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Things you've left behind at a gig


Guest MoJo

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I'm generally a very organised person who rarely loses things. I mark my cables using electrical tape wound in a specific colour pattern so that I can recognise them as mine. However, on two occasions I have left items at gigs.

The first was after a festival gig when I got home and realised I no longer had my Comfort Strapp. Not sure what happened there, I obviously took it off the bass after the set and then... I don't know. I did try chasing it up afterwards but the venue didn't have it, so I guess some аrse somewhere now has my old Comfort Strapp.

Second was a summer gig in a bar, I got home and found I no longer had my jacket or my sunglasses (prescription). Called the venue, told them exactly which bench I would have left them on, and they put them somewhere safe until I could be reunited with them the next day.

S.P.

Edited by Stylon Pilson
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I did a duo gig in Leeds Town Hall a few years ago, and actually left the PA amp we both played through at my house. Dashed out to a s/h shop on The Headrow and bought an old Peavey mixer amp to do the job. Gig went well, and I took the amp back to the shop where he gave me £20 less than what I'd bought it for a few hours earlier, which I thought was fair enough TBH. Funny thing was when we were setting the amp up at the gig, I moved a grand piano to find a similar amp underneath it which we could have used!! Ever since then, I have a checklist on the reverse of my sun visor in the car to prevent it occurring again. Handy to use after the gig too.

I've found that when people give you a hand out with your gear is when you're most likely to forget something. Though well intentioned it can disrupt your own routine of loading that makes you forget what goes where and the risk of possible items going astray. ( Tell me this isn't just an older bassist's thing please?!!)

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My Status Stealth - which I left at one of our regular gig venues in Hampshire.   I put that down to a senior moment, as I realised about 100 yards from the venue.  Turned round, tried all the doors but the venue was locked up.  Rang the next morning and they confirmed that the bass had been picked up by the manager and was in locked storage, and that I could pick it up on presentation of Photo ID.  The return journey to collect the bass cost more than the gig paid but significantly less than the cost of a new Stealth.  Credit to the manager and his staff.

Chris

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3 hours ago, casapete said:

I've found that when people give you a hand out with your gear is when you're most likely to forget something. Though well intentioned it can disrupt your own routine of loading that makes you forget what goes where and the risk of possible items going astray. ( Tell me this isn't just an older bassist's thing please?!!)

I feel exactly the same way. As well intentioned as it may be, I wish folks wouldn't help me load out. I have a particular order that I take my gear to my car in, so that it all fits neatly in the boot and hopefully stops me leaving stuff behind

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Not  a gig, but I once had a near disaster after a rehearsal.  Drove home, took bass out of car and then realised I didn't have my handbag with house keys, phone and money!  Looked everywhere in the car, under seats etc, but no sign of it.

Drove back to the studio, but they had already packed up and gone home.  I have a friend who holds a spare set of my house keys, but of course I couldn't ring him as no phone! So I drove round to his place and luckily he was in. It was 11 pm and he was already in bed, but not asleep. He was astonished to see me there all folorn on the doorstep!

Anyway, I collected the spare keys, drove back to my flat.. and as I neared the building I could see my hand bag lying there in the gutter! It must have fallen out somehow when I was getting the bass out.  I had also obviously driven over it as I returned to the studio, as my keyfob for my work's car park was shattered. But luckily my phone was still in tact! What a relief!!

 

PS - the following week another band member left his van keys in the same studio, and didn't realise until they had locked up as he had gone to the club next door for a drink.  And then the next week I left behind my digital recorder containing all the live songs I need to practice to at the same place!  Both times we managed to get them back the next day.  I think the young guy who runs the place must now despise us as a bunch of absent minded old gits. 🙂

 

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1 hour ago, MoJo said:

 

I feel exactly the same way. As well intentioned as it may be, I wish folks wouldn't help me load out. I have a particular order that I take my gear to my car in, so that it all fits neatly in the boot and hopefully stops me leaving stuff behind

I'm glad it's not just me then - my (younger) band mates think I'm just being old and cranky when I say this!

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Ext cable at a beer festival - normally I am really organised but it was a free bar! Probably lucky that’s all I left.

We had a gig at Porthcawl Pavillion where our Mandolin player left his instrument at home - luckily thanks to a plea on Facebook someone delivered a very expensive Mando for the evening.

Edited by paddy109
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2 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

For years we've been trying to lose the drummer's girlfriend... any tips much appreciated!?!

Am guessing you've tried all the usual boys stuff - undressing / farting / swearing /drugs etc etc? Or does she do all these too? 😮

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5 hours ago, MoJo said:

 

I feel exactly the same way. As well intentioned as it may be, I wish folks wouldn't help me load out. I have a particular order that I take my gear to my car in, so that it all fits neatly in the boot and hopefully stops me leaving stuff behind

When I help out with Mrs Zero's duo, I always ask the guitarist what the next things are to bring out. I try to tell the other members of my band too, but not always successfully - if things get chaotic, I just wait till they've brought everything out and then load up. We always do a final sweep to make sure nothing's been left behind, which almost always works.

I've managed to leave my amp at home. It lives in a silver case, very similar to a silver case that Mrs Zero was using for a vocal effect pedal, and I grabbed the wrong one. Still, I had my spare amp with me. And no speaker cable as it was in the silver case. It was only about an hour round trip to get my amp...

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10 hours ago, casapete said:

I've found that when people give you a hand out with your gear is when you're most likely to forget something. Though well intentioned it can disrupt your own routine of loading that makes you forget what goes where and the risk of possible items going astray. ( Tell me this isn't just an older bassist's thing please?!!)

Absolutely! I appreciate the help carrying out, but I don't appreciate the inventory I have to do afterwards, and retrieving/returning items to the correct car. At least it's usually me and the guitarist that get mixed. Everyone knows what a drum case looks like, thank goodness 

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1 hour ago, tauzero said:

We always do a final sweep to make sure nothing's been left behind, which almost always works.

The "idiot check" we call it :)

Edit: Oh yes, I've left my bass behind several times 

Edited by Norris
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Not quite leaving something behind but we lost the van last year...

It was at a gig in St Albans where we have to park it in a side street after unloading. Played the gig and drummer/driver trotted off to collect the van. He's away quite a bit longer than we expected and eventually returns in a state of panic. The van has gone!

It had his house keys and wallet full of credit cards in it as well as all the flightcases for our gear and various spare bits of kit. This caused us multiple problems because the gear was effectively stuck in the pub as a result. The drummist has reported it stolen to the police, been on the phone and woke his wife up to cancel all his credit cards and called another mate with a van to come and get us. Thats why he was so long. So we sat in the pub waiting for the other van to turn up.

Until after about half an hour he remembered he had parked it two streets further away.........We're still living off that one.......

Edited by Mudpup
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