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Smoking, drinking, eating, watching TV etc.while on stage?


Barking Spiders

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I used to have a bottle holder on the side of my cab for Champagne, I would fashion three or four straws that led from the bottle to my gob thus enabling me to imbibe whilst playing. Unfortunately on occasion hydrodynamics meant once the straw was dropped the flow continued thus emptying the bottle on the floor rather than down my gullet. An idea nicked from Paul Raven RIP who would sometimes do this with a can of special brew attached to his stack, I opted for the classier beverage.

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Used to have a band rule no more than one beer before playing the gig and only one beer on stage while playing a 2 hr set.

These days i prefer a bottle of water as i'm usually driving and i just prefer a clear head. If i'm not driving i might have a beer or a wee whisky afterwards but not really that fussed.

Dave

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While dressed as Lemmy for a gig in summer I was necking a bottle of JD on stage... Well, a jd bottle full of red bull (I was driving).

I often have a beer on stage but our last gig was a function where my Japanese p bass went face first off its stand into a pint of cider and needed a damn good clean, also some drunken hoons fell on to the stage and spilled the singers pint and it nearly hit the power pack under my fx board. Our singer is a big lad and a pub landlord, these drunken idiots very quickly lost all colour from their faces as he picked them up off the floor by the scruff of their necks! We might rethink beers on stage for this reason alone.

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1 hour ago, uk_lefty said:

I often have a beer on stage but our last gig was a function where my Japanese p bass went face first off its stand into a pint of cider and needed a damn good clean, also some drunken hoons fell on to the stage and spilled the singers pint and it nearly hit the power pack under my fx board. Our singer is a big lad and a pub landlord, these drunken idiots very quickly lost all colour from their faces as he picked them up off the floor by the scruff of their necks! We might rethink beers on stage for this reason alone.

This is just one of many reasons I don't do stuff near the audience like pedals / power supplies xD

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2 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

It's not clear what it is so... okay.

I thought your second last one was kinda cool however.

The current one is the new band's logo, but I don't think it works at this size, so I'll probably change it back to a stealie unless I find some fresh inspiration.

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Some and some, although I don’t drink much at all these days. If it’s an informal pub gig I usually have a pint on the floor behind me for a swig here and there. If it’s a stage none at all.

But I’ve got some good memories: on NYE 1961 we were playing support to the Acker Bilk band at Reading Town Hall. Quite a big gig for a load of youngsters. On first handover the Bilks came on stage with two carrier bags each loaded to the gunwales with beer and scotch and proceeded to set up a bar on two tables at the back of the stage. They invited us to share and for the two final numbers of the evening we joined them for a very boozy jam.

And some of the European festivals were a bit hairy, especially in Holland where each stage had a stage manager whose main job seemed to make sure that the band never ran out of free beer. 

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4 hours ago, paul_5 said:

We have a ‘no alcohol’ before or during gigs. 

Easy for me, as I pretty much have a ‘no alcohol’ rule for life. 

I stopped smoking 13 years ago and stopped drinking completely at the beginning of the year. Just bottled water for me, plus the occasional half time protein shake or coffee.

I'm pretty much OCD about having clean hands when I'm playing so I've never eaten during any gig ever in 30 years apart from the buffet at half time :)

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If I'm singing at all, I keep a drink close by, usually in a holder on my mic stand. My preference for conditioning the throat is tea with just a small dash of milk, or failing that diet coke (no ice) or water (ditto). I rarely drink alcohol on a gig, it affects my playing detrimentally, and anyway I am usually driving.

No food on stage, and no nuts before singing lead - small fragments always reappear in my throat and threaten to choke me to death.

One of my pet hates is a TV screen in my field of vision while I'm on stage - incredibly distracting.

Mobile phones - mine goes into flight mode, not least because of the unwanted noises it can produce through my bass/amp or the PA. The drummer in my second band will switch to playing one-handed while he answers text messages on his phone; I would love to confiscate the damned thing.

/sensible

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I'm going to work, and I happen to have a very fun job, playing rock music for money.

I don't drink alcohol, but if I did, I would never drink on the job. No mind altering anything. I got into this business partly because I love being in control. With drinking or substance that alter the mind, I'm no longer in control.

Gig nights, I'll have a light lunch and won't eat again until breakfast. I never eat at gigs even when great food is available and offered.

Blue

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Things may be a bit different here in France as we always get fed before the gig, even if it's just a small bar that doesn't do food themselves. They'll buy in a pizza for the band. So no need to eat during the gig, but I wouldn't anyway as it's just plain rude.

As for drink, we always get a free tab but as we all have to drive, we're on water. Being the main vocalist, I see nothing wrong in having a bottle of water on hand. And the same for the rest of the band, as it can get pretty warm here in summer...!

As to TV, can't say we've ever been in a position to watch it during a gig. But we did have a regular gig at a bar that had a 50" TV right above the stage. They insisted on playing YouTube concerts (minus the sound) while we played our set and it annoyed the hell out of me. But they paid us well...!

So one night, our lead guitarist finished a rather splendid solo and the crowd suddenly went ape... Looking at the stage, cheering, clapping and stamping their feet. 

I thought, well if they enjoyed it that much, I'll give him another solo after the next chorus...!

It was then I noticed the bar owner sprinting across the room, diving over the drummer and between our amps, then flapping wildly at the TV trying to turn it off. I glanced up at the screen and found that some wag had got hold of the remote control and switched to a full on porn channel. 

But my man still got his solo in....

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