Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

The Show Must Go On?...


Pete Academy
 Share

Recommended Posts

Our band, Nearly Dan, had gigs pre-booked in Edinburgh and Glasgow on April 25 and 26. This is an annual jaunt for us. The Friday was sold out, and the Saturday was selling well. On the Thursday before, I started to get an infection in a tooth that had recently been filled. My face started to become swollen. I called my dentist, but the jobsworth receptionist told me I couldn't get in for a check. The next day I was supposed to be picked up at 10.50am. My face was massively swollen, and my eye looked like it had been hit by Mike Tyson. I went to my doctor, expecting her to give me a strong antibiotic, but she took one look at me said I needed to go to A & E for emergency treatment. I told her I needed to go to Scotland for gigs, but she said it would not happen. At the hospital they said I needed to have the tooth out and would have to spend the next 24 hours on an intravenous antibiotic drip. I maintained that I'd already missed our minibus and needed to be in Scotland for the gigs. The doctor said: 'Do you value your health or your gigs?' I asked if there was any alternative. Against their advice, I agreed to have the tooth removed and a intravenous shot of antibiotics, plus a course of strong antibiotic tablets to take. Thanks to my girlfriend, I made a train that got me to Edinburgh just in time, at a cost of £91.50. The gigs were great and I'm now on the mend. What I ask is: Would you have done the same thing and risked your health for a gig? What lengths have you gone to in order to let ensure the show must go on?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure what I would have done but well done and wish you well mate.


Different situation but I played a gig a while back with a full on migraine. Visual disturbance and blinding pain. It was a truly horrid experience.

Migraines are bad enough at home, when I can shut the curtains, lie down in a dark, quiet room and wait for it to pass. But in a gig situation with lights, noise and heat, Oh my word. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1398616157' post='2435755']
Our band, Nearly Dan, had gigs pre-booked in Edinburgh and Glasgow on April 25 and 26. This is an annual jaunt for us. The Friday was sold out, and the Saturday was selling well. On the Thursday before, I started to get an infection in a tooth that had recently been filled. My face started to become swollen. I called my dentist, but the jobsworth receptionist told me I couldn't get in for a check. The next day I was supposed to be picked up at 10.50am. My face was massively swollen, and my eye looked like it had been hit by Mike Tyson. I went to my doctor, expecting her to give me a strong antibiotic, but she took one look at me said I needed to go to A & E for emergency treatment. I told her I needed to go to Scotland for gigs, but she said it would not happen. At the hospital they said I needed to have the tooth out and would have to spend the next 24 hours on an intravenous antibiotic drip. I maintained that I'd already missed our minibus and needed to be in Scotland for the gigs. The doctor said: 'Do you value your health or your gigs?' I asked if there was any alternative. Against their advice, I agreed to have the tooth removed and a intravenous shot of antibiotics, plus a course of strong antibiotic tablets to take. Thanks to my girlfriend, I made a train that got me to Edinburgh just in time, at a cost of £91.50. The gigs were great and I'm now on the mend. What I ask is: Would you have done the same thing and risked your health for a gig? What lengths have you gone to in order to let ensure the show must go on?
[/quote]
I would have done the same thing.

I played a gig last June with a torn shoulder rotator cuff and a ripped bicep ligament in my left (fretting hand) arm. Excruciating agony...but adrenaline got me through!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not quite in your league Pete but I played a gig with raging flu back in 87, I mean the real thing and not just a bad cold. I had a temperature of 101 and should have been in bed, but it was a Saturday night headline in London and there's no way I was going to see the band pulled. I got through that gig on the power of lemsip and adrenaline, walked off stage and virtually passed out into the arms of my roadie :) spent the next 4 days welded to my mattress.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1398623900' post='2435923']
Bernard Edwards did a gig back at the Budokhan while suffering from...as he put it...the 'Tokyo Flu'. Turned out it was actually pneumonia and he died a day or two later.
[/quote]
You still there Pete?....Pete?.......PETE?!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whilst it would be easy for me to sit in my sofa and believe that I'm one tough bastard who would've done the same as you did, I must in fact be honest and realistic, and presume that in real life, I'd probably haggle the train fare down to £89.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1398616157' post='2435755']
What I ask is: Would you have done the same thing and risked your health for a gig? What lengths have you gone to in order to let ensure the show must go on?
[/quote]

Not wishing to put down what was clearly a brave effort to ensure the show did go on despite immense personal discomfort - and all credit and respect for that btw - but was there [u]really[/u] much of a health risk involved, in the sense of risking permanent health implications as a result?

Fortunately I've not been in a similar situation but I'd like to think I'd have done much the same thing, under the circumstances you descibe, to avoid cancelling the gig.

However, if the situation meant I was risking permanent health implications, e.g. putting off an urgent heart operation just to play a gig, then I'd cancel the gig without a second thought. No question about it. I care far more for my loved ones than I do for an anonymous audience or band mates.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1398620416' post='2435833']
Not quite in your league Pete but I played a gig with raging flu back in 87, I mean the real thing and not just a bad cold. I had a temperature of 101 and should have been in bed, but it was a Saturday night headline in London and there's no way I was going to see the band pulled. I got through that gig on the power of lemsip and adrenaline, walked off stage and virtually passed out into the arms of my roadie :) spent the next 4 days welded to my mattress.
[/quote]

Beaten to it, ive also played with the full on flu, where I was struggling to hit the right notes coz I was shaking so much. Worst gig ive ever played, luckily for me there was a pillar next to my rig so I let it keep me upright for most of the night.

I fell off a ladder in January and have spannered up my fretting hand, very painful to play, specially fretless but ive still gigged with it. the audience just think im really getting into it when im grimacing with pain lol. Got an appointment to see a surgeon on Monday at last, so hopefully get it sorted out soon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1398631783' post='2436065']
Not wishing to put down what was clearly a brave effort to ensure the show did go on despite immense personal discomfort - and all credit and respect for that btw - but was there [u]really[/u] much of a health risk involved, in the sense of risking permanent health implications as a result?
[/quote]

Two words - John Glascock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My worst one was slicing through the back of my left thumb with a scalpel the afternoon before a gig - at a hospital social club.

The stitches held for about 30 mins and I finished the first set with blood dripping off my elbow.

The guitarist was an A&E Charge Nurse, so he whipped me over there and stitched me back together during the interval and used a silly amount of sticky tape to hold it all together.

I still have a slight scar there, but it did the job nicely. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thinking back, I've done a gig with brutal measles, the (proper) flu, (that was almost funny, first set 'I'm boiling I'm boiling', second set, 'I'm freezing, I'm freezing!', meningitis, a back so 'out' I was dosed off my face stood bolt upright in agony, migraines, last night I played with an eye infection and couldn't see a thing, went through three pairs of contact lenses to get through the night. (I'm the frontman too! Must've looked awful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...