Anyone from Hendersonville, NC on here?
We had just started playing for the car show and music on Main St. thing. Sound was good, everyone felt good. The crowd was excellent, about 800 or so sitting, and many more walking around, maybe 100 dancing. The sky had been iffy all day. Actually, it rained some during set-up, but we were under a large enough tent that noting was getting wet. The sun soon came back out and things looked fine again. As we began our show I was looking at a dark area to the west (I think it was). Sure enough it got closer. Suddenly there was a gust of wind that blew over the stage right light tree. Ok, we got through that, no problem. Then...
During the sixth song, or so, raindrops started falling, and folks were folding up their chairs and heading for whatever roof overhangs were available nearby. Some went to their vehicles. We kept playing for the troopers who continued to dance and sit under umbrellas. Then it happened...
The bottom fell out of the sky and the wind picked up. I don't mean just a little bit, I'm talking sideways rain. Holy crap! I grabbed my 16'x20' tarp and began pulling it over the board and whatever else I could. I was on the side where the rain was coming in and blowing straight across the stage. Down went the light tree again. Then...
It got WORSE!!! A LOT worse!!! I had brought the tarp for my rig, but we stood to lose the board and all, so I just threw my raincoat over my Markbass 121H combo sitting on top of my 151P cab. Dang, I hated the thought of that carpet getting wet, but at least my amp was covered. I tried to get myself wrapped in the tarp. The drummer was wrapped up and under it on the other end. The singer's wife was outside the tarp on the other end, too, soaking wet. I was already soaked to my drawers from head to foot. My hat had already flown off to parts unknown, too. I swear we were like sailors in a storm on the high seas trying to haul in a sail. The wind kicked into high gear about then, hitting about 50mph, no kidding. We couldn't hold on, and could barely stand up. The tarp was beating me to pieces, and I was beginning to think we might be on the edge of a tornado. But, it just kept blowing steady like that with nothing else behind it, it seemed.
The board with it's case bottom and the long table it was on went over, wham! Jeez! Oddly, my bass was still standing, sheltered a bit behind my stack, but it was soaked.
It went on for about fifteen minutes like that. I couldn't believe it. The set looked like a war zone. Thank god the tent was staked down through the asphalt. There was a moment when I actually thought we might have to give up and run across the parking lot to safety somewhere.
We survived. The singer's wife got a dislocated finger, though. Otherwise no injuries. But, every piece of equipment was drenched to the bone. My amp did ok, though. The bottom cab got wet on the side and back, but it's ok. It took us 1-1/2 hours to sort it all out with only one towel and a large roll of tissue from the rest room. Hopefully, things will fire up for tonight's gig. It was the worst situation I've ever seen in over 40 years of gigging. We literally got blown away.
The silver lining is that I got paid $250 for thirty minutes of playing. And, the people said we were the best band they'd had (bless their hearts). It was a long 2-1/2-hour ride back home, though.
Thanks for reading. Sorry it was so long. Share some of your own horror stories if ya like.
Sheesh.
We had just started playing for the car show and music on Main St. thing. Sound was good, everyone felt good. The crowd was excellent, about 800 or so sitting, and many more walking around, maybe 100 dancing. The sky had been iffy all day. Actually, it rained some during set-up, but we were under a large enough tent that noting was getting wet. The sun soon came back out and things looked fine again. As we began our show I was looking at a dark area to the west (I think it was). Sure enough it got closer. Suddenly there was a gust of wind that blew over the stage right light tree. Ok, we got through that, no problem. Then...
During the sixth song, or so, raindrops started falling, and folks were folding up their chairs and heading for whatever roof overhangs were available nearby. Some went to their vehicles. We kept playing for the troopers who continued to dance and sit under umbrellas. Then it happened...
The bottom fell out of the sky and the wind picked up. I don't mean just a little bit, I'm talking sideways rain. Holy crap! I grabbed my 16'x20' tarp and began pulling it over the board and whatever else I could. I was on the side where the rain was coming in and blowing straight across the stage. Down went the light tree again. Then...
It got WORSE!!! A LOT worse!!! I had brought the tarp for my rig, but we stood to lose the board and all, so I just threw my raincoat over my Markbass 121H combo sitting on top of my 151P cab. Dang, I hated the thought of that carpet getting wet, but at least my amp was covered. I tried to get myself wrapped in the tarp. The drummer was wrapped up and under it on the other end. The singer's wife was outside the tarp on the other end, too, soaking wet. I was already soaked to my drawers from head to foot. My hat had already flown off to parts unknown, too. I swear we were like sailors in a storm on the high seas trying to haul in a sail. The wind kicked into high gear about then, hitting about 50mph, no kidding. We couldn't hold on, and could barely stand up. The tarp was beating me to pieces, and I was beginning to think we might be on the edge of a tornado. But, it just kept blowing steady like that with nothing else behind it, it seemed.
The board with it's case bottom and the long table it was on went over, wham! Jeez! Oddly, my bass was still standing, sheltered a bit behind my stack, but it was soaked.
It went on for about fifteen minutes like that. I couldn't believe it. The set looked like a war zone. Thank god the tent was staked down through the asphalt. There was a moment when I actually thought we might have to give up and run across the parking lot to safety somewhere.
We survived. The singer's wife got a dislocated finger, though. Otherwise no injuries. But, every piece of equipment was drenched to the bone. My amp did ok, though. The bottom cab got wet on the side and back, but it's ok. It took us 1-1/2 hours to sort it all out with only one towel and a large roll of tissue from the rest room. Hopefully, things will fire up for tonight's gig. It was the worst situation I've ever seen in over 40 years of gigging. We literally got blown away.
The silver lining is that I got paid $250 for thirty minutes of playing. And, the people said we were the best band they'd had (bless their hearts). It was a long 2-1/2-hour ride back home, though.
Thanks for reading. Sorry it was so long. Share some of your own horror stories if ya like.
Sheesh.
spent hours untangling cables at home that night . . .
