Most Embarrasing Live Moment

[nfiora]

So I'm sure that with all the drummers on this site there must be some rather funny or embarrasing moments that you all can share. If you play live enough something is bound to go wrong. I figure this thread will make people feel better about when things go wrong at the worst possible moment.
My worst was when I fist started to play in a band and it was one of my first gigs. At that point in time we were covering "Machine Gun" by Jimi and right at the end of the song where I needed to come through the most my Bass drumm shaft and beater flew off of the Pedal. Try to end an epic song with no bass drum. Not to mention I had invited a girl to come see the show that night and I ended up looking like crap. In fact i was so pissed i ended up fliping over my kit at the end of the song. Never saw that girl again lol.

[Drummertist]

One time I had to play right after a song. So I ran up on stage and before I could even sit down, the music started. So I got behind the kit and the throne was pushed WAY back so I had to straighten out my legs to touch the pedal.

It was a very upbeat and fast song and when I started playing, I lost control of everything and started playing the craziest groove that completely overtook the song. when I was done everyone was just staring at me like I was crazy.

Wasn't that funny?......HA HA HA...ha........ohhhh boy.....

[LTNINGFan]

I started a song out, and it was the wrong intro, and went straight into a tempo that was way off, and then I panicked and I couldn't remember the song we were going to play. Not sure how I was so clueless....a week later, I was withought that gig. I totally blew it.. Before that, my only other blunder on stage was a simple crash coming off its stand :)

[supermac]

Thankfully, mainly from years ago, when I started playing live as teenager:


* Starting the wrong song.

* Putting my snare head and bass drum head through in the same song

* Dropping three or four sticks during the same song - and ending up finishing the song playing with one hand.

* Years ago, backing up a female double comedy act. One of them, a blonde, ended up sitting on my knee, for about 10 minutes, totally taking the **** out of me, with the audience in hysterics.

* Not having a mat under the kit on a shiny stage and the kit slipping all over the stage during each song.

* Cymbal stand collapsing off the drum riser and the falling cymbal missing the singer by inches. It would have sliced his head open.

*Having a gang of highly agressive and drunk/drugged audience members giving us the Nazi salute when we had a black singer.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

*Two girls I was dating at the same time (unknown to each other) turning up in the audience on the same night. I was virtually paralysed with fear...

[Drumsword]

LOL, @ That last post.....So how did the night with the 2 g/f's turn out?

I have several in my 25 years:

I had a bass beater fly off the pedal and off into the great unknown.

I started a song out at twice the tempo it should have been abd couldn't slow down or correct it.

Had a floor tom fall over.

Playing in a parade, the truck went downhill and all my gear started sliding, several band members, myself and the manager tried holding everything in place until we reached the bottom.

[PQleyR]

Once I was supposed to do a drum solo, but my bass drum beater fell off the pedal at the end of the song it was supposed to be at the end of, and I had to scrabble round frantically trying to find in on the floor while the rest of the band extended the end for ages to give me time. That was a strange experience.

[Guz2]

I haven't played live yet, but my drum teacher was doing the soundtrack for a play and on the night he had this Roland sound effects module thing, with screams and bongos and all that. Well, there was one romantic scene where two lovers were strolling through the park, my drum teacher was fiddling around trying to find some sheet of music or something and accidentally set off the scream sound effect right in the middle of the romantic scene!

>______<

[mrchattr]

I can think of two:

1. In middle school, the jazz band was set up on rafters. This was a BAD idea, because the kit was very awkward on there. When I started playing "Land of 1000 Dances," the bass drum started to slide, and pitch forward off the rafters. I stopped playing and grabbed it just as it started to go over, and held on for dear life. The other jazz drummer came running over, helped me get it back on the rafters, then sat in front of the bass drum, with it smacking him in the back repeatedly for the rest of the song as it tried to escape again.

2. I missed a song on the setlist, and started the next song, which was much faster than the one we were going to play. The band, who normally can figure out what is going on, just had no clue, and just turned and stared at me. Of course, being the showman I am, rather than stop and restart, I treated it as a short drum solo, where I gradually slowed to the right tempo, then played the intro fill (to the song) as the end of my solo. God, that was awkward.

[mrchattr]

I haven't played live yet, but my drum teacher was doing the soundtrack for a play and on the night he had this Roland sound effects module thing, with screams and bongos and all that. Well, there was one romantic scene where two lovers were strolling through the park, my drum teacher was fiddling around trying to find some sheet of music or something and accidentally set off the scream sound effect right in the middle of the romantic scene!

>______<

Ooooooooooh, that reminds me of another one, although it wasn't my fault. I was playing The Mikado, a musical. It starts with nothing but a gong hit. We had a real gong lined up, but they bailed, so I used a Roland percussion pad to simulate it. Unfortunately, the sound guy didn't unmute me. So, the lights went down, the conductor raised his hands, pointed at me to cue the gong hit, and there was the pathetic sound of my stick smacking the pad, and nothing else. He paused, then pointed again. Nothing but the smack again. Third time...same thing, and the director goes TEARING through the aisle to get to the soundboard. Finally, he un-mutes me, and on my fourth hit, the gong rang out.

[Muckster]

There have been many, here are a few highlights:

Totally messing up the drum intro to "Stranglehold" came in one bar early. The crowd fogave me and i heard about it for the rest of the night.

My first time in a big band, the director called for "Body and Soul' which is generally a slow piece. He asked if i knew the tune to which i said "of course." We did not rehearse it. I was new to Jazz then and the only version of the tune i had ever heard was Maynard Ferguson's version which is a little more up beat than the director had in mind and started with three very loud hits on the floor toms. The director just about crapped his pants. LOL

[peanut23s]

definatly when i hit a crash then straight to the ride with a dodgey grip it slipped and hit me right where you dont wont to be hit, with quite a force. lets just say a recovery was ni-on impossible

[FunkyJazzer]

*Two girls I was dating at the same time (unknown to each other) turning up in the audience on the same night. I was virtually paralysed with fear...


This is comedy GOLD.

Please tell us how it went!

[eddiehimself]

*Having a gang of highly agressive and drunk/drugged audience members giving us the Nazi salute when we had a black singer.


Well that's nothing to be ashamed about it's the racist wankers in the audience who should be embarrased for thier own stupidity and absolute lack of knowledge of anything to do with history.

here's a good "bass player moment". This time it was me. I played in our school hall for charity last year with my old band and the singer didn't want to do it because he basically complained that "we weren't doing the songs he'd practiced" even though he didn't actually turn up to any of the practices where we would have told him what songs we were doing! SINGERS!!! So basically as the bass player (who let's face it the bass player and or the drummer are always the BEST singers in the band but just too shy to show it ;)) i had to do it. The best thing about that was when we were going from song 1 to song 2 which was in a different tuning the guitar player had to get a new guitar but for some reason i really don't know he felt he had to use his own strap instead of the one already on this other guitar which wasn't his. So to keep the audience happy i decided to tell them what was going on:

"Sorry about the delay, our guitar player just has to get his lucky strap-on."

Everyone just burst out laughing. I think (hope) that they were laughging with me. It's just one of those things that you don't even think about what it will sound like when you say it. Forturnately the song afterwards was good (I think it was anyway, at least i hope so).

[tbmills]

my band used to play at a bar called "mugshots" very often. so often that it was kind of our home field. two of the female waitresses were good friends of the band and often would use non-verbal communication with us while we were on stage. in the middle of "plush" by stp, gina made steady eye contact with me and made an obscene gesture involving her slightly open fist moving toward and away from her mouth while her tongue rhythmically pushed on her cheek. i was stunned and missed coming back in from the break after the second chorus. it was bad.

[Jeremy Bender]

During a short drum solo at a show, my top plate (false teeth) fell out and bounced off the floor tom !

[timmdrum]

Kinda similar to this thread...

drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32811 (http://drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32811)

[aydee]

.....................


Way back. High School gig.

Band opens with " TIME" by Pink Floyd.

Aydee's doing the tick-tocks on the rims and cowbell.

Aydee keeps doing the tick-tocks. For a while...

Guitarist Sasha Meeks, stroking his long golden locks nervously, is edgy & uptight ... its his first gig.

As the tick-tocks continue, Sasha Meeks readies himself for the first David Gilmour power-chord as he waits and waits... leaning against the ancient Steinway baby grand on stage.

( please imagine the rest in slow-motion.. )

The moment in the song finally arrives.. Aydee hammers into his snare drum and raises his left hand to smash dramatically into his crappy no- name 17" crash.

Sasha Meeks pushes off the piano to crunch into his Ibanez Gibson imitation SG with a Townsend-like propeller motion.


The piano legs buckle and give way. The piano explodes into smithereens on stage... IN PERFECT TIME.. to the opening chord of the Floyd classic.

The bass player is dis-oriented and walks into a wall.

Dropping his guitar, Sasha Meeks leaps off stage screaming with naked fear.

The crowd thinks its part of the act at first, but then thinks it a bomb and runs hysterically out of the auditorium.

Aydee spends the next 15 minutes on the drum throne with tears streaming down his face, laughing his ass off.




(Man, never laughed that hard ever again.)

[tbmills]

aydee has funny stories and speaks in 3rd person

[TTNW]

Opening song: RHCP Suck My Kiss

I've got 2 shots and a beer in me, not drunk just dangerous.

Guitar intro, and I wind up for the snare beat down and crash ride frenzy and my right stick goes right into my eye. The bead of the stick goes under my lid and tear it. Blood everywhere! I'm convinced I'll be blind permanently in my eye but my adrenaline is kicking so hard, I don't stop playing.

About a minute into the song, the bass player stop because my eye is so swollen and my yelling is not synching up to my playing or anybody elses.

http://www.ttnw.com/eye.jpg


I'm an idiot.

[drummerchick435]

Ok. So my church's youth group finally got a set of electric drums (used Roland) for the youth room. First song I ever played on it, I was just bashing away. Well, my stick accidentally hit the "play" button on the module, and a pre-programmed salsa beat starts to play right in the middle of the song! So embarrassed, I haven't quite learned how to work the dang thing so there I was all eyes on me pressing random buttons until it stopped. But the "show" went on, and all the youth laughed about it afterwords.

[DrummerDavid]

First ever live gig, I didn't know the importance of a rug or hammer and a nail. My bass drum was sliding all over the place. After a few songs my bass player just put his leg right in front and stood there for the rest of the gig.

[geeza]

I'm playing a pretty big gig and i ask the headliners' drummer if i can use his kit since we were using the same backline anyway. He's got this real nice Pearl kit and i assure him i'll take care of them. The gig is going great till the end of the last song. Everyone is totally wanking on their instrument as the song comes to an end and i look up and see our guitar player , crazed look on his face running towards me. I'm screaming NOOOOOOOOOO! and he dives right on top of this guys kit. The drummer just stands there looking at me ,eyes wide open , jaw dropped and i'm mortified. He ends up with several deep scars on his kick and floor tom and a bent pull rod on his hi-hat stand. Ever since then i've never liked using anyone elses kit.

[yesdog]

I was playing at a night club and the back of me and my drum set can be seen in the big window on the frint of the club. after a couple of songs i looked back to see a couple of people laughing. little did i know but my pants had slid down exposing a classic plummers crack. remember to pull up your pants before sitting down(i am not fat either).and on that same night the band started 4 different songs at the same time. That was a bad gig. shit happens.

[druid]

grazing my nose in the middle of a solo once....hurt like hell eyes watered up....but I believe no one noticed so it was all an internal psychodrama becuase I felt embarassed....later I saw the solo on tape and I can tell when I hit my nose but it was not obvious to an outside observer. Hillarious now.

[geeza]

First ever live gig, I didn't know the importance of a rug or hammer and a nail. My bass drum was sliding all over the place. After a few songs my bass player just put his leg right in front and stood there for the rest of the gig.
That's so funny . Years ago i thought i came up with the idea of the nails in front of the kick drum because i had trashed my drums so many times ,the spurs broke off.

[mrchattr]

This isn't embarassing, but it's a good story that would fit in here better than in any other thread, so I figured I'd put it here so you guys could get a laugh.

We were playing a bar that was kind of weird...the back of the room was the pool table area, then there was a maybe three foot high wall seperating it from the main room. We set up with our backs to that half-wall, so the people playing pool were behind us. It was actually really nice, as I was able to put my drink right on the wall and not have to bend down.

So, it's the third set, and we are rocking out. I go into a solo, and suddenly I feel something on my shoulder. I can't fully express to you how weird of a sensation it was to feel something on my shoulder...it scared the hell out of me, just total surprise. So, I turn my head, and a very drunk woman is leaning over the wall, holding my shoulder as I solo. I managed to keep playing without a problem, and my band's manager ran over and pulled her off me, but it was the weirdest thing ever. She told my manager that she loved how to play, and was trying to absorb some of my energy. The next time we played that venue, I set up in the corner, so that there was a full wall behind my back like usual.

[drumguyfromWI]

I used to drop sticks all the time. even now, I still do, but not nearly as often.

and one time, with my old band, I had to stop playing because my kick drum moved really, REALLY far away from me (far enough to where I could just barely reach the pedal) from hitting it so much, so I had to pull it back and it ruined the whole song haha.

but now I tie the spurs of my kick drum to the post of my throne with rope, so there's no way that it's moving at all.

[wert90]

not a live moment but, my band played a gig in france, put all the kit in the bass players van and got on the boat from england.

we'd played the gig and the bass player started packing up the speaker cables that were stuck to the floor with gaffa tape. he couldnt rip it and didnt have scissors so got out the van key and tried to cut the tape.

he broke the key.

we couldnt start the van or lock it at night. we bodged things till we got back but it was such a foolish mistake. made us laugh loads though. best bit was customs asking us if the van had been locked throughout the journey. of course we said yes, but then we thought about it. who knows how many illegal immagrants could have jumped in!

let this be a lesson to you all, haha

[bobdadruma]

I bought an inexpensive $70.00 drum throne because it had a backrest on it and I have a bad back. (not to mention that I'm cheap) I brought this cheap POS to a gig. We played a set or two and all was well. Our singer decided to introduce "BOB DA DRUMA!" I began to play a loud solo. The throne broke where the legs connect at the top of the stand base. I fell over backwards! The audience laughed and they thought that it was part of our show. We used duck tape to hold the throne together for the rest of the gig. I now use a Gibraltar throne that cost substantially more money. I'm not as cheap as I used to be! Lesson learned!