Your First Gig

[Judo Chop]

Apologies if this has been done before, I did a search but didn't see anything similar.

I had my first ever gig last night performing a few covers at my work's christmas party, and I loved it. We all played well and it the audience were great, everyone was dancing and singing along, and they shouted for more once we'd finished. I can't wait to do it again next week.

So, did everyone else's first gig go as well, or did you fall flat on your arse and die?

Let's hear it!

[Lozz196]

My first gig was on guitar/lead vocs. Wasn`t too good. We only ever had one practice with all the band (gtr& vocs, bass, drums).

I tend to like walking about whilst playing, so this wasn`t too good for the lead vocs - of which I forgot many of the words anyway.

The bassist got lost in one of the songs, then remembered where he should be. But instead of simply playing from there, he played everything he had forgotten extra fast, so he could catch up.

Needless to say, we didn`t do any more. But, it was 1982, I was 16, and it was a punk gig, so I can still look back on it fondly!

But did I get the p*ss taken out of me at school the next day or what?

[Fitz666]

Our first gig was at a youth club, still got it on video somewhere.

Highlight of the evening?

A 10 year old tried to crowd surf, landed on his head and was knocked out cold.

Rest of it went OK though,

[Ian Savage]

My first EVER gig was dreadful, and I still blush looking back on it - playing guitar, 30 minute support for a friend of the bassist's band, singer decided she didn't like/couldn't remember the words to our three original songs ten minutes before we went on, so I sang one of them (very badly), and we dropped the other two in favour of an under-rehearsed Green Day cover with me on drums (as the drummer couldn't play it fast enough, but he COULD play the guitar part (sort of)). Terrible, terrible, terrible.

First gig on bass was MUCH better, having joined a reasonably established local originals band, so decent crowd, free beer and pretty women...now that I think about it, that might be part of the reason that most of my bands up to now I've been a bass player...

[chris_b]

[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]My first gig was in a blues band at a youth club in [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][size=4]Harrow[/size][size=4]. [/size][/size][/font][/color]

[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]As the singer announced the last number the lights went up and the caretaker, walking down an empty the room, shouted; [/font][/color][/size]

[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]"Don't bother mate, they've all gone home!"[/font][/color][/size]


[size=4]Blues was never big in Harrow![/size]

Edited December 16, 2011 by chris_b

[Ed_S]

My first ever gig was a set in a 24hr sponsored 'perform-a-thon' during our 6th form charity week. Without ever actually intending to, we ended up getting the slot over break time and consequently the whole school came and watched. Bit unnerving, especially since it was also my first outing on lead bass due to the guitarist being a chords-only kind of guy. But thankfully it turned out great and we even ended up inspiring the dance troupe who were up next to do an impromptu cartwheel-y thing at the front of the stage to 'total eclipse of the heart'. We were cheerfully held responsible for nearly the whole school being late for their next lesson due to watching us finish; cheerfully, because all the senior teachers were stood at the hall and dining room doors with buckets, demanding contributions for the extended break! Good times...

[paul h]

My first gig was at the Coach and Horses in West Brom I think in February 87. We were pretty awful. Just 30 minutes of dodgy covers supporting another local band.

Funnily enough I ended up in a band with 3 of the headlining bands members, including our own Mr. Fudge. And that band turned into the best years of my life. Loved it.

[BigRedX]

My first band was much more of a recording project than I gigging one. We produced five 1 hour DIY cassette albums over the course of 4 years, but rarely ventured beyond the safety of our recording environment. For one we didn't have enough proper equipment (recording was done using amps and a bass borrowed from classmates) and secondly our modus operandi was to play each song until we had a decent take and then forget about it an move on to the next. Occasionally we would surface as part of a school entertainment evening where we would shamble through 2 or 3 of our own compositions to the utter bafflement of the audience who expected bands to be playing rock covers.

We did however play one proper gig. Easter 1981. We had just finished recording songs that would be on our 3rd cassette and our percussionist had blagged us the opening spot on a benefit gig in Nottingham. So having cleared our recording space so it could it could be returned to its normal use (housing the singer's parents' car) we got on the bus to Nottingham with our instruments and our one amp.

TBH I can't remember much about it other than there was a lot of waiting around for the other bands to sound check and then waiting for our actual playing time. We played 6 new songs that we'd just finished recording (so there was a good chance we'd still remember how they went) and the two songs that had appeared on a compilation EP (on proper vinyl and played on John Peel) earlier in the year. And that was it. Someone out of one of the other bands put us up for the night and the following morning we got on the bus back to Loughborough.

[janmaat]

My first gig: me and two other guys doing civil serve (instead of German army) at the local YMCA organised a band night and decided to perform together at the end, to make everyone leave. We had no practise and couldn't play, so decided to make it 100% rock'n'roll show which we did, like flying changeover on the drum kit, playing the bass with drum sticks, noodling impossible solos as fast as we could, etc. After which people came up to us saying we've been better than any of the other bands... Taught me something about rock performance... Great fun, great night, fight and all... I was 19 at the time and it was early 90ies

[EdwardHimself]

my first (and last) gig was at a youth club. We played in front of a couple of our mates and about 10 kids who are usually there on a friday night. I thought it went ok, really. That was at the end of March, 2007.

Edited December 16, 2011 by EdwardHimself

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

My first gig was, in a pub opposite where capital radio used to be . It was for my 3oth birthday, in front of 200 people. Before , I was scared. After 2 songs and dodgy monitor box sorted out ,I loved it.
We found venue by chance. , as there was a flood in the pub we were gonna play in.we had4 days to get somewhere or my birthday was ruined.
The band was formed of workmates(some of my best friends still now )
The singer was already in a band, the drummer quit so we had a friend who was also a gig virgin. , who played drums through his keyboards.
The guitarist. who now runs ch guitars, showed ginger from the wild hearts how to play. He also showed me how to play.


Great night

[Nibody]

Hmm. A hastily hashed together Black Sabbath covers band that lasted one gig - "Block Sadbath".. First "Propper" gig was with ablues band at a pub - guitarist took us down in his van, then buggered off in the van with the money at the end. Got told off by the landlord as the bass amp was making the glasses vibrate,,lol. First "originals" gig was depping in a band called "Prey Silence" at Stratford Civic Hall to a capacity crowd (was paid for by the local council for "the kids") doing Dream Theatre/Bon Jovi type stuff.

[bencooper]

My first gig was supporting a Led Zep tribute act in Lyme Regis - the crowd packed out the hall we played in probably a couple of hundred people in all, but it was a long time ago now so maybe my memory is a bit fuzzy! They were obviously there for the covers band but responded warmly to my band's originals, probably because the material was classic rock style, influenced by Zep, Thin Lizzy etc.

The gig went really well and began my love of live performance.

[Machines]

Mine was in 2006 in a band called Shattered Age (metal covers/originals). I had my Yamaha RBX775 into an Ashdown EB180 - didn't go too badly at all !

[Low End Bee]

I think I'll win the backline award for first gig.

At school as a 14 year old. I worked at Maurice Plaquet's music shop after school and Saturday's at the time. The 'headline' band were a year older and were very sniffy towards us so they wouldn't share amps. The shop manager thought they should have a bit of their own medicine. So we had a full Marshall stack for the guitarist and I had a blue line SVT with two 8x10's!They then had to take stage after us with some dreadful, cheapo, whisper quiet little transistor amps. I've always tried to be helpful on kit share since.
The police turned up and there was a minor riot at the gates as the rival school came down to 'sort us out'. That was all par for the course in the West London of the late 70s though.
We were a bit crap and had to have two (bad) singers for some reason. We were very loud though which is what mattered.

[Cat Burrito]

22nd December 1989, the school pantomine! We were in lower sixth (Year 12 in new money) and we were the band that played the ball. We were pretty rubbish really in front of 800 students but lived out our rock star fantasies. We got to play assembly 9 months later at the start of Upper Sixth and totally nailed it. All the girls fancied us for at least 2 wks until the school rugby team won something and then we reverted back to just being that bunch of nancy boys again. Fame is a fickle mistress

[dmccombe7]

My first gig was the school dance and the guitarist backed out leaving me with drums, kys and singer.
I played the intro of Ships In the Night by Be-Bop Deluxe on bass with a fuzz and echo and it went pretty good. Rest of the set was a complete disaster though and we had to stop early.

Things could only get better from there and they did.

Looking back i enjoyed it though

[Shawman]

my first was playing a few covers with my guitar/bass teacher and his mate who play together all the time.

They'd been booked to play a wedding and decided i was ready to play with them. i was about 16 at the time so i was crapping it!

on the night i asked "do you mind if i kinda stand at the side of the stage? i'm dead nervous" and they both reply "sure!"

so the time comes, i'm invited up to start playing midway through their set, to find i nice wee clearing has been made for me...slap bang in the middle of the stage! my teacher (and singer) likes to stand stage left, and the other guitarist stage right, so i'm given the frontman position in front of a PACKED town hall

the songs went alright though and i didn't mess up, quite sadly it's still the biggest gig i've done

Edited December 16, 2011 by Shawman

[charic]

First gig was good if for an unfortunate cause.

I had been playing bass 4 weeks and had 40minute set to learn. The headlining band had JJ Burnell on bass and I got a compliment from the man himself after the set

[KK Jale]

About 1975, at a school fete. I was playing a borrowed (real) Jazz Bass that belonged to our music teacher, the great Glenn Tommy, later of Crescent Studios, who inspired about 50 bands in his time (including probably Tears for Fears) simply by accidentally leaving his bass, a Rogers drum kit and a Yamaha SG2000 lying around.

We had a drummer, a super pianist who teaches music today, and my mate Sam on his Watkins Rapier. I may possibly have sung, and I can't remember any of the songs apart from Substitute and a jam on Sunshine Of Your Love. For me it was a rare ray of light at a terrible school.

I have nothing else to report except that Bill Bailey was in the year below me, and his name's not Bill.

Edited December 16, 2011 by KK Jale

[ern500evo]

Mine was about 1988, i was 17. We were opening for our guitarist's older brothers blues band. We were only doing 5 or 6 songs, the place was full(about 250). We were all getting nervous as showtime approached, then disaster struck, as i walked towards the stage one of the sound guys knocked my bass off the stand and down onto the floor, it survived but was hopelessly out of tune. I was using an Aria Pro CSB-380 Cardinal back then and it was the only bass i'd ever played, so it was what i was used to. As i atarted to panic about getting to my tuner (which by now was buried in my gig bag at the back of a pitch black stage), the main band's bass player appeared and said "you haveen't got time to sort that out, here use this" and handed me his 70's P bass, well it felt like someone had strapprd a telegraph pole to me, it just felt enormous and weighed a ton!! Luckily the crowd was mainly locals who we all knew, so they were really kind to us and we all came off feeling like rock stars! Apparently, that P-Bass is now in bits, in a box in the guy's attic, he's an alcoholic and doesn't play anymore!

[blind pilot]

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1324110946' post='1470863']
70's P bass, Apparently, that P-Bass is now in bits, in a box in the guy's attic[/quote]

That will be on Ebay soon then!

My first gig was awesome, only two years ago, full of grunge covers for the a private gig to celebrate the singers birthday. It went very well, although I was very nervous.

[Panamonte]

Summer 1979 - just turned 16 - I played my first gig with a jazz quintet (sax, piano, guitar, bass, drums) at school. The sax player was a pro who occasionally taught at the school, the rest of the band were all a year or two older than me and considerably more accomplished - the piano player in particular who was the driving force behind the band.

I had my mate's short scale EB3 copy on long-term loan because he wasn't that bothered about playing bass, but a couple of days before the gig, his mum threw a wobbly and demanded that I give him his bass back immediately and wouldn't take no for an answer. Fortunately I managed to borrow another friend's jazz bass copy for the gig, although the fact that it was long scale (and had black plastic-coated strings) took a bit of getting used to.

The gig went really well - we did a set of covers by various people including Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock - although it was the only one we ever played. And I saved up some money over the summer to buy that EB3 copy off my mate!

[NancyJohnson]

My first gig was at a party at a mate's house. Local boy Steve Lillywhite was there and bought along Gerry Cott of the Boomtown Rats.
P

[RockfordStone]

my first gig was with an originals band,we played a place in norwich with a really dark cellar room for a gig room.

id only auditioned a few days previously so had to learn their whole set pretty quick

wen't well tho and i haven't looked back since