion at Taiwan water park - CNN.com
You just don't know what's easily flammable in your immediate area.
There are plenty of risks for little to no reward. And if there was a reward, then your fire-gimmick becomes an expectation for subsequent concerts leading to continued risks. How does the band out-do just one guy lighting their headstock on fire? What if we all did? It's a bad escalation. And it could escalate even worse especially if other bands want to compete with it. Apparently, there's a band that figured lighting their guitarist on fire was a good idea, I guess to top the fiery cymbals or hair.
For every video with "expert" pyrotechnics, there's certainly a video showing failures. Consider the simple move of swinging the guitar/bass around your body with the strap... it's very rock and roll dramatic, but of course there's plenty of videos showing the guitar hitting someone in the face or flying off in a random direction. The "intent" is always there, the execution was not. Murphy's Law strikes at any time.
-
Obviously, I, the forum member, can give all the warnings and risks involved, I just hope you don't have such tunnel vision of "dramatic effect" involving dangerous antics that it negatively affects you, your band, and others. As for me, I won't be swinging my bass around, using any fire-based gimmick, nor put a beer glass on my amp. Safety first.
wmhill
Inactive
- Aug 20, 2012
- 4,054
- 17,209
- Disclosures
- MTD basses endorsed artist Bartolini pickups emerging artist TECAMP bass players gear endorsed
The facts are that stage pyrotechnics have killed many many people. Our experience is that management, lawyers, and law enforcement folks are now not very happy with the concept of setting nightclubs on fire.
You evidently disagree with our viewpoint that using fire onstage is quite risky. I sincerely hope that nobody dies from your foolhardy attitude. Grow up.
wmhill
Inactive
- Aug 20, 2012
- 4,054
- 17,209
- Disclosures
- MTD basses endorsed artist Bartolini pickups emerging artist TECAMP bass players gear endorsed
well.................. this thread will be closed by morning. I don't see much of rule #1 either. Nobody likes this.
I agree that it can be risky. That's why I'm asking for people's first-hand experience about using fire in a live performance.
Again, I'm not using any pyrotechnics. There is nothing that is going to be detonated or set-off. I was interested in maybe using lighter fluid or alcohol. Bicardi seems to be one of the more flammable alcohols. I've seen bartenders prepare flaming drinks and servers carrying flaming drinks through the clubs to customer's tables. All without incident, so it is possible to do this in a safe, controlled manner.
AaronVonRock said: ↑
I started this thread asking HOW to do it. I'm not asking SHOULD I do it. The permission and approval of an internet forum full of complete strangers is not high on my priority list. Finding out some facts and drawing on people's first hand experience was the purpose of this discussion and is more valuable to me than being called an idiot.
Why ask a forum full of strangers how to do this ? You could get told any nonsense. Use the net and ask stage magicians .
I started this thread asking HOW to do it. I'm not asking SHOULD I do it. The permission and approval of an internet forum full of complete strangers is not high on my priority list. Finding out some facts and drawing on people's first hand experience was the purpose of this discussion and is more valuable to me than being called an idiot.
Why ask a forum full of strangers how to do this ? You could get told any nonsense. Use the net and ask stage magicians .
Maybe flashpaper is a safer alternative. I don't know much about it. Thanks for the heads-up. You're the 2nd person to mention it.
And once again, not really the place to ask this advice. Did you Google my suggestion of performance artists? Consensus still says shouldn't. Now if you want to know how to deal with issues concerning modding, up keep, strings, pickups and the like you came to the right place. Not sure amongst the mostly reasonable members of this forum this is the place to ask about how to ignite your bass.
Last edited:
I now realize that would probably yield more productive results. It didn't occur to me before the connection between flashpaper and magicians. But it seems a few people on here have some experience in that area, too.
What are you talking about? TalkBass OT is a wealth of knowledge, from legal to sound medical advice
I know we sound like grumpy old farts, but nightclub fires can kill so many folks so quickly. I gave a list a few pages back of nightclub fires (from pyrotechnics) just within the last couple of decades, the death total is staggering. On a large outdoor stage, or a large indoor stage, trained professionals (magicians, etc) can pull off stuff with flashpaper or other things--but eve then they occasionally have stuff go wrong, fortunately they usually have emergency plans in place.
A crowded nightclub stage, performed by amateurs and little to no emergency preparation? Even flashpaper could be catastrophic. One thing I can pretty well guarantee: of those nightclub fires I listed earlier, every one of them involved people who didn't see an issue with just a little bit of fire (whether flash pots, fireworks, or a lit match). Nobody thought "hey this fire stuff is dangerous, might just burn down the Station", they figured it was OK.
A crowded nightclub stage, performed by amateurs and little to no emergency preparation? Even flashpaper could be catastrophic. One thing I can pretty well guarantee: of those nightclub fires I listed earlier, every one of them involved people who didn't see an issue with just a little bit of fire (whether flash pots, fireworks, or a lit match). Nobody thought "hey this fire stuff is dangerous, might just burn down the Station", they figured it was OK.
Check with your local magician shop and see what they say for an effect.
Do not try to be like Rammstein. (yet)
Do not try to be like Rammstein. (yet)
The problem here, as with all Internet forums, is that there are indeed quite knowledgeable experts who post--but they are sandwiched in between the not-so-knowledgeable experts.
How about embedding a Kindle Fire in your bass with a video of the Yule Log running?!
If Mr. VonRock is in Bangkok as his profile states, I would think anything goes. But I've never been there, just seen the movie version and heard that song. It just might make a hard man humble.
