Worst gig you've played at...or attended!

FionnK86

What's the worst gig, big or small you've played at or been to? Consider all factors like quality of sound, talent and crowd, however don't complain about genre, if you'd like to complain about that go elsewhere...


Personally, mine was today at a small bar in Kildare...personally this is my way of blowing of steam:D

1. The sound guy was crap, ordered us to be on time, wouldn't let us MOVE the microphones though i'm left handed and my headstock keep hitting the lead guitarists. He also didn't know what feedback was when we asked him which is a pretty basic concept

2. It was a charity gig, which is grand, but there was no advertisement so the bands and their mates were the only people there, seriously doubt they actually made money.

3. The others bands left when you were on so we were playing to the sound guy and some others, the crowd was dead, no-one was up for it. It wouldn't waste my money to stand there. We asked the crowd to dance or mosh and they stood there and clapped.

4. Now my own faults, i played my guitar half a step down, so it sound AWFUL! My tuner was broke, but nobody could tell what the sound problem was so we carried on, we really should have stopped.

5. Our drummer was insanely nervous and missed a beat on nearly every song.

Ahh thanks, what about you?:o

unclebill98

I did sound at this charity gig once.

Set up all the gear cause the room was a nightmere for sound so I had to eq the ****e out of everything.

Bands came in and started moving stuff around, told them not to but before I could explain why they got snotty.

Sound of one of the bands was rotten, could tell if it was feedback or if they guys guitar was out of tune. So not much I could do. The crowd wanted to be entertained but the bands just couldn't read them and play stuff no one wanted all night.

Glad my name was not mentioned in any advertsing as providing sound cause my god it was an awful night. Not even the bands stayed to listen to each other it was that bad.

But anyhow, you could tell the bands where inexperienced as there was mistakes every where oh and this one bands drummer was hitting the wrong beat for I think most the set.


On a more serious note op, Stevie Wonder in the O2 Dublin. It was like him and the band couldn't be arsed with it.

EdenHazard

3OH3 not sure of their name, but sang that song with Katy Perry. They were at Oxegen in 2010 and were prob the worst thing I've ever seen. Terrible, just thinking how did these guys become famous?

irlirishkev

I think my worst gig, comes from my younger days, about 15 years ago.

Break For The Border, downstairs as part of the Heineken Green Energy Festival.

Using someone else's back end, which is never a good thing. Sound check went fine, but numbnuts here didn't check the amp settings; So.. All you could hear for the first 4/5 songs was my lead guitar. Our bass player decided it was more important to talk to some girl beside the stage, than to actually play. So we basically had no bass for the first few songs. Our monitor settings were bollox, and the engineer didn't seem to give a flying fart.
It was then I learned that anyone other than headline acts are doomed in amateur situations.

There were other bad gigs (Eamon Dorans comes to mind), but that was definitely one of the worst.

MrStuffins

Ah, good idea for a thread because we recently had a stinker.

We had a headline gig coming up but most of the tunes were brand new and untested. We were offer a slot at a BOTB type thing the night before the gig, perfect! We could test out the tunes and give them a run through.

The lads who ran the show had their hearts in the right place, but they didn't really know what they were doing. They booked 10 bands to play on the same night! They wanted each band to turn up hours before kick-off time to soundcheck each band (We're talking so early that anyone with a job was basically screwed).

They charged WAY too much for a weekday show, meaning nobody really felt comfortable asking their friends to it etc. It showed because nobody turned up.

So, when we got there the place was empty. The first band were on stage and the only others in the room were the band who were supposed to follow them.

We get on stage later to 6 people and the planets just weren't aligned! We had a false start on the first song, then halfway through said song my guitar went off. Each of our members made horrible mistakes, the bass got switched off halfway through a song, I think I might've forgotten the lyrics to one of the songs at another point...........

It was a nightmare! We were full of confidence before that, afterwards we were aprehensive about the headline show the night after.

Anyway, the headline show we played ended up being the best show we'd ever played

artvandulet

irlirishkev wrote: »

Using someone else's back end, which is never a good thing.

:eek::eek: No it doesnt sound like it would be!

I was mixing a band at a corporate do and they relied on quite a bit of backing tracks via an ipod hooked on to the singers mic stand.
In fairness they had the dance floor full up until his battery died mid song and all that was left was what the band were really playing which wasnt a hole lot. If you've ever seen Bill Bailey do his 'The Edge' routine you'll know the type of thing.

Dani21

Drove three hours from kildare to leitrim to play to five people...one very drunk, annoying man who was convinced he knew me and by what i could gather,giving he was from leitrim , could not string a sentence together for the life of him and four other elderly men who did not give a ****!!...half an hour set,sound man ****ed up the bass and we all went home very disappointed...verrrryyyy silent car journey haha!!

eire1

Dani21 wrote: »

Drove three hours from kildare to leitrim to play to five people...one very drunk, annoying man who was convinced he knew me and by what i could gather,giving he was from leitrim , could not string a sentence together for the life of him and four other elderly men who did not give a ****!!...half an hour set,sound man ****ed up the bass and we all went home very disappointed...verrrryyyy silent car journey haha!!

Not Ballinamore festival by any chance?

We played Captains live in Blanch in around May. We had missed that weeks practice but were confident going into the gig. Soundcheck was grand, ran through a few songs and was pretty happy. The actual gig on the other hand, disaster. Awful harmonies, bassist forgot the changes in several songs, I (drummer) completely messed up the ending of a song. The four of us were silent and just annoyed with ourselves afterwards. I'd say that's our worst gig .

Furious-Red

eire1 wrote: »

Not Ballinamore festival by any chance?

We played Captains live in Blanch in around May. We had missed that weeks practice but were confident going into the gig. Soundcheck was grand, ran through a few songs and was pretty happy. The actual gig on the other hand, disaster. Awful harmonies, bassist forgot the changes in several songs, I (drummer) completely messed up the ending of a song. The four of us were silent and just annoyed with ourselves afterwards. I'd say that's our worst gig .

It was indeed

eire1

Furious-Red wrote: »

It was indeed

Yeah we played there and had a similar experience, just awful. My friends were also due to play, they had set up and were in the middle of soundcheck when it kicked off. Sound man was drunk, he had cans in a carrier bag with him under the desk, at 4 in the afternoon. My friend was getting a shock from his vocal mic and the soundman's response was "nothing I can do, you'll be fine". He ended up swapping mics with one for the drum overheads but about halfway into another soundcheck the sound was beyond awful so they packed up and went home.

Never again.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

eire1 wrote: »

My friend was getting a shock from his vocal mic and the soundman's response was "nothing I can do, you'll be fine".

wow, what an idiot. That is very dangerous.

A few years ago we played at a festival (back af a lorry job). we were playing on the friday evening, which was just local bands. we were on first. It was only our second gig in our first band, so we were pretty raw. we had a quick practice a few hours before te gig, and our bassits amp blew. not a great start.

We arrived for a sound check, the pa was delivered with the speakers in postion, bit nothing actually wired up and no sound man to be seen. We came back later, pa set up.....but the monitors had disappeared. The sound man DIed our guitar amps, through the head phone outputs, meaning the speakers on the amps were knocked off. Bass was DIed too, but he had no amp! If we had monitors, this wouldnt have been nearly as bad, as we could have ran the bass and guitars through them. all we could hear when we were playing was drums. As for the FOH mix.....terrible. Also, we played terrible.

noideaforaname

Played a charity show a few years ago, something like €15 in and it was in the Academy main room - we went on at 1.15 till 2.15 and played to 11 people, one was the sound engineer, 2 bar staff and 8 punters, worst hour of my whole life.

Sugarlumps

I don’t really see playing in front of a small turn out like some have said as being a disaster. It happens to every single band, no point dwelling on it. Just rock it the fock out.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

Sugarlumps wrote: »

I don’t really see playing in front of a small turn out like some have said as being a disaster. It happens to every single band, no point dwelling on it. Just rock it the fock out.

paid practice

(assuming you got paid!)

FionnK86

MrStuffins wrote: »

Ah, good idea for a thread because we recently had a stinker.

We get on stage later to 6 people and the planets just weren't aligned! We had a false start on the first song, then halfway through said song my guitar went off. Each of our members made horrible mistakes, the bass got switched off halfway through a song, I think I might've forgotten the lyrics to one of the songs at another point...........

It was a nightmare! We were full of confidence before that, afterwards we were aprehensive about the headline show the night after.

Anyway, the headline show we played ended up being the best show we'd ever played

I can see what you mean, you'd really need a crowd to boost your confidence with new songs, and that would be a right pain for noone to show up:rolleyes:

iamnothim

irlirishkev wrote: »

Using someone else's back end

Back line. It's called back line.

pauliewallie

Very recently, after a 10 hour day in work and down with a heavy cold I went and played a one man gig in a Northside pub. Things got off to an ominous start when I went in and politely introduced myself and the barman basically grunted at me and nodded in the direction I should set up. So started to play away and the bar mainly full of middle-aged men were about as interested in me as a fridge instruction manual. I'm horse as f*ck to boot. After I finish song after song barely an eyebrow raised or a head turned never mind a clap. During the second half of the set a man comes up and ask do I know 'Crazy World' by Aslan, I don't, and even though I don't like the song I'm trying to turn things around a bit with the punters so I say I'll give it a go. I figure it out with the help of the same dude playing it to me on his phone, yes that's as bad as it sounds;. I don't really know the words, but it doesn't matter a ****e anyway as the man who requested the song has f*cked off outside for a smoke. The barman then turns the golf up which is being shown on three televisions, this pisses me right off so after every song I get on the mic and ask for it to be turned up even more please, hows Tiger doing (I've given up trying to please anyone at this stage). End of the night packing up I get money sorted etc. and another grunt from the friendly barman.

Probably worst gig ever! But I'm sure I can top it soon

I should add that I had a couple of mates in who live local to the pub. The best kind of mates, positive mother****ers! and if it wasn't for them I probably would have said f*ck it to the money and headed home early doors!

doughef

Years ago,.. probably 1997..

Was just new to the oul gigging scene.. 16 years of age, and asked to cover a gig for a lad me oul fella sorta knew..

money too good to be true/ easy gig etc..

I rock up. on my own with my guitar, borrowed gear from me Dad (who probably knew what I was in for but assumed it was a lesson worth learning!)

It was a workmans club in my home town. A grand clean spot,well run, no hassle, but they were charging 2 pound in at the door for set dancing.!!

Obviously the original band got a better offer and ****t off..

So after two songs I overheard someone involved with the club saying to the barman "give him 20 Quid and tell him to fu** off"

lesson learned

FionnK86

Jaysus, would give anything to get paid €20 to fu** off haha:D

Just Like Heaven

Good thread. Ballinamore can be pretty cringe.

Ash.J.Williams

ha ha this thread brings me back!!!

So we've all turned up for a gig, played a very uncomfortable set in front of spiteful other bands, their girlfriends, the local alco , a grumpy sound man and one or two appreciative kids...and then packed up the gear and legged it without so much as a goodbye running away from the kip!!

Ash.J.Williams

FionnK86 wrote: »

What's the worst gig, big or small you've played at or been to? Consider all factors like quality of sound, talent and crowd, however don't complain about genre, if you'd like to complain about that go elsewhere...


Personally, mine was today at a small bar in Kildare...personally this is my way of blowing of steam:D

1. The sound guy was crap, ordered us to be on time, wouldn't let us MOVE the microphones though i'm left handed and my headstock keep hitting the lead guitarists. He also didn't know what feedback was when we asked him which is a pretty basic concept

2. It was a charity gig, which is grand, but there was no advertisement so the bands and their mates were the only people there, seriously doubt they actually made money.

3. The others bands left when you were on so we were playing to the sound guy and some others, the crowd was dead, no-one was up for it. It wouldn't waste my money to stand there. We asked the crowd to dance or mosh and they stood there and clapped.

4. Now my own faults, i played my guitar half a step down, so it sound AWFUL! My tuner was broke, but nobody could tell what the sound problem was so we carried on, we really should have stopped.

5. Our drummer was insanely nervous and missed a beat on nearly every song.

Ahh thanks, what about you?:o

let me get this straight, you played half a step down when everyone else was at concert pitch???

man ....the buck stops with you there!! that must have sounded horrendus!