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Unprofessional

#61
Meh, you miscalculated, it hit you hard, you did your best to recover and the band played on, decently it seems. I say well done! Krap's gonna happen, even if it was our own doing. Being professional about it is how you recover and deal with it.

On the other hand, was in a Classic rock/R&B band for many years, most every gig a few of us would round up the guitarist and make sure he got a couple of Gin & Tonics in him after load in. Always a better gig that way.
 
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#62
trailer said:
Worse things have happened. The important thing is that you've owned it.
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This. Totally this.

Don't add to the stress by flogging yourself. You seem to be completely aware of what happened and why it happened. It bothered you enough that it likely won't happen again.

Relax. Everybody lived. ;)
 
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#63
You've just described my early band years in the 70's! Actually the WHOLE BAND! :laugh:

Don't beat yourself up. Just learn from your mistakes. It takes a lot of courage to come here and own up to a bunch of fellow bass players.

If you do end up drinking again drink lots of water, drink slow, and eat food. Try to alleviate the affects of the alcohol.
 
#65
Drink more water in general, even if you're not drinking alcohol. I always feel calmer when I'm hydrated than when I'm not. Same with getting enough sleep. Regular exercise can help calm nerves too.
 
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#68
grimjim said:
this gets a little dicey so.....,

I did the most unprofessional thing I have ever done this weekend.

I had a really late show,1:30 AM. Had a couple adult beverages with a friend before going to practice and loading out. Got to the venue at 10:00 for scheduled load in. Sipped on a couple more drinks and next thing I know, without even feeling it coming, I was trashed. Bad.

I stumbled out to my truck and got the spins when I closed my eyes. So I kept them closed to make myself throw up.

The guys started texting me ten minutes before we were supposed to go on. I didn't think I was gonna make the show until then.

I made my way back inside, played the show and played pretty well according to patrons and the other bands.

I have never done this before, ever. I have tremors and actually need to mellow myself out a little or else the Adrenalin makes it worse. Usually this means one maybe two drinks or else I shake to the point of it impeding my playing.

I shouldn't have started at 6 for that late a show and it's bugging me. It all ended okay but hopefully I've learned a valuable lesson,
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My rule of never drinking on the job (music or otherwise) has yet to wrong me. That is all I will say on the matter.
 
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#69
I played a st.paddys day gig this past year..... after the first set, guitarist and drummer look at me and stated that they were kind of drunk. I had a good buzz going but we all commenced to getting hammered. They asked us to play an extra hour. Which we did. :thumbsup:
 
#70
I learned the same lesson when I was younger.....
I use to be very nervous to play to large crowds...
Drinking made the shows go by very quickly and looking back everything was a blur ......
I decided to just face my fear and played sober and eventually from years of experience I no longer have anxiety ...
I can now play to a large crowds just as comfortable as playing bass at home by myself....
I will never go back to drinking while playing... For one, my playing is better ...the other reason is that I am now in the moment and enjoying every second of playing live music....it is no longer one big blur in my memory...
You need to be brutally honest and ask yourself,,Why are you playing music for ??? And why do you need to drink when playing ??? Until you are truly honest your reasons will be BS....
 
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#71
I did that once. Was supposed to play at 10. Went on around 1am. Lost complete track of what I was doing. It was a reunion show and the place was packed. Everyone kept buying me drinks. I remember starting and I remember finishing. No one seemed to notice too much. Everyone had fun. But my wife informed me the next day that I played like total poopoo. It was the last time that's ever happened.
 
#72
redwingxix said:
Very doubtful unless a person were about 140 pounds or a total non-drinker. According to his timeline (and if his count is accurate) that's roughly one drink an hour. OP stated that he does drink regularly and his profile pic indicates a pretty average american male body type. I'm not saying that's it's okay to overdrink before a show, I'm saying that I don't believe he did in this instance and there is another issue at play here that should be examined so it doesn't happen again. I'm hoping it's a simple matter to correct and not a serious health issue.
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Yeah, reading the OP something doesn't sound right. 4-6 drinks over that period of time shouldn't give you the spins. Best guess: he got something extra in one of his drinks.
 
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#78
MrLenny1 said:
Were you playing Metal?
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yes. and I am now kind of a legend at work. After getting home at 3:30, my alarm went off at the usual 5:20 and I made it to work at 7 plus had a pretty productive day. I told a friend pretty much what I said in my OP and by 9:30 almost the entire company was amazed that I was even there.
 
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