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What are some of your Spinal Tap moments?
I once showed up at the gig and none of the power outlets worked....
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Did you get any beer?
We played at a country club in Prescott ON, and were told that there would be a P.A. There wasn't. We had to plug voice mics into our respective amps.
In 1969, whenI met the Mothers of Invention and interviewed Frank Zappa, one of the guys in the band was recounting some of the misery of that particular tour. Like my friends and I, they were also told not to worry about a P.A. because one would be provided. When they arrived to play at a football stadium, the "P.A." was a 35W Bogen, normally used to tell spectators that someone left their headlights on. Frank broke up the band 2 days later.
In 1969, whenI met the Mothers of Invention and interviewed Frank Zappa, one of the guys in the band was recounting some of the misery of that particular tour. Like my friends and I, they were also told not to worry about a P.A. because one would be provided. When they arrived to play at a football stadium, the "P.A." was a 35W Bogen, normally used to tell spectators that someone left their headlights on. Frank broke up the band 2 days later.
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No steps to the 3' high stage, and no railings. Banjo player fell off the back.
Full out celtic festival with absolutely no advertising, lots of vendors, bands for 2 or 3 days, beer tent...no audience other than band spouses and vendors. At least the cheque didn't bounce.
Unstable stage consisting of loose plywood on pallets in a puddle, extension cords threaded through the wet.
Asked to accompany a church choir for one piece, pressed into doing additional 20 minute prelude and postlude because the director was having a bad day. Luckily, I always carry extra music to fill in when least expected.
Festival stage crew start pulling cables discretely during out first tune, knock over instrument stand with my Godin Acousticaster fretless bass, cracks top, breaks a machine head.
Band leader makes undeserved disparaging remarks about bass player (me) over a live mic in front of a full house. Moves on to drummer. Straw meets camel's back. Bass player quits the next day and the rest of the band declines to continue. (Band leader is an enormously talented songwriter and pro multi-instrumentalist musician and we were a very good band, but taking undignified treatment without a follow-up apology isn't my thing.)
Likely other gigs but 1% of my lifetime's shows doesn't really cloud my overall recollections.
Full out celtic festival with absolutely no advertising, lots of vendors, bands for 2 or 3 days, beer tent...no audience other than band spouses and vendors. At least the cheque didn't bounce.
Unstable stage consisting of loose plywood on pallets in a puddle, extension cords threaded through the wet.
Asked to accompany a church choir for one piece, pressed into doing additional 20 minute prelude and postlude because the director was having a bad day. Luckily, I always carry extra music to fill in when least expected.
Festival stage crew start pulling cables discretely during out first tune, knock over instrument stand with my Godin Acousticaster fretless bass, cracks top, breaks a machine head.
Band leader makes undeserved disparaging remarks about bass player (me) over a live mic in front of a full house. Moves on to drummer. Straw meets camel's back. Bass player quits the next day and the rest of the band declines to continue. (Band leader is an enormously talented songwriter and pro multi-instrumentalist musician and we were a very good band, but taking undignified treatment without a follow-up apology isn't my thing.)
Likely other gigs but 1% of my lifetime's shows doesn't really cloud my overall recollections.
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I once showed up at a gig where the 'professional' sound guy just couldn't understand that my amp had a speaker in it.
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Once played a show where the ENTIRE pa was plugged into a single outlet behind the bar. A server pulled the plug so she could make tea - whole band goes silent mid-song 
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Canada day this year in front of over 2500 people. Hydro cuts off after 30 seconds of playing. Takes them 30 minutes to get it back on and then blames my pedalboard for shorting out!!!! Its funny, i played the night before and two shows in Cornwall the same day and no problem. Freekin sound guys.LOL
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The beam holding the lights for a show fell and landed on the drummers chair. Luckily, we were on break...the beam was being held with garbage bag ties...wow.
A few weeks ago at a rehearsal, my guitar literally exploded off of me and fell to the ground hard. So hard it bounced off the ground. I use Dunlop strap locks and the incident occurred while a break between playing and chatting with the drummer. I'm still puzzled as to what happened - I'm thinking of using the Grolsh rubber washer from now on.
Damage to the guitar (minor considering the fall)
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A few weeks ago at a rehearsal, my guitar literally exploded off of me and fell to the ground hard. So hard it bounced off the ground. I use Dunlop strap locks and the incident occurred while a break between playing and chatting with the drummer. I'm still puzzled as to what happened - I'm thinking of using the Grolsh rubber washer from now on.
Damage to the guitar (minor considering the fall)
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I had the power go off just as we were stepping on stage at a pub one night. Luckily we had some acoustics and a Cajon in the van. We pulled up a few chairs around the tables with the customers and jammed acoustic under candlelight while everyone kept running up tabs at the bar.
Oh dear lord, that IS funny. Or was it an experiment in mic-ing up power transformer hum?
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Damn! I hope that wasn't an expensive guitar.
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Not cheap.
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Gig in the middle of a park beside an outdoor pool, but no one arranged to run a power cable to us. We set up and waited. Got the power cord to us just in time to start playing.
Playing upstairs at the Crooked Cue in Port Credit, near the end of the night and we had the crowd good and revved up... and we blew the breaker about 3 times in a couple of minutes. Had to wait for someone to find it and reset.
Playing upstairs at the Crooked Cue in Port Credit, near the end of the night and we had the crowd good and revved up... and we blew the breaker about 3 times in a couple of minutes. Had to wait for someone to find it and reset.
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323 Posts
Tech'ed at a patio show in Niagara last weekend.
Small, hole-in-the-wall kinda bar--with the whole PA system AND back of the bar on a single breaker. Midway through song #1, bartender goes to make some fruity, blended drink and it blows out all the stage lighting, PA and all the amps. Takes them 20 minutes to get the owner in to unlock the basement to flip the breaker back on.
Small, hole-in-the-wall kinda bar--with the whole PA system AND back of the bar on a single breaker. Midway through song #1, bartender goes to make some fruity, blended drink and it blows out all the stage lighting, PA and all the amps. Takes them 20 minutes to get the owner in to unlock the basement to flip the breaker back on.
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We were standing on a wet patio one night (but under cover), watching a lightning storm go past. And the rest of the band wondered why I wasn't in hurry to get up and play. I was happy to let that storm get 15 or 20 minutes past us before I plugged in. I did suggest they could play 3 piece for a short time if they really wanted, but I was advising against it.
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