Worst performance experience

I was on the road with Tommy Walker's Revelation Band as their warm-up act (as a soloist) and as their sound tech. We were traveling across the southland from Texas into Tennessee playing at small venues (this was about 1978 or so). We stopped in Okie City, set up the equipment, did the sound checks, went to eat. When we got back the auditorium was pretty full, and when I got up to open - the person in charge of the venue came up and stopped me from playing half way through my opener! "We came here to listen to the band, son!" he said. I felt humiliated (I was maybe 25 at the time). The Rev band guys made fun of me for months afterwards lol - it sure did leave a sting when it happened.

tommywalker dot net

[kydave]

Ouch, Mark! That hadda suck!!

At least when I opened for the Osborne Brothers and played their song, "Rocky Top", with them sitting in the front row, they didn't kill me (although the little guy looked like he could've; the big brother was laughing...).

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Willy D

utterly entranced and staring at a 90 year old "full Monty"

LOL! Oh man that part alone wins the thread. How does a person ever erase such an image? ! AND she did a summersault? Gross!

[Willy D]

Originally Posted by steelvibe

LOL! Oh man that part alone wins the thread. How does a person ever erase such an image? ! AND she did a summersault? Gross!

Well - turned 60 a couple weeks ago ... picture still stuck in there!!!

[Silly Moustache]

I've played a few chair exhibitions in my time and that is very depressing.

I dislike pub gigs. I'd rather play for free to a listening audience than get paid for being ignored or shouted over.

The most recent unpleasant experience was a charity gig. A good cause small festival at the site of an activity centre for youngsters with mental disabilities (whatever the pc phrase is at present).

I got the invitation, accepted. Got advised of our playing time. Replied saying we would be ther 90 minutes before, and sent our stage plan.

Arrived (in three cars) - told the car park was full - go and park somewhere else - told attendant we were performers - he said ..."what?"

Had to walk about a mile with gear including double bass.

Got to ther main stage. "Oh sorry you are on the "woodland stage" . Wha?
Another long walk to a very small stage. Asked the sound man - do you have our stageplan?" - "What's a stage plan? - we have amps there you can plug into."
"We don't plug in - we are an acoustic that you booked. All we need are two SM58s and two 57s and a DI for the bass".

"What's 58s? We have a radio mike that you can hold".

and then we were delayed for an hour, and the sound was atrocious and the already small audience left.

The following week the organiser wrote to me to thank us for our contribution and ask if everything went OK. (HE WAS THERE!) ...and what contribution! A totally unsatisfying waste of a Saturday.

[cyclistbrian]

Originally Posted by A-Mac

Yup. Lotsa times back in the day, playing rock with junky, poorly grounded equipment. Hate that.

Well you got shocked, more or less badly. Electrocuted = death.

Getting shocked is not a trivial thing. You, and the others who have posted about getting shocked by mics, are alive because there was not enough current to kill you at that moment. However you can die from a bad shock as electricity will cook you like a Christmas goose. Seriously, you can be so internally burnt you will wish it finished you off.

Use a portable gfci for your own safety, especially and always outdoors. We play outside, we play in crappy old venues where uncle Cletus the dishwasher and handyman does repairs and wired things backwards. It's worth the effort to stay safe. A problem piece of equipment combined with bad wiring is a bad combination indeed!

At an event where you are not running the sound and cannot use a gfci, let the banjo or bass player test the mics. It will save your life.

[lmacmil]

Originally Posted by dwstout

Not your worst performance but the worst experience.

For me it's the same. I primarily do open mics. Once I got so lost in the middle of a song, I just had to stop. Being the typical open mics audience, most weren't paying much attention and the ones that were were sympathetic. I laughed it off and went on to the next song.

[Gypsyblue]

Originally Posted by lmacmil

For me it's the same. I primarily do open mics. Once I got so lost in the middle of a song, I just had to stop. Being the typical open mics audience, most weren't paying much attention and the ones that were were sympathetic. I laughed it off and went on to the next song.

I saw Jackson Browne do that once.

Opening for Joni Mitchell in the late 60's and not many knew who he was.

He was not having a good time and wasn't getting much applause or attention.

His songs were mostly slow, depressing downers and he wasn't well known and didn't have much of a following...yet.

Anyways, he got all mixed up, mangled the words and stopped playing altogether, clenched both fists and cussed!

Then he realized you can't lose your cool like that onstage, apologized and did another song or two and then left the stage.

Not a good evening for Jackson.

I dunno...maybe he and Joni were breaking up or something.

Originally Posted by kydave

Ouch, Mark! That hadda suck!!

At least when I opened for the Osborne Brothers and played their song, "Rocky Top", with them sitting in the front row, they didn't kill me (although the little guy looked like he could've; the big brother was laughing...).

So . . . wait . . . let it absorb . . . You opened up for a band and used one of their songs in your set? You may be the bravest person I've ever met!

[bbarkow]

Originally Posted by Cone Head

Ever get electrocuted by a vocal mic?

Back in the 80s, playing on a concrete stage outside. Something was off with the grounding. Every time I stepped up to the mic, it would shoot a half-inch arc to my lower lip.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by cyclistbrian

uncle Cletus the dishwasher and handyman does repairs and wired things backwards.

LOL this is a funny thread XD!

I think this same guy has set up sound for a lot of churches that I've been in!

[Flying Orca]

I think my worst onstage moment personally was the time we were ripping our way through a set and I missed a crucial comment on my set notes. I started the next song solo and the band came in on the chorus; rather unfortunately, I'd forgotten to remove my capo. We rallied through the ensuing train-wreck but it ruined the rest of the evening for me.

Re playing a song associated with a band when you're playing with that band - we appeared on a double-bill (alternating sets) with a band that was better-known, but mostly for one big song, a song we usually did as well. Of course we refrained from playing it, but the sad thing was that all the audience wanted to hear from them was that one song, and we got a better reception from the crowd because they weren't expecting us to play anything in particular.

[woodbox]

Hey Mark,
I can feel your pain from clear over here.
Ouch!
And then the band rubbed in the salt?!?
Double OUCH!!

When I was 19, our 3 piece band did a New Years all-nighter at the local skating rink. (do they even have those anymore?)
Anyway, it was 15 minutes on, 45 minutes off, from 8pm til 8am the next morning.

Too much noise and commotion to sleep between sets, no one could here us over the skating din and those who did hated our songs--they were 12-14 years old wanting Partridge Family and Bay City Rollers, we were 19-20 playing Beatles, Creedance and 3 Dog Night.

Up literally all night playing Skateland--I think it paid 100 bucks, split 3 ways.
But we were Rock Stars!

What were we thinking?

[kydave]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

So . . . wait . . . let it absorb . . . You opened up for a band and used one of their songs in your set? You may be the bravest person I've ever met!

Mid 70's, opening a two show night for the Osborne Brothers. They were really late coming on the first show and my opening act ran a LOT longer than the club owner (I played there regularly, though) or I had counted on. He was pissed at them, not me and during their show and the house clearing between shows we knocked back a fair amount of bourbon. He asked me, "by the way, why didn't you do Rocky Top?" a regular song in my lineup. I said "because it is THEIR song!" The club owner said, "Screw 'em! Do it!"

Well the first show, Sonny & Bobby had been hanging out in the dressing room during my opening set doing who knows what, but certainly not getting their butts onstage. During the second show, when I was directed to sing Rocky Top, they were sitting front and center during my act.

Sonny (the big one) thought it was great, and amused that I'd do that. He kept complimenting me on knowing so many songs and doing them well solo. Bobby (the little one, fortunately) was NOT amused.

Like I said, a fair amount (which was LOT for me in those days) of high octane bourbon was involved...

[Markini]

Well I learned at age 12 at backyard summer party for us kids (then) not to play electric guitar barefoot on a concrete patio. nuff said..