What's you Strangest gig story or request?

[kenny mac]

Do you have a strange gigging story or strange request that you have had while gigging?
I remember someone coming up to me and my friend (also male)while we were on stage
And asking if we did anything by the pussycat dolls,it was at that moment I knew that when I got back home I would head to the fridge and sink a few large ones to dull the experience.
We also played a boilermakers club and I looked at the crowd that was an average age of 60 upwards and knew we were going to struggle.
I clubbed together a 1st set that included wonderfull tonight,you got it Roy Orbison etc etc.
During the break in the dressing room when we were talking to a member of staff this other dude came in and said......"Have you told them yet? "Ye will need to get your act together boys ,that's f**king disco music yer playing oot there"
I seriously considered a career in mime that night.

[Flash Harry]

Weird stuff -  Playing one gig in Batley in West Yorkshire, a guy in the audience was shining a torch into our singers eyes, telling her he was trying to hypnotise her and make her his sex slave, he must have been 80, could hardly walk and later informed us he was a member of the BNP and there was a rally the next day - were we going to come along? If he had been 30 years younger I would have twatted him.

Recently, another man old enough to know better was gyrating in front of our singer, telling her to 'sing to me baby' and touching himself inappropriately. - you're getting the theme now...

We have had people try to cross over the row of monitors to declare undying lust to poor Paula.

A very pissed guy tried to steal our guitars, we've had people assume that it's OK to come onto stage during the interval and play the drums, tell jokes and take other assorted liberties. It's not what it's cracked up to be this gigging lark..

Last month  - a 'working' men's club - neither working or exclusively men's - on stage about 15 minutes into the first set, a fight broke out behind the bar, the shutters went down, the police were called and arrived in force, carted off the perpetrators, the bar re-opened and all carried on like nothing had happened. We didn't stop. It was like the wild west...


However, when it's a good night and the audience is with you and you're tight and gelling, it is hard to beat.

[kenny mac]

Lol.
It's Amazing how your programmed to carry on regardless at a gig when all hell is breaking loose.
I remember we were playing a gig in some country hall and it was full of young rockers.
There was a disco on before us and it was playing Boston,black sabbath and looking down at our set with things like Danny Wilson,s Mary's prayer and somewhere in my heart by Aztec camera I thought we are in deep shit here.
We quickly had a band meeting and clubbed together a noisier set ,hoping to at least get through the night.
We were playing some stuff and the floor started filling up with some dudes.
Right in the middle there was a guy in a leather bikers jacket ans a wheel chair,spinning round and with what was obviously his trademark move going up on the two large wheels and doing a wheely.
I though wow at least there are some people get up.
We started a version of wild thing aka jimmy Hendrix version and the dude was going up and down on those wheels as he had been for about 7 or 8 songs and to my horror he went right back and proceeded to hit the wooden dance floor and roll across it about 10 ft.
Being totally stunned I went to stop the song and jump off the stage to help him when all of a sudden he got up and
Casually walked back to his chair and started again.
Not even a limp.
Mmmmmm I thought Hendrix must have healing powers.
I remember it like yesterday and it was about 20 years ago.
Strange

[Burtog]

Great Thread!

Got me thinking of gigs I'd done in the past. I remember we played an eighteenth birthday party of a friend, his dad had a farm and so we played set up on this giant hay trailer. We were mid set and the drums just stopped, turned around and the drummer's seat moved, slipped and fell of the back of the trailer, a good four foot. Luckily he wasn't hurt but I was double up laughing for the rest of the set.

Another gig I was playing my guitar strap broke, the guitar fell to the floor and bounced straight back up into my hands in playing position, I carryed on like nothing happened and was totally gutted as no one else seemed to notice.

The worst for me was a gig now known as 'Black Sunday', it was a regular gig we did at a place called the Bell & Crown in Snaith. We had been to an afternoon party and were smashed, we played the gig, poorly, could barely stand up, the singer was worst, tripped over his monitor landed face first and carried on singing laid on the floor. The sound guy also at the party fell asleep on the mixing desk and in the process pushed all the levels up. We were rapidly told to pack up and F@@k off.

[Blooby]

I posted this back in 2010.  Still holds up as a weird one...

So I'm at my first ever open mic night in a %hithole bar (I was there once before, and three different people wanted to pick fights.  No exaggeration.).  Anyway, I'm sitting in with the house band, playing that Kid Rock/Sweet Home Alabamaish song (D...D...C...C...G...G...).  There is no stage to speak of.  We are simply shoved in a corner of the seating area.  The "dance floor" area suddenly parts, and two guys square off.  The singer says something like, "C'mon, brothers.  No need for any violence.  How about settling this over a brew?"  Meanwhile, we continue to play, perhaps subconsciously trying to soothe the flaring tempers with our mellifluous endeavors (D...D...C...C...G...G...). The pushing starts getting a little more violent.  The profanity gets a little heat behind it (D...D...C...C...G...G...).  One guy really starts to shove, and they end up arm/head-locked.  The singer now says something like, "It's not worth getting the police involved.  Can't we all just get along?  Bruce, take that solo downtown now!  Yee-haw!  Sheeeiiiitttt!!!" 

I attempt a solo while watching the floor show, and then they start cartwheeling toward me.  At this point, I stop playing my semi-hollow, and with Wonder Woman-like acumen, deflect them away.  Meanwhile, the band are deep into D...D...C...C...G...G...D...D...C...C...G...G.

Instead of breaking up the fight or even whooping and hollering, people just crane their necks and take the occasional swig of beer or handful of beer nuts.  After the deflection, I end up putting my guitar against the wall in order to keep it out of harm's way.  I turn back around to see one guy piledrive the other into the fold-out table/buffet stand.  Chicken wings, Swedish meatballs, and the ever-ubiquitous beanie-weanies all somersault into the air, much of it landing on my guitar case.  I think the arcing food mesmerizes my bandmates du jour because this is when I believe I cease to hear music (D...D...C.......).

People make a half-assed attempt to break up the fight, and I believe this is when the school administrator in me surfaces. I step in and end up pulling off one of the guys, pushing him around a corner (first rule of breaking up a fight is to get them out of the line of sight of one another).  Then I get to hear, "Get your Mother&ucking hands off of me.  He stole me, man!  He stole me!"  I work in a middle school.  I'm supposed to be "hip to the lingo," but all I can think is what a dumb %hit.

I get one headed toward the door.  Some others herd the second guy.  It's been about a minute or so since this has begun, and quite literally, a staff member is already mopping the floor.  I go back to the stage, and while I am putting the guitar back on, the singer says, "Now that that unpleasantness is over...1...2...1...2...3...4..." and we go right back into the song (D...D...C...C...G...G...).

I say my goodbye's after another couple songs ("Secret Agent Man" and a Traffic tune that escapes me at the moment), and as I am getting back into my car, a large pick-up truck (an F-250 or thereabouts) screeches into the lot, not bothering to park in a spot.  Two big guys get out and walk purposely toward the building.  When they get close, they split up and go into both entrances at once.  I assume they are there to even the score.  I adjust my mirrors and drive off.

The band contacts me the next day to see if I want to join them permanently.

I politely decline.

Blooby

[Hilary]

I got to a gig early last night, it was just me and 2 blokes at the bar. One of the blokes was saying, very loudly, about how many times he'd been to prison and how badly he'd beaten the last one to a pulp. Then he approached me to see if I'd give him a lift home to get some money!

It actually turned out to be a really good night - apparently I was "f*cking phenomenal" on stage

[Johnny Robbo]

I did a blog post on this very topic a while ago. Here's the link to it...

http://jrobsonguitar.wordpress.com/2013/06/29/tales-from-clubland/

[Hilary]

I know a comedian that got heckled by a parrot at a gig . . .

[Hook]

I was 20 or 21 (not yet Hook) my buddy Justin & I learned about 30 songs & called our duo (him on piano me on guitar/vocals) Free Beer. We thought with a few well placed fliers that said "Free Beer @ The Nile Café" we would fill the place, we were wrong. We did have some people there though & were having a good time. At some point in our first set a skinhead type guy walked in & looked round. I stopped singing and invited him in for a drink & he adamantly told me to "fuck off" & he left.
We did our gig & after Justin & I were sitting with some friends drinking a pitcher; in walks the skinhead. He looks around and sees me and directly walks to our table with a scowl. As he get closer I notice he has some dried/smeared blood on his check. He get's to the table & I can see he has a very fresh, poorly done tattoo on his face that says "FUCK THE POLICE". He kinda leans on our table and looks right at me & says " hey man, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I yelled at you earlier. It was uncool & bothering me so I just wanted to apologize." Needless to say, not at all what I was expecting from him. I told him not to worry & offered him a beer. He declined saying he didn't drink, "straight edge, you know."
I will never forget his face or that night. I've always hoped he never ran into trouble with the law!
Rock On!

[Hilary]

Last week I got heckled by 4 blokes that weren't even at the gig, they were at the venue next door!