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Should I talk to the band about this?

gjbassist

gjbassist

Sep 7, 2005
6,039
3,131
60
Kansas City, MO
#1
Had a gig last night at a local bar. We have played this bar several time now and every time we have at least one issue with a bar patron. It is usually just a drunk who makes a wise ass comment or obnoxious repetitive request. Last night we had these things happen plus a guy who wouldn't take no for an answer when he asked if he could sing with us. The guitar player told him we no because we didn't know him and we weren't hosting an open mic night. The guy even went over to the bartender and complained to her about it. As we were packing up at the end of the night a fight broke out that started in the bar and ended up in front of the bar right where we were loading up our gear. Anyway it is getting to the point I don't want to play this bar any more. It's not in the best part of town and some of the people are less than desirable types. They already have us booked for two more two night gigs during the summer. I don't think the other guys in the band have as much of an issue with this place as I do. I don't want to let them down by refusing to play there but I just don't feel comfortable playing this bar any more. Any thoughts on how to handle this would be appreciated!
 
#4
I had idiot issues at even the classiest of venues....

...and had wonderful experiences at the trashiest of places.

I would never ditch a gig over a couple of instances like that.....fights can happen at ANY bar.

If you are looking for a bar that a fight has never broken out in....best of luck.
 
#5
gjbassist said:
Had a gig last night at a local bar. We have played this bar several time now and every time we have at least one issue with a bar patron. It is usually just a drunk who makes a wise ass comment or obnoxious repetitive request. Last night we had these things happen plus a guy who wouldn't take no for an answer when he asked if he could sing with us. The guitar player told him we no because we didn't know him and we weren't hosting an open mic night. The guy even went over to the bartender and complained to her about it. As we were packing up at the end of the night a fight broke out that started in the bar and ended up in front of the bar right where we were loading up our gear. Anyway it is getting to the point I don't want to play this bar any more. It's not in the best part of town and some of the people are less than desirable types. They already have us booked for two more two night gigs during the summer. I don't think the other guys in the band have as much of an issue with this place as I do. I don't want to let them down by refusing to play there but I just don't feel comfortable playing this bar any more. Any thoughts on how to handle this would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
learning how to handle drunks is bar band 101.....disarming them with humor is one way,and some guys i've seen can get an audience on their side to calm hecklers down for them.....i used to bounce when i was younger,and i learned that a table full of hostile drunks usually has at least one guy you can turn into an ally and diffuse a potentially violent confrontation.....most of the time anyhoo....
 
#7
I think you should talk to your band about it. If you are uncomfortable, they should be informed. Maybe, as a band, you will decide to do the future gigs, maybe not. Many of us have played gigs in places we did not like (or at least places we probably would not choose to hang out in). I have played some fairly rough biker bars where fights were common (even shootings and stabbings on nights I was not playing). Then again, I thought those places were rather fun. IME, rarely are rowdy crowds projecting their aggression towards the band.

In your story, it sounds like the bar needs to provide some level of security. Like do they have a bouncer? They should be informed that the band is off limits for patrons unless invited. If the bar cannot do that for you, then perhaps maybe it is not the place for you or your band.
 
#8
"Hit him with a banjo"

bob-that-70s-show-6429332-446-463.jpg
 
#10
gjbassist said:
Had a gig last night at a local bar. We have played this bar several time now and every time we have at least one issue with a bar patron. It is usually just a drunk who makes a wise ass comment or obnoxious repetitive request. Last night we had these things happen plus a guy who wouldn't take no for an answer when he asked if he could sing with us. The guitar player told him we no because we didn't know him and we weren't hosting an open mic night. The guy even went over to the bartender and complained to her about it. As we were packing up at the end of the night a fight broke out that started in the bar and ended up in front of the bar right where we were loading up our gear. Anyway it is getting to the point I don't want to play this bar any more. It's not in the best part of town and some of the people are less than desirable types. They already have us booked for two more two night gigs during the summer. I don't think the other guys in the band have as much of an issue with this place as I do. I don't want to let them down by refusing to play there but I just don't feel comfortable playing this bar any more. Any thoughts on how to handle this would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

If you have to play there and the owner likes you, just tell them, you don't play if the idiot is there.They don't have to serve anyone.

Not cool, I have played the same bar in my area and have almost had my a$$ kicked more than once by dead beat patrons for no reasons.

In some ways it's my fault we play a back self contained room and I really have no business in the front bar where everyone looks like they just got out of prison.

Word to the wise, don't go into the bar like me with new fancy shirt, boots , bracelets, other acceories and mascara on:rollno: They don't like that,so I was an easy target for an a$$ kickin.

We stil have to play in some rough areas and I am not sure I want to do it, for some of the guys it's not an issue, me I'm to old to deal this kind of crap.

There is never enough decent chics around to balance things out either.
 
#11
Fortunately, the guys I play with and I have similar comfort levels when it comes to where we will/want to play. I'd talk to the band. At least bring it up so it isn't just festering. Any issue should always be brought up. It may or may not get solved but at least it's out there.
 
#12
I played once with my leg sticking out, pushing fighting Marines away from the stage with my boot, no sh@#$t. We didn't even stop playing, but were laughing.

Ah...well... that was 1975, I was 25. Ok, but nowadays, I won't play where folks are like that. Contrary to what some feel, there are places where you will never see that. Ot at least it would be as rare as seeing it anywhere else, like in a store, mall, on the street, etc. I play nice places for nice folks, although I have some gigs coming up in a large venue I've never been to in the country. Don't know what to expect. If I don't like it, I'll say so. If I don't wanna play it anymore, I'll also say that. If they don't like it, I'll quit. Life's too short...
 
#15
Jim Campbell said:
learning how to handle drunks is bar band 101.....disarming them with humor is one way,and some guys i've seen can get an audience on their side to calm hecklers down for them....
Click to expand...

This, drunks are prone to laughter, use humor on them.. They're also prone to stupid so you can look em in the eye and ask them how they liked the special version of Mustang Sally you played for them at the end of the set when they come up to you drunk, asking why you didn't play it.. You didn't but they wont realize it and they will believe you because they're drunk..
 
#16
AfroCubanFunkMa said:
This, drunks are prone to laughter, use humor on them.. They're also prone to stupid so you can look em in the eye and ask them how they liked the special version of Mustang Sally you played for them at the end of the set when they come up to you drunk, asking why you didn't play it.. You didn't but they wont realize it and they will believe you because they're drunk..
Click to expand...


Bring him up on stage give him lots of space and a big intro.Bet anything he runs.
 
#17
A friend of mine's band gets the drunken "Can I sing with the band?" requests all the time. Their typical response is, "If you have a note from your mom, one from the bartender, buy us all a beer, show three forms of ID, and pay us $100. We're not a kroakaoke band and we don't want to be mistaken for one."

By the time the drunk figures out how to get a note from his/her mom, the urge to sing has usually worn off.
 
#18
You think bars are bad? I used to play in a band that frequently played frat/sorority parties. I've never seen a level of chaos and inebriation like that in any bar or nightclub. And to make things worse, there was rarely any security at any of those shows. We once had an incident where some frat brothers threatened violence against us because we allegedly cut our set short (which we didn't). We had to call the police to stand guard while we hastily loaded our gear out of the house. It was scary, to say the least.

Not all the college gigs were bad, but quite a few of them were rough. I wouldn't want to play them again, that's for sure.
 
#19
It's not like I've never dealt with drunks or uncooperative people at a bar gig before. Also, I am second degree black belt with over eight years of martial arts training. So I am more than capable of defending myself. That is not the issue. I feel it is an overall quality issue with this venue. It is not just one guy. It is different people every time we play there. We don't have nearly as many problems with patrons at other bars as we have at this one. We also don't draw as big of a crowd from our core supporters to this venue. It could be because many of them live farther from this bar than many of the other we play. It also could be they don't want to come to this particular bar because of the regular crowd it draws. I'm just not sure this place is worth the effort any longer.
 

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