I have a hipshot d tuner on my bass, and I played half a song in the wrong tuning because I forgot to check how it was set before I started playing 
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What was your worst on-stage screwup?
- Thread starter frsbdg
- Start date
Many times..
Too many!!
But the worst was getting lost in "My Sharona" at an outdoor summer festival!!
I went to the bridge/guitar solo section early and from there it never fixed itself....i had a weird outta body experience as this was happening, I wasnt drinking or high either, so I dont know why that happened to this day!!
Too many!!
But the worst was getting lost in "My Sharona" at an outdoor summer festival!!
I went to the bridge/guitar solo section early and from there it never fixed itself....i had a weird outta body experience as this was happening, I wasnt drinking or high either, so I dont know why that happened to this day!!
This was many years (80's) ago in Germany. We were having this problem with our singer. At the end of the night he'd be fired up on alcohol and starting jumping into additional tunes when it was time to quit. None of us (except him) were into the idea of playing for free and we had repeatedly talked to him about without much luck.
We were playing one night in the Enlisted Club at Sembach Air Base Germany, and somehow I had gotten it into my head we were done at 1:00 a.m., which was typical for many of the places we played. At 1:00 Rudy started into another song and I'd had it. Put down my bass and walked off the stage. The club was open until something like 2:30 so I went to the bar and ordered a drink. After the band went into yet another number, with the keyboard player doing his best to fill in for me with his left hand, I asked the bartender "What time does the band usually quit playing here?" He replied, "Usually 2:00." Oops! So I went back onto the stage, tail between my legs and finished the night!
We were playing one night in the Enlisted Club at Sembach Air Base Germany, and somehow I had gotten it into my head we were done at 1:00 a.m., which was typical for many of the places we played. At 1:00 Rudy started into another song and I'd had it. Put down my bass and walked off the stage. The club was open until something like 2:30 so I went to the bar and ordered a drink. After the band went into yet another number, with the keyboard player doing his best to fill in for me with his left hand, I asked the bartender "What time does the band usually quit playing here?" He replied, "Usually 2:00." Oops! So I went back onto the stage, tail between my legs and finished the night!
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I once got all the way to the first chorus without noticing I was playing the wrong song.
Oh and one time I was in charge of a pedal-operated smoke machine, and I had it plugged into the same outlet as my bass amp on one of those block type extensions.
Long story short: Blew out a bunch of smoke, had my foot tangled in the mains cable, stepped away and in doing so pulled the plugs for both the smoke machine AND my amp out of the wall. No bass! So I then spent the rest of the song trying to plug my bass amp back in but I couldn't see a damn thing for all the smoke!
Long story short: Blew out a bunch of smoke, had my foot tangled in the mains cable, stepped away and in doing so pulled the plugs for both the smoke machine AND my amp out of the wall. No bass! So I then spent the rest of the song trying to plug my bass amp back in but I couldn't see a damn thing for all the smoke!
Once I had a brilliant idea: keep my relatively heavy hybrid head that I had in a platic rack case, but to save my back, use it with a portable ampeg 2x12, the light kind with detachable dolly. Heavy slippery plastic box on top of a narrow column covered in felt. Yeah the whole thing came crashing down, and the tip of my cable broke inside the jack of the amp. Woohoo!
Oh, and one time I jumped offstage and into the pit. I came down face first on a raised fist. Had to finish the set with a broken nose pouring blood.
I'm interested in how often technology is involved in these stories. I'm going right now to check my tuner and make sure it doesn't do anything but A=440...
No technology involved in mine. Just weakness and poor judgement.
I was trying to think about how to respond to the question. I don't have any colorful anecdotes, just the usual note-flubbing and cue-missing, but yes, "poor judgement" is right up there. I ain't as young as I used to be, but probably about the same level of dumb. Edit: No whining about work.
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I did fall asleep in the middle of a gig once - much younger, boozy gig followed by boozy band dinner followed by boozy second gig, about half way through it all got a bit too much for me...
I should mention, the rest of the band did notice this.
I should mention, the rest of the band did notice this.
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didn't happen onstage but off stage-
we played a house party in the 80's and I knew no one there. we played a set or two and then took a break. there I was in teased curls and white tassled leather jacket looking pretty cool; I walked past the patio full of people and into the house-I didn't see the screen door as the patio doors were open. I went through the screen and landed on it victim-style in the living room in front of everyone-I think I might have ripped a hole in my painted on jeans too.
-I was f*****g horrified with embarrassment and everyone was pissing themselves laughing.
we played a house party in the 80's and I knew no one there. we played a set or two and then took a break. there I was in teased curls and white tassled leather jacket looking pretty cool; I walked past the patio full of people and into the house-I didn't see the screen door as the patio doors were open. I went through the screen and landed on it victim-style in the living room in front of everyone-I think I might have ripped a hole in my painted on jeans too.
-I was f*****g horrified with embarrassment and everyone was pissing themselves laughing.
There was some miscommunication and I ended up playing a song I'd never even heard before. Didn't even know what key it was in. About 500 people in the audience. Started playing chromatic passages like it's some kind of a jazz piece, and never was able to land on the key. I remember the faces of the people in the first few rows... They looked uncomfortable.
I felt I was a disgrace to humanity... Band mates struggled to maintain eye-contact with me afterwords.
I felt I was a disgrace to humanity... Band mates struggled to maintain eye-contact with me afterwords.
In my early 20's a high school friend was killed in a car crash 4 hours before a gig, and I proceeded to freak out and drink 6 beers and a pint of bourbon in 45 minutes. Couldn't stand up or tune my bass. My bandmates were really understanding all in all.
For some reason, I thought it would look cool to smoke a cigar while playing drums during a gig (yeah, this was back when you could still do that indoors…). Everything was fine until some of the falling ash set my drum stool on fire and I had to stop playing in order to put it out! 
For some reason, I thought it would look cool to smoke a cigar while playing drums during a gig (yeah, this was back when you could still do that indoors…). Everything was fine until some of the falling ash set my drum stool on fire and I had to stop playing in order to put it out!
Gawd... That was so funny I choked
Opening song. Hi energy band. Hi energy song. Hi profile gig. I was tuned a half step down, and couldn't tell what the problem was. Thought it was my guitarist train-wrecking.
You deserve my undying respect as you could have started the story with "a friend of mine", byte made even funnier by owning up. KUDOS
Sad to say, my worst was on national late night tv. Bass line opens hitting the 1 hard after a 4 bar G maj guitar intro. I was 'sposed to land on 10th fret of the A string... I nailed the 11th pretty hard. TOTAL CLAM.
You ever randomly remember something and actually shout NOOOO, even though it has been years since the event? Yeah, this is that kind of memory.
You ever randomly remember something and actually shout NOOOO, even though it has been years since the event? Yeah, this is that kind of memory.
