What was your most embarrassing moment at a gig?

[mrdreadful]

Band I used to play guitar in had two songs that had very similar intros... one evening we decided to put them back to back in the set. And so I started playing the wrong one, and didn't realise that I was until I realised our vocalist was pissing himself laughing instead of singing.

And the time I broke the D string, spent ages trying to tune up my crappy spare guitar while the crowd got ever more restless and then had it pointed out that we only had one song left and that didn't require me to use the D string at all. Fail.

[Mook]

So many but one I always remember for it's Spinal Tapness. Rocking out mid gig when my headstock got tangled up in the singers long hair. Had to stop playing mid song to untangle his hair from the tuning pegs

[Doctor J]

I played in a band called Old Scratch in the early '90s and I think I could find something from every gig we did but I'll filter to the highlights.

At our third gig we were greeted by a nutjob in the dressing room who was damp form head to toe, claiming he had been in the Liffey earlier on. He kindly offered to play harmonica with us, which he had in one pocket and, in another, a foot long iron bar which he told us "anyone who f***s with me gets this" and started whacking it off the dressing room wall. The bouncers got him out but it spooked our vocalist (calling him a singer wouldn't be fair, he was probably more of a narrator). Anyway, he went off to calm his nerves, probably a little too much. We were going down like a lead baloon, our brand of improvised doom-jazz-metal thing not going down well with the punters at all, especially the gong solo. The singer from the headline band, who dressed up as a Vegas style crooner with wig and bushy 'tache, came on stage to try and help us out, but our singer wasn't aware that the guy took on a character. He just saw another loon come on stage and try to take the mic from him, at which point he rammed his elbow into the guy's throat screaming "You're mad! You're mad!" and this descended into a full on brawl which, once again, required the bouncers to resolve... on stage... in front of the punters.

While rocking out at another gig I slipped in a puddle of water kindly left on stage by the support band and smashed backwards into the amp, which was a hefty Trace 4x10 combo teetering back and forth on a tea chest while I waited below to be squished. Thankfully, it steadied itself long enough for me to roll out of its shadow and stop it crashing down.

The most embarassing one, though, was when we put on our first headlining show and, to celebrate, all got somewhat... let's say... "sedated" prior to playing. Each of us has a wildly different account of the night but my take on it is that I was experiencing severe paranoia, especially between songs which seemed to be taking bleeding ages to start the next tune. Before the gig the guitarist told me he couldn't feel his hands and had to play sitting on a chair. It's safe to say it wasn't going well, so I kept telling the singer to hurry up and start the next song, wanting to get it all over with as quickly as possible. What I wasn't aware of was that he and a couple of mates in the crowd had fallen out spectacularly badly during the course of the set, banter turning quickly into genuine insults and into threats and this is why it was taking so long to get the next tune going. After what seemed to be a life time waiting for him start while we were playing a tune I called him over and told him to "start singing or just f*** off"... and he walked off the stage and straight out the door. It's not really something you can prepare for and, because of my severe paranoia and being oblivious to everything else which had been going on, I thought it was all my fault. In fact, he didn't even remember me saying it the next day. But after a quick consultation with the drummer, the guitar player was still draped limply on a chair, we decided to carry on. As it was all improvised, we could just get one of our mates to step in and regale the punters. I called out for a chap called Swag. No answer. Turns out he had followed our singer out looking to beat the crap out of him. So another fella, who shall remain nameless, came up. He was a nice guy but the kind of fella who was the butt of every joke, you know that kind of person. As we started rocking out another riff he used the opportunity to lash into all the people who had been putting him down, from his family to his friends, some of whom were in the venue. I still go red even thinking about it now, almost 20 years later. It was shameful, but a learning experience nonetheless.

[charic]

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1320657384' post='1429353']
I played in a band called Old Scratch in the early '90s and I think I could find something from every gig we did but I'll filter to the highlights.

At our third gig we were greeted by a nutjob in the dressing room who was damp form head to toe, claiming he had been in the Liffey earlier on. He kindly offered to play harmonica with us, which he had in one pocket and, in another, a foot long iron bar which he told us "anyone who f***s with me gets this" and started whacking it off the dressing room wall. The bouncers got him out but it spooked our vocalist (calling him a singer wouldn't be fair, he was probably more of a narrator). Anyway, he went off to calm his nerves, probably a little too much. We were going down like a lead baloon, our brand of improvised doom-jazz-metal thing not going down well with the punters at all, especially the gong solo. The singer from the headline band, who dressed up as a Vegas style crooner with wig and bushy 'tache, came on stage to try and help us out, but our singer wasn't aware that the guy took on a character. He just saw another loon come on stage and try to take the mic from him, at which point he rammed his elbow into the guy's throat screaming "You're mad! You're mad!" and this descended into a full on brawl which, once again, required the bouncers to resolve... on stage... in front of the punters.
[/quote]

Sounds entertaining to me

[Rich]

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1320076903' post='1421987']
nothing embarrasing as such, but once at a gig I held aloft my bass in mighty rock pose, and was then covered in polysterene from the roof tiles in the low ceiling I had just put the bass through.
[/quote]
I know of a bloke who, whilst adopting a similar pose, put the headstock of his Les Paul into a ceiling fan...

[LiamPodmore]

In addition to my previous ones, i had a strap come off my bass mid song before now, at one of the biggest gigs my band had ever played (At the time). Running round the stage at Manchester Academy 3 holding up my bass by the b string with my ring finger, and plucking with my other 2 and trying to play along to Stacy's Mom. I just about managed it and got some laughs in the process.

Liam

[Doctor J]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1320657878' post='1429365']

Sounds entertaining to me
[/quote]
Where I was, it was quite an uncomfortable experience, I suppose it's all about perspective, really

[charic]

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1320668377' post='1429592']
Where I was, it was quite an uncomfortable experience, I suppose it's all about perspective, really
[/quote]

That's understandable. Memorable atleast though?

[KevB]

When I first starting playing midi pedals the very first gig was at a venue where the carpet was virtually the same colour as the pedals themselves. I thought it would be OK but then the house lights went down and as far as I was concerned the damn things just vanished below my feet! Then after being in storage for a while (not needed in my last band) I decided to get them in use again with the new 3 piece band I joined a little while ago. First gig with them and between soundcheck and the gig the band leader installed some floor spotlights. We get on stage, lights go on, I look down where the pedals should be and a blinding yellow spot is pointed up straight in my eyes, pedals completely vanished from view again! I had to go nudge it aside with my foot after making a complete mess of the first song...

[mrdreadful]

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1320658978' post='1429386']
play along to Stacy's Mom.[/quote]

Yeah, I can imagine how embarassing that must've been...

[dmccombe7]

Playing a multi-band event with 4 other bands supporting on Boxing Day Bash sort of thing back in 80's we went for our gtr intro "Run Like Hell" from Floyd and would go straight into Time with the lighting set up to provide pin spots during gtr intro and a one button hit for halogen floods behind our 3 piece band when we came in on start of Time.
Only problem was the engineers had connected the floods into the same socket as the backline. Lights went off along with all the backline including Simmons drumkit.
Being an elec engineer i had to put bass down and scramble about trying to locate the fault. Sorted and carried on regardless. Was still a great night and no-one gave any negative feedback.
I guess at £2 a ticket for 5 bands is such great value for money that they simply accepted the odd hiccup.

Dave

[LiamPodmore]

[quote name='mrdreadful' timestamp='1320670555' post='1429649']

Yeah, I can imagine how embarassing that must've been...
[/quote]

Hahaha, its actually one of my bands most popular songs... (We're young, 16 and 18)

Liam

[rOB]

starting the second set with a funk, soul and pop rock covers band and realising that the singer is drunk enough to have forgotten the switch his mic back on after the break and missing his cue. Sorted it out and realised that he'd also forgotten all his words so he just howled a very rough and very out of time approximation at the vocal melodies for the whole 45 minute set at a 60th Birthday party.

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1320658059' post='1429368']
I know of a bloke who, whilst adopting a similar pose, put the headstock of his Les Paul into a ceiling fan...
[/quote]

that is a mixture of and


[quote name='mrdreadful' timestamp='1320670555' post='1429649']

Yeah, I can imagine how embarassing that must've been...
[/quote]

Apparently Stacey's Mom has got it going on.

[Lfalex v1.1]

Low ceilings are the worst.
I stuck a headstock through the ceiling above the stage (there must've been a void above) and had to finish the number with the remnants of a fibrous/polystyrene ceiling tile hanging off of the headstock. NOT a cure for neck-dive.

My worst two were actually during rehearsals / writing sessions.

Lead guitarist and I (semi) rocking out and not noticing each other. He spins around and cracks the headstock of his spanking-new Ibanez on the bridge of my bass. No damage at all to mine. His needed to be glued back together...

The writing session was the worst one.
The original owners of my house left matching glass-leafed, metal framed light shades in the lounge/diner of my newly-moved-into house. They looked okay, and I had other priorities, so I left them there.
Guitarist friend comes over for a writing session with his electric and an amp. It gets darker so I turn the lights on.
I go out into the kitchen to get a drink.
Next thing I know is there's a wail, a crash, and all the downstairs lights go out.
I rush into the lounge, to find my mate laying on his back with a lampshade and a guitar across him, glass everywhere.
He has 6 parallel burns across his left palm....
He's taken his guitar off and touched a tuning machine against the lampshade. The resultant earthing has fused my lights and burnt him where he was holding the instrument, as he's fallen over, he's caught the shade with a tuner, and taken it with him.

But why? On further inspection, the previous owner had wired the earth for the metal shade back to the live side of the circuit along with the bulb holder, so the entire metal frame was live when it was on- isolated from ground by the flex from which it was hanging...

Never trust any electrics you haven't done yourself unless you know that a qualified sparky did it!


Still, we laugh about it now.

[Bilbo]

I remember the 40+ year old singer in my first (HM) band announcing to the audience at the Bristol Granary that I was a virgin. I was a typically self conscious 17 year old at the time (1980?) so didn't take it particuarly well

[rOB]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1320841635' post='1432077']
I remember the 40+ year old singer in my first (HM) band announcing to the audience at the Bristol Granary that I was a virgin. I was a typically self conscious 17 year old at the time (1980?) so didn't take it particuarly well
[/quote]

rarely do I feel the need to express my laughter in text form but LOL

[bremen]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1320841635' post='1432077']
I remember the 40+ year old singer in my first (HM) band announcing to the audience at the Bristol Granary that I was a virgin. I was a typically self conscious 17 year old at the time (1980?) so didn't take it particuarly well
[/quote]

Get the band back together and ask him (on mic) if his sex life is as good as yours is right now ;-)

[Bilbo]

Do the sums, he's 73 now!!

[JPS]

I once played a local charity gig, the audience consisting mainly of local dignitaries/big wigs etc. All going fairly well until the guitarist introduces the next song with tasteful line "this one is Michael Jackson's favourite song - Messin with the Kid". What might work in certain busy, drunken pubs on a Friday night understandably didn't go down so well with the local MP, the Mayor and the representatives of the children's charity we were supporting.

[bremen]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1320854122' post='1432301']
Do the sums, he's 73 now!!
[/quote]

My point exactly.

[Cat Burrito]

I got drunk before a gig where the backing vocalist of the support band was at least a foot shorter. Having done our big entrance walking through the crowd I got onstage and went to adjust the mic stand. I lost my footing and fell off stage before we'd even played a note. You can't claw it back from that!

[Mornats]

Well, it wasn't actually me but our singer/guitarist. This was back at Uni in the mid nineties and we were playing a gig for a class reunion. They had a buffet on so of course we just helped ourselves. Our first track started with a guitar riff then a few bars of yet more guitar stuff (self-abuse/indulgence I think they cal it) and it sounded a bit ropey which to be fair usually didn't happen. Then the singing came in. Well, it should have come in but the singer/guitarist had just eaten a chicken leg and had a bit of chicken stuck in his teeth. He stumbled over his words (and later admitted he was concentrating on trying to unstick the chicken with his tongue during the intro) and we had to stop the song, listen to him explain to the audience what had happened, then had to start the song again...

[4000]

My own personal stuff isn't that embarrasing (except in my head), stuff like playing an entire song in the wrong key out an outdoor gig because it was my first with a 5 and the wind was blowing the sound away from me, or playing my first ever gig in a hole because the stage had been built out of boxes and the mic stand turned out to be too short (we removed a box, that being the hole I then stood in to sing).

The most embarrassing band situation however was when an old band played a big (in relative terms) local gig many years ago. Having been told we were too loud before anyone had actually plugged in (it was the drummer's fault, even though he was actually a pretty quiet drummer) the gig went from bad to worse before descending into farce.

Just before the encore our singer's ex-missus (still-missus at the time) found out he'd been sleeping with her sister. In the dressing room she poured a pint over his head and he wandered back on stage for the encore dripping. She then climbed on stage, grabbed the mic and proceeded to announce to a 1000+ strong crowd that he had indeed been sleeping with her sister. The rest of us scarpered as fast as possible. In his defence, his missus had already attempted to sleep with at least half of the band, including me (I didn't bite ).

Edited November 9, 2011 by 4000

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1320867631' post='1432600']


Just before the encore our singer's ex-missus (still-missus at the time) found out he'd been sleeping with her sister. In the dressing room she poured a pint over his head and he wandered back on stage for the encore dripping. She then climbed on stage, grabbed the mic and proceeded to announce to a 1000+ strong crowd that he had indeed been sleeping with her sister. The rest of us scarpered as fast as possible. In his defence, his missus had already attempted to sleep with at least half of the band, including me (I didn't bite ).
[/quote]


Sorry for laughing but this is good. Fond memories are flooding back of band life in the 80's.
I wish i could remember that clearly whether i did or didn't -

Thanks for the memories
Dave