Sound checks are optional : sure...

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

I just did what should have been a great country gig near Paris.
The Fete De La Musique doing real country music.

But the countract schedual didn't match what the person running the stage understood.

Arrive 3:30 set up. sound check at 4 till 4:45
take a few minutes, change, relax, check tuning etc.
then play 5:30 till 7:30 or 8. Sounds good right?

Got to the stage on time, got on stage, the PA isn't set up, yet.

Start tuning the D-10 8+8, 65 pulls to check in theory,
the fiddle gets a sound, the bass gets a sound from his amp, the guitar comes out of the monitors and 2 vocal mics... where's mine... hmmm
4 pm, the other three do a test song untuned.

Then the non-musician lady in charge of the stage says at 4:05,
"You're late, start playing now, no you may not stop and tune the acoustic guitar,
nor balance the 3 vocal mics,
nor the acoustic and the fiddle level in the monitors.
PLAY NOW, NOW !!! 4:07 times a wating.4:07:30 PLAY ALREADY!!!...

Forget actually getting a steel level,
let alone getting a few pedals checked...
on a Sho-Bud just off of a 3 hour train ride, then into a car
and a 20 degree change in temperature.

Forget actually getting the phantom power turned on for the mandolin DI box before I pick it up to play a song. Thankfully it was in tune from the night before.

Oh yes, they started playing, so forget testing my tuning into the 3rd song to see if I like the steel like that...
Just start in and play.

A true horror. Ignore some pedals just in case.
How do you play Franklin without a Franklin pedal?

We finished the gig after 1 hour,
10 minutes BEFORE our contracted start time.
1.5 hours short of our contracted playing time.

And then the local 12 year olds started doing karioke on a small stage nearby.... AUUUGHHHH!

No sound check, not even time to tune instruments with out being hassled...
literaly by someone coming on stage to say play, now play now...

And we lost an 8 pm gig for the evening because the contracting person said we MUST play till 5:30 - 7:30 - 8 minimum
Of course the person running the stage ignored all that contractual fact.

A great set of songs, cut by 60%, including all the best steel songs.
And then I get cut loose too late to get back on the train home.

A TRUE Horror.
It had the potential to be a really wonderful gig...

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 22 June 2004 at 12:43 PM.]

John Davis · From: Cambridge, U.K.

Come on David, your just kidding right??I bet you had a lovely time, all those Paris ladies making a fuss of you, I bet tuning that guitar was the last thing on your mind??

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

That's why I gave up music completely.

......and became a country bass player.

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

LOL, Rick.
Sorry David. I knew you were looking forward to this gig.
Unfortunately it's not an uncommon story.

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

David called me today to give the rundown on his "fete de la musique" gig
what a drag !
as usual, there's always a bunch of people runnin' thangs that should'nt even be allowed to have anythang to do w: it.
kinda like horse thieves - hang 'em on the spot.

incidently, my "fete de la musique" gig went fine - it was here in my hometown and i was runnin' the shoe and PA - as usual, curious listeners askin' me " c'est quoi votre instrument ?"
got home before my coach turned into a pumpkin

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

John, I am actually being NICE in this report, in some ways it was worse.
What I REALLY want to say about the stage boss is unprintable....

Rick I am going the other way from bass player to steeler.
In my regular band I get 10-15 upright bass solos a night.
But most bands it's bump bom ba da bump bom :
really sleepy time for a jazz bassist.

Joey, I have had bad gigs with people in charge who are arbitrary...
but this one does take the prize.
At least put a musician, who has read the contracts in charge of a big stage.

I have never in 40 years of gigs had something this bizarre go down. And I have seen some woierd gigs too.

Maintain the 'imagined" scheduale over the quality of the music, regardless of all logic.

A cryin' shame. There was about 1/2 hour where things started running well, with too P.F. solos for the songs he recorded with her,
that I got right.
But not Don't Rock The Jukebox, but Joey thanks for the chart anyway. All but two of the best songs for steel got lost... DRAT

But this sure makes me want a super-light SU-12 that comes out of the box in tune!
And fits on the train baggage racks.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 23 June 2004 at 01:34 AM.]

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

How do you say "Shut up you dumb Bee-atch!" in french?!

Seriously, I would have told her "There's nothing you can say or yell or scream that's going to get us started before we tune up and make sure the system is working."

I would have loved to have been in your shoes (being the "people person" that I am

).

[This message was edited by Pete Burak on 23 June 2004 at 07:58 AM.]

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Boy, I'm with Pete.
Isn't the contract 'strong' enough for you to have "done it right"?
I know I'll always carry a copy of the contract just to have something to whip out to prove that I am in the right.
Sorry to hear about the bad gig, David

Jay

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

In the olden days, the band leader would leave the stage while having the rest of us perform a typical tune. Them days, we played thro' our amps only, with a single mike for vocals.

Today, it seems like the band leaders remain on the stage and directs some ole buddy with no musician qualifications whatsover to give a listen to the sound. The normal come-back is something like: "The drums could be a little louder and the bass too".

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

Soundchecks can be a crapshoot for sure... In my experience it's the once a year community festivals and street fairs that are the worst. The larger concert venues usually have their $%^& together. It's funny, but I remember many of the fair and festival circuit gigs where it was "plug in and play" to be some of our best shows energy wise, better than some where we had extensive soundchecks. It's always tough though if things are running behind, which they usually are...

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

Any other road dogs remember setting up for a county fair where they had you set up on a flatbed in the middle of the fairgrounds/rodeo grounds about 100 yards from the audience with the PA being a Shure Vocal Smasher and it's about 100 degrees in the shade (if there were any shade which of course there wasn't any)?

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www.tyack.com

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

My last flatbed gig was just like Dan said... only once we were set up, they wheeled us out into the middle of the dusty rodeo arena and let all the stock out to run free. We were stranded on a tiny island in the middle of a sea of freaked out cattle and a cloud of dust, some of which I'm sure is still in my changer. I love show biz.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Pete I think that would be
Ta toi, putain de merde....
aproximately. And hardly PC...

I was just a guest sideman. Unfortunately it wasn't my call to say,
Hey we'll be on in 10 minutes if you leave us in peace.

And unfortunately a copy of the contract was not on hand.
I had pointed this out myself.... I ain't so slow as some think LOL.

As a sound man too I often would go out on radio lead and check the rooms sound myself. Unless I knew and trusted the sound person and system.

This was a "community" gig, the same day all over France every band around gets out and plays.
In concept very cool. A state and locall8ity financed national music day. Both well paid pro acts,
and any band of 15 year olds with 8 songs gets a shot too.

In this case a very nice lady how LOVES pedal steel,
and sings good enough to have members of both The Players and Nashville Bluegrass Band record for her.
She paid around 300€ to get me to travel and play steel for her show.
Only to have a little martinette bollox up the performance.

Needless to say I DID put in serious hours preparing. So I was really phsyc'd up to do it right.

C'est la vie.

I have done trailor gigs, actually on Woodstocks "Magic Stage" with the Hanley brothers sound systm. And an occasional state fair. Egg sandwhich's 2 minutes out of the chicken, with bacon you met earlier etc.

Well thanks for the commiserating all!

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 23 June 2004 at 12:39 PM.]

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

it would be "Ferme ta Gueule Salope !"
of course i would'nt dare post this here in English !

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Ou je casser ta gueulle ausi, conesse

yeah works for me... merci CB
but even less PC LOL

Fortunately this is a family forum in english only...

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 23 June 2004 at 12:42 PM.]

Rick McDuffie · From: Benson, North Carolina, USA

We played a showcase this past Winter... drove 2.5 hours to get there. I was playing 6-string AND steel, so I had two rigs to set up and tune. The bass player usually helped me, once he got his rig set up and his 4 strings tuned (which took about 2 minutes), so I could get it done.

Everything was cool up until I turned on the steel amp, at which point I had a gosh-awful hum. I thought it was a bad ground on the steel, and I soon had the guitar turned upside down, trying desperately to find out what was wrong before kickoff. Nothing doing... the stage manager was there, saying "Are ya'll ready? Let's go." Here's the intro... I unplugged the steel, set it over behind the backline, grabbed my Tele and played the entire show on 6-string-including several songs I had never done (on guitar) before. Fortunately, I can play some guitar- and it went off as smooth as silk.

The one shame was that Lenny Stadler, son of Leonard Stadler of Marlen Custom Guitars fame, had come to the gig just to hear me play the steel guitar that his Dad built... and that didn't happen. I was SO disappointed!

Turned out to be a bad cable... not the guitar at all.

I got MORE stories, if you wanna hear 'em.

------------------
Rick McDuffie

Sho-Bud Pro I, Marlen Speedy West, Fender Telecaster Custom, Strat, Gibson Les Paul Deluxe

Rick's Music Photo Gallery
www.tarheelmusic.com

John Davis · From: Cambridge, U.K.

Hey you guys are worrying me now! I got two flatbed gigs this Saturday! We play most of the afternoon on the trailer in the town centre, and in the evening they are going to tow us around the corner somewheres else to play! not sure if I should subject "Blondie" to this? can anybody lend me an old Sho-Bud or any old steel that it would`ent hurt to damage? Thank god there aint no loose cows (that I know about) runnin around the streets of Thrapston UK.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Rick I am SURE you got some stories!

John, I think Blondie will be fine...
but where are they gonna put the trailer hitch on you?

There shouldn't be any EM wiring on a trailer so to speak.
The electrican will be right there to hook it up right.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 24 June 2004 at 03:46 AM.]

Jeff Agnew · From: Dallas, TX

Mark van Allen · From: Watkinsville, Ga. USA

A Bump from the other side of the board- last night I played at at place where the house soundman always makes us sound wonderful, is glad to see us arrive, helpful, and tries his best to make the performers comfortable. He's mixed every kind of national act you can think of. We were talking about just the kinds of things on this thread and he regaled me with story after story of "talent challenged" singers and bands who put insane demands on him and then constantly complained. So it runs both ways...

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Mark, you did remind me to say the soundman
was GOOD,
he was on top of things as best as could be expected.

And since we were started before his contracted time too, he had to rush like a madman to get everything going too.
He was the least of my problems and very helpful to me to boot.

The other band was demanding that he mic up their drums while we were playing.
VERY poor form that...
He hasn't got our mix up yet, and some nimrod in my right ear is clearly hassling him to put up drum mics....

But no cattle... dang I miss aull the fun!!

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