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The Gig Brawl Stories Thread

#21
I'll play: in 1981 we were playing a high school dance. We had a specific rider in our contract that called for promoter-provided security at such events. None in sight at our setup/sound check. I voted that we stop setting up. I was, unfortunately, outvoted.

Some local toughs crashed the dance, started dumping rum into the punch and shoving people around. Fights break out all over the gym. Midway through the third song of our first set, a bottle came flying out of the melee, bounced off the keyboard and hit our keyboard player smack in the middle of her forehead. She was knocked unconscious and was bleeding rather profusely from her head. Our BL said (into an open mic) "That's it, show's over!" and we started breaking down. Fights continue. As I recall, about 15 people were arrested when the cops finally showed up. Unfortunately, none of them were the people who'd actually started the whole mess.

The band and the promoter sued each other for breach of contract. Took four years to sort it all out. He wound up settling with us. Our keyboard player still has a prominent scar on her forehead. The school banned such events for five years as a result of (what amounted to) their own negligence.
 
#22
We quit touring when we had about 20 gigs in a row turn into riots - Everywhere from bars,parties and colleges.
My favorite was Northern Illinois U. when the riot carried over to the dorms!
DeKalb police escort the band to the city limits and tell us never to come back, Huh!
I guess it was our fault the students went ape.
 
#23
I could write a book on all the bar fights I've seen and been in. We were playing at a club here in Austin years ago and after the first set I went into the bathroom. While I was in there I heard a commotion going on in the club. I knew it was a fight right away and since there was hardly anyone there I also knew my band guys were probably involved. I have unalterable rules when my guys or any woman are involved. I'm 6'6" and 215lbs and I'M COMING to hit somebody. I don't care who started it or who's right or wrong. I'll find out that stuff later. I emerged from the can to see two giant hispanic guys chasing my little drummer round the stage. I started running across the dance floor and jumped on the stage and hit the bigger one flush on the jaw. His eyes rolled up in his head and down he went into the drum kit. His brother screamed "You hit my brother!" and tagged me on the side of the head. I boxed him into a corner and dropped him too. These guys were University Of Texas football players and lineman to boot. They were also incredibly drunk on tequila. They both GOT UP. Now, all hell broke loose and my entire band kicked their asses breaking chairs over their backs and bottles over their heads. We could not knock them out. I mean we really hurt them bad but they kept getting back up. Finally the police came and saved them but they were charged with 13 counts of assault. The entire band also went down to the jail and waited for them to get out but they didn't get released till the next day. We wanted to hit them some more. My whole arm went numb as soon as I hit the 1st one but we played a set after the fight. A guy in the audience tipped us $100 and said it was the best show he'd ever seen for $5 cover.
 
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#24
This thread reminds me of why I respected a guitar player I worked with a long time ago. The guitar player was Big Chuck Monroe. He wasnt really fat, just big all over, but a gentle soul. We were playing your typical dive bar with the 9" stage. Your typical drunk with a beer in his hands starts heckling B.C. who ignores him. The drunk, not happy with being ignored yelled out, "I hate rock and roll and I had fat boys. I'm gonna kick your ass!", and put one foot on the stage. B.C. was playing his Firebird. Without missing a note, he smacked the drunk right between the eyes with the strap button on the Firebird. He collapsed like a basked of dirty laundry. The bouncer just dragged him up to the door and called the cops. He came to just as the cops showed up. Funny part was, he couldn't remember what happened. According the the bouncer and anyone else the cops asked, he was drunk and fell down hitting his head on the edge of the stage.
 
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#25
vasilio said:
We quit touring when we had about 20 gigs in a row turn into riots - Everywhere from bars,parties and colleges.
My favorite was Northern Illinois U. when the riot carried over to the dorms!
DeKalb police escort the band to the city limits and tell us never to come back, Huh!
I guess it was our fault the students went ape.
Click to expand...
It was your fault. Music can do that. Had a fight break out while we were playing Johnny B. Good (this was about 1972). We were on a raised stage behind the bar, so no danger. We just played it faster and louder and enjoyed the show.
 
#26
Played a 20th anniversary party a while back. Everyone was dressed really nice, groom was in a white tux, his wife in a beautiful white gown. We hit the stage and played the first set. The crowd is getting good and loose, and the liquor is flowing. Some young kid is videotaping the whole thing, it's a fun time.

Part way into the second set someone on the groom's side said something not too nice to someone in his wife's family. Suddenly guys in suits are knocking over the tables and fists and bottles start flying. We stop playing, and I'm getting ready to get off stage to protect my gear. The trumpet player grabs me by the arm and says "stay on stage. They don't usually attack the band if you stay on the stage." I turn to see the young videographer climbing on top of the mains, filming the whole thing from above.

We were paid in advance, and had a police escort to our vehicles.

Three years ago I'm subbing with the same band at a club gig. A fight breaks out and we stop playing. The fight rages on into the parking lot, and we start breaking down. Finally someone calls the cops and they swarm the place. I head out to the parking lot through the kitchen and see paramedics working on some guy who got shot four times by someone involved in the melee. I go back inside to get the rest of my gear and the cops won't let me outside. The victim dies on the way to the hospital, so now the whole scene is a homicide investigation. Everyone is interviewed and can go home, but if we leave we have to leave our gear behind. The sound guy and several band members ain't leaving all that gear there, so we end up staying. Finally, at around 5 AM the CSI team shows up. Seeing as how none of us were involved, the lead investigator tells us we can leave, however the cops have to help direct our cars through the parking lot so as not to disturb the crime scene. They never found the suspect(s).
 
#27
Must use caution in these circumstances. Case in point. Played a medium sized club gig 20 years ago. 600+ people. Two fan-boys in the front row keep trying to climb on the stage. Our lead guitar player has flagged his guitar tech several times telling him to watch these guys and keep them away from his gear. Well, sure enough, one gets on stage and makes a beeline straight for the guitarist, tripping over his cables and sending his Morley pedals flying into the drum riser. Fanboy gets up and receives a prompt boot in the chest from my guitarist. Crowd cheers. Then sheepish looking guitar tech walks on stage to restore the Morley pedals and cables and receives a right cross to his jaw from the same guitarist for allowing the fanboy on stage in the first place. Crowd cheers even louder. Now the morale of this story. Guitar player broke his picking hand when he hit his tech, effectively ending that show (we did attempt two more songs) and interrupted our tour for six weeks. If your gonna get in a fight - feet and headbutts are fair, but protect your hands....just saying.
 
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#28
We played this bar out in the middle of nowhere. It's pretty close to a fairly large college (GVSU) but was pretty well off the beaten path.

This place had PBR pitchers for $3.00 all night, every night. College kids and cheap beer are not a good mix. One night we had every single emergency service supplied by the state and or county in the parking lot. The Police (a couple of times) and ambulance, and since the ambulance was busy, the fire dept showed up for a while too. Lots of drunk ass kids on the verge of severe alcohol poisoning.

I think we had finished the second set, and were ready to come back from break to start the third when our lead singer comes back in from spending a little quality time in the backseat with his girlfriend. The guitar player and I were onstage tuning up, and the singer took his girl back to their table and starts to walk back to the stage.

Some drunk ass football player (He was a BIG kid) says to him as he walks by "Did you **** her in the *** while you were outside?" Well that started a little bit of a verbal altercation, and things were kind of tense, but nothing much happened. I kinda yelled out to the singer to quit messing around and lets start the third set. He turned and took a few steps to come back up on stage and the guys says "Yeah, I thought so, you're just a little *****." to which the singer replied "I'm a *****?? You're a *****!" It's always struck me odd that after the previous exchange of profanities, that this was what set events in motion.

The drunk football player jumped off of his stool, and made a roaring noise as he charged at the singer with his arms flung wide and his head down......... RAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRRR!!!!

Now the architecture of this particular club involved upright support posts set at regular intervals along the walkway separating the booths that were placed along the wall........

The lead singer (Who didn't drink anything but ice water on stage) looked just like a bullfighter, as he took a little side step, pivoted his body, gently but firmly placed his arm around the charging behemoths neck, and guided him head first into one of these support posts.

It sounded like it really hurt, and the guy went down like a sack of potatoes.

And......... The singer walked back up on stage and we started the next set. It was surreal.

We had to load out that night and I was sure the rest of the football teal was going to be waiting for us, but nothing ever happened.............

So anyway. 21 year old kids and cheap beer isn't the best business model.
 
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#29
Phalex said:
We played this bar out in the middle of nowhere. It's pretty close to a fairly large college (GVSU) but was pretty well off the beaten path.


The lead singer (Who didn't drink anything but ice water on stage) looked just like a bullfighter, as he took a little side step, pivoted his body, gently but firmly placed his arm around the charging behemoths neck, and guided him head first into one of these support posts.

It sounded like it really hurt, and the guy went down like a sack of potatoes.

And......... The singer walked back up on stage and we started the next set. It was surreal.
Click to expand...

Priceless!! Did your singer perhaps practice judo? Sounds like a classic move. LOL :roflmao:

:bassist::bassist:
 
#32
I played this dump in Oshawa, Canada called the Atria. The night we played was the night hundreds of meth heads were evicted from their apartments as the govt decided to clean up the downtown area. These folks were also paid $1500 cash for their first and last, short notice, etc. So we have hundreds of now homeless drug addicts out in the street with $1500 cash on them and it's Friday night.

I saw 6 fights on the street and I threw a guy out of the bar myself. This psycho came into the bar and started licking my wife's boots. I stopped the set, threw the guy out and then we started playing again.

Completely crazy night. Haven't played there since!
 
#34
Biggbass said:
Oklahoma City
'Filthy McNastys'
We're playing La Grange
Guy at table in front of stage flies across table and lands a fist in another guys face.
Table goes airborne
Fight starts
All hell breaks loose
Band just keeps on groovin to the guitar solo and lays down the soundtrack to a classic bar fight

A memory that will last forever!
Click to expand...
LOL! I can picture it.
If I ever find myself in that situation I'll call out "Batman theme! 1...2...3...4..."
 
#35
In about 1997 I was in a 3 piece blues band and we were playing a bar in east Dallas. Suddenly, the whole bar (maybe 50 people) ran out the front door, leaving us playing to only the bartenders. Apparently two of the patrons exchanged words and one of them decided to go out to his pickup to get his gun. A few minutes later, the police arrived and carted one of them away. Everyone came back in and we finished the rest of the show, like nothing happened. I probably should have been more afraid, but it was just so surreal.
 
#36
I was waiting to play, watching the opening act, at a seedy dive bar in Rosemead. The bartenders were all vietnamese women in their 30-40s. (3 of them) While not serving drinks, they were alternating between giving the dirty old men that were regulars back rubs, and getting drunk. One of them got really drunk and took offense to what one of the regulars said and decided to throw a beer bottle at them. The bottle missed its intended target, and hit a HUGE dudes mom. This didn't sit well with the HUGE dude. This was a hip hop show, and while I don't mean to stereotype, there are often firearms in the glove boxes of hip hop fans. (at least in LA) My stuff was still in my car. I immediately got the hell out of there as the yelling, holding back of said HUGE dude, and screaming in vietnamese commenced.
 
#38
No craziness like that ever happened at a gig I played. But, I did play rugby for quite a few years, and that included some involvement in some barroom situations of one kind or another. That was decades ago, and my body doesn't miss it a bit.

The funniest recent one I know of is a local band whose leader had a psycho ex-girlfriend. She turned up at a show where band leader's then current girlfriend happened to be in attendance. I left before this happened, so I don't know the full details. As I was told, the brawl included bandleader getting hit by a chair, kicking, screaming, hair pulling, etc. The band is a C&W band. Nobody went to jail, so it wouldn't rate high enough to make it into a Steve Goodman song.
 
#39
Had a couple good ones over the past 5 years with my current band.

One was at a decent little bar but it was early in the first set and there was an older woman (drunk) dancing by herself out front. She kept trying to get a big girl up to dance who kept refusing. The older woman antagonizes her for several minutes but the big girl won't budge. Finally we hear the old lady tell this girl between songs that she wouldn't be so fat if she got up and danced from time to time. The big girl had enough. She walked up to the old lady and told her one more comment would be the end of it. Old woman says something smart ass and this girl lays out this old lady right on the dance floor. She hit her head HARD on the concrete. Shaken for a few minutes but gets back up and leaves. Amongst the funniest things I've seen at a bar.

Second - Not funny. A guy I went to school with (known hot head and problem starter) was trying to hit on some guy in the crowds girl. Guy comes over and they start to argue (mid song) and one swing by the hothead and old boy is lights out. Falls straight back and hits his head on the concrete (we didn't see this happen) but all of a sudden the bar owner rushes the stage, grabs the mic from our singer and starts telling everyone to get the hell out of the way! Circle forms around this guy and its a mess to say the least. Cops show up, ambulance, the works. Haul the guy off to the ER, the other to jail, and the bar owner just tells us no more show tonight. Got paid in full!

More to come I'm sure.
 

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