Acceptable reasons for you to get up from the drums mid song?

MrPockets

Gold Member
Are you one of those people people who practically glue your butt the the throne, or are there circumstances where you would leave the drums (such as someone trying to assault you, or a flood rushing towards you)?
 
Self-preservation is high on my list of priorities...
 
I have a weak will. All you'd have to do is put a sandwich or good beer just slightly out of reach, and I'd stop everything.
 
The guy who started a thread about crapping himself mid set probably had a viable excuse.

The mummy's boy who stuffed up a fill and ran away (all whilst wearing a cape), did not.
 
I don't reckon I can agree with you on that one PFOG. I mean, if you gamble and lose you've gotta take responsibility for your actions. I say finish the set! But then he probably would have been literally glued to his seat.
 
If a crazy biker crashes the dance floor and does a burnout, I'd consider that a reason to stop and get up.
 

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The show goes on. Musicians are supposed to be like the old mailmen (mailpersons) ... "Through rain or snow, or sleet or hail, we'll carry the mail, we will not fail"

30+ years ago a guitarist packed up and walked out of a jam because the other guitarist soloed endlessly. I don't agree with walk outs but I could understand that he didn't feel inclined to play a support role for someone who was being selfish.

Much more recently a bassist walked out because she didn't like a particular song and didn't want to play it. Had never mentioned it before - just one day she put down her bass and walked out.

Never had a gig walkout to date, thank Omnipresent Deity.

Who needs the drama? Just shaddap and play.
 
I had to endure a near band member walk out last year. A piercing stare & some choice threats were necessary to turn that around. I can understand the reasons why said band member wanted to bail, but in front of a huge audience is not a great time to do that, even if everything is going very badly. Us drummers should rise above that & show real grit :)

I did (foolishly) enter the chilli eating competition prior to headlining the national Harley Davidson rally last year. Luckily (via multiple trips to the cubicle) I managed to avert catastrophic core meltdown, & lasted the 2 hour set. If I had failed in my task, that certainly would have justified a short unscheduled interval :(
 
I nearly upped and walked from the last gig our band, in it's current format, did but I did, in the end, the right thing and finished the gig then finished the singer....
 
How about a whole band walk-out? Nearly happened with my band a couple of years ago, absolute farce of a gig. Here's the tale...

We were playing a dinner dance at a biggish function venue. We'd played there several times before and always done well, loads of good feedback. We were looking forward to this gig, big crowd, 500+ doctors and their partners (event was their annual party). Nice fat fee!

Note - our client was the doctor's Association who organised the event, not the venue.

Anyway, after the dinner there was a charity auction and some "presentations to the committee" stuff. This took place in an adjoining room where the auction lots were displayed. The organiser's plan was for us to start playing our first set after they finished the presentations, his idea being to draw the crowd back into the main space more quickly, get the dancing started.

All was going to plan but as we start our set the venue owner looks in. Now this guy is very bombastic, very controlling, some would say a bully. Seeing the (still) mostly empty room he rushes to the conclusion that we had driven the crowd away!

OK so he should have been in the loop but did he wait until the first song was finished before approaching us to establish the situation? No - he runs onto the stage and starts to rant (scream) at our band leader while we were still playing. Unbelievable. Meantime a few hundred bemused doctors are coming back into the room behind him.

We ground to a halt in frank amazement at his behaviour. We couldn't ignore him - he was in our faces and trying to grab instruments. So we stop and he continued to shout. After a few minutes he quietens enough for the band leader to get a word in and tell him what we had been asked to do. The client's organiser comes up and confirms it, asks what all the fuss is about and why we have started packing up!

Anyway the organiser insisted we carry on and the owner went off in a rage. We played two sets and had a great time with the crowd who (fortunately) found the whole thing highly amusing.

One thing for sure, we won't go back to that venue - have declined to play there ever since.

Richard
 
How about a whole band walk-out? Nearly happened with my band a couple of years ago, absolute farce of a gig. Here's the tale...

We were playing a dinner dance at a biggish function venue. We'd played there several times before and always done well, loads of good feedback. We were looking forward to this gig, big crowd, 500+ doctors and their partners (event was their annual party). Nice fat fee!

Note - our client was the doctor's Association who organised the event, not the venue.

Anyway, after the dinner there was a charity auction and some "presentations to the committee" stuff. This took place in an adjoining room where the auction lots were displayed. The organiser's plan was for us to start playing our first set after they finished the presentations, his idea being to draw the crowd back into the main space more quickly, get the dancing started.

All was going to plan but as we start our set the venue owner looks in. Now this guy is very bombastic, very controlling, some would say a bully. Seeing the (still) mostly empty room he rushes to the conclusion that we had driven the crowd away!

OK so he should have been in the loop but did he wait until the first song was finished before approaching us to establish the situation? No - he runs onto the stage and starts to rant (scream) at our band leader while we were still playing. Unbelievable. Meantime a few hundred bemused doctors are coming back into the room behind him.

We ground to a halt in frank amazement at his behaviour. We couldn't ignore him - he was in our faces and trying to grab instruments. So we stop and he continued to shout. After a few minutes he quietens enough for the band leader to get a word in and tell him what we had been asked to do. The client's organiser comes up and confirms it, asks what all the fuss is about and why we have started packing up!

Anyway the organiser insisted we carry on and the owner went off in a rage. We played two sets and had a great time with the crowd who (fortunately) found the whole thing highly amusing.

One thing for sure, we won't go back to that venue - have declined to play there ever since.

Richard

Um, many conventional medical doctors are arrogant egomaniacs. Probably from taking all the freebie samples of perscription drugs they unnecessarily push on their unsuspecting patients that, in turn, fatten their wallets and help finance their country club memberships, SUVs, and such. Happy Monday :)
 
I was playing drums for a Saturday evening chapel service on my Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan the one time, when the base came under rocket attack. I chose to get up in the middle of playing (as did the rest of the band, and the audience too).
 
I was playing drums for a Saturday evening chapel service on my Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan the one time, when the base came under rocket attack. I chose to get up in the middle of playing (as did the rest of the band, and the audience too).

Yep, I'd say that's a pretty damn good reason to get up. I hope like hell no one was hurt.

Does standing up behind the kit a la Portnoy count? :p
 
One time we were playing to a nearly empty room and a guy was begging me to sit in with the band, and I let him so I could go to the bathroom. He ended up being alright!
 
I was playing drums for a Saturday evening chapel service on my Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan the one time, when the base came under rocket attack. I chose to get up in the middle of playing (as did the rest of the band, and the audience too).

You win....

hehehe

:)
 
I've never done this mid song. One time the bar owner wouldn't let us take a break, he kept saying just keep playing, we don't want to loose this crowd. he kept bringing us drinks too.

about 2 hours In I told the guys to play a song without drums and went and took a wizz.

another time I had to throw up and the bass was making it worse. I made it to the end of a song and asked them to play a song without drums and went and took care of business. felt much better and got back up for the next song.

We have had to stop playing mid song a few times because people fall into the stage and knock over gear, or dump a beer into a monitor. Something like that happens maybe once or twice a year.

There have been gigs were I wanted to pack it up and go home but I always stick it out. I am very stubborn.
 
Any freekin' reason I care to follow at the moment is good enough for me! ; )

I've yet to find one though....
 
Yep, I'd say that's a pretty damn good reason to get up. I hope like hell no one was hurt.

Does standing up behind the kit a la Portnoy count? :p

Nope. The bad guys shoot like they went to the Imperial Stormtrooper Academy.

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