Has this happened to you at a Gig?

Clay Vandenburg · From: Pueblo West, Colorado, USA

OK,it is Friday night, band set up went OK, sound check was real good, I could hear my steel, dobro, mandolin & harmonica good, 9:00 oclock rolls around few people in the night clud. first set (bam) bass player is running all the over the neck trying to find notes, drummer has a speed thing going on and I'm ready to !@#$%^ him and the bass player. Start out with a waltz and end up with a boogie, every song is like we never played it before, I'm ready to pack up and go home.
second set, same, third set, same, fourth set same. Boy was I glad that night was over.
Saturday night comes along, band got into a grove, every song on every set was almost perfect. The dance floor was full of people, crowd claping after every song. But why was Friday night so different? Same guys playing, same song list, same setup, but the music was as different as night and day.
How many of you experience this same situation? I hope I am not alone here. Please tell me I'm not alone here????

Bill Ford · From: Graniteville SC Aiken

Clay,
Call it "Murphys Law" luck of the draw,or just plain %^#$@:+ up!!!!,I know zakly what you mean.
Another on the same line....if a practice set goes realy bad,it usually means you got it right,meaning the song(s) will turn ok when you use them in a set.

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Bill Ford

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

One of the bands I work with has the same problem. We all have day jobs and have to rush to get to the Friday night gig after work. Usually by the second or third set (and drink) our fingers have loosened up enough to at least sound like a band.

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

Practice????

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

I would also say that this typically happens to bands that don't rehearse.

Tony Orth · From: Evansville, Indiana, USA

I have to agree with Jim,

My band rehearses fairly frequently. I notice that, when we do have a bad night, it is almost always on a Friday.

We all agree that our day jobs are getting in the way of being able to focus on our playing. In addition, at our age, if we don't get our naps in, our music suffers.
I know it's funny, but it's true.

Tony

JB Arnold · From: Longmont,Co,USA (deceased)

We have this problem after the first set, but for a different reason. Our first set is always the same-same songs, same order, bang,bang, bang. Always sounds real professional. 2nd set starts, and we have a list all practiced up, but that's when the requests start, and these guys have been together for about a hundred years and will take a whack at anything they even remotely think they might know-whether I've ever played it or not. And once the requests start, they just keep coming-so pretty much after the that the crowd is calling the tunes, not us, which leads to some pretty ragged renditions, but usually the crowd is bombed by then and doesn't care-just play my request. We'll get one off the list in now and again, but usually after the first set it's a free-for-all, and I'm just hanging on for dear life.

I will say, it has taught me to think "on my feet" as it were, so I do usually learn a few things every night. Fortunately, it's mostly Classic Country, and I have some idea of where we're going. Sometimes our band leader gets the giggles when he looks over and sees that Deer in the Headlights look on my face....

JB

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Fulawka D-10 9&5
Mullen Royal Precision D-10 8 & 5
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
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[This message was edited by JB Arnold on 05 February 2003 at 10:18 AM.]

[This message was edited by JB Arnold on 05 February 2003 at 10:20 AM.]

autry andress · From: Plano, Tx.

Those Mandolins & Harmonicas will do it every
time.

Harry Dietrich · From: Robesonia, Pennsylvania, USA, R.I.P.

It never happened to us on a gig, but it did happen big time, when we went in to a recording studio. Our timing was way off, and had to do numerous "takes" on some songs. We sounded like $*^%. LOL!! It's almost like you never played together, or the drummer was high on speed.

Harry

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Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

How much had the band members been drinking?

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

My last band ad a real important gig where we were reviewed by a local magazine, and that afternoon our lead guitarist bought a 7 string. Of course, not being used to it, he got confused and totally screwed things up while the reviewer was there.

By the 3rd set, he had it down, but by that time it was too late.

Clay Vandenburg · From: Pueblo West, Colorado, USA

Heres a little history of our band. The band member are some seasoned players, and have been together for four years with the exception of the drummer. To answer Mike P question how many drinks, well only 2 beers for the whole night for me and not much more for the others, we are light weights in that department, unless someone in the crowd buy's the band a drink, then we save it until after the gig. Frank P & Kevin H, the band practises every Friday night when we don't have a gig going on. But I do have to agree with you I think the bass player don't put in personal practise time. I personally put in about 2 to 3 hours a night only because I love to practise. I also agree with Tony O the day jobs sometimes just wear you out then go and play a 4 hour gig plus set up time. I play for the love of the music (country of course) and the oportunity to play a great instrument with a good band. It's just those now and again nights that nothing goes right regardless of how much prep work you do. So I'll just keep at it and on those night I might have three beers.

Carter 12 string uni(that's my baby)
Zum 12 string uni
Mullens 12 uni
Peavey amps (of course)

Don Ricketson · From: Llano, Texas

Clay, hope you're not playin' with Donnie Duncan or Red Kilby out there in Pueblo West

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Mullen D10-8/5
Sho-Bud S10-3/4
Evans Amps
"Making The Stars Shine"

Clay Vandenburg · From: Pueblo West, Colorado, USA

Hi Don
Donnie is a good friend of mine and lives right up the street from me. I have jammed with him, his wife Wanda, son Cliff, and daughter-in-law Kelly a couple of times. Donnie played with some big names in his younger days. They are a real good family.
I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Red yet, but hope to jam with him sometime. I hear he is a very good singer.

David Doggett · Posted 6 Feb 2003 5:13 pm

JB, you guys should play your list and call them all requests.

Ken Lang · From: Simi Valley, Ca

I recall weekends when our trio was hot (to us) on Fri nights and we could do no wrong. The comments afterward were to the effect: What's wrong with you guys tonight? You seemed to be off a little.

The following night it seemed nothing was going right with us and we were just not clicking. The comments afterward were: Wow, you guys were on it tonight. Great stuff....etc.

Go figure.

Gene Sharp · From: Cypress, TX. - N/W Outpost, R.I.P.

Could it have anything to do the number of people you are playing to? I know our band plays better when we are playing to a lot of people. Plain spoiled to large audiences.
Just a thought.

G#

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Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

I used to have a friday/saturday thing but it turned out to be my own fault. I couldn't do things on friday that were easy to do on saturday. I just didn't have the dexterity on friday.

Turns out that I was carrying a D-12 MSA and Fender Twin Reverb with JBLs into the gig on friday. I carried both togeather because it was more balanced and took only one trip from the car and up those stairs.
I was really putting a hurt on my fingers and they paid me back when I was playing. We left everything there for saturday so I didn't have to carry it back in and that is why saturdays were better.

I've also noticed the effect brought up here. I've always thought there were nights when someone was off; there were nights when everyone was off but there were also nights when everyone was on and those were the best. The remainder were somewhere in between those extremes. Drinking and personnal mood variations accounted for most of the conflicts.

Regards, Paul

Colin Goss · From: St.Brelade, Island of Jersey, Channel Islands, UK

I have always found that the audience dictates the quality (or otherwise) of the evening. A great audience and every lick, every fill, every solo works and all the band have a great time. An audience that sits there saying "entertain me" with po-faced looks on their faces, is the scariest and the band reacts accordingly.

Susan Alcorn · From: Baltimore, MD, USA

You are not alone, of course. And try as people may, there's no way to explain it. Really, it's all up to the 'Tone Gods".

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