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Train Wreck Recovery

#21
On a recent gig our guitarist had some technical issue, can't recall exactly what. So I launched into an impromptu "My Sharona", the drummer dove in, and that kept the crowd happy long enough. Jah only knows where such moments of inspiration come from. Never played it before, and haven't since.
 
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#22
So the band I've been gigging with for about a year had our first total train wreck this past Saturday. We get a request for "When I Come Around" by Greenday which we have not played in a while. Guitar player kicks it off, I come in and ...dog crap! What is going on? Sounds like...a train wreck. I start thinking it's me. I forgot the song or something. I keep trying to get it back until finally I just give up. I stop playing completely for a minute. Then sound my way to the roots of what the guitarist is playing and finish the song that way. After the song, the guitarist comes over and says "Sorry, wrong key!"
Turns out he was playing it in the original key where it is tuned down a half step. Which we have never once done. And it never occurred to me that this was the issue. Oh well. It was late in the evening by then...
 
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#23
St patricks day gig. We start Sweet child of mine -a song we had been playing for weeks and the lead guit opens with guitar part. When rythm guitarist comes in he is in the wrong key. Made the lead guit mad i guess and he stopped the song and was like "sorry our guitarist Paul is out of tune" and looked kind of angrily over at him . Being the singer I wasn't having it. I laughed and said "hey everybody Paul needs a beer" actually we all do! The crowd laughed -we started again and they brought us beer!
After that we actually practiced any problems that may arise like broken strings or whatnot. Just having other band members keep the beat while issues are sorted out.
and here we are:
Stpats1.jpg
 
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#24
Hey, ours was this past Saturday evening. Brewpub gig, super friendly owner and crowd. We love those folks.

We were doing a Guess Who song (no, not that one), and for some reason it was quite hot on stage. Our singer (vest and tie) was roasting. We got to the bridge (I took us to the bridge and everyone followed), and singer Dan turned around, shook his head "no" and said "verse." OK brother, verse it shall be. We took another lap around the bridge and started the verse. Dan pointed to Ken for the "theme" guitar line and then started the verse lyrics.

At this point, my eyes were glued to Dan for cues. I was sure I had caused the mixup and I wasn't going to do it again. Things seemed OK, but Dan still looked annoyed. Dang, I thought. I hate to dissapoint the guy with a mistake, he really wants us to sound our best. Dan shook his head again, and blinked. He didn't look well.

As we ended, he said he was overheated and couldn't think straight. I turned my fan on him and we got him some icewater and loosened his collar and vest. We all had our share in the mistake, but Dan admitted he had NO idea where we were in the song. Too hot to think straight.

Lessons : 1. Stick together. 2. Watch for cues. 3. Always bring the fans, even when we're barely out of winter playing on a cool evening in early March.

The crowd loved us. Dancers up most of the night. Set One was 110 minutes (oops !).
 
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#25
Bass Man Dan said:
So the band I've been gigging with for about a year had our first total train wreck this past Saturday. We get a request for "When I Come Around" by Greenday which we have not played in a while. Guitar player kicks it off, I come in and ...dog crap! What is going on? Sounds like...a train wreck. I start thinking it's me. I forgot the song or something. I keep trying to get it back until finally I just give up. I stop playing completely for a minute. Then sound my way to the roots of what the guitarist is playing and finish the song that way. After the song, the guitarist comes over and says "Sorry, wrong key!"
Turns out he was playing it in the original key where it is tuned down a half step. Which we have never once done. And it never occurred to me that this was the issue. Oh well. It was late in the evening by then...
Click to expand...

I thought Green Day did play that live in F#? (original album key) I've always played it in F# as per the record - might be easier to play in G but I'm sure it's F# on the album
 
#26
years ago my band were playing 'Message in a bottle' by The Police.... our female singer starts singing and she is way flat, so when it comes to the chorus I join in on BV's in the right key..... 2nd verse and I start to sing it with her to make sure she is in the right key but she looks at me and the rest of the band and makes the hand signal for us to 'cut' / stop the song which she did.... we never played that song again!
 
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#29
Before my keyboard player (keys, 2nd electric GTR, and acoustic GTR) got his real keyboard we were using my midi controller keyboard through protools on a laptop. Worked pretty well, but one time while playing "stone in love" when it got to the end the keys didnt work. So normally I play 1/4 notes to keep the tempo while the keys build back up. Since it is my computer and the keyboard player doesn't know it very well I kept playing 1/4 note G's with my left hand while restarting protools with the other. Got it back up and running and finished the song strong. I have also had to keep playing and run and get batteries for the main guitar player a few times. Thankfully I am fully wireless so I can keep playing the whole time. (Wireless bass and IEM)
 
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#31
I'm nearing 50 and my worst show ever was a couple of weeks ago. Clam after clam, plus, I was too hot under the lights and got dizzy and lost at one point. Drums were so loud guit couldnt hear me and got lost in a different tune. A friend in the audience confided that unlike 90% of the time, this show was noticeably bad.

Really disappointing, but gotta get back on the horse...
 
#32
Possibly the worst for me...

I was using a Digitech Drop Pedal to save having to lug a detuned second bass. When setting up, I run my wireless receiver into the amp input and go to the pedal through the effect loop in the amp.
Then I go to FOH with an XLR out on the amp as well.

During setup, the singer, in an effort to be helpful, and not to my knowledge, plugged my XLR to FOH directly into my receiver instead of my amp out.

Later, when we got to the detuned set, I hit the pedal and my processed signal through the effect loop joined my direct signal to FOH from my wireless receiver.

Joined is not the best choice of words. Collided is probably better.
I was putting out clean signal from my receiver to FOH and a detuned signal from my amp.

It was not good.
 
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